The last 12 months have been pretty good to me in terms of wine. I've tasted some memorable lineups, like the 1961 Bordeaux lineup at the Fairmont Banff Springs Wine & Food Festival, and the Ontario–British Columbia–Bordeaux challenge in Ottawa.
I also travelled to some interesting wine regions. Trips to the Loire Valley in February and Bordeaux in July gave me a chance to look at what's new in those regions. French wine is sagging on world markets and even domestically, as wine consumption in France continues to slip and the government tightens up alcohol advertising and drunk-driving laws.
But it's hard not to be bullish about French wine. If I were stranded on a tropical island (an attractive idea at this time of year) and had to choose wine from only one country for the rest of my life, I'd choose France. No other country produces quality wine in such a variety of styles. I'd have no problem finding a wine to go with fish from my lagoon, wild boar from my forest, and fruit from my trees, not to mention an easy sipper as I lean back and watch the sun set.
There are great wines from the Loire, like racy Sauvignon Blancs from Sancerre, soft-flavoured fish wines from Muscadet, and tasty Cabernet Francs from Touraine. And there are some very good Bordeaux at value prices.
I also spent time in Australia, visiting wine regions in three states. Australia is the great wine success story of the past 10 years, and part of their current challenge is to convince consumers that they can make affordable, high-quality wine as well as entry-level wine. Good value bottles populate the LCBO/Vintages shelves densely, and one brand to look for is Penfolds. They not only make Australia's icon wine, Grange, but have a range of reds and whites that's excellent across the board.
Another trip took me to California, first to the Paso Robles wine region, then to Napa and Sonoma Valleys. There's great wine throughout California, and producers are carefully matching grape varieties to growing conditions. Wines from Paso Robles turn up in Vintages now and again, so watch for them.
In August, I visited Nova Scotia and caught up with some producers. If you're out that way, try wines from Gaspereau Vineyard, a few minutes from Wolfeville.
Closer to home, Prince Edward County is turning out small quantities of some good wines made from 100-per-cent county-grown grapes. One I recently tasted and liked is By Chadsey's Cairns Pinot Noir 2004 ($24, check the website at www.bychadseyscairns.com).
Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee Island regions are looking good, with several new wineries. They are Ontario's big wine secret: under most people's wine radar, but producing some really excellent wines.
Finally, our main wine region, Niagara Peninsula, has seen several new wineries open. A couple of bad winters hit the vines hard and will help sort out which varieties will do best there. Look for some stellar Rieslings, Chardonnays, Cabernet Francs, Pinot Noirs and Gamays.
All in all, a pretty good year for wine from my perspective, and the good news is that much of what I tasted is available in Ontario.
A quartet of sweeter offerings this week.