Winnipeg Free Press

Are wine-powered cars the way of the future? If the future King of England has anything to say about it… maybe.

As I mentioned in my last post, Prince Charles has converted an Aston Martin to run on wine. The science behind wine fuel is detailed here. Decanter reports that the English wine community (oh yes, there is one) is up in arms over a comment made by the Prince’s personal secretary that the wine was made with surplus English wine. In fact, it’s being made using wine that is no longer fit for consumption.

At the rate gas prices are rising, maybe it won’t be long before I’m filling up my Corolla with unleaded Zinfandel…

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I’ve just about finished Neal Rosenthal’s Reflections of a Wine Merchant, a charming tale of his adventures in France and Italy as a wine importer over the past thirty years. Rosenthal is one of many interviewed featured in Mondovino, a documentary about wine and globalization that came out a few years ago. I’d definitely recommend the book - it’s an easy, engaging read that pays homage to the hard-working small producers whose wines are (or were) imported to the US by Rosenthal. A more complete review to follow.

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Santa Margherita is once again a principal supporter of the AIDS - Walk for the Cure event. From July 21 to August 17, 50 cents from every bottle of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio purchased will be donated to the National AIDS Walk for Life (the walk itself will take place in mid-September). Last year, national sales of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio resulted in a donation of $65,000 to the cause.

Question: What will you be sipping on tomorrow?

If you’re looking to pick up some bevvies today to celebrate Canada’s birthday tomorrow, chances are you’ll stand in line. While Liquor Marts are closed tomorrow (unless you live in Gimli), don’t forget that some private wine stores and beer vendors will be open - your best bet is to call ahead.

As for me, I might pop a cork on some dry rosé or some bubbly. If I’m going to have a white wine, it might be a Portuguese Vinho Verde or an Italian Pinot Grigio - something crisp and refreshing.  If I opt for a red, it’ll be light and fruity - a Beaujolais, perhaps, or a New World Pinot Noir.

But if the mercury soars like it has been today, odds are I’ll opt for a Canuck microbrew.

**UPDATE** How could I not link to this story by the Telegraph: Prince Charles’s Aston Martin is wine powered

200 wines later, the finals tasting is done. My teeth are stained, my pants are stained (warning: never wear beige pants while tasting 15 Carmeneres), and my tongue feels like sandpaper. The results are already being tallied, and in six hours I’ll be curled up in my own bed. More to follow, including some pictures from the event, but suffice to say it’s been a great learning experience, and some great wines under $25 were tasted. I’ve got an arsenal of tasting notes for the next few months too, which will come in very handy.

I think the eleven Malbecs we tried in the last flight effectively wiped me out. Time for a beer to cleanse the palate…

Started at 9 AM with 12 Chardonnays, 14 Merlots, 14 Syrah/Shirazes, then 5 roses. Lunch was too brief, and now I’m staring down 16 Sauvignon Blancs, 20 (!) Cabernet Sauvignons, and 8 sparkling wines.

I can hear my dentist laughing already…

First off, best wishes and speedy recovery to WFP columnist Lindor Reynolds, the Grape Nut’s fallen comrade who was stricken (or struck) by a rogue Segway whilst wheeling about the Twin Cities. Read about it here. When I think of Segways, I can’t help but think of Will Arnett’s character (G.O.B.) from the too-quickly-canceled Fox series Arrested Development. I’d prescribe a big, ripe Aussie Shiraz for the aches and pains, but don’t call me in the morning.

I’m heading out to Calgary this afternoon for two days of non-stop tasting in conjunction with Wine Access‘ International Value Wine Awards. The goal is to find the best wines under $25; the wines are tasted in flights (groups) of about 15-18, and are tasted blind by the judging panels. This means we don’t know who the producers are or what country the wines are from, ensuring some form of objectivity (taste is obviously subjective, but at least craftsmanship and the like can be judged pretty fairly).

So tomorrow and Thursday I’ll be tasting (and spitting) about 100 wines per day. I participated last year, and found it was an extremely valuable (and fun) experience as a taster. Frankly, I’m looking forward to tasting anything other than Riesling - it seems like I’ve had very little else since returning from Germany.

