Let's Talk about Bubbles

I like bubbles. In my bath and in my glass. The trick is finding good bubbles. For your bath, you want lots of bubbles and you want them to hang around a long time. In your glass, you also want lots of bubbles but you want them to disappear quickly. I recommend Lush Bubble bars for your bath. But how about your glass?


The trick with bubbly is finding one that isn't going to send you to the bank for a second mortgage. I'm a big fan of Dom Perignon but I don't stock that as a house bubbly. So, what do I stock? I've gone through a few selections this year and I think I've found a winner. But let's start at the beginning.


In Italy, we love our bubbles. The aperitif of choice throughout Italy is Prosecco. This is a sparkling wine made from Prosecco grapes and the best come from an area in Northern Italy, near Venice, called Valdobbiadene. Because I am very familiar with this wine, I went in search of something different.

One bubbly I was introduced you by my friend's dad, was a BC sparkler by Sumac Ridge. It's called Stellar's Jay.


This is a really nice bubbly. It's very brut. And by that I mean dry. This one benefits from having snacks handy. Sparkling wines pair very well with fatty foods. The bubbles cut through the fat. That is why in Italy's Emilia Romagna region they drink Lambrusco. The bubbles from that wine cut through the fat of their local foods. So, if you're serving anything deep fried, bubbly is the way to go. There are two reason this did not become my house sparkler. The first, price. It's $26.99 a bottle. The second, it really does need food to accompany it. And sometimes, I don't serve food. For those of you that know me well, I realize you find this hard to believe, but it is true.

My next attempt at a house sparkler was Antech's Cremant De Limoux.

I really enjoyed this wine as well. This comes from the Languedoc Region of France. A wine may only be called Champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France. Any sparkling wine from anywhere else has to be called differently. In Italy, we call it Spumante. In Spain, Cava. In Germany, Sekt. Most places just use Sparkling Wine. In the USA, they like American Champagne. So what is a sparkling French wine called if it isn't made in Champagne? Cremant. I was using this as a house sparkler for a while but once again, two things got in the way. The first, price. It's $24.99 a bottle. The second, it had a bit of a sweetness to it that initially wasn't bad but after a while became bothersome. This isn't a sweet wine but it just had a bit of a sweet aftertaste which for some might be very enjoyable but just not what I was looking for.

So, my quest continued. Like Arthur in search of the Grail, I moved bravely forward. Working my way through the forest of aisles in my local liquor store, side-stepping the free tastings of Malibu Rum and occasional free pizza offerings. And then there it was. Glowing from above, calling out over the din of Mike's Hard Lemonade buyers........

Bimbadgen Ridge Sparkling Semillon.

OK. Perhaps that was a tad too dramatic.

This bubbly has a really nice balance. I can serve it as an aperitif even if I don't have food, it's enjoyable to drink and.... the best part.... it won't kill your pocketbook. It lists for $16.99.

Price is always a factor. In fact, wines are often in rated in quality to price ratios. This one rates highly there. The thing is, we all know (if you don't you do now), that one glass of bubbly leads to another. So, if you have to supply multiple bottles, $28 a bottle is going to hurt. $17 won't sting so much.

So there you have it. I suggest you try them all as they are all very good wines. I'd love to hear from you with your thoughts when you try them.

Until then.........

Salute!

Critter Wines

So part of the reason for this blog is to share info about the wines I try. Some will be pricey but my main goal is to find good wines at reasonable prices. Today's topic is Critter Wines.

What are Critter wines? These are wines with cute labels and catchy names. They are typically under or around $15 and their main reason to exist is to attract younger consumers to wine. The trend has been that people have been getting into wine in their mid-30's. The Critter Wines attract consumers in their 20's. The idea being that by the time they reach their late 20's early 30's, they will move on to more interesting (better) wines as they can afford them.

Some brands that fall into this category that you may recognize include Yellow Tail (kangaroo), Little Penguin and Cat Pee on a Gooseberry Bush (a very Dr Seuss like cat). In general, these wines have come from Australia and New Zealand but now European countries are getting into the act. I recently purchased 2 whites which caught my eye. Both are from the Languedoc region in the south of France. This area is known for making inexpensive easy drinking wines. Both these wines are classified as Vin De Pays on the French classification scale. Translated it means Table Wine.

Let's start with Arrogant Frog Ribet White. This is a Sauvignon Blanc.



So as you can see they've got the catchy name and cool label part down. Sauvignon Blanc has 2 main characteristics, cat pee and gooseberry (guess what varietal Cat Pee on a Gooseberry Bush is?). Now I must admit, I've never smelled the cat pee in any sauvignon blanc I've drank to date. I guess my precious kittys' (past and present) pee has been too fragrant (in a good way). Well, I smell it now. You don't have to be a winesnob to find it in this wine. This is a good example not only of a critter wine but a sink wine. What is a sink wine? It's a wine that's best consumed by your sink and not you. Now, don't be thinking, I'll just use it to cook. If it's not good enough for you to drink, don't put it in your food. If you are curious, you can find it at your local BC Liquor Store for $13.99.

