Bubbly on discount [Food/Vendor]
2008 Jun 4
Momomoto - Winos, LOL, have some of us worked ourselves into a sub-category?
I am not familar with the Cuvee Catherine, but I am a big fan of other wines by Henry of Pelham including the Pinot Noir ("The Man" had a case on hand, and unfortunately we opened the last bottle last week and it was "off", perhaps you knew... the sigh of distress could be heard across the City of Ottawa). On your recommendation though, I will definitely pick up a bottle or two of the bubbly.
Cheers!
I am not familar with the Cuvee Catherine, but I am a big fan of other wines by Henry of Pelham including the Pinot Noir ("The Man" had a case on hand, and unfortunately we opened the last bottle last week and it was "off", perhaps you knew... the sigh of distress could be heard across the City of Ottawa). On your recommendation though, I will definitely pick up a bottle or two of the bubbly.
Cheers!
2008 Jun 5
They do make a good Pinot! I hear that their Reserve ($25, at either the winery or sometimes Vintages) is even better.
The Cuvée Catharine is darn good. I've found that sparkling Rosé is ridiculously versatile, more-so than I figured it would be. It's probably now my go-to wine for Chinese food, or even Indian, rather than reaching for Gewurztraminer.
Since CC's normal price point is $30, it's a good option for a quasi-fancy dinner party aperitif or first-course. You want it to work with food, you want it to be a bit more speical than "just" a fifteen-dollar pink Spanish bubbly (although the Cordoniú is fantastic), and you don't want to spend a hundred bucks on a bottle of Champagne.
The Cuvée Catharine is darn good. I've found that sparkling Rosé is ridiculously versatile, more-so than I figured it would be. It's probably now my go-to wine for Chinese food, or even Indian, rather than reaching for Gewurztraminer.
Since CC's normal price point is $30, it's a good option for a quasi-fancy dinner party aperitif or first-course. You want it to work with food, you want it to be a bit more speical than "just" a fifteen-dollar pink Spanish bubbly (although the Cordoniú is fantastic), and you don't want to spend a hundred bucks on a bottle of Champagne.
2008 Jun 5
Oh thanks for the heads up!
I tried Peller's Ice Cuvée last weekend and really enjoyed it. It's made in the champagne method, but after they remove the lees, they top it up with icewine. I believe it retails now for under $19.95, usually closer to $30. I don't know if you can transfer general list product, though. You can transfer Vintages releases 2 weeks to a month after their release.
I also had Hillebrand's Trius Brut, which has a residual sugar content of 1 but is still dry, but fantastic when mixed with their Cab Franc Icewine. They call it a Blushing Canadian. It retails for $24.95 and is available year round.
And as for my Niagara trip, I'll be posting it to my blog soon. I'll let you know when it's up. I have a LOT of writing to do. I took notes on almost everything I tasted. :D
I tried Peller's Ice Cuvée last weekend and really enjoyed it. It's made in the champagne method, but after they remove the lees, they top it up with icewine. I believe it retails now for under $19.95, usually closer to $30. I don't know if you can transfer general list product, though. You can transfer Vintages releases 2 weeks to a month after their release.
I also had Hillebrand's Trius Brut, which has a residual sugar content of 1 but is still dry, but fantastic when mixed with their Cab Franc Icewine. They call it a Blushing Canadian. It retails for $24.95 and is available year round.
And as for my Niagara trip, I'll be posting it to my blog soon. I'll let you know when it's up. I have a LOT of writing to do. I took notes on almost everything I tasted. :D
2008 Jun 5
Momomoto - Are you sitting down? The Henry of Pelham Pinot Noir Reserve is fantastic! "The Man" had a whole case of 2003, that he picked up at the winery a couple of years ago... he was down to the last bottle, and we opened it last week all in anticipation, only to discover it was off. Sad considering the one we drank earlier this year was excellent. Oh well can't cry over spilled wine... oh yes you can (sob) <---- pun intended.
2008 Jun 5
Harf! Clever pun, indeed. It's good to know that there's enough oomph in those bottles that they'll last five years. I'll probably pick up a stack (I usually go in lots of three, though, rather than cases) when we're down there. When it comes to Ontario wine, the only thing I worry about is longevity, which usually isn't an issue since I like to drink 'em within a year or two anyway.
