Harry's Blog

This is the euphoric cry that echoes through the fest halls when Oktoberfest revellers are called upon by the oompah band to lift and clink their filled steins and then yell, “ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit” (a toast to friendliness and good cheer). The original Oktoberfest, celebrated first in 1810, and to this day the biggest in the world, takes place in Munich, Germany. The very same beer that must be brewed within the city limits of Munich is available for enjoyment, and purchase at your local LCBO outlet. It’s a seasonal release for a limited time only, so don’t hesitate to purchase a few extra bottles. At 6.3 % alc./vol., it’s stronger than most mainstream beers that clock in at the 5% range. Bright gold in colour with rich aromas of bread, it has a long citrus and dried hay accented finish. The Beverage Testing Institute gave it 93 points and an “Exceptional” rating. Visit your favourite local deli and pick up some sausages, buns, mustard and sauerkraut and celebrate your own family Oktoberfest.       

Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier LCBO # 85889, 500 ml $3.95 

This past May, I had the pleasure of visiting the fascinating Island of Sicily. While politically part of Italy, it’s almost a continent in itself located at the crossroads of the Mediterranean. Its vast coastline sports hundreds of sandy beaches while the interior has a remarkable range of landscapes. Ancient Greek ruins are a testament to a rich and storied history that spans several millennia. But we can’t not mention grape growing and wine making, a flourishing, major sector of the economy. While vast vineyards are found throughout the island, we want to concentrate on Mount Etna. This active volcano is THE most important and imposing geographic feature of Sicily. We missed a small eruption only a few days prior. The Cusumano family is headquartered in the town of Partinico on the northwest end of the island, close to Palermo. We were graciously hosted by Export Manager, Maria Leone. Mount Etna is where the excitement is these days. Over the past twenty years premium winemakers from around the world have been attracted to this lava-strewn landscape. Cusumano’s Alta Mora estate with three contradas, that is single vineyards, is located on the steep north slope of the volcano. Covered in black lava soil, it is not in the path of any lava flows. For white wine production, the  indigenous white Carricante grape dominates. Fermented solely in stainless steel to preserve the aromatics, citrus, minerals and green apple dominate. Mid weight in body, it has an almost Chardonnay-like feel about it with a complex, lingering finish..               

Since Sicily is surrounded by the Mediterranean, the obvious pairing would be your favourite seafood. Noted journalist James Suckling scored it 93 points.   

2022 Alta Mora Etna Bianco DOC, LCBO #545103, $28.95

Fall is creeping up on us slowly, but surely. There’s a nip in the morning air. Dew covers the lawns, and especially car windshields, necessitating swishing the wipers. After the usual pre-Labour Day frenzy of buying supplies, gadgets and clothes, the kids are back in school. Get used to following school buses navigating through your neighborhoods past parents and grandparents making sure the kids get on board safely. Once the kids are tucked in for the night, mom and dad deserve to kick back and enjoy a decent glass of wine, probably now red as the temperatures have dropped.  

For an economical, tasty, full-bodied, round red, let’s do Portugal. Lisboa is one of the classic capital cities of Europe. It also lends its name to the wine growing region north of the city. Dramatic vineyards cover rolling hillsides varying in altitude from 70 to 450 meters above sea level. The San Sebastiao estate winery is located in the quaint town of Arruda in what locals call the “Enchanted Valley.” The soils are mainly clay-limestone based in a Mediterranean micro-climate. Gentle breezes emanating from the Atlantic Ocean moderate the otherwise hot summer temperatures. A blend of Syrah and local Tinta Roriz grapes, fermentation takes place only in stainless steel. Very fresh notes of plum and black fruits come through loud and clear, not masked by any wood notes associated with barrel aging. At $13.95 the value is exceptional. Serve with pasta dishes, light to medium strength cheeses or your favourite meat dish.

2022 San Sebastiao Lisboa Syrah Tinta Roriz, LCBO # 632869, $13.95

Most of us have heard the expression, “Seize The Day,” translated from the Latin, Carpe Diem. Basically, it means to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future. 

