Unfussy Wine Enthusiasts | Wine Reviews & Articles

This is just a quick post to wish everyone out there a fantastic New Year's Eve and a great start to 2013.  We are going to be intermittent yet again starting the New Year but for those readers who follow us regularly stick with us.  We will have much more to offer in the coming year and maybe a change or two.  There will be lots of changes for us as we enter the New Year. Our New Year's Eve will be a relatively quiet one and we are keeping the '88 Chateau Palmer in the bottle for now.  That said, we should be providing new information and hopefully fun stuff to our readers. May you have a wonderful time tonight and not too hard of a day tomorrow.  :) PS - Feel free to tell us if you do 'Open THAT Bottle' tonight. Happy New Year!! Keep on tasting! Chris & Shannon

We must say that we are strict amateurs at this wine writing game.  We have chased this experience as a labour of love but we have become more and more aware that this truly is a business beyond our sheltered little Blog.  Over the last week or so, we have been following an unfolding story that has come up online about Canada's own Wine Blogging Maven Natalie MacLean.  For those unfamiliar, she is the author of a couple of Wine Drinking related books namely "Red, White, and Drunk All Over" and "Unquenchable".  Natalie has appeared on many TV talk shows discussing wine and being, well....a personality.  She has a Blog, a Mobile App, and has been given a number of wine writing awards.  All the while she presents herself as a simple wine lover who wants to share her love of wine with the world.  Fair enough. Well, the reality is that she is a shrewd business woman who understands very clearly that there is a market for her talents.  She looks to ...

This article is our 200th post since beginning our Blog in late November 2011 and we are so glad it is coming just before the start of a New Year.  This Holiday Season has been a busy one with a lot of preparation for family and friends to enjoy our version of Holiday Cheer, which of course revolves around wine.  This year we knew we would be having Christmas Dinner outside the house so we had to make sure that the wine selections were good ones. For Christmas Dinner, we decided to have a Whitehaven Pinot Noir from New Zealand which we received as a gift.  Once we saw it we immediately knew that it would be part of the celebrations where lots of Turkey and Pork were going to be served.  It was a luscious Pinot Noir with a nice berry ripeness to it underscored by mild vegetal and green pepper notes; which we loved.  We have had their Savignon Blanc recently which we really enjoyed as well.  We also selected a Blufeld Riesling for the same dinner selecti...

This Chardonnay was provided to us and is the vintage that followed our review here . As a follow-up to the 2010, we wanted to see how this one stacked up.  In the 2010 we found it to be a lot closer to a New World Chardonnay for a French wine.  This one was no different.  There is a lot of oak at play in both years and this was not a huge departure from the 2010.  The back label hasn't changed either and they still speak of hazelnut and toast.  We can get both, more hazelnuts than toast but toasty it is.  Very enjoyable. The look of the wine is a lot more golden in colour than the 2010 but there are still greenish tones in there.  We enjoyed the look as far as it was clear and bright but this is pretty standard stuff. The nose is clearly honeyed and has an oaky and peachy base.  It is really an attractive smell.  There might be a bit of a musty smell, but not in the bad wine being off way, more of a grandma's basement smell. ...

This wine was picked up on a work related trip to our neighbouring province of New Brunswick.  We have not seen this wine listed locally but at a regular price of $14 it was too good to pass up. We have a soft spot for Spanish wine, and even more of a soft spot for reasonably price Spanish wine.  This one was checking off a lot of boxes before we even opened it. The nose was very typically Rioja with lots of big ripe fruit and vanilla with earthy tones from time spent in oak.  The stand out that really hit us was raw dark cocoa with maybe a cedar note.  This was a real pleasure to smell. This is a super dark wine...midnight dark.  It is supposedly a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo of some arrangement but whatever it is, it makes for a dark wine.  There look to be some floaters in the glass but we are not sure if that is just bottle debris or crystals or if the wine is just unfiltered either way you can't se...

This is the sister wine to the Minervois we reviewed a couple of weeks ago.  We decided not to wait to try the Languedoc.  This wine was more of a head scratcher when it comes to what might be in it.  There is not an easily found description of the varieties in this one.  If it is a Corbieres, then it would have some combination of Syrah / Grenache / Mourvèdre in there.  On the Gerard Bertrand website there is a Corbieres at 40% Syrah - 40 % Grenache - 20% Mourvèdre, but that does not look to be the 'Art De Vivre' label.  So, we are kind of guessing. In comparison to the Minervois we had this wine is much darker with some inky notes. This one is on the purple side and quite a light rim in the glass.  We would again say medium looking wine, call it comme ci, comme ça. When you stick your nose in the glass we get some pretty strange stuff.  Welsh's grape juice crossed with burnt rubber.  Strange indeed, but it works.  This on...

