#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!

#82- Grillo

I hate writing about wines that don't have websites. It appears this one did exist at some point but no longer exists. How can a winery in this day and age not have a website? Perhaps there's a new venture there waiting. But I probably have to learn Italian first.

But back to the wine and our camping adventure and drinking 5 Italian wines. This day was a beautiful and perfect day for a nice relaxing walk. Craig and I loaded up our backpacks with sandwiches and wine and headed out and down the Columbia Icefields Parkway to the Athabasca Falls parking lot. It was jammed pack. Parking to be found nowhere. We watched cars go in circles desperate for a spot. We were in that same circle and chose to try the middle lane up the circle instead of being sheep and lo and behold a nice parking spot was waiting for us.

This was Owen's first time at the Falls and being the Aunt and Uncle in this situation, Craig and I were overly prepared in our pep safety talk that morning. Owen is a typical 5 year old- curious, agile and prone to running when given the opportunity. He is also safe, thoughtful when it comes to risky situations and a good listener. We tried to prepare him for the Falls and what he'd see and the dangers that accompany such a wonder. In case you've never been to the Falls (it was Craig's first time too), here is a link to Parks Canada and the Wikipedia entry . Here's also a great Youtube video. I just checked out the official website and it's terrible, almost embarrassing. I really do to make a living making websites. Wait a second....

Anyway, Owen behaved very well and only once tried to climb the fence for a better view but he only got about 0.75 inches off the ground before Craig was grabbing him.

We had a great time walking around the Falls and Owen walked when asked and the point was driven home as we descended the rock staircase to the bottom and witnessed a little girl barreling up the stairs, and not paying attention smacking her head on overhanging rocks at full speed. The crack was deafening. I immediately went over to her aid. Her parents sauntered over, not even bothering to say thanks. I'm guessing she's okay but it still drives the point home that children need to be supervised.

As we headed to the bottom, Owen was hellbent then on being the best behaved 5 year old there and reminded us every few seconds that he indeed was. We threw rocks in the lake and he and Craig built their very own Inukshuk. Very Canadian I'd say.

And then it was off to walk a bit further down the river to a large boulder and surrounding rocks. A perfect spot for our picnic lunch. We whipped out our sandwiches and wine.

The wine is a Noi Negociants Grillo wine from Italy. It is a white wine. The Grillo grape does not appear on the Wine Varietal table. It's also known as the riddu grape and grown in the Sicily. It's often used in Marsala wine which most of us have heard about. It also has a few other names it goes under but Grillo is one of the easier names to remember. Normally Italian wines don't put the name of the grape on the label but this one did (and so nice when you're hunting for varietals).

Of course this is camping and camping means simple foods. Just like the day before, we had packed out sandwiches. This this time it was a nice turkey sandwich on white. A touch of mustard and a handful of nuts and I was in my glory drinking wine, eating sandwiches and looking out at spectacular views of the most beautiful backyard someone could ask for.

Both Craig and I enjoyed this wine and it didn't take us long to nearly finish the bottle back at camp. It was chilled from the night before. The wine is very yellow and it quite minerally. A bit on the sweet side (makes sense with the Marsala connection) and smells grassy. Some say hay. Pick up a bottle and you can decide for yourself. As with the other white wines we've been drinking all weekend, I liked this wine as well and would definitely pick it up again.

I'm thinking upon review that it's time to go on a shopping spree and go and get myself some more Italian wines. But why shop here- back to the source! Wine trip anyone?