Every day is a new day, meal-wise, especially. Poutine is a Canadian classic. French fries are doused with ooey, gooey gravy and then smothered with cheese curds that are supposed to soften up, melt and fill the crevasses between the fries . What we’ve got here is a Canadian cornucopia of textures and flavours all coming together to party on one’s palate before swallowing. Potatoes with their starch, cheese curds with proteins that are obliged to squeak when bitten into, and gravy with a seductive viscosity coming from animal juices, do their tasty thing. An overall pleasant mouthfeel with all these components creates the concept of flavor, even umami. A Canadian dish deserves to be paired with a Canadian wine such as Gamay. Native to France’s Beaujolais region, it has successfully made the trip over the Atlantic and is now a staple of red wine production in the Niagara Peninsula; specifically, the Short Hills Bench appellation, home to Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery. The warm location of south-facing slopes further ensure a full ripening of the Gamay grape. The day-to-night temperature shifts of up to 13 degrees Celsius contribute to the wine’s freshness and crispness. The medium body plus red berry and blueberry notes finish with a gentle spiciness on the palate. Chill for half an hour in the fridge and enjoy this delicious routine poutine pairing.        

2023 Henry of Pelham Estate The Smith & Smith Gamay, LCBO # 19903, $21.95 

The River Lot starts as a spring in the Languedoc Roussillon region of south-central France. Flowing 500 km northwest, it eventually becomes a wide, meandering, slow river wending its way and eventually emptying into the Garonne River a hundred km south of Bordeaux. Looping like a dizzy python, it flows past imposing castles and diverse, hilly outcroppings of limestone that act as natural heat reservoirs. Nothing seems to disturb the tranquility of this serenely wild, sparsely populated region. The area west of Cahors for about fifty km on both sides of the river is the original home of the Malbec grape. The appellation is Cahors, taking its name after the medieval city of the same name. There are forty-five wine-growing villages in the Cahors appellation. Starting in the Middle Ages, and due to its intense color, it was called the “black wine.” It also found its way into the wines of other regions for the purpose of “beefing up” the colour and providing more weight on the palate. Cahors has 4,600 hectares of Malbec, miniscule compared to the 58,000 hectares grown there prior to being wiped out in the 1860s by that pesky, no-holds-barred, and totally destructive aphid called phylloxera. All along the banks of the River Lot one will encounter walnut and fruit trees. The vineyards are neatly planted on three alluvial terraces at various elevations above the river’s banks. An increasing number of Cahors producers are now including the Malbec varietal on the label. Merlot and Tannat are also grown here and are allowed to make up to thirty percent of the blend. 

A great food wine, Cahors matches a cornucopia of regional delicacies including truffles, fois gras, grilled Caussnard lamb and black bass caught freshly out of the Lot river, and the regional cheese specialty, Rocamadour. Since we do not have the luxury of flying to France, have your neighborhood gourmet grocer help you select and substitute local equivalent dishes from its own repertoire of products.   

French wine wizard and merchant extraordinaire, Gérard Betrand, has tapped into Cahors and is offering it to wine lovers around the world including, fortunately, LCBO Vintages. James Suckling scored it 90 points.

2021 Gérard Betrand Héritage Cahors Malbec LCBO #43536, $21.95.

The history behind this famous pre-midday cocktail is much disputed. The most plausible link points to bartender Frank Meier who is supposed to have created it at the Hotel Ritz in Paris. The Herres winery has come to the rescue and it’s available on a continuous basis at your favourite LCBO location. Mimosa lovers may enjoy this yummy imported sparkling cocktail pre-mixed. It’s no longer necessary to go through the time-consuming exercise of blending orange juice and sparkling wine hoping to hit the right combination of flavour and sparkle. The effervescence brings a liveliness as well as balance to the citrus elements. Enjoy, whenever the occasion calls, not just for brunch but also on the patio or deck during these sultry August days of summer.

