Wines:
Skins
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Limited Wines
January 2010
German Ehrenfelser 3 - 0 - 1
The Region: Pfalz, Germany
Tasting Notes: This cross between Riesling and Silvaner is aromatic and very fruity – peach and tropical notes abound - but with just a hint of rose petal. The flavour is fresh and inviting with mineral notes, hints of orange rind and a lingering off-dry finish.
Food Pairing: Spicy Indian, Thai or Chinese food or chilled on a sunny patio.
Argentina Malbec Syrah 4 - 3 - 0
The Region: Mednoza, Argentina
Varietal Profile: A new world spin on an old world wine! The blend of these two classic Bordeaux varietals creates a wine that is full bodied with plenty of appeal. This wine is fruit forward and approachable, with balanced toasted vanilla flavours from Hungarian oak cubes. The wine hints of cherries and black currant up front, with darker, richer notes of coffee, tobacco and licorice behind. Round and smooth with balanced tannins and a very easy drinking wine.
Food Pairing: Grilled foods as well as heartier meat dishes like steak and kidney pie or Osso Bucco.
South African Siraz
The Region: Stellenbosch is South Africa’s oldest growing region, the centre for study of viticulture and oenology in Africa, and the heart of the wine industry. Famous for its stunning natural beauty, it has soaring mountains, forests, vineyards, olive groves and veldts. South Africa’s finest red wines thrive in the Cape’s moderate climate, and the Shiraz from this region is dense with jammy richness, intense fruit, and complex spiciness.
The Wine:This wine has a dense, chewy blackberry, earthiness and robust character. This medium/full bodied wine almost begs for early drinking, with spice and rich fruit, but the bold tannins and rich jamminess (typical of Shiraz) will allow it to improve with age for a further 2 years.
Food Pairing: Barbecue, grilled red meat and stews.
Sweetness Code: 0 (Dry)
California Lake County Trio Blanca
The Region: In California’s Lake County, the vineyards nestle in steep hills in the west, while Clear Lake, directly east, moderates the blistering heat of summer, ensuring slow, even ripening and perfect grapes.
The Wine: A unique blend of three grapes, Selection Limited Edition Trio Blanca is an outstanding white wine that showcases bright fruit flavours, excellent structure, and a long finish. Pinot Blanc contributes the delicate floral character and full body while Chenin Blanc gives a wonderful melony-honeyed aroma with hints of apple. The third grape variety, Sauvignon Blanc contributes zesty acidity and aromas of gooseberry and herbs. After six months ageing, the Sauvignon Blanc will dominate with zest and crispness. After a year, the Chenin Blanc‘s honey and melon will come out, and at 18 months to two years the Pinot Blanc will show a perfumed floweriness and lingering structure.
Food Pairing: Seafood, chicken or vegetarian dishes.
Sweetness Code: 0 (Dry)
Cabernet Shiraz (Darlington Point, Riverina New South Wales, Australia)
The Wine: Both the Cabernet and the Shiraz in this blend come from the Darlington Point Vineyard that supplied the fruit for our recently launched Australian Shiraz. This blend features 64% Cabernet and 36%Shiraz and is fermented on equal parts of Cabernet and Shiraz virgin, crushed grapes from Darlington Point. Two-stage oaking on Hungarian shavings then Hungarian cubes brings vanilla and subtle toastiness to the finished wine.
Aromas of plum, spice, herbs, and chocolate from the Cabernet dominate with berry and more spice coming from the Shiraz. The palate displays black currant and mint from the cab with suggestions of cherry, blackberry, and earthy overtones contributed by the Shiraz. The marriage of Cabernet and Shiraz is found mainly in New world wine regions, and certainly Australia is the acknowledged champion of the style.
Ageing: Will begin to reveal its mature nature after 6-8months. The full character should be established after 12-18months But will continue to develop and integrate for at least a year longer.Food Pairing: This is a blend that is always right with barbequed red meats, your Sunday roast of beef or lamb, and hearty stews.
February 2010
Argentinean Torrontés 3 - 0 - 0
The Region: Calchaquies Valey, Argentina
Varietal Profile: The signature fragrant white grape of Argentina, Torrentés (related to Muscat) is one of the "aromatic varietals" distinctive and exclusive to this South American region. It produces a wine with a bouquet rich with tropical fruites, honey and sweet floral notes. The flavour is unexpected – crisp and refreshing with a vibrant acidity, citrus notes and a hint of spice with an enduring finish.
