Naked Grape Moscato (Canada) – sweetness = 02

Tercos Torrontes (Argentina) – “Torrontes is a white grape characteristic of Argentina.  This new wine from Tercos is dry and refreshing with flavours of grapefruit, peach, apple, melon and pineapple.”  (tasting notes)

Tercos Bonarda (Argentina) – “Bonarda is the second most planted grape variety in Argentina (after Malbec), and is thought to be the same grape as the Italian Charbono.  These grapes are grown on the Tupungato mountainside – one of the highest elevations in the Andes – where the days are warm and the nights cool.  This Bonarda is unoaked, vibrant and full of fresh red fruits.”  (tasting notes)

Finca Decero Malbec (Argentina) – “A core intesity of red fruit flavors and lifted violet aromas remain the signature of Malbec from our Remolinos Vineyard. This is exquisitely balanced by freshness of acidity and an elegant integration of French oak which adds complexity to the rich mid palate of this vintage.”  (tasting notes)

Decero Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentina) -”2009 is defined by its cherry and spice aromatics and with an emphasis of red fruit flavors. The structure is elegant with highly integrated tannins. Having spent 14 months in French oak barrels, the 2009 Decero Cabernet Sauvignon is decidedly elegant with finesse on the long finish.”  (tasting notes)

CarinaE Malbec Gran Reserva 2008 (Argentina) – “This wine was crafted from a meticulous selection of old vine Malbec grapes and matured for 15 months in new French barriques.  This wine combines the typical Malbec aromas and flavours of black and red fruits with hints of coffee, toast, chocolate, and vanilla from time spent in the barrel.  The result is a richly fruity wine of structure and elegance.  91 points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate” (tasting notes)

Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow vodka

Smirnoff Whipped Cream vodka

Dirty Laundry WooWoo Gewurztraminer (BC, Canada) (03) – “…is the bold expression of the Gewurztraminer grape. Bursting with aromas of rose petal, logan fruit and lychee. Finishes balanced with a nice sweet ripe peach and apple flavour, with a hint of spice.  Awards2011 NW Wine Summit – Silver.  Food Pairing Notes – Excellent with spicy foods such as Thai and East Indian or Asian fusion foods and mild cheeses.” (website)

J. Lohr ‘Riverstone’ Chardonnay 2010 (California, USA) – “This elegant Chardonnay has an attractive pale strawyellow color. The aromas are of pear, apple and stone fruits, combined with a perfumed roasted hazelnut and butterscotch bouquet from the barrel fermentation and sur lie aging. The flavors are very soft with ripe pear, tangelo citrus and vanilla toastiness, producing layers of complexity with a silky balance of fresh fruit acidity and palate-weight.”—Jeff Meier,  winemaker  Food Pairings: This wine is excellent with roasted chicken, linguine with clam sauce and Dungeness crab.”  (website)

Plume Cabernet Sauvignon (California, USA) – “…a wine with excellent color, extraction and ripe flavors showing authentic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon varietal character. The resulting blend brings the bright red fruit of the cooler regions with the rich and structured black fruit of the warmer regions. Aged in premium French oak barrels for 18 months our PLUME has intense dark berry and cherry notes, enhanced with hints of vanilla. Reflective of the tempered 2009-growing season, the palate has fine-grained ripe tannin with well-balanced acidity. A touch of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec balance out the supple finish with spice undertones. This wine drinks well now and will cellar beautifully to 2017. Enjoy with robust cuisine such as herb-crusted rack of lamb with rosemary potatoes or Point Reyes blue cheese and roasted honey glazed walnuts.”  (website)

Palm Bay Sun Sampler – can’t decide which Palm Bay cooler to have tonight?  Try a sun sampler variety pack.

Palm Bay Tangerine Mist – the newest seasonal flavour from Palm Bay.  Don’t worry the PassionFruit is still in stock – for now anyway.

Mike’s Hard Mango Lemonade – need we say more?

360 Georgia Peach vodka - “This is more than just peachy. Introducing 360 Vodka’s newest eco-friendly flavor – 360 Georgia Peach. Made from quadruple-distilled, five-times filtered vodka, 360 Georgia Peach salutes a true American original. First planted after the Civil War, these peaches quickly made Georgia famous. 360 Georgia Peach brings you the same juicy, refreshing flavor with the right amount of sweet  and tart. Sophisticated, versatile in mixed drinks, it’s a deserving addition to  360 Vodka’s line of eco-friendly flavors.” (website)

Naked Grape Malbec (Canada)
Mateus Rose (Portugal)
Hardy’s Stamp series Riesling/ Gewurztraminer (Australia)

The J. Lohr ‘Riverstone’ Chardonnay is “…a full-bodied Chardonnay with a balance of fruit and oak toastiness and a palate-cleansing acidity.”  (website)

Winemaker’s Comments:  This elegant Chardonnay has an attractive pale strawyellow color. The aromas are of pear, apple and stone fruits, combined with a perfumed roasted hazelnut and butterscotch bouquet from the barrel fermentation  and sur lie aging. The flavors are very soft with ripe pear, tangelo citrus and vanilla toastiness, producing layers of complexity with a silky balance of fresh fruit acidity and palate-weight. —Jeff Meier, winemaker

Food Pairings:  This wine is excellent with roasted chicken, linguine with clam sauce and Dungeness crab.