Romeo Mimosa LCBO 14388, $12.95     

The Viognier grape is responsible for some of the most expensive white wines in France. At home on the Rhône River Valley, we are talking about Chateau Grillet with its own appellation covering only 3.5 hectares. Yalumba Winery, based in Australia’s Barossa Valley, took the initiative over 40 year ago to plant this varietal in the southern hemisphere.

Yalumba is considered to be a leader in growing this varietal in the New World, specifically in the neighboring Eden Valley with its higher, cooler elevations. The vineyards are farmed and certified sustainable.  Fermentation takes place spontaneously with wild yeasts. No commercial strains here. Vegan friendly, it is bottled under their Y Series, a collection of iconic classic varietals produced in limited quantities. We are fortunate to have their Y Series Viognier available on LCBO shelves on a continuous basis.  With a straw colour and medium-bodied texture, it bursts with heady aromas of melon, honeysuckle and white flowers. Aging on the lees gives us a complex tasting palate with a lingering, silky finish.  While delicious to be enjoyed as an aperitif, we can think of nothing better on these hot, sultry summer days or evenings than to pair it with a chilled, rich seafood salad  And don’t skimp on the lobster or crabmeat!

2023 Yalumba Y Series Viognier LCBO #470062, $13.95

France is home to the huge Rhône wine growing region. Its sloped vineyards produce gargantuan quantities of primarily red wine. They straddle both banks of the mighty Rhône river as it makes its way to the Mediterranean sea. Within the smaller regional appellation of Côtes du Rhône Villages, 22 villages are allowed to be specifically identified if 100% of the production comes from within that village’s boudaries. Cairanne is one of those villages one will find at the top of ”Villages” ranking nestled in the heart of the southern Rhone valley. The exceptional plateau-based terroir sports pebbles and sandy soils giving us well balanced, age worthy wines.  A regional phenomenon is the Mistral, a wind that rushes down the Rhône River valley and provides a welcoming cooling effect in this otherwise extremely hot climate.

Vidal-Fleury is a highly respected regional producer. Founded in 1781, it is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Rhône Valley. This wine is a blend of the local favourite varieties of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. However, Grenache dominates most aspects of this wine - dark chocolate, plum and a cherry nose finishing with pepper. There is great structure on the palate crowned by a smooth, firm length due to the well integrated tannins. 

May be aged further for 5-7 years. Rare red meats simply roasted are the perfect match. But let’s be more adventurous and go for a Provençal lamb stew. Typical herbs used in Provençal cooking such as thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil provide the perfect foil to this wine’s peppery notes..

Cheese wise, let’s go local pairing this Cairanne village production with Oka cheese from Québec.   

2022 J .Vidal-Fleury Cairanne LCBO #43528, $24.95

Everybody loves to pull out a big bottle of wine and pour the contents to the assembled group. A magnum holds 1500 ml, or two standard bottle sizes. It’s perfect for larger summer get-togethers. Having a bigger quantity means not having to switch bottles if you offer a selection of foods that complement the wine in question. Dry rosé is the rage these days and Gérard Bertrand is the international market leader with his Côte des Roses Rosé brand. Hailing from select vineyards located along the French Mediterranean coast, this is the benchmark for dry, refreshing, medium-bodied, aromatic rosé. It is achieved by taking red wines and leaving them on the skins for less time, just enough to get the pink hues we are so captivated by. The Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault grape varieties that make up this blend give us stone fruit notes in the bouquet underpinned by complex, medium red wine texture in the body. Serving it well-chilled makes it a winner on its own, or pair with pink coloured foods: unthawed cocktail shrimp rings that every supermarket carries with their pink tails and pinkish skin. Dip them in a cocktail sauce, take a sip of rosé, and you’ve got a marriage made in the mouth; or skinless, baked salmon filets with their pink flesh topped with a mango salsa. With the 1500 ml of wine, there’s plenty to go around. It’s a Vintages one time purchase, so keep and re-use the distinctive bottle with its rose embossed base design for decorative purposes around the house.

