Lorie Loves Wine

We all come across unusual scenarios when it comes to wine.  For example, you might know someone who prefers ice in their fifty-dollar bottle of Chardonnay or–worse yet–in their red wine.  Or you may have that friend that absolutely loves Shiraz with oysters.  But some people prefer their Gruner Veltliner shaken, as was the case a few weeks ago for a fellow Sommelier.

The Sommelier had a request for a bottle of  2007 Gruner Veltliner and brought it over to the table.  He presented the bottle to the guest and then poured a taste.  The guest then told him that it need some “air” because he thought it was still a bit tight.  The Sommelier suggested decanting into one of their beautiful white wine decanters, which he declined.  Then he suggested pouring a few ounces in each guest’s glass because he knew it would also open up quickly that way. 

But that was not a reasonable solution for this guest and he told the Sommelier to put the screw cap back on and pass him the bottle.  As soon as he handed it to him, he immediately stood up and shook that bottle like there was no tomorrow.  The other guests were simply looking on like this was a normal scene in their world.  When he was done, he said, “It’s ready now,” and handed the Sommelier the bottle to pour out to all the guests. 

Continue reading →

Obama sips a 2002 Stratus Red on Parliament Hill….

 

This is the email that Stratus has sent out to all its subscribers:

Continue reading →

I remember during my first sommelier course we had a class on Beer. My experience with beer hadn’t gone much beyond Coors Light from my college days in the nineties and I sincerely hated beer. Each sommelier student had to announce their favourite beer to the class. As I sat there listening to all these exotic beers from my fellow classmates, I dreaded what I would say. I took the safe route and blurted out “Corona” as someone else had also indicated that was their favorite too. I had only sipped Corona on occasion and, to be honest, it didn’t appeal to my personal taste. After taking that class, I really gained an appreciation for beer (thank you, Stephen Beaumont) and decided I preferred ales to lagers and would have a few Schneider Weisse or Chimay beers a year.

Continue reading →

Organic wines are, essentially, wines that are made from organic grapes that were grown free of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and growth stimulants. In most cases, grapes are handpicked at harvest so that only the best quality grapes are selected.  In the winery, only clean, non-contaminated stainless steel tanks and barrels are allowed.  Winemakers are discouraged from adding sulphur dioxide to the wine, but it is permitted in some cases.

Biodynamic wines are very similar to organic wines, in the sense that the grape farmer use homeopathic, herbal-based compost and field sprays, as well as following a very strict vinification process. However, the key difference is that biodynamic growers focus on the vines themselves and believe that they respond to forces of nature and that the growth of the leaves, roots, buds, flowers and fruit are influenced by the position of the moon and stars with certain constellations.  All of these forces play in the sustainability component where winemakers work within their own environment and natural eco-system to produce wines that pay homage to their own terrior.

Continue reading →