This wine will be in stock on Friday April 27.  (sorry to get your hopes up too early)

Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc (France) – a white version of the classic Kronenbourg – perfect for summer

Minerva ITA (Mexico) – ITA = Imperial Tequila Ale.  This beer has tequila in it!!  Very subtle – delicious.

Taltarni Brut Tache 2009 Methode Traditionalle sparkling wine (Australia) - “Chardonnay 66%, Pinot Noir 31%, Pinot Meunier 3% – An engaging salmon-pink colour enhanced by a fine persistent bead, Taltarni’s Brut Taché expresses an assortment of red currant, ripe strawberry and floral aromas and complex yeast characters.”  website tasting notes

Burrowing Owl Athene 2009 (BC) – “A deep, dark, brooding wine, this blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon captures the best of both varieties. The nose is bold and intense with ripe blackberry, plum and cassis supported by vanilla, coffee, chocolate and oak notes. The palate is full with balanced acid and tannin and flavours of pepper, blueberry and clove from the Syrah with the rigid backbone, cassis and pipe tobacco notes of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Together they finish on a long, structured palate that has the intensity to mature for the best part of a decade. Pair this with a pepper crusted rib-eye steak or seasonal game meats.”  website tasting notes

Calliope Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (BC) - “Refreshing aromas of grapefruit, gooseberry, lime and fresh green grass lead on to a lively and intensely flavoured palate. Lemon, chalk and mineral notes with hints of passionfruit and great length make this an exciting wine from start to finish. The lively acidity ensures this wine is perfect with local oysters, asparagus and citrus-based salads.” website tasting notes

Cedar Creek Riesling 2011 (BC) - “Numbers. Important for doing your taxes. Less so for making Riesling. With experience, we learned to ignore what the sugar and acidity tests tell us about when to harvest Riesling and trust what we taste in the vineyard. Riesling often defies logic in that more sugar doesn’t always equal more flavour. So we threw out the rulebook to make a textbook Riesling – one that preserves all the delicious flavour we first tasted in the vineyard. All our winemaking decisions get the same attention to detail as the Riesling does.  And the results show in every bottle.  On that, you have our word.  What we smell: Wet stones. Citrus. What we taste: It’s fresh and lime-y. We’d eat it with: Fish tacos. If fresh BC halibut is seasonal, even better. We’d also pair it with: Hot weather. Shorts. Even those weird boots Australian winemakers wear.”  website

El Malbec de Ricardo Santos 2009 (Argentina) – “…a striking deep brilliant purple colour.  The nose is ripe and full, reminiscent of dark cherries, plums and chocolate with undertones of loam and earth.  In the mouth, the wine displays a profound core of ripe, blackberry jam fruit, lengthening into a sophisticated weighty finish coupled with an elegant silkiness.  This is a rich, extrated Malbec, atypical of most Malbecs fromArgentina.”  tasting notes

Nieto Reserva Bonarda 2008 (Argentina) – “Cherry red color with deep black tones. On the nose aromas highlight smoked wood, vanilla, truffle and snuff, which combine beautifully with nuts, currants and blackberries.  The taste is complex, fleshy, soft and ripe tannins.” website tasting notes

Freakshow 2009 (USA) - “Pound for pound our Cab over delivers, with a boquet of dark cherry, blackberry, bubblegum and roasted spices.  Full bodied and mouth filling with gobs of dark berry fruit, charred oak, vanilla and cassis with dusty tannins and a lasting finish.”  website                   

Signorello Vineyards Padrone 2007 (USA) – “The reticent nose opens to boysenberry, mulberry, vanilla, tobacco and hints of chocolate. The lush full-bodied palate continues with flavors of boysenberry, raspberry and hints of vanilla. The long and lingering finish is accentuated by the young integrated tannins. A wine to lay down and improve in the bottle for the next 20 years.” website tasting notes

Chocolato wine (orange) (Moldova) – this is wine and chocolate mixed together and a touch of orange – we will be sampling this wine at the tasting on April 26.

Pendleton 1910 Canadian whisky - “Featuring round, rich notes of tobacco, charred oak and butterscotch with a spicy rye kick and peppery heat, Pendleton 1910 rye whisky is rounded out by the smoothness of maple and sweet cherry to provide a weighty and balanced, yet complex, flavor profile.  Best served chilled or on ice for sipping and a peaceful, contemplative tasting experience….” website

The Blasted Church Big Bang Theory VQA 2010 (Canada) is a light to medium bodied wine with a powerful explosion of flavours.  It consists of:  Pinot Noir (42%), Merlot (38%), Lemberger (8%), Cab Franc (3%), Malbec (7%), and Syrah (2%).

Colour: Maroon.

Bouquet: Coffee, mocha, vanilla, cherry, raspberry, strawberry, violets and cloves.

Palate:  Medium bodied leading in with earthy, mineral notes followed by black cherry, sweet oak, mocha, vanilla ending to a toasty finish.

Food Pairings:  Pork belly with lentils, Escargot, rabbit with mustard sauce, Bacon cheese burger or Pizza (any flavor).

I paired this wine with an Easter dinner of ham with mustard sauce.  Very good.