Have you considered calling the winery to say that you got a corked one? Usually wineries are more than willing to replace your corked one with a good one, since they do want you to enjoy or dislike the wine on its own merits, rather than its TCA content. Worst case scenario I bet is that you'll get a bottle of 2005 Reserve rather than the 03.
Have you considered calling the winery to say that you got a corked one? Usually wineries are more than willing to replace your corked one with a good one, since they do want you to enjoy or dislike the wine on its own merits, rather than its TCA content. Worst case scenario I bet is that you'll get a bottle of 2005 Reserve rather than the 03.
2008 Jun 5
Nanook & Momomoto - I too discovered the wonders of Champagne / Sparkling Wine on a trip to Niagara, previously I had kind of thought of it as something only to be consumed on special occasions, and only in the usual manner, straight up and as an aperitif. Now not only do I enjoy it as a cocktail more often, but I also have decided it is an interesting mixer with other liqueurs (Kir Royale) or with juices or frozen fruit. Haven't tried it with ice wine, but now am wanting to try.
And I agree that champagne is far more versatile than I ever thought. I too like it now with foods with some kick like chinese. I became a fan of Trius Brut during a visit to Hillebrand several years ago. I am open to trying sparkling wines from a variety of countries... recently had a nice Australian (sorry don't recall the name) at "The Buzz" Restaurant.
As for spending $ 100 on a bottle of champagne, what's wrong with that? LOL
One of my favorites in that category would have to be Veuve Clicquot "The French Ladies Champagne".
And I agree that champagne is far more versatile than I ever thought. I too like it now with foods with some kick like chinese. I became a fan of Trius Brut during a visit to Hillebrand several years ago. I am open to trying sparkling wines from a variety of countries... recently had a nice Australian (sorry don't recall the name) at "The Buzz" Restaurant.
As for spending $ 100 on a bottle of champagne, what's wrong with that? LOL
One of my favorites in that category would have to be Veuve Clicquot "The French Ladies Champagne".
2008 Jun 5
I really enjoyed Natalie MacLean's chapter on Champagne in her book. I learned so much from that chapter alone. I highly recommend it... and I have to say that I can't wait to read it again. And some champagne is made from Pinot Noir (known as Noir des Blancs)... I learned that from her book!
I love the promotional tag line on this week's Vintages release feature on Champagne. Mowed the Lawn? Have a glass of Champagne to celebrate!
As for cellaring Ontario wine, it really depends. You could always talk to the product consultants at the LCBO to see what they recommend. Oftentimes, the LCBO will include the bottle's drinkability on the product listing page on the website - drink now, drink or hold, or hold.
I love the promotional tag line on this week's Vintages release feature on Champagne. Mowed the Lawn? Have a glass of Champagne to celebrate!
As for cellaring Ontario wine, it really depends. You could always talk to the product consultants at the LCBO to see what they recommend. Oftentimes, the LCBO will include the bottle's drinkability on the product listing page on the website - drink now, drink or hold, or hold.
2008 Jun 10
Nanook - Cellaring wine has its risks. "The Man" keeps a record book so he always knows what is in the cellar and the details as to when it was bought, as well as when it should be drank by. The Pinot Noir Reserve was within it's limits, things just didn't work out.
Momomoto - "Seaview Brut" is indeed the one we had at The Buzz. Thanks for the tip about the cost... it is indeed a steal, I'll look for it next time I'm at the LCBO.
Momomoto - "Seaview Brut" is indeed the one we had at The Buzz. Thanks for the tip about the cost... it is indeed a steal, I'll look for it next time I'm at the LCBO.
2008 Jun 10
I keep track of my cellar at www.wineisgood.com . It's free free free, too! There are a couple of things that I'd change, if I were running the place, but I can't complain at the price. Clearly I should give the guy who runs the site fifty bucks and say "now change this."
Yes, this means that you can all spy on what I have in my cellar: www.wineisgood.com
Yes, this means that you can all spy on what I have in my cellar: www.wineisgood.com
2008 Jun 10
Thanks for the website, Momomoto! We were thinking of getting tags to tie to the bottle. We don't keep much over the long-term, minus a couple of bottles. I'll have to check out the Seaview, as well.