Anyway, once the judging is over, we’re given all our tasting notes and scores (out of 100), and the wines we tasted are revealed. Seeing the nearly 1,000 bottles lined up in various groups is something else (I’ve remembered to pack my camera this time, and will be sure to try and capture the magnitude of the event). I’m hoping to get in a bit of wine shopping in while I’m there, but since I’m only bringing carry-on luggage, my options are somewhat limited. Besides, after picking up a box full of German wines after my last trip and finding three of them broken, I’m not encouraged to travel with wine at present.

Some quick notes about upcoming events on this Wednesday morning…

• De Luca Fine Wines is presenting “East Meets West” with a dinner tonight (June 18) at the Manitoba Club (194 Broadway). The four course event will feature wines from both Quails Gate Winery (BC) and Henry of Pelham Winery (Ontario). Cocktails are at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $99.95 and are available by calling 783-9463.
• Mona Lisa Ristorante Italiano (1697 Corydon) is the place to be tomorrow night, as they host the “Cut for the Cure” starting at 6 p.m. There will be live music, prizes, and a special buffet dinner. But the real draw is the hair cut/head shave available for willing participants (the event is a fundraiser for the Carol Shields Memorial Breast Cancer Research Fund). And if you’ve ever seen Mona Lisa’s owner, Joe Grande, you know that the $75 ticket price is a steal to see a guy with such long locks get his head buzzed. Two years ago, Joe had a full body shave at the event (yikes!), which raised nearly $3,000. Staff are also donating either their wage or tips for the night to the event as well. Call 488-3687 for tickets.
• Next Tuesday (June 24), Fude Inspired Cuisine and Wine Bar (303-99 Osborne) is hosting their first annual Beer n Dine Dinner, a five-course event featuring beer and food paired by Dave Rudge, brewmaster at Half Pints Brewery. Things get underway at 7 p.m. You can check out the menu here. Tickets are a paltry $59.99 (plus taxes and gratuity) and are available by calling 284-3833.

As you may have already heard, Statistics Canada released sales figures of alcoholic beverages in Canada for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007. Wine continues to outpace beer and spirits in volume growth in almost every market, and while the sudsy stuff still dominates the market, beer better have a look over its shoulder - wine is on the rise.

In 1997, wine accounted for 21 per cent of dollar shares in the Canadian market; ten years on, that number has increased to 28 per cent. In the 2007 fiscal year, Manitobans bought nearly $105 million worth of wine (compared to $244+ million of beer and $205+ million of spirits). This is fifth among provinces (behind, in descending order, Quebec, Ontario, BC and Alberta, and around $8 million more than Nova Scotia).

Sales of the combined categories rose 5.9 per cent from the previous year, slightly higher than the national growth of 5.2 per cent. The full slate of information can be seen here. In total, Canadians spent an average of $667 per person (over the age of 15… an interesting age to choose) on alcohol.

Just throwing the numbers out there for now, but I’ll have more reflection on these new stats in the weeks to come, as well as news on some shake-ups at two of the world’s largest beverage conglomerates.

On this glorious sunny Winnipeg Sunday, I look back at the last few days of my trip with nothing but Riesling-fueled fondness…

Now, where I did I leave off? Oh yes, Thursday, we biked along the Mosel river to Bernkastel-Rues, a gorgeous, tourist-magnet town. There we traded our bikes for glasses, and sat down to sample the wines of Weingut Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler/Peter Nicolay. Fourteen Rieslings were tasted before we set out on our separate ways for a couple of hours of free time (which I spent searching for a gift for my wife, with no success). Next up was Selbach-Oster, where we hiked up into the vineyards (WAY up the hillside… at least for this flatlander) and managed to get a first-hand look at the vineyard’s layered slate soil. We then headed back down the hill for a tasting, where we had my favourite wine of the trip, a 1976 Zeltlinger Schlossberg Auslese. I was rating the wines I tasted out of 100 (mostly for personal reference), and gave this one a 97.

Later than night we went on a tour of the Moselland facilities, a massive winemaking and bottling facility that was in stark contrast to the smaller, older wineries that dominated the trip. It was a great reminder of the varieties of ways in which German wines (and wines everywhere, for that matter), are produced, and the head winemaker and Export manager joined us for a fabulous dinner and tasting at our hotel later that night.

