Doug Reichel Wine Seminars: Good Wine, Good Food and Good Company

Reds Rule the Wine Horizon was the first time I’d attended a wine tasting organized by Doug Reichel Wine Marketing Inc., but it won’t be the last. I really enjoyed the quiet, friendly atmosphere and the knowledgeable presentation of an interesting assortment of wines.

Doug Reichel and Luis Manino, the Export Manager for Bodega Melipal, put a personal face on the wine, providing a connection between the wine producer and the consumer. Doug has visited all the wineries, and his daughter has worked at Cape Jaffa, so we were able to move beyond the anonymity of the liquor stores and put a face to the wines.

About 30 of us gathered in a side room at TCU Place last Friday evening to take a leisurely stroll through a series of nine wines from around the world, starting with the Melipal Malbec Rose, which is light, but flavourful – the perfect wine for sipping while you visit with a friend. Melipal only makes a limited amount of this wine, so I made haste to the liquor store on Saturday to buy two bottles.

Doug Reichel introduced each of the wines, and I was particularly interested to learn more about the grape varietals. Three of the wines were the signature grapes for their regions. Pinotage is the trademark wine of South Africa and is a cross between Pinot Noir and Hermitage. Monastrell (or Mourvedre) is the signature grape of the Mediterranean. Malbec is the flagship wine of Argentina.

I enjoyed sitting around a table and comparing reactions to the different wines. One of my favourites was the Italian Perbruno 2006 from I Giusti & Zanza, which is made with 100% Syrah and matured in French oak barrels for 12 months. The winemaker named it for his father, Bruno. It was a smooth, velvety wine. Luis Manino noted how the flavour lingered and had a “nice butter cream finish.”

Luis introduced the Melipal Malbec and the Melipal Malbec Reserve. He made a point of noting that they are two distinct wines. One is not necessarily better than the other; they’re just different. I had told Luis point blank when I met him that I didn’t like Malbec wines, and he was really hoping he could change my mind. I’m afraid he didn’t. They were good wines, but not my personal taste. All became clear when Luis and some of the others at the table discussed how the Malbec would go well with a thick, juicy steak. When I told Luis that I have been a vegetarian for 27 years, he breathed a sigh of relief and said it was no wonder that I didn’t like Malbec wines.

Luis also pointed out that it is easier to convert a white wine drinker into a red wine drinker than it is to get someone who already has a preference for a certain kind of red wine to change their preference. That certainly proved to be the case at our table. One woman, who normally only drinks white wine, enjoyed several of the red wines we tasted. My tastes didn’t change.

The final wine we tasted was the Luzon Dulce. This is a dessert wine made with 60 % Monastrell grapes and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are picked a month later than the normal harvest when they have already begun to shrivel, so the sugar is very concentrated. It is then aged for 8 months in oak barrels. It was sweet but not cloying, with a depth which is sometimes lacking in dessert wines.

I had a really good evening. I enjoyed talking with friends. There was no rush. We could see how the wine tasted accompanied by bread or cheese. We had privacy, and we had knowledgeable people to help us learn more about the wine.

Doug Reichel Wine Marketing Inc. has an informative website with videotaped interviews and information about each of the wineries. You can also sign up for an electronic newsletter.

See Also:
     Bodega Melipal: Malbec Wines from Argentina
     Caligiore: The Best Organic Wine in Argentina
     Reds Rule the Wine Horizon

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flavourful Saskatoon, August 28, 2017

Image
The Next Great Food Business Public Tasting, Sept. 7 The Local Kitchen is hosting a public tasting with samples from each of the finalists in the Next Great Food Business competition. Finalists are: King’s Jerky, Kind Condiments , Smoke and Salt BBQ, Bannock Express , and Voodoo Van . Wine Tastings Guess the most expensive wine (Sept. 8), sample some Rhône wines (Sept. 22), or attend the 2017 Premier Showcase Wine Dinner (Sept. 28) sponsored by Saskatoon Co-op Wine Spirits Beer. Premier Showcase is also offering a Portugal with a Splash of California wine seminar (Sept. 29) and a Women & Whisky seminar (Sept. 30). Refresh and Renew I had a chat with Trent Loewen about his plans now that he has sold Earth Bound Bakery. He is heading east to visit chef friends in Ontario and then off to New Zealand to explore what's happening there. After 9 years with a single focus, it's time to explore new ideas. Interestingly enough, the bakery's new owner is a business
Read more