So, it has been twelve days since our last post....very slack.  We have been in the midst of work commitments and holiday preparations.  No excuse, but definitely something we want to remedy with lots of holiday cheer. Tonight's wine was a purchase from the NSLC Wine Festival in September.  We have a couple of them left from our original stock and this one was a stand out at the show. From Graffigna Wines , this Malbec is a nice version of Argentina's signature grape.  We liked it a lot at the time of purchase but a few months on we wanted to see if we were still into it. As expected, this is a dark wine through and through.  We love the look of Malbec on a good day but this one is great.  Deep purple colours are the order of the day with a thick skim in the glass.  The legs run pretty slowly but at 14.5% alcohol can't say it is a surprise. The nose is very, very oaky and we get a lot of dark fruit and stone fruit, maybe black currents and p...

This wine was a purchase from this year's Port of Wines Festival here in Nova Scotia.  It was a bit of a stand out at the French table where we were tasting wines that ranged from $15 to $150.  This one mainly stood out because it was $16 and good.  For those who are not familiar with what Minervois actually means (and we really aren't either - oh those wacky French and their 'rules') it is a blend wine made of Carignan (which can account for no more than 40% of the wine), Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvedre, and Syrah grapes.  How much of each are in this one....who knows. In the glass the wine is a medium colour, not too light, not too dark if that makes sense. It is more red than purple in a lot of ways so we will call it a crimson colour.  It is a nice colour for a glass of red wine.  It is dark enough to block a lot of the light coming through the glass but not completely. The nose is somewhat unique in the sense that it has a lot of fruit...

It is hard to believe that we started this journey a year ago today with our very first post .  We never really had an overarching goal or plan or strategy or message...we just love talking about wine.  Wine in general for sure, but more importantly wines we will drink and buy everyday, which are generally under $30 and most likely between $10 and $20 (or $5 to $10 when we lived in the US).  When we first started posting, it was mainly to our friends and family and was an opportunity to share some of the great wines that we have found with them.  What has happened since those early posts has truly been astounding.  Here are some Fun Facts about our little blog over the last year: 194 Total Posts (we fell just short of 200, but we tried, still that is a little more than one post every other day - not too shabby)  Over 110 wines reviewed (it is a hard job but....) Over 3,200 Total Visits to the Blog from just over 2...

Given the fact that there is a new initiative by our local Government to allow wines from other provinces to be imported for personal consumption, we figured we would give this wine a try.  This Pinot Noir from British Columbia is very unique.  It is closer to California Pinot but that comparison doesn't do this wine justice.  It is definitely a warm climate wine with a dark look and a seriously hot nose. As a Pinot Noir when compared to all the French and Kiwi versions we have tried this is not even on the same planet.  It is dark with a slightly thin look but is much closer to a medium bodied wine.  This is another wine that swirls and sticks to the sides and comes down slow, but at 14.7% no shock.  The colour is a deep red and not even close to reminiscent of "normal" Pinot Noir.  Lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon yes, but not that dark either. This wine has a lot of complexity in the nose with an earthy base full of mushrooms and dirt la...

This wine is $15 locally and was part of a Blind Tasting which didn't last that long.  As soon as it was in the glass, it just looked like Malbec.  Very dark and purple but as it was poured the bubbles were dark purple.  Totally Malbec.....or Carmenere, nope Malbec.  From there it had to be either Argentina or France and it was thin so France it was.  Bam!  Blind Tasting over.  This Malbec from Rigal Wines is made from grapes of the Cahors region and is really good. Very typical of Malbec in terms of the colour palette but the thickness was a lot less than our typical experience with the South American version.  But, once you swirl it, it hugs the glass but runs down very slowly.  Interesting. The nose is very mild with a touch of red fruit but not much in terms of oak, maybe some vanilla, but not a lot to offer.  We liked the smell but it was super soft. The flavours were a bit more bold but the key word for this wi...

