Happy Birthday, Baby

We delayed Sunday by one day this week to accommodate Cara’s birthday.  Hence, why we’re a day late posting.  Or two.  No, just one.

AND … my family is visiting from Canada, so it was quite a thing.  Joseph, Cara’s dad, made dinner, which was amazing.  It being such a long weekend, however, (Rene’s birthday was Friday, which we were still recuperating from on Sunday, which led right into Monday, and well into the night) we didn’t really get into the wine that much.  Also, there were babies everywhere, which made it difficult to actually sit and enjoy anything in a wine glass.

Why is it that babies wait for fun events to have total meltdowns?  Must be an evolutionary trick.

Anyway, with ten adults and two babies, it was a full house, which, after all, is the meaning of Christmas.

Er …

On the Menu: Spinach Salad, Potato Salad, Beef Roulade, Pork Roulade, Apple Crumble Pie Crisp Cake, Lemon Meringue Pie

Joseph used to own and operate his own fine dining restaurant in Kelowna, British Columbia, so when he offers to cook, we feign resistance and then quickly get out of his way.  In case you are unfamiliar with a roulade, it is typically a cut of meat rolled around some kind of filling, like vegetables, cheese, other meats … awesomeness …

It was one of those dinners that people just sort of ate leisurely, without thinking too much about it, and just enjoyed it.  (I spent most of the dinner with Caia upstairs, since she was exhausted and kept having small-scale nuclear events with the crying and the screaming and the rending of clothes.)

The Apple Pie Crispy Crumble Cake Dish is this deep dish apple pie thing that Joseph made that makes you think of all things good and home.

Basically, the perfect birthday dinner.

While many of us drank various libations that night, we did try to remember that we had bought some wine and it was to be tried.

Wine: Diavolo, Reserva de la Vina, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile, 2009, $44 MXN
Rating: Two Bottles

That’s right: forty-four pesos.  That’s $3.34 USD.  For a bottle of wine.  You can’t buy a glass of wine for that!  So I know you are wondering how such an abomination got a two-bottle rating from us.  I’ll tell you … it wasn’t easy.  It wrested it from us like so many firearms from so many cold, dead fingers.

Okay, it’s a very light wine.  Very simple.  There really isn’t anything to it.  Some light berry flavours.  Slight mustiness and earthiness.  But really, not much of a powerhouse.

But incredibly drinkable!  If you were to try this wine, without knowing that it costs forty-four pesos, you would think this was a marginally forgettable, but not at all unpleasant wine.  Compared with some of the bags of ox urine that we’ve paid much, much more for in the past, this is a wine that you could easily buy, drink, and not worry about.

And believe me – the snob in me wanted to trash this wine.  I was laughing about it the entire weekend after I bought it.  “This is going to be so terrible,” I thought.  “But I simply must try a forty-four peso bottle of wine.  Who do they think they are?”  The snob in me wanted to give this, at most, one bottle.  The drunkard in me, however, wanted to give it three bottles, since it isn’t every day that you find a bottle of alcohol that can hurt your liver without hurting your wallet.

In the end, we settled on two.

Wine: Hahn Winery, Pinot Noir, Monterrey, California, USA, 2010, $18.95 CAD
Rating: Two Bottle

This wine came all the way from Canada.  Well, California, but my parents brought it down with them from Canada.  It was on a plane, is my point.  My friend, Vanessa, a fellow wine-lover, suggested it as an import we probably wouldn’t be able to find down here.  Which is true.

This was a very interesting pinto noir, I thought.  Peppery on the nose, it also had subtle hints of cherries, strawberry jam, and watermelon.  Allowing it to breathe really brought these aromas and flavours out.

My only issue with this wine was the feeling that if I had left it alone for a couple of years, it would have been truly remarkable.  Alas, it is a problem living in the tropics, as keeping wines from going off due to heat and humidity is basically a nightmare.  So you’ll all have to do it for me.  If I could, I’d buy a case of this stuff and just wait.  Try one each year.

Oh well.

As it was, it was a very enjoyable wine.

Part of my family leaves tomorrow, and that is sad.  It’s been great having them around, and watching Caia get to know her little cousin, Edie.  Turns out, they both like Play-Doh.  Who knew?

We’ll re-wish Rene and Cara very happy birthdays.

Next week will be a smaller affair.  Only eight adults and one baby.

Until then,

Cheers!

A Good Time Was Had By All

This week, we decided to switch things up a bit.  Instead of our usual evening of fine wine and a family dinner, we thought it would be fun to invite some friends over, drink some wine and eat some snacks, and try a wider swath of wines all at once.

We were not wrong; a good time was had by all.

Six wines, lots of cheese, some prosciutto, and mini-hangovers the next day.