Friday: The last full day of the trip started at Schlossgut Diel, where we arrived to find the Canadian flag flying atop their castle’s turret - a nice touch. Along with a nice sparkling wine (and, of course, the mandatory pile of Riesling), we tried a stellar Pinot Noir called Cuvee Caroline (sadly, not available here - we weren’t even able to buy one at the winery). From there we drove to Oberwesel and hopped on the “Goethe”, a paddle steamer named after the 17th/18th century German author.

This segment of the Rhine river is the most dramatic to see: steep slopes covered in vines, towns stringing the riverside, and castles in various states dotting the hillside. It’s truly breathtaking, and no words (or pictures, for that matter… I tried my best) can capture its stunning beauty. Our final tasting of the tour was at Kruger-Rumpf, where we also had dinner (schnitzel and, you guessed it, asparagus - this time in a salad format). Friday night was spent over many beers at a local tavern in Bingen.

Saturday morning came too early, and we packed up and headed for the airport for our long trips home (two to Vancouver, four to Toronto, and me to Winnipeg via Toronto). I managed to get through customs without having to pay any duty on the wines I acquired, although my box ended up on the carousel in the Winnipeg airport slightly flatter than when I packed it… three of my eleven bottles fell victim to that Toronto-Winnipeg flight. I guess it was justice served for not having to pay duty. Oh well.

I can’t thank the following people enough for making this trip so fabulous: my traveling companions (Tim, Daenna, Eric, Anton, and Sara), the German Wine Institute folks (Ron and Andreas), and Stefan, our fabulous driver. All the winemakers/wineries we visited were also extremely friendly and accommodating.

I don’t think I forgot anything or anyone, but I’ll pore over my unsightly notes and double check. But for now, I think I’ll take a bit of a break from Riesling, asparagus, and even beer for a few days, and try to work off my Riesling gut…

Before continuing to chronicle my adventures in Germany (which, sadly, come to an end tomorrow), I just remembered that in tomorrow’s column I wrote that I would post some more info on whisky. And just my luck - I had already sent the column in before a copy of the late (and unfortunately named) Michael Jackson’s Whisky: The Definitive World Guide showed up at my house. So here’s some extra info on how whisky is made, how to taste whisky, and a few more tasting notes I didn’t have room for in the column…

The basics on how whisky is made: malted barley and water are combined or “mashed” to produce wort; at this point yeast is introduced, and the fermentation process of converting sugar in the wort to alcohol begins (the conversion takes longer than it would with grapes). The end result of fermentation is then distilled (which involves vaporization and condensation) either in vats (bigger companies) or in copper stills (the traditionalists).

Tasting whisky: first off, it’s often called “nosing” rather than tasting - after all, many of the subtle differences come from the variances in aromas. Start with a small, tulip-shaped wine glass - nothing etched or fancy. Don’t bother trying to pick up all the subtleties from a glass tumbler. Check out the colour - is it deep gold? Amber? Pale straw? This will be a good indication as to what type of cask it was aged in, and for how long.

Now take a sniff, just like you would a glass of wine, noting all the aromas. Before tasting the whisky, don’t be afraid to dilute it slightly using bottled water - tap water will impart chlorine aspects. Many whisky buffs add water - this way you get the aromas and flavours without the raging alcohol content. Avoid ice cubes or soda water. And obviously cola or ginger ale isn’t the way to go here.

Some folk place their hand over the rim of the glass and give the whisky a good shake. I’ve tried this and the results (to my shirt) haven’t been pretty. Doing this, however, will maximize the odours and flavours released.

The actual tasting process is the same as wine - note the flavours, weight, texture and finish on the whisky. And there you have it - you’re ready to get nosing.

Some more single malt Scotch whiskies I’ve tried as of late follow - I was lucky enough to try a whole whack of whiskies side by side. Most of these should be available at Liquor Marts.

Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($58.78)
The bourbon-sherry-ish notes (likely from the casks) shine through on the nose, as do aromas of oranges and toasted oak. It’s very mellow on the palate, with orange peel and cocoa flavours before a medium finish.