Chris celebrated his 40th Birthday on Saturday night in one of his previous 'hometowns' of Antigonish, Nova Scotia.  It is the home of his Alma Mater St. Francis Xavier University.  Shannon had the brilliant idea to take him back to his old stomping grounds to relive old glories. We were joined by close friends Craig & Cheryl and Ray & Natalie and a wonderful night was had by all.  We began the night at Gabrieau's Bistro , where we had a wonderful meal ranging from Crab Cakes, to Thai Seafood Platters, and Steaks.  We were greeted by a note and gift card from Jay & Allyson would could not be with us but wanted us to have a nice bottle of wine to have with dinner.  So, on top of the delicious food we were looking at having some great wine.  We settled on a couple of bottles from Gabrieau's extensive and value driven wine menu.  The breadth of wines available on their wine list was quite amazing.  They have done a fantastic job of fi...

It is very late but we felt like we needed to get this review online so it will be briefer than it should be.  We have some interesting history and connections to this winery which is near Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario.  We had every intention of visiting and tasting at this winery when we were last in the area but we arrived too late and they had already closed.  It was our loss.  The Southbrook property and buildings are LEED Certified - and beautiful.  Marilyn and Bill Riedelmeier are the owners and are strong proponents of bio-dynamic and organic grape production and winemaking.  Chris had the pleasure of meeting Bill at this year's Atlantic Wine Symposium where Bill was a keynote speaker.  Bill is an impressive guy who knows his stuff and this wine is the first one of theirs that we have been able to get our hands on.  Julia and Dave, who are extended family graciously offered to bring us a bottle of wine that we could not normally g...

So, we picked this little number up from our local NSLC store on the clearance table.  It was on sale for $27 down from $37 and we decided to pick it up.  It looks as though the wine retails for about $20 in the US and we were interested to give it a try.  Gordon Brothers in Washington makes a variety of wines from Ice Wines to big reds like this one.  For a description of the wine from the winery's website click here .  In essence, this wine at full retail is too rich for our blood at $37 but with $10 off it was right in our wheelhouse.  That said, if you call shenanigans on us for choosing this wine, we get it.  We stilled paid under $30 for it sooooo, we say we win.  Though once you hear what we have to say, you might want to splurge. This wine is super dark with a LOT of purple going on in the glass.  It is thick, dense, and viscous.  You can tell the bottle aging has added some density but we would bet that this was a syrupy w...

If you won the lottery today would you buy a winery?  They say that if you want to make a small fortune in the wine business, start with a big fortune.  It is such a high cost and highly regulated business, never mind the impact of weather and growing season, that it is a real challenge to get ahead.  All in all, it is a very interesting process that might drive someone to start operating a winery.  There is the romanticism of living in wine country and having to wake up in the morning with sunshine and grapes growing on the vine.  The image is that your day translates into pouring wine for gracious and appreciative friends in the tasting room and finishing the day with gourmet wine dinners paired with the fruits of your labour. It sounds really great.....but it is the stuff of fiction. The reality of the situation is more about nervous grape growing where the weather never cooperates, birds get a taste for grapes, and the customers can be 'chall...

This was a sale table item from Bishop's Cellar , one of our favorite local private wine retailers.  Originally priced at $22.50 it is on sale for $15 so how could we even possibly say no.  This wine is a blend of 79% White Riesling, 19% Gewurtz, and 2% Orange Muscat (new one to us) from Wente Vineyards  in California.  At 13% alcohol this goes well above the normal range of most German Rieslings but that extra booze doesn't hurt it.  In fact, it helps keep it from being a pure dessert wine.  Back in April we reviewed their Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon which we thoroughly enjoyed (that wine review is  here ). The wine is a little on the golden side in the glass.  It is almost peach colour; let's call it clear peach juice.  The wine is very clear but the colour is not at all light which many Rieslings can be known to have.  There is a yellowish hue that some might consider coming from oak aging but it looks to have been stainle...

We find a lot of the videos about wine online to be a little bland and serious so when we find something unique and fun we like to give it a mention.  We found this one on YouTube.  It is pretty funny and the T-Pain style Auto-Tune is awesome.  This is in the same vein as the Wine Country Rap Video we posted earlier in the year.  However, this one from C-Money runs the gambit of wine mentions....from Moscato's ability to pair well with Weed to Pinot from the Napa Valley.  Bravo, C-Money, Bravo..... Give it a watch. NOTE:  As with a lot of music the kids listen to these days, watch the language. 'I like wine, I like wine...don't hate on me it's not a crime.' Indeed. Keep on tasting! Chris & Shannon

This wine is from Bodegas Septima  in Argentina is part of a larger Wine Company called Aveníu Brands.  Somewhere along the way we feel like we have tried a Red from this Bodegas but we can't place it and that is frustrating in comparative terms.  The vineyards are located in Agrelo which is in the Mendoza region.  In any event, this wine retails for $25 but we got it on sale closer to $18. The wine has a golden hue which shows obvious time in oak, but upon further research we found that 40% of the wine spent 8 months in new oak barrels.  Either way, this is the type of traditional Chardonnay we have enjoyed in the past.  The golden colour seems to have green around the edges which kind of reflects the fact there is some fruit in the wine.  Overall, a nice looking wine. The nose is very, very nutty.....almonds, walnuts, cashews....we are not exactly sure which one.  But, we do get nuts as a dominant smell.  The secondary note is ho...