We invited four of our dearest friends to join our family for a fun little set-to.  We would decant each wine, one by one, so that people were unable to prejudge the wines they were drinking based on either the vineyard or the varietal.  My thought was this: if I tell you that you are enjoying a merlot, you immediately dig into your memory vault of merlots you’ve tried in the past, but also into your emotional vault of how you generally feel about merlot.  In general.  If you are unaware of what wine you are sampling, you have to try the wine and really taste it.  Your only preconception is that it’s red.

Each guest brought a bottle.  With Megan and I, that made six wines, and a loose price range of $300 to $500 pesos per bottle.  (Roughly, $20 – $40, FYI.)  We weren’t looking for snobbery, just a blanket, approximate, assurance of quality.

(I had actually toyed with the idea of buying a couple of really cheap bottles to see if anyone noticed the difference, but people had to drive, so …)

Our guests included Marcelo and Alejandra, good friends of ours (and of our family) for several years; Demian and Maria José, just back from their recent nuptials and honeymoon; Megan and Rene, of course; Cara and Caia (until bedtime); Marilyn and Joseph, the in-laws.

Oh: and me.

With snacks out, we decanted our first bottle of the afternoon.

Wine: Emevé, Tempranillo, 2009, Mexico, $350 MXN
Rating: Three Bottles

This is a really fantastic wine.  For the price, very hard to beat.  If you want to impress the crap out of people at your next dinner party or whatever, this is the wine to bring.  Fruity and soft, the flavours expand gently, not overpowering your senses, but being ever-present.  The perfect wine to start with, since it’s complexities complimented the varied fare we had laid on our table.

Wine: Inédito, Crianza, Rioja, 2006, Spain, $540 MXN
Rating: Two Bottles

Starting out with a wine like Emevé kind of ruins the next wine you try.  That being said, Inédito is not a bad wine.  Being a Crianza, it must meet certain requirements for its appellation, and we noted them well.  Leathery, peppery … a distinct odour of feet.  Yep.  Feet.  Unfair, I know, since New World tempranillos don’t have the same restrictions that Old World vineyards have placed on them, but still: feet.

Here’s the thing with buying wine in Mexico, and I would imagine anywhere: cost does not dictate quality or enjoyability.  It merely denotes what the rough cost of importation was for the product that you are drinking.  (Don’t get me started on the LCBO … ahem.)

Really, this wine was fine.  It had some very nice qualities and an eye-catching bottle.  For the price, however, I wouldn’t say it would be a repeat.  If we had tried it first, instead of the Emevé we would have most assuredly enjoyed it more.  It’s just the foot smell, you know?

Wine: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Jacques Charlet, 2009, France, $490 MXN
Rating: Three Bottles

Loved this wine.  Sharp and clean, a welcome addition to the afternoon.  Strong berry flavours.  A good companion to the garlic bread.  Another benefit was watching our friends try to figure out which wine they were drinking as it is not a commonly available (or served) wine here in Playa del Carmen.  One thing you notice this particular Châteauneuf-du-Pape is it’s strength.  Compared to many New World wines, this is a powerhouse – strong, present flavours, with tannins equal to the task but without being pushy.

On the Menu: Assorted Cheeses, Prosciutto, Olives, Assorted Jams, Tomato Garlic Bread, Dark Chocolate, Quiche Lorraine

Megan and I wanted to keep things simple.  She picked up a couple of cheeses and whatnots, as did I, and we put some basic amuse bouches out.  Joseph, our father-in-law, made his Quiche Lorraine, which was a treat for our Mexican friends who had not been indoctrinated into the world of egg tarts.

The nice thing about finger foods is that everyone gets to eat whenever and however they like and we don’t have to spend eternity in the kitchen.  It frees us up to host and serve and entertain.  Megan was able to freely take as many photos as she wanted, or not, and I was free to talk my face off.  (Yeah, on that one, there is no “or not.”  Seriously: I don’t stop.  It’s a problem.)

Wine: Fratelli Pasini, Nebbiolo, 2010, Mexico, $310 MXN
Rating: Three Bottles

We’ve reviewed a Fratelli Pasini back in August.  We were impressed then; we are impressed now.  The wonderful berry flavours come screaming through this wine in such subtle, yet powerful, ways.  I will warn you, however: this is a very dangerous wine.  It would be easy to turn your back on this wine, thinking that it means no harm.  That would be folly.  This wine will wait for you to drop your guard and suckerpunch you with its awesome.  Fratelli Pasini makes dangerous wines because they are so smooth, so delicious, that without realising it, you have finished a bottle and opening another.

Which is exactly what we did.

Wine: Fratelli Pasini, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009, Mexico, $310 MXN
Rating: Two Bottles

A young, fresh wine, the Cabernet Sauvignon had a sharpness to it that the Nebbiolo did not.  Unlike the fuller, rounder, blueberry and cherry flavours of the Nebbiolo, the Cabernet snuck in some cranberries and black currant through the back door.  Where the Nebiolo was sweet and playful, the Cabernet is a little more pronounced, a little greener.

This really is a vineyard that you should try to find anywhere you can.  We have never been disappointed with their wines and Demian sells a lot of it at Cava.