The Golden Towns of Beaujolais

Image
Heading north out of Lyon, you pass through a long tunnel and exit into a lush green countryside leaving the city far behind. You then turn and head up the hill onto winding roads between a patchwork of vineyards. Many of the vines are really old with short, thick, twisted trunks and a thin stem of green leaves and buds. These are the Gamay vines of Beaujolais, interspersed with a few fields of greener, leafier Chardonnay vines. South Beaujolais, just 45 minutes northwest of Lyon, encompasses 25 medieval villages of orangey-gold stone (limestone and iron) that is surprisingly vibrant (I had been expecting something lighter, similar to the Cotswolds in England). Some of the villages still have the remains of 14th century castles. Oingt is classed as one of the most beautiful villages of France and it really is lovely. You can take a walk around the town on the former ramparts and the church is austere and beautiful. I was on a half-day tour , which combined stopping to
Read more

Petra Market: A Mediterranean Grocery

Image
Tucked away in a strip mall on Primrose Drive (north of Lawson Heights Mall) is Petra Market, a treasure trove of food products from the Arabic countries in the Mediterranean. I’m fascinated by grocery stores full of unknown-to-me products but also a little nervous about trying things, so I was really happy when Nour Dabbour, the owner of Petra Market, showed me around and told me about the different items. Nour is trying to stock products from as many Middle Eastern countries as possible. He even stocks the same product from a number of different countries because he says that each country’s product tastes slightly different. Za’atar , a spice mix, is a prime example with packages from Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and each one is a slightly different colour with a slightly different taste. The most popular areas of the store are the nut and treats bars with an amazing assortment of Middle Eastern candies and mildly spiced nuts. Nour gave me a variety to try and I’m real
Read more

Flavourful Saskatoon, August 21, 2017

Image
Prairie Harvest Café I was sad to learn that Prairie Harvest Café has closed its doors. It’s been one of my favorite Saskatoon restaurants since day one, and I really appreciated the fact that the chefs focused on cooking with local ingredients, many supplied by the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. All the best of luck in your new adventures. We’ll miss you. Hug a Farmer This has been a tough summer for many farmers. Prairie Sun Orchard lost their entire cherry crop to insects. Drop by their stand at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, tell them you care, and have an ice cream. My favorite is the chocolate cherry fudge, but Clare Pearson, the principal ice cream maker, says her new favorite is the salted caramel. Peppers If you’re like me, you assume that all small, skinny peppers are super hot and avoid them like the plague. But that’s a big mistake. Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens is offering two long, skinny peppers – one can be hot, but the other isn’t. Padron chile pepper
Read more

Spelt and Millet: Ancient Grains for Today's Healthy Diet

Image
When I was growing up, whole wheat flour and rice were exotic options. Now we have a whole range of intriguing choices – buckwheat, spelt, millet, kamut – the list goes on and on. My problem is that I don’t know very much about some of these grains, so I arranged a phone call with Nicole Davis, the Owner/Manager of Daybreak Mill near Estevan. Daybreak Mill grows and processes approximately 18 different kinds of flour, whole and de-hulled grains, flakes, cereals, and legumes. They are 100% organic. “We want people to have access to healthy, wholesome food,” Nicole explains. Two of Daybreak’s products – spelt and millet – have been nourishing people around the world for over 9,000 years. Spelt Spelt was cultivated by ancient civilizations in Europe and the Middle East for thousands of years. It grows well in poor soil and doesn’t require fertilizer. It’s resistant to frost and the thick husk protects the grain from insects. However, spelt requires more processing than wheat as
Read more