Glenfarclas 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($62.32/700ml)
Loads of nuts on the nose of this one, especially almonds, with some pear undertones. Much bigger peat on this single malt, with the nutty, caramel components coming through on the palate.

Highland Park 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($54.95)
Vanilla and fig dominate on the nose, while a toasty, burnt tire flavour comes through on the palate. It’s a juicy, weighty single malt.

Bowmore 15 Year Old “Mariner” Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($53.74)
Big aromas of vanilla, caramel and cinnamon prevail on the nose, while the palate is far more complex. Fruity, floral, peaty and toasty flavours make this a well-rounded single malt and a definitely fine dram.

Glenmorangie “The Original” Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($58.74)
The nose brings aromas of honey, flowers, almonds and peanuts - that Scotch saltiness - with juicy citrus flavours on a round, full palate.

Glenmorangie “Quinta Ruban” Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($71.67)
Sherry casks are in play on this single malt, with a round, nutty nose counterbalanced by some ripe green apple aromas. There’s a slight sweetness here, with some definite sherry characteristics as well as chocolate and spice. Excellent.

Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Grande Reserve Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($120.97)
Vanilla, spice, and lemon pepper aromas all emerge here - not too unusual, as this single malt is aged in Cuban rum casks. Lemon and other citrus components interact with rounder vanilla flavours, both of which impart a slight sweetness.

Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($76.51)
This big fella weighs in at 68 per cent alcohol - some diluting recommended. Honey and banana dominate the nose, with a hint of some sort of anise aroma that reminded me of Jagermeister (in a good way). It’s a big, ripping single malt with lots of peat and pepper.

Auchentoshan “Three Wood” Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($74.02)
Ah yes, three wood… yet another golf club I destroy golf courses with. It’s triple (rather than double, which is the norm) distilled, not peated, and aged in oloroso (Sherry) casks. The nose is quite complex, with aromas of barley, mint, herbs and lime. The palate is clean due to the lack of peat, and features fruity characteristcis blended with nuts and pepper.

When I decided to keep a running account of my time here in Germany, I did so partly for my own benefit - so I could blast out some thoughts before while they were still fresh. It turns out at least one German occasionally reads them.

We set out this morning from Deidesheim (in the Pfalz region) to visit Lingenfelder (it should be noted that many of his well-priced animal label wines are available at private wine stores). 13th generation winemaker Rainer Lingenfelder bounced out to our van and jumped in with more enthusiasm than I’ve yet witnessed on the trip.

I had heard that Mr. Lingenfelder was a lot of fun, and as he immediately set in to describing his estate and the surrounding area, I could see that the reputation was justified. Suddenly, he said something along the lines of “Well, I KNOW you all know that this area is on the 50th parallel - as does, of course, WINNIPEG!” Yes, he sort of shouted this, and since it had become a running joke amongst me and my fellow travelers, we burst into applause.

It turns out Mr. Lingenfelder just happened to read about the continuous references to Winnipeg on this blog (in yesterday’s installment). Now that, my friends, is preparation. This was also one of the few stops where we actually got to try a red wine (two even!), which was a welcome pause from the barrage of Riesling. Don’t get me wrong… I love the stuff. But if you had something you loved (say, for example, a KitKat) thirty times a day, you’d want to have something else after a few days. But I digress.

Anyhow, we had a great visit at Lingenfelder, trying a good cross-section of wines before leaving the Pfalz region for Trier, in the Mosel region. We attended a large tasting of 30ish producers in this fabulous rec centre that had once been a cathedral. And yes, almost all the wines sampled were Riesling.

We drove out of Trier in the early evening, checked into our hotel in Muhlheim, and out the door we went to dinner, which was quintessential German food: large pieces of meat, potato sides, asparagus (seriously, asparagus is in some way incorporated into every meal), and the occasional garnish all washed down with a wheat beer. It’s heavy stuff.

Tomorrow we ride bikes to Bernkastel-Kues for a winery visit before an afternoon hike through some vineyards. Vines cover the rolling hills (small mountains?) at a ridiculous slant, so this hike could really be something…