November 2 2006

Cover Story (Retro Wines)
BC Wine Reviews (Four Pinots)
International Sips (An affordable selection from around the world)
Taste Bites (Cheese & crackers that bite, New restaurant-Connor Butler)
Wine Diva-isms (What I know for sure)

Retro Wine Party

The memories may be better than the wine, but at least we remember the wine (were there really so few available?) whereas now people can barely recall the name of the wine they tried last night. Could the key to success be in kitschy names like Strawberry Fields, Black Tower, Blue Nun, Moody Blues and Lonesome Charlie.

I spent an unfortunate amount of time this week trying to track down information (and most of all a photo) of a bottle of Lonesome Charlie but alas, all I have is a muddled, hazy visual of a label with a young woman with straight waist length hair sitting in a field. My mother drank Lonesome Charlie (I was only in grade school) and I always thought the bottle looked so romantic. When I asked her about she couldn't remember but after a few emails I did find a gentleman who was obviously old enough to remember that Lonesome Charlie was a Canadian product-a 7% sparkling wine that came in 750ml/1.5L or 4x375ml bottles (no word on quality).

My mother did remember Mateus though which thankfully is much easier to find these days and is always a pleasant revisit. By the time I was ayem old enough to drink (without getting caught) Moody Blues was my poison. I think it was a sweet frizzante red wine with a blue denim label. I drank it with a straw at parties.

Baby Duck is another story altogether-I grew up with Asti Spumanti because the Italian side of my family served it in copious amounts at births, weddings and anniversaries so Baby Duck always seemed so glamorous when I was a child. And you know Baby Duck's sweet pink downiness has been around for a while when its CSPC number is #91.

I have to say I love doing research like this, it puts the whole 'wine thing' into perspective.
Don't be so serious all the time, it's boring and pretentious and you miss out on all the fun!

Wine Diva says-have a Retro Wine Party!
Play some Barry Manilow and Linda Rondstadt.
Serve pigs-in-a-blanket, spinach dip, mini quiches, cheese cubes and bugles. But do bring in a few secondary (drier) options in case everyone starts going into diabetic sugar shock.

Mateus Rosé, Portugal- flashback images of that bottom-heavy Mateus bottle anchoring your parents dining room table? Wine Diva was feeling quite retro when she recently visited (I was too young to re-visit) this cheerful and fresh rosé sweetly tinted and brimming with minerals, red berries, and citrus. You know what, this is a very decent rosé, a great price and a conversation piece!
$9.49 BC $7.90 ON (+166) UPC #05601012011500

Baby Duck Sparkling, Canada- At only 7% alcohol this could be considered a bit of a breakfast wine.
I love this job!
Its uber pinky-red and pretty! Okay it tastes like sweet tarts-but not nearly as sweet as I expected not not nearly as
mouss-y either. Smells like candied strawberries and candied rockets (rolled Hallowe'en chalk candy). Tastes light clean and sweetish, like a valentines kiss (except I'm drinking it in October) with sporadic bubbles and a long strawberry cinnamon-y finish.
Highly underrated and good clean fun!
$6.99 BC $6.45 ON (+91) UPC #00048162000049

Black Tower, Rivaner, Germany, 2005-Okay, I never actually drank this wine but I do remember it's ubiquitous presence on the table at Christmas and Thanksgiving. Maybe my parents were smarter than I thought, off dry wines are usually a pretty good pairing with savory/harvest dinners. The Black Tower Rivaner has mineral, soft white floral aromas, honey/musk and orchard fruit. In the mouth its off-dry with loads of honeydew melon and citrus. Maybe they should change the bottle-appeal to a new client because there is nothing wrong with this wine, we're just to embarrassed to buy it.
$11.19 BC $8.95 ON (+336503) UPC #00785859701024
BTW-You lucky ducks in Ontario have Black Tower in Tetra Pak!

If anyone has information on either Moody Blues or Lonesome Charlie
I would love to hear from you! daenna@winediva.ca

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November 2 2006

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