Dirty South Wine

"What Do You Really Know About the Dirty South?" Sippin', Snackin' with Good Friends

Broderick aka @savoryexposure and I held up the kitchen at Rowdy Food and wanted some of his famous TN redneck cuisine.

Perhaps the total standout--- Homemade duck breasola....  Mindbendingly good, and he swears, simple to make...  Still full of duck flavor (not just spices and salt).

I'm still learning my new camera, and I shot most of this on the "standard play" (low quality) setting.  Not bad, but I think I'm heading back to MXP (high quality) on my next shots.

(Huge props to Benito from the epic "Benito's Wine Reviews" for the tip on the track!)

B3: Beaujolais, Bacon, Bourgueil

The other night, I got together with Rowdy for a late night drink and think.

I broke my rule of "never bring one" (bottle), and like a total jackass, I brought a flawed Beaujolais Blanc with no back-up.  Instead we rummaged through Rowdy's stacks and picked these two.  An 07 Beaujolais (not Villages, not Cru, just straight up Boo-Juice) and a young 06 Bourgueil.

I drink a fair amount of Beaujolais, but always stick to crippy Cru-Boos in fear that the straight up B's are going to deliver nothing but thin candy, acid, and bitter tang...

Seeing this in the stacks, I saw it was a Kermit Lynch import and was curious to try it.

2007 Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils Beaujolais
(France, Burgundy, Beaujolias) Gamay variety. Bought in TN. $11-$14 online at Snooth
Light cherry colored, thin, but then a seriously majestic nose of rose, spice, and strawberry.  Light+ bodied, and a little cranberry, solid acids, low tannin, and a medium- acidic finish.

The nose is the show-stopper here.  Seriously beautiful without being a hodge-podge of laffy-taffy and circus peanuts.  The palate and finish is fairly simple, but this wine delivers serious pleasure for the price.  I would buy a bunch for everyday drinkers and almost like a good rosé, this would pair well with almost anything.

2006 Yannick Amirault Bourgueil Les Quartiers
(France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil) Cabernet Franc variety.  About $30.
Medium red, and a full nose of big pepper (green and black), big rock, not fully ripe berry, and herbs.  A super-tight, wide palate, that fills the mouth with good acidity and medium+ tannins.  Long tannic finish.

This will be a beautiful wine- I'd just give it another year or so before approaching my next one.  (or try a mega-decant).

Paired with these wines-- BACON Sandwiches!!  Crazy good stuff-  Bacon, kale, spinach, apple, sage, and a little Gruyere....  Man.  Perfect late night snack.

Ontario Cab Franc: Like Rock n' Roll w/ Flute Solos

On a recent visit to Toronto, I managed a visit to Ontario wine country to check out Kacaba Vineyards.  

For those of you that are unfamiliar with wine production in Ontario, it is alive, and well.... well, growing.   Follow the QEW from Hamilton to Niagara Falls, and you'll find nestled in between the elusive Tim Horton's and Swiss Chalets, the vast empire of the growing grape- The Niagara Peninsula.   Production is fairly high, and across the board quality is really starting to rise- But like any region, you still have to search to find wines that are at both to your liking and  your budget.

I'd hesitate to describe any of my Ontario wine experiences as torrid or sultry-- Though I would describe Ontario's best wines like watching an exotic dancer. Only Instead of watching her shake it to something like LL Cool J's "Headsprung" (click only if brave),  she comes out and performs her routine to Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" (or this one).  Definitely not what I was expecting, but still able to fully captivate and capture my warped fascination.

Ontario is known outside of Canada primarily for their icewine (Inniskilin is probably the most recognized).  Though the most visible, I'm not convinced that icewine is the best representation of Ontario's wine.  As a personal preference, many lack the acidity and backbone that I find in German Eiswien.  I find their table wines of more interest.  Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc) as well as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and a number of hybrids are being grown with decent success.  Though I find they seem to be doing the best with Chardonnay.

As a generalization, Ontario reds are known to be more vegetal than wines readily available on US shelves.  Ripening can be an issue, and they don't really deliver the same fruit bomb style that US consumers strangely equate as the only sign of quality.  

I think white wine is king in Ontario.  Chardonnay, Riesling,, and Vidal (hybrid) are the most common, though I've tried a few others- like a loathsome Sauvignon Blanc with tons of residual sugar left on it.

Kacaba isn't a pull-up the buses mega-winery.  It is small, quaint, and personal.  Their production is rather small, but the focus is on quality.  Their tasting bar is more like someone's kitchen vs. the big, pub-like, bars in other wineries.

Without going on about the small wonders of this joint, I say next time you are in ONT, check them out, you'll be surprised by what you find.

2002 Kacaba Cabernet Franc Reserve 

(Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA)  Approx $45 CAD

The Kacaba Cab Fran Reserve contained enough dirty, and enough veggies, to tell me it was from ONT, but also had a subtle streak of ripeness that helped ease it down the ol' gullet.  In fact it was quite tasty.  A touch of sour cherry, cigar box, a little pepper, full bodied, good acids, and a long finish with chewy tannins.  This was rich without being obnoxious, full bodied without being concentrated, and had fruit with out being total Zarex.  That gets 3 stars in my book!  

At $45 CAD it wasn't cheap, but it was one of the best Ontario red wines I've ever had.  I'll be pulling a few more over the border next time I'm up.

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And while we are talking about Ontario...  

Sometimes I need a little Rush and their songs of triumph for my inner nerd...