Bordeaux after work @ Eight Wine Bar

The third Bordeaux After Work Party took place this past Tuesday September 20th at Eight Wine Bar. What a civilized way to finish an otherwise boring workday.

The Bordeaux Wine Council has a goal: to spread the joy of Bordeaux wine. These events are co-hosted with the popular iYellow Wine Club and aim to