My second French critter wine is Chat-en-Oeuf.

Cat on Egg. Now this wine, also $13.99 at the BC Liquor Store, is a blend of whites from the same region as Arrogant Frog. The ads in the BC Liquor Store Product Guide say it's received 87 points. They don't mention who's awarded them those 87 points. This wine is drinkable. It's not going to rock your world but it's pleasant. A good patio wine when you're not expecting too much. I served it this evening with gnocchi and pesto sauce and it held up OK.

The BC Liquor Store is marketing both of these as Bistro Wines. Not a bad label as in general, French Bistro wines are inexpensive and easy drinking. Chat-en-Oeuf meets this criteria. There is also a red Chat-en-Oeuf which I haven't tried as of yet. If I do, I'll be sure to let you know.

New Header

As you can see I've been playing with the layout of the blog. The header picture I've chosen is the Piazza Anfiteatro in Lucca. This square (more like a round) in the center of old town has existed since Roman times and the back exit still has the original stones from that time.

This painting was done by a very good friend of mine Marie Haws. She's an amazing artist and for those of you who have visited me in Vancouver or Italy (a lucky few have visited me in both places) you've seen many of her works adorn my walls. This particular painting is hanging in Vancouver.

She has recently gotten her own website. Please check out her work at www.mariehaws.com

I'm very proud to own several of the pieces featured in her gallery of work.

The Pinot Noir debate rages on

I seem to have started something with my Pinot Noir comments.

A friend of mine whose opinion on the subject of wine I value a great deal sent me this comment.

Heat is measured by accumulated heat units summed over the time from April to October. ‘cool’ is generally less than 1500 Degree days. Warm is above 1500. Hot is generally above 2000. Kelowna is good for Pinot Noir because its degree days are about similar to that of Burgundy (around 1200-1300). Hot summer days are acceptable as long as the total heat accumulated is in check. This is why our 07 Pinot is so good in comparison to our other vintages: we had around 1350 degree days vs our usual 1500+.

OK. So there you have the technical answer. So, I guess you need to start looking for local 2007 Pinot Noirs. As you now know that it was a good season for that grape. But in my defense, if the usual for the area is over 1500, then my orginal statements aren't too far wrong if you consider that the mecca of Pinot Noir is the Burgundy region of France.

Another reason Sept 11 is memorable.

September 11, 2008 was a very memorable day for my family. It was the day we moved out of our old home. Almost exactly 42 years since we moved in.

My dad had the house built in 1966 and we moved in September of that year. I was 2 years old. Not much has really changed in that house in those 42 years making it a bit of a time capsule. I started tackling this task seriously late August and just when I thought I had a handle on things I unearthed more stuff. My parents threw nothing out in all that time. My dad had paperwork dating back to the late 60's. His theory was we have the room so why throw it out.

I gave away many items. I did daily trips to Value Village over the last few weeks. I gave away furniture, clothing and tons of knick knacks. And there were many knick knacks. I had to fight tooth and nail with my mom over each item I threw away.

But that was the easy part.

I found them a nice condo not too far from their old home. 2 bedrooms, 1 bath with a lovely large patio. They are on the ground floor so they can walk out of their unit and access the buildings' gardens. It has a house feel without having to do the gardening. When I found out I was getting the keys on the Wednesday night, I decided to go in and paint. I managed to convince some friends to help and at 8pm Wednesday night got started. C & N met me at 8 and we started the prep. D showed up around 8:30. I knew it was an ambitious project but had no idea how ambitious until we started working. The job was instantly pared down to the master bedroom and main living space. There would be no time for trim.

The bedroom was a shade of blue and the rest of the place was taupish. It took 2 coats of primer and one of paint to make the bedroom presentable and 2 coats in the rest of the condo. D and I got out of there at 2 am.

The move was the next day. We were back at the condo by 8:30 am. I left D there to do touch-ups while I went to the old house to co-ordinate with the movers. The boys from Spartan moving were great. My thanks to them both.

Once I gave them their instructions, back to the condo I went. In the light of day, we saw how filthy this place really was. Fortunately, I had re-inforcements coming. H and J arrived at 11:30 and we all got to work. H brought along her new steamer and got going in the kitchen. Her Euro-pro Shark professional steamer is the cat's meow. As she got going in that kitchen, she couldn't stop. She spent 8 hours cleaning that kitchen. The condo is 900 sq ft. The kitchen isn't that big. I'll let you draw your own conclusions as to the housekeeping abilities of the previous owners.