2024 Gérard Betrand Côte des Roses 1500 ml LCBO # 490912, $38.95

Home turf for Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery is the Niagara Peninsula’s Short Hills Bench growing region. But what’s so special about this VQA classified sub appellation?  Considered a cool climate wine growing region, it has been identified for its distinguishing characteristics of soils, typography and micro-climate.  Located on the Niagara Escarpment, it is basically a plateau made up of very gently rolling hills. The soils are silt, loam and clay based that force the vine’s roots to drive deep to search for nutrients and water, a real benefit especially during dry growing seasons. Breezes from Lake Ontario create good air flow. Combined with ample sunshine and heat, the growing season is long and protracted allowing the grapes to grow and ripen at a leisurely pace. This allows the grape’s natural sugar levels and acidity to become more naturally aligned. Good water drainage is provided by the valley of 12 Mile Creek and smaller streams. Pinot Noir, known as the “heartbreak grape” due to its finicky nature, has found its home here. This top tier reserve bottling is even more special as the grapes hail from their Old Farm Block with the plants averaging 25 years of age. Hand picked with low yields, the berries are moved by gravity while the winemaking emphasizes gentle handling using only free run juice. European oak aging for ten months brings out a multitude of red fruits, cassis and vanilla in the bouquet. The mouth feel is elegant with long lingering notes of berries and spices. Rick VanSickle awarded it 93 points.

While a few more years of bottle aging will allow the wine to develop more complexity and depth, it can be enjoyed now. Decant for half an hour and serve with barbequed smoked sausages.  

2023 Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Pinot Noir LCBO #657874, $47.95

The aromas are unmistakable and seductive as you wait to take your favourite cut of meat off the grill – sweet smoke. The smoke contains a number of volatile compounds, mainly polyphenols, such as tannins, that are released into the air and create that unique smell. Contributing is the marbling and the barbeque sauce with its tomato sauce, spices, vinegar and sugars that penetrate the meat and then are released via the very high temperatures of grilling.

While we tend to think of full-bodied red wines as the ideal pairing, certain specialty beers are ready to step up to the challenge. In this case, it’s smoke beer, called Rauchbier, a specialty of the Bavarian city of Bamberg in Germany. Aecht Schlenkerla is the icon producer with a history going back to 1405 and is one of the few exporters of this specialty brew. The smoky, full-bodied flavours come from following very old brewing and malting traditions. Selected barley is malted at the brewery and kilned over a fire of beechwood logs. The result is a dark, bottom fermented beer with intense smoky aromas and flavours. Not for the faint of heart, enjoy with burgers or your favourite cut of dark meat. The alcohol is a modest 5.1% alc./vol.        

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier 500 ml LCBO # 409110, $5.05

One of the world’s most popular white grapes is Pinot Grigio. Referred to some as the “vodka of white wines” because it’s available everywhere, an uncomplicated quaffer. The same grape producing wines with more structure is called Pinot Gris. It’s the key style of high quality white wine in France’s Alsace, Germany’s Baden region, and, in this case, New Zealand, where it’s a favourite. During our travels to New Zealand, we were told by our Kiwi friends that they enjoy Pinot Gris as a quality alternative to the oversaturated presence of their benchmark Sauvignon Blancs.

Pinot Gris is a key member of New Zealand’s SOHO Family Vineyards portfolio and is sold under the Ziggy label. Pete Turner, winemaker, had this to say: “Here to save us from mundane Pinot Gris, Ziggy is an exuberant style that will take your tastebuds on a hedonistic ride into another Pinot Gris universe. Enter a colourful nose laden with white florals, citrus zest and stone fruits. The palate is stacked with white peach, poached pear, pastry and a dash of ginger spice. The real magic of this free spirit is the generous palate weight and ethereal texture. Finishing off-dry with a very light smack of residual sweetness. Unparalleled length will carry you off to another dimension.

Sam Kim, highly-respected Kiwi wine journalist, awarded it 93 points. We are leaning toward Ziggy as a delicious complement to a cool, stuffed crab salad roll on a hot summer’s day on the patio. Or, enjoy on its own.

2023 SOHO Ziggy Pinot Gris LCBO # 536169, $21.95