Every November the Wine Spectator magazine publishes a list of wines they call their Top 100. These are wines that have previously been given 90 points or higher from blind tastings throughout the past year.
To start, 500 - or more - are reassembled, bagged to hide their identity and poured for the editors. Through tastings and discussions 100 are identified and ranked from one to 100.
The No. 1 wine for 2014 is the Dow's 2011 Vintage Port, and I happen to have bought it. That happened soon after the port release when a customer pointed out the great ratings it had received from both the Wine Spectator and other wine magazines.
I like to walk around with the list and see which of these we have. There are always some with the correct vintage that are moderately priced. Two of those I found are these below, a German Riesling and an Australian Shiraz.
St. Urbans-Hof Old Vine
Riesling (597997)
Germany
$22.99
Although the vineyards had been family-owned for centuries, it wasn't until 1947 that Nicolaus Weis established his own winery. Today grandson Nik Weis and his family are the proprietors.
Nik's father Hermann, a renowned vine breeder - especially Riesling - introduced the varietal to the Niagara Peninsula on what was later called the Vineland Estates Winery.
This 2012 Riesling sits at No. 60 on the top 100 list and I was anxious to try it out. First off the colour was a bright, but a warm gold. On the nose it has cornucopia of ripe yellow tree fruit aromas. Ripe apricot, peach and sweet delicious apples are the fruits I could identify, but there is also a hint of stone, or mineral, and a touch of baking spice.
In the mouth it feels like you've bitten into a piece of ripe apricot or peach. There is a nice touch of sweetness that gets balanced out in the finish with a slight tartness you would expect from an apple.
Rieslings are always nice to pair with Asian food because they go well with spicy foods, but I'll bet this will go nicely with apple pie or cobbler.
Fowles Are You Game
Shiraz (468132)
Australia
$23.99
The Fowles family arrived from England in the early 1800s and they like to point out that it was by choice. They saw a land of opportunity, not just a penal colony.
Eventually their agricultural holdings led to grape-growing and wine-making. Today under the leadership of Matt Fowles they are making wine from vineyards in the Strathbogie Ranges of Victoria, 100 kilometers north of Melbourne.
This cool-climate Shiraz landed at No. 66 on the list of 100, with 91 points, and I think it's one of the best Australian Shirazes I've tasted. Its colour is cherry-like, not bright purple but with some rusty hues. The very first thing I noticed on smelling the wine was the black pepper and then the fruits. The concentration of the fruit flavours is good and structured with plum, blackberry and cherry. While these fruits are present in the aromas they are not full-on and it is definitely not a fruit bomb. They are instead, subdued.
In the mouth I found it layered with fruit and spice, dry but not sour and enough tannins to give it some weight. The finish lingers but doesn't stay longer than desired.
Matt Fowles and his team have assembled this wine, and another red they call Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch, to accompany the lamb they raise and stronger wild game flavours.
This wine might be one to consider it you were lucky enough to bag a moose, deer or elk this fall.
Hola De Chille
2013 Red Blend (427690)
Chile
$15.99
This last red wine isn't on the Wine Spectators top 100 list, nor is it easy to find out who made it. It looks like no one is laying claim to it other than it comes from Casablanca in Chile.
The label is eye-catching and of course Hola is Spanish for hello. What intrigued me wasn't the front label but the back label. Here is a list of grape varietals used and they are all Bordeaux grape varieties including Carmnre.
A little of this grape is grown in Bordeaux today after finding it again, doing well in Chile. It was thought to be extinct in Europe after the Phylloxera plague ravished the vineyards, but hidden away in Chile it survived.
So in this wine we have five of the noble grapes of Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmnre, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
I've seen people buy this wine by the case so I did assume there was something here and I wasn't disappointed when I tried it.
It's only a 2013, but certainly ready to drink. It has a youthful purple colour with very nice fruit aromas - currant, blackberry, plum and even a little red cherry with a touch of spice and a slight toastiness to it.
This is a great blend and creates a full-bodied wine that has good flavours with complexity in its layers.
I enjoyed this wine on its own but can see it will pair with a roast beef dinner or hard cheeses.
Al Spoklie is a product consultant at the BC Signature Liquor Store at Pine Centre Mall