The furniture started arriving after 1pm. I had left mom in the old house as it was easier that way. I know she felt helpless there but I didn't want her seeing the new place just yet. By the time the movers left, we had the place organized. I really wanted mom to have a nice first impression of her new home. By the time she walked in the door, my amazing helpers had furniture arranged so it looked like a home. Not a shell with stuff piled up.

Mom was overwhelmed. She didn't understand why it was taking us so long to clean such a small place. But when she saw the freshly painted walls and clean floors she was truly taken aback. She told me later that she never had so many people doing so much for her. It took her breath away.

Mom seems to be very happy in her new home. She is still unpacking. Hopefully, we'll have it all done by next weekend. She is really nervous about all the new things she has to learn to do. Such as how to get into the underground parking and which key opens which door. She also seems to have forgotten how to use the simplest of items. Such as the electrical outlet in the bathroom. I'm sure she'll have it all handled soon enough.

My thanks once again to all my amazing friends who helped me with this project. I couldn't have done it without you. If mom had walked into an apartment which reaked of curry, with grungy walls and filthy kitchen, she would have been in tears. Instead, she found a bright and cheery space that sparkled.

You've all gained major karma points. Or as I like to say........Princess Points.

Bloggers Remorse

So, I realize I may have been too hard on last evenings wine boys. I'm sure they are very talented it's just their attitudes are in need of a major adjustment. The wine world is so varied and there are so many different expressions of wine. Each person will have styles that they prefer. No one's opinions should be discounted. It's a rather sore point for me as I've come across that often in Italy. I expect it from the old guard over there but haven't encountered it here. So, it got under my skin.

And to further clarify, it's not that there are no good Pinot Noirs grown in the Okanagan, it's just that Pinot Noir is an extremely difficult grape to grow and needs proper handling. It's a bit of a princess. You need a winemaker that really knows what he's doing. And, it does thrive in cooler climate areas as mentioned before. Some local Pinot Noirs that I have enjoyed include Burrowing Owl and Gray Monk. Just make sure that when you drink Pinot Noir that it not be served too warm. It loses all it's finesse. It shouldn't be warmer than 16 degrees centigrade.

OK. I feel better now. However, there still is no excuse for not noticing the taint in that glass of wine. Especially from people with that sort of training.

Wine Geeks Beware

Ok. So I've finally gotten off my butt and started a blog. There have been a few of you that have been on my case for a while now so......you can shut it.

Here's what got me off my butt. Tonight I had a fantastic dinner with the winemaker from Burrowing Owl and his lovely wife. We had a fabulous dinner at Cin Cin in Vancouver. Good food, good wine and good company. All the elements of a great night.

On my way home, I decided to stop into Uva. A winebar on Smythe and Seymour. Now, being as this is Winesnob's blog, expect lots of wine related items. So, we will start off with a bang.

Uva is run by a Sommelier I met last November when he was working at Lumiere. His name is Sebastian. He's really cool. He couldn't wait to introduce me to some fellow winesnobs. They were in town doing some Master of Wine classes. Now, just to bring you all up to speed, a Master of Wine is a really big deal. Way above my lowly sommelier status.

So, I sat at the table with these guys listening and learning. Until........

I realized they hadn't a clue. So, I was quiet at first. Demure even. And for those of you that really know me, you know this was a challenge. All was well until we got into the topic of Pinot Noir. Now, just to give you a bit of background, Pinot Noir is a grape that does well in cool climates. It thrives in the Champagne region of France (northern France), Oregon, and the Russian River Valley of California. All cool climate areas. The Okanagan Valley, really isn't ideal. Most of you know how hot it gets there in the summer. So, does that seem like a cool climate? See, you're already smarter than these bozos. Did I say bozos? Outer voice, must learn to control that.

As you can imagine, I've already offended them. Ooops. Now here's the kicker. While we were sitting there, we were served a Malbec from Argentina. I was still sipping on my earlier wine so I didn't get to it right away. They tasted it whole-heartedly. By the time I got to it, they were leaving. This was after the big Pinot Noir discussion. Which, they both dismissed me on.

As I brought the glass to my nose......Ewwww. The wine was tainted. What does that mean? It stunk. It wasn't corked, it was that plus a little extra smell. As they were leaving I said, Did you guys have the Malbec? Yes they said. Didn't you notice it's tainted?

Of course, they had both drank it down. I gave them my glass to smell and had to listen to some very clever back-peddling.

As they left, tails between their legs, I let the owner/sommelier smell it and he totally agreed with me. These guys are charging $300 to participate in their classes. They will let me know the next time they hold them in town. How many of you want to be there when I attend and shame them?

I don't claim to know everything. I'm always willing to listen and learn. But just because I'm a woman, don't dismiss me.

16 years in lumber taught me to hold my own.

Wine boys beware.........There's a new chick in town.