Food Pairing: Seafood, spicy ethnic foods or the classic Argentinean hand held snack – empanadas.
Australian Petit Verdot
The Region: South East Australia is a literal hotbed of grape growing. The abundant sunshine hours and heat allow growers to ripen varieties that have all but been abandoned by growing regions less blessed. Petit Verdot is one such variety. It makes unsurpassed red wines in Bordeaux, where it goes into their classic Cabernet-Merlot blends, yet the climate there is too cool to ripen it reliably.
The Wine: Best described as a ‘Super Cabernet’, it makes dark, rich wines, with wonderfully concentrated flavours of spice, blackberry and blackcurrant. With smooth, gripping tannins and an elegant structure leading to a magnificent boldly oaked finish, this is a wine for long term ageing and special occasions.
Food Pairing: Steak, prime rib, lamb, intense cheeses, and game.
Sweetness Code: 0 (Dry)
Tannat (Canelones, Uruguay, South America)
The Wine: Yes, Uruguay does have a wine industry. In fact, it goes back some 250 years! However, the world outside of Uruguay has only recently and very enthusiastically discovered the wines. The Tannat vine was brought to Uruguay in the 19th century and began to thrive in its new home. Plantings of this grape continue to grow each year along with its wine industry. The signature wine of Uruguay is a big red wine called Tannat. Like Carmenere and Malbec, Tannat originated in France but today has limited plantings there. The Tannat grapes in this Limited Release offering were selected and custom processed by Bodega Bouza, an ultra-modern boutique winery located just outside of the capital city, Montevideo. [For more information, see www.bodegabouza.com.] The Tannat wines produced in Uruguay have been characterized by more elegant and softer tannins with blackberry fruit notes. Perhaps the best way to whet your interest in this exciting new wine is to extract a quote fromnotedwine critic and authority Jancis Robinson: “I liked its dense, firm, confident on the nose and lovely full fruit impact on the front palate with some tar and liquorice and firm fruit first, and only then very slightly inky tannins. The alcohol level is 14.5%but it doesn’t taste hot.“ (Source: www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/20070403.html)
Ageing: Should show well around 12months but you should be rewarded if you can set some bottles aside for 2 – 4 years.
Food Pairing: Tannat is King in Uruguay and asado (grass fed beef, grilled over an open fire) is the festive favourite to serve with it. All grilled meats, steak, ribs, and lamb are appropriate with Tannat, as are duck, game, and goulashes. Don’t hesitate to serve any of your favourite cheeses with this wine. Aged, firm cheese, blues, and most soft choices can be recommended.
March 2010
Portugal Trio Do Vinho Tinto 5 - 4 - 0
The Region: Alentenjo, Portugal
Varietal Profile: This dark red wine is an intensely flavourful blend of Aragones (Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, and Trincadeira. The bouquet is rich with red berries, anise and black pepper. The palate is well balanced with many layers of complexity. Initially ther is fruitness, follwed by notes of mushroom and earth. Tich tannins from the American Heavy Toast Oak spiral and Cabernet Merlot GenuWine Winery Grape Skins help give this wine a long finish.
Food Pairing: Red meats, chorizo or other cured sausage or a strong cheese.
Pacific Quartet
The Region: The Pacific Coast of North America has micro-climates that match those of the blazing sunshine of the Mediterranean to the crisp mountain air of the upper Rhine. With so much range and variety, there is a perfect terroir for almost any grape you can name.
The Wine: This wine showcases bright fruit, excellent structure and a long finish. Vidal from British Columbia gives spiciness and stone fruit. Chenin Blanc from California gives a wonderful melony-honeyed aroma with hints of apple. Gewürztraminer from Washington contributes lychee, rose petals and floral notes, and Muscat from Australia’s Murray- Darling Valley gives wonderful grapey notes with dried fruit and hints of orange peel.
Food Pairing:This wine has a range of fruit character and enough acidity to stand up to a wide range of foods, particularly spicy and savoury dishes, including Thai cuisine, grilled fish, herbed roast chicken or barbecued salmon. Although delicious right on bottling day, drinking it early would prevent it from showing it’s best–after six months the Muscat and Vidal will dominate with spicy/grapey notes, after a year the Chenin Blanc’s honey and melon will come out, and at 18 months to two years the Gewürztraminer will show a perfumed floweriness and lush structure.
