#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!

#71- Silvaner

Also known as Sylvaner D'Alsace which is what I picked up for the third and final wine of the camping trip. The winery is Dopff & Irion in France.

I found the Silanver very similar to the Inzolia wine though I found the Inzolia easier to drink. My mom however liked this wine a bit better. It was a great pairing with the barbequed chicken and salad that had been made on the open fire. Mom did a great job with them. The wine was chilled and ready to go and again, a nice way to end our day of hiking. We did a shorter hike but it was much more beautiful and in an area of Jasper that none of us had explored before. It was a great day, the day before I set off and they took off for their camping trip down to Yellowstone.

The silvaner grape is a grape that's often blended to make more "famous" wines- such as the Liebfraumilch. On its own, it's a bit bland and that's how I'd describe this wine. It didn't really stand out to me at all. It had a herbal taste to it and was quite earthy in taste but with  refreshing twist. I know, weird combo huh?

I think this is a wine I'd like to try again and compare it to some of the other whites that I like. Because it's been so similar to many of the wines I've tried in the last while, I'm not sure if I'm actually properly analyzing the wine or simply comparing it to the most recent wine I've just drunk.

This past weekend I gave Craig half a dozen wines that he has to try and give his opinion on. Hopefully he does this sooner than later...