I haven't posted yet about my trip, but here is the link. I'm hoping to work on it later this week: grippinggrapes.blogspot.com
I haven't posted yet about my trip, but here is the link. I'm hoping to work on it later this week: grippinggrapes.blogspot.com
2008 Jun 10
Thanks! You can more or less tell which wineries I've frequented in my wine tours :) Stay tuned for August, when you'll see Henry of Pelham, Vineland Estates, Malivoire, and Frogpond make appearances.
As for Vang Dalat: friends of mine vacationed in Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia over the Christmas holiday, and gave me that as a "thank-you" for watering their plants while they were gone.
It's made from the Cardinal grape, and is spiked with strawberry juice?
I'm intrigued, and am just waiting for the next time we do Bahn Mi to crack it open. Doubt it'll marry well with anything else.
As for Vang Dalat: friends of mine vacationed in Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia over the Christmas holiday, and gave me that as a "thank-you" for watering their plants while they were gone.
It's made from the Cardinal grape, and is spiked with strawberry juice?
I'm intrigued, and am just waiting for the next time we do Bahn Mi to crack it open. Doubt it'll marry well with anything else.
2008 Jun 10
Momomoto - That website Wine Is Good is a valuable resource, unfortunately, I like to work with a lot more info, as well as a place to put down my tasting notes.
Nanook - "The Man" started with the tag system, unfortunately we quickly decided that this didn't give us enough info. So then we started a Wine Log. All the bottles are numbered, each bottle has a page in the log, we keep lots of detail, including when and where he purchased the wine, and how much he paid for it, along with cellaring notes etc. As the bottles are consumed we enter tasting notes, and put the corresponding pages into another binder (Wines Consumed). The second binder is much larger than the first, LOL.
I checked out your blog, and read your entries for May and June. I too discovered some of the same things... like finding great inexpensive wines that are your "go to" or house wines. We keep several in this category... and replenish them as we need them:
A Sparkling
A Rose
A Sipping White
A Spicy White
A Heavier White
A Pinot Noir
A Medium Red
A Deep Red
In the summertime we tend to go thru more of the four at the top of the list (Friends over, BBQs, etc), and the rest of the year the bottom four. The most consumed year-round are Spicy White, Pinot Noir and a Deep Red.
Thanks for your recommendation on Wine Books, they will compliment my summer reading nicely.
Nanook - "The Man" started with the tag system, unfortunately we quickly decided that this didn't give us enough info. So then we started a Wine Log. All the bottles are numbered, each bottle has a page in the log, we keep lots of detail, including when and where he purchased the wine, and how much he paid for it, along with cellaring notes etc. As the bottles are consumed we enter tasting notes, and put the corresponding pages into another binder (Wines Consumed). The second binder is much larger than the first, LOL.
I checked out your blog, and read your entries for May and June. I too discovered some of the same things... like finding great inexpensive wines that are your "go to" or house wines. We keep several in this category... and replenish them as we need them:
A Sparkling
A Rose
A Sipping White
A Spicy White
A Heavier White
A Pinot Noir
A Medium Red
A Deep Red
In the summertime we tend to go thru more of the four at the top of the list (Friends over, BBQs, etc), and the rest of the year the bottom four. The most consumed year-round are Spicy White, Pinot Noir and a Deep Red.
Thanks for your recommendation on Wine Books, they will compliment my summer reading nicely.
2008 Jun 10
Thanks for pointing out that site, Momomoto! I got all excited but then realized it was limited to wines. I want to track my Scotch and the rest of my liquor cabinet too! :-)
Perhaps a summertime expansion project for OttawaFoodies is in order... I kind of like the idea of an Ontario-centric boozer's resource. Tasting notes, LCBO product codes, price paid, etc. What do ya think?
Perhaps a summertime expansion project for OttawaFoodies is in order... I kind of like the idea of an Ontario-centric boozer's resource. Tasting notes, LCBO product codes, price paid, etc. What do ya think?
2008 Jun 10
F&T - Yeah, tasting notes are hard to get to. I think you can enter them if you drink the bottle, but it make take some time-travel to do the ones you've already done.