Sweetness Code: 1 (Off-dry)
Two Hemispheres Riesling (New South Wales, Australia and Yakima Valley, Washington)
The Wine: We love the ability to source fruit from diverse regions and blend them into a wine that often exceeds the qualities of the either component. This blend of Rieslings, co-fermented in equal proportions, from vineyards more than 12,000 km. apart is a great example. Individually, each wine has much charm and appeal, but vented together they achieve a new level of complexity. The multiple layers of sensory delight contributed by the two components indeed reach new heights. From Washington Riesling, notes of apple, pear, peach, melon, floral, and mandarin establish a solid foundation. The Australian fruit brings out lime, grapefruit, tropical notes, and additional spicy floral qualities. A most interesting wine! We are still evaluating levels of dry/sweet and flavour reserves that will be chosen to define the final product, but we already are certain that this wine will offer a unique and enchanting wine experience for those who choose to add it to their cellars.
Ageing: Will show well after just a few weeks and is usually consumed within 12-18months.
Food Pairing: Riesling is about the most food friendly wine available. Fish and seafood, chicken, turkey, veal, pork, sausage, and Asian dishes all pair well with it.
April 2010
South Africa Cabernet Franc Merlot 5 - 5 - 0
The Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa
Varietal Profile: This wine is rich in every way – deeply coloured, aromatic and very flavourful. The nose has green and black pepper and a hint of spice. It is full bodied with a fruit component – cassis, followed by a layer of darker flavours – cigar box and leather. There are hearty, chewy tannins from the GenuWine Winery Merlot Grape Skins..
Food Pairing:Flavourful foods such as goat cheese, game birds, babaganoush or curries.
Italian Brunello
The Region: Italy’s long, narrow peninsula reaches deep into the Mediterranean,
basking in the relentless sunshine and welcoming warmth. Gentle sloping hillsides, rich mineral soils, the moderating breezes off of the Mediterranean waters and unique grape varieties work to make wonderful wines.
The Wine: Brunello is a large-berried variety of the Sangiovese grape, most famous in Brunello di Montalcino. The flavour profile of Sangiovese is fruity, with strong natural acidity, a firm and elegant assertiveness and a robust finish that can extend surprisingly long. The aroma is generally subtle, with cherry, strawberry, blueberry, and violet notes. Medium-bodied but boldly tannic and intense, this gripping wine will begin to open up after six months, but the richer flavours will take at least 18 months to show, with cherry and spice dominating the long, fruity finish.
Food Pairing: Brunello shines in the company of assertively flavoured foods. Hard cheeses such as Asiago and Parmigiano Reggiano are splendid accompaniments and the wines backbone of acids and tannins make it work well with rich and spicy foods like Italian sausages or lasagna.
Sweetness Code: O (Dry)
Trio Tinto (A Fusion of Classic Spanish Grape Varieties – Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Carinenan)
The Wine: These three native Spanish red wine grapes are usually deemed to be the mainstay of quality wines inmost of Spain. This Limited Release offering is made up of 50%Tempranillo (Spain & California), 27%Garnacha (Spain), and 23%Carinena (Carignan from California). Tempranillo is most associated with wines of Rioja. Tempranillo should bring in ruby red colour, with aromas and flavors of berries, plum, tobacco, vanilla, leather, and herb. Garnacha characteristics are generally spicy, berry-flavored, and soft on the palate, with a relatively high alcohol. Carignan is often used as a blending grape and has been known to bring a softer wine with rustic fruit and perfume when blended with Grenache (Garnacha). Nevertheless, it is common that at least two or all three varieties are blended together to achieve the most profound and complex wines that each region can exhibit. This blend is fermented on virgin crushed grapes from Spain (Tempranillo, Garnacha or a blend of the two - to be determined by our panel’s selection from prototypes still in progress). Two-stage oak treatment is expected to be chosen – French during fermentation, Hungarian cubes post fermentation.
Ageing: Begin to enjoy after 6-8months in the bottle. Reaching maturity at 12 – 18months but can be held for at least a year longer.
Food Pairing: Has enough structure to compliment barbeque cuts of meat and whole or pieces of poultry. Great with grilled chorizo sausage served with sautéed potatoes and vegetables. Served in Spain with a wide variety of cheeses but we think it is especially good with hard, aged cheese.
Please check back often as this page is regularly updated with new Limited wines added.
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