We bought this wine after having a sample at a local store.  This wine from Terra d'Oro  is from their Amador Valley vineyard in California.  This is a direct quote from their website: "The Vineyard, in its entirety, was grafted over to Zinfandel in 1994 on the susceptible rootstock AxR. It is the only Zin vineyard owned that is bilateral cordon trained and used for red wine production. The vineyard is surrounded by mature Valley Oaks with deep roots that monopolize the water supply, thus making it necessary to harvest the outer vines first and continue in a doughnut pattern." Say what, now? So after we finished pondering that we got down to actually trying the wine.  The wine is dark as expected but where the wines from the last two nights had a violet colour this one is much more brownish red in colour.  Very different and still quite dark and thick, yet again. The nose on this wine is definitely different and not exactly a wow smell.  Good...

That's right folks....Chilean Carménère two nights in a row.  We are sooo cray-cray.  This was another Port of Wines Festival purchase that was a late in the show selection so we wanted to make sure we were not off our rockers for choosing this one. This Carménère is from the Loncomilla Valley in Chile made by G7 Wines and is 100% from the variety.  So far so good. The wine is not as dark as last night but still has that violet hue consistent with Carménère.  In comparison again, the wine is not as thick and the legs stream down the glass a lot more quickly.  Thin is not at all the adjective to describe this wine, just thinner than last night's version. The wine smells of green pepper and an outdoors-y fresh field smell.  So, let's say vegetal with a nice subtle cherry blossom smell.  Not flowery but not overly fruity either. Interesting is the word that comes to mind.  Somewhat unique for the fact that there is some restra...

We bought this wine at this year's Port of Wines Festival and we recalled it to be an amazing flavour profile and mouth feel.  We were right.  Thank you taste buds! This wine from Vina Maipo  is from the Maule Valley in Chile and is made from 75% Carménère and 25% Syrah and, let's get this out of the way now....is delicious! In the glass this is a wine is extremely dark and that darkness is made up of that South American wine violet colour and is thick, really thick.  It hugs the glass and has very extended legs once you give it a swirl.  Nice looking wine. The nose is rich and delicious.  There is a nice boldness to the wine which has notes of spicy cherries, leather, and tobacco.  The spice is like a white pepper which perks up the nose when you stick it in the glass and give it a whiff.  The fruit is there for sure, but there is an oaky backdrop that is awesome. The taste is round and luscious with a lot of great notes cherries and ...

So, we can't in good conscience do a review on this wine that we opened up tonight.  As soon as we got the foil off the bottle we saw that the cork had some moisture on it....not good.  We decided to pop the cork and see how it was.  The good news was it did not have the musty basement/wet dog notes that we would expect from a wine with cork taint but it did not have what we would consider an attractive nose.  It smelled like burnt sugar or raisins.  Now, this is why we won't review it.  We don't know if there has been evaporation from the cork which might have caused some concentrations of the fruit notes but if this is how this wine is supposed to smell, it is not the best.  The burnt sugar smell goes passed the caramel and ripe fruit sensations to the raisin level.  Too much. There is also debris in the bottle which again might be part of the wine but maybe not.  Maybe the wine has begun to oxidize and there is yeast dropping out of su...

MyNSLC.com We attended the Saturday afternoon Grand Tasting at this year's Port of Wines Festival put on by the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation.  It is an annual event that we absolutely look forward to each year.  Who are we kidding?  Let's just call it what it is...it's our Christmas.  The event had modest beginnings back in the Nineties will less vendors and a smaller venue.  It is now an extremely successful event with a featured country/region each year.  This year's focus was on Chile.  Ten tables of Chilean wines that we were really looking forward to as it is such a value driven wine country.  Check out the full Event program here  (note this link might disappear someday). The weather was not cooperating with a lot of rain but the kind staff allowed us into the entry area of the Cunard Centre so we weren't drowned rats.  Bravo!  The layout of the room is tasting tables around the edge of the large room with tasting stat...