Wine: Casa Madero, 3V, Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Tempranillo, 2009, Mexico, $250 MXN
Rating: Three Bottles

In my opinion, however, we saved the best for last.  Casa Madero, another winery we have reviewed in the past, has blended three varietals together in such a way that what you have in your glass is a triumph.  What you may notice first is the bouquet, flowery and delicate, and very surprising.  Unlike many wines that give you that acrid, bitten nose feeling, the 3v greets your nose with lilacs and lavender.  Very soothing to breathe in.

Then, as if to trick you, your mouth picks up on black pepper, oak, and chocolate!  You feel duped, so you take a whiff … nope.  Nobody here but us lilacs.  Sip.  Pepper party!!

If this wine is a changeling – distracting your senses into believing one thing only to reveal its true nature to be another.

Having started the afternoon at three o’clock, we finished the evening at around eight.  Our guests happy (and tipsy), we made our farewells and promised to do it again soon.  And honestly, if we did this every Sunday, we wouldn’t mind at all.

Until then,

Cheers!

Two Bottles, Both Alike In Drinkability …

Two bottles, both alike in drinkability. In Playa del Carmen, where we lay our scene …

This week was a special week since Michael returned from his adventures in Canada bearing gifts of wine. Also, this week was a special week since Rene decided to get into the kitchen and throw down. For me, this was an awesome week – I got to enjoy the company of friends and family without the pressures of prep-work, cooking, timing, and stressing out over outcome.  (Megan wasn’t so lucky, but someone needed to supervise.  Left to his own devices, who knows what Rene would get up to in there.)

And it must be said that Rene and Megan make a damn fine team. We were sitting down, ready to eat, at six on the dot, with no delays. Everything came together at the exact same time and at the exactly right time.  (While this was awesome, it afforded me few opportunities to make fun of or belittle anybody’s efforts.  It’s like they were TRYING to spoil my fun.  Lousy in-laws …)

On The Menu: Greek Salad, Spanakopita, Tzatziki, Chicken Kebabs, Pita Bread, Brandy Plum Pudding with Custard

The food was excellent. The chicken kebabs were done to perfection. The Greek salad was crisp and bitey. The spanakopita was freaking incredible. (And kudos to Rene for making Tzatziki from scratch!)  In short, we got spoiled. My eyes were too big for my stomach. I took two of everything and couldn’t finish anything.

Oh, and we drank some wine.

Wine: Moon Curser, Tempranillo, BC VQA, Okanagan Valley, 2009, $29 CAD
Rating: Three Bottles

This is a truly exceptional wine. Fruity – black currant, black cherry, (and other red fruits that taste good,) with soft, pleasant tannins, give this wine a drinkability that lets you feel like warm summer nights are the only things you have to worry about in the days to come. This wine makes you feel like your cares are all behind you, and you will soon be reunited with all of your dearest friends, and all you’ll be doing is laughing.
Yes, it’s that good. If you’ve not had the opportunity to try this wine, find it. Also, their website is awesome. Also, their label is awesome. In other words, this wine is pretty nifty.

There was a flavour that we hotly debated, also, which is nice. Not many wines generate conversation. After careful consideration, we determined that there was … something. We all agreed that it was … spicy.  Megan thought allspice.  I said star anise.  Michael said spicy.  Megan insisted that it was allspice.  Or nutmeg.  Or cinnamon.  Or CLOVES!  It was CLOVES!  I said star anise.  Then she went to the spice cupboard to get spices to smell, so I poisoned her glass when her back was turned.  (Come on … the night was virtually drama-free!  I had to do SOMETHING!)

Megan prepared the pudding while we opened the second bottle.

Wine: Pétales d’Osoyoos, Red Wine (Blend – Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Osoyoos Larose, BC VQA, Okanagan Valley, 2008, $25 CAD
Rating: Two Bottles

Vanilla and chocolate dominate this wine.  With a lesser alcohol content than the Moon Curser, it came up a little on the lighter side for us.  Especially when paired with Brandy Plum Pudding which was too rich for this wine.

We did, however, find this to be an extremely drinkable wine.  Michael said that the employees of the store where he bought he these wines all recommended the Pétales. This does not surprise me, since it is so light as cannot be offensive.  All of us found it a little bit simple, but we also conceded that, at the end of the night, after red wine, Greek food, cigarettes, and liquor-laden sweets, our palettes may just have been a tad on the blown-out side.

All in all, we have missed the wines of our homeland.  British Columbia is such a remarkable place for producing wines of amazing quality.  In the Okanagan Valley, there is a devout and enthusiastic community of vintners, aficionados, and viticulture in general.  Driving through the mountains that hug Lake Okanagan, you see more vineyards than houses.

Next week is a little up in the air, as we have a hurricane bearing down on us, and I’m sorry about the pun.  We may just be doing our next post from somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.  But hey, what’s life without a little “Wizard of Oz”-like impending doom?

Until then,

Cheers!