FF I'd be willing to commit some amount of blood/sweat/tears to writing stuff down in an Ontario-centric boozer's resource. But I do agree that it may not be worth it to bend WineIsGood to other drinks. Unless you made judicious use of the notes or ratings section. I, personally, use my "rating" to classify the wine, kinda like what Food&Think just showed:
1 - Sparkling
2 - Fresh white
3 - Nice white
4 - Rich white
5 - Lively red
6 - Rustic red
7 - Rich red
8 - Sweet/other
FF I'd be willing to commit some amount of blood/sweat/tears to writing stuff down in an Ontario-centric boozer's resource. But I do agree that it may not be worth it to bend WineIsGood to other drinks. Unless you made judicious use of the notes or ratings section. I, personally, use my "rating" to classify the wine, kinda like what Food&Think just showed:
1 - Sparkling
2 - Fresh white
3 - Nice white
4 - Rich white
5 - Lively red
6 - Rustic red
7 - Rich red
8 - Sweet/other
2008 Jun 11
Fresh Foodie - Ontario Winos, count me in!
Momomoto - Oops I forgot the "Other" Category (Ice Wines, Port, etc). So that brings my category listing to 9. As for "The Man's" Wine Log it seems to get more detailed by the minute, but oh so valuable.
When it comes to categories for the log we only have 5 - Red, White, Rose, Sparkling and Other. We sticker all the bottles when we do our log entries and note the LCBO # and what was paid for a bottle.
Bottles are filed in the log by Category, then Grape, Country and Year. It gives an idea of what is on hand, and what we've consumed. In this way all the Rieslings for example are together, the Countrys are alphabetical, and the years are highlighted (flagged) so we know where the most mature bottles are, and when they are due to be drunk. Particularly special bottles are flagged with a different colour, so their status is always known. Some bottle entries even feature photos or clippings to show what they look like. Blends are listed as if they were a single grape, so Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz Blends stand on their own aside from the Cabs and the Shirazs.
What I like about the Log is it is (a) easy to use, (b) young and old bottles are easy to locate (c) wines can be referenced by grape (d) highlights how many bottles are on hand and what they predominently are ie. category, grape, country, year (hmmm, we seem to be a little low on South American Pinots) (e) the log can be searched by food item, so if one is looking for a wine to match with shellfish, it is easy enough to locate one where that is recommended, and lastly (f) there is an accurate record of wines that have been previously enjoyed.
"The Man" has half jokingly said that with all the "academic" info I have acquired over the last few years, I should go into business helping new winos set up and acquire a basic cellar (25 excellent wines from around the world under $ 25 to start a wine cellar), storage 101, and tips for logging & blogging.
Momomoto - Oops I forgot the "Other" Category (Ice Wines, Port, etc). So that brings my category listing to 9. As for "The Man's" Wine Log it seems to get more detailed by the minute, but oh so valuable.
When it comes to categories for the log we only have 5 - Red, White, Rose, Sparkling and Other. We sticker all the bottles when we do our log entries and note the LCBO # and what was paid for a bottle.
Bottles are filed in the log by Category, then Grape, Country and Year. It gives an idea of what is on hand, and what we've consumed. In this way all the Rieslings for example are together, the Countrys are alphabetical, and the years are highlighted (flagged) so we know where the most mature bottles are, and when they are due to be drunk. Particularly special bottles are flagged with a different colour, so their status is always known. Some bottle entries even feature photos or clippings to show what they look like. Blends are listed as if they were a single grape, so Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz Blends stand on their own aside from the Cabs and the Shirazs.
What I like about the Log is it is (a) easy to use, (b) young and old bottles are easy to locate (c) wines can be referenced by grape (d) highlights how many bottles are on hand and what they predominently are ie. category, grape, country, year (hmmm, we seem to be a little low on South American Pinots) (e) the log can be searched by food item, so if one is looking for a wine to match with shellfish, it is easy enough to locate one where that is recommended, and lastly (f) there is an accurate record of wines that have been previously enjoyed.
"The Man" has half jokingly said that with all the "academic" info I have acquired over the last few years, I should go into business helping new winos set up and acquire a basic cellar (25 excellent wines from around the world under $ 25 to start a wine cellar), storage 101, and tips for logging & blogging.
Momomoto
On my monthly (OK, OK, semi-monthly) trip to the LCBO out in Barrhaven I noticed that the Henry of Pelham "Cuvée Catharine" Sparkling Rosé has been heavily discounted, from $30 down to $20. This is likely because they got a new batch in from the winery, meaning that they're clearing out the old stock to make way for the new. Despite the fact that it's non-vintage.
If you can find it at a discount, stock up: it's delightful, and a steal at even $30. It's not likely that it'll be available on discount at every store, so let the hunt begin!