#86- Verdejo

Off to my miniature wine cellar and when I say mini- I mean about 40 wines or so. I haven't yet set up my wine fridge and I should get on that but truth be told I don't really own any wines that need to be cellared or aged for that matter. One day when I strike it rich perhaps I'll start cellaring wine.


In any evernt, there was one wine that stood out. It is a wine that pairs with so many different dishes and is a great wine to have on hand for its versatility alone. It pairs with fish, shellfish, white meats, pasta dishes and selections of cold red meats. I was lazy tonight to make any food so I grabbed some fresh sushi (California rolls and some shrimp/avacado rolls) from Superstore. They actually make their sushi fresh and I can say I was very pleased with my rolls and ended up eating all 16 of them that night. I got home and changed and while I was getting ready I grabbed a bottle of  Herederos Del Marques de Riscal Rueda 2010 and put it in the fridge to chill.

Marques de Riscal is a Spanish wine in the Rueda Appellation of the country. It is known for making fresh and crispy and fruity wines and this wine was no exception. With flowery aromas and a hint of herbs, I could pick out the citrus on my nose almost right away. It is very strong and I would almost say grapefruit. It also has a grassy (hence the herbs) smell to it. The Rueda wine  is bright yellow in colour and clear as anything. It's quite glossy to look at. This is a very pleasant wine and to be honest, I've had it open quite a while in the fridge (and somehow the cork has disappeared) and it's still easy to drink after weeks of being open.

It is very smooth, aromatic in the mouth and has a medium finish. It's quite balanced and I am enjoying the sipping the wine as is. I really wish I had some sushi right now- if I wasn't still in my pyjamas (hey- I've been cleaning and doing homework all day- don't judge!) I would seriously consider going out.

The verdejo grape is native to the Rueda appellation in Spain even though it is believed to have come from North Africa first. It's not very acidic but is a medium to full bodied wine. An interesting note about this grape- it's harvested at night! This allows the wine to enter the cellars at a cooler temperature than most other wines. It's great chilled.

I should save some wine for Craig seeing as it's still good. We'll see how much I have left at the end of catching up on my blogs!

#83- Vernaccia

Our weekend was coming to an end. The next morning we'd be packing up and heading home, this camping trip likely our last one for the season. The September long weekend was beautiful  and was a great overall first time camping with us experience for Owen. Alberta weather is unpredictable so it was possible to get another weekend in but not likely (and as I write this October 3, a definitive no).

That night after our hike, Craig and I had one last wine to try- the Vernaccia wine (again, being as this was an Italian wine weekend, is from Italy). It is from Azienda Agraria Le Rote Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Yeah, say or write that five times fast!

We headed back to the campsite and took to our usual positions. Craig got the fire ready, I started to make supper and in between the two of us, keep Owen occupied. He loves to play so it was a constant shuffle between duty and keeping the kid happy (we couldn't stand the prospect of him telling his mother that he hated camping with us. No, we wanted to make this weekend so damn good for him that there'd be no competition as to who his favourite Aunt and Uncle were. Exhaustion be damned!)

I decided to make chips to go along with our burgers rather than just a potato. I'm not a huge potato fan so I was up for the challenge. It was a lot of work but I'm happy the effort was worth the result as our potatoes turned out splendidly. As did the burgers. From the picture, you can see we had all the fixin's to go with out grilled AAA beef. It was such a perfect supper and ending to a magical weekend.

And while most would pair a red with the hamburger (so yesterday....) we decided to pair our remaining white with it, and to good results. The vernaccia is a light wine that for us, completented the flavourful dinner and didn't try to compete with it. I'm sure a red would have done nicely but it was great to have a light, crisp and fresh wine that evening. The vernaccia grape is acidic and usually citrus based. I did notice both, again, complimenting the dinner quite nicely.

I know there may be some hardcore wine drinkers out there shuddering at the fact that I made this wine and food pairing but all I have to say is: shut it! Life is about being real. Not all of us have the ability to spend a lot of time dissecting our wine and determining the perfect wine pairing. Especially when camping. To me, wine is about being real. Taking changes. Experimenting. Hating wine. Loving wine. Discovering new tastes. This is why I do this blog- it's not about pretending to be a wine expert which I am far from. But I do drink lots of wine and I like trying new wines so for me, this is indulging a passion and love. Nothing more, nothing less. The worst thing that will happen is I make a terrible wine-food choice. Oh well, guess I'll just have to try again!

And no one is attacking me about this. In fact, I find the wine community quite supportive, engaged and just as willing to try new things as I am. Where I find I have issues sometimes is with the wineries themselves. Of course they're out to protect their brand, to encourage people like me to pair their wines with the perfect foods and speak in nothing but positive tones about their wine. But I say get real. I appreciate the effort and should I find time to do so and want to, the pairing will be made. But then give me 5, 10 choices. What if I don't like lamb shanks? Then what?

Alright done rant, if it is one. I think it's time to move on to a new colour (red) and a new country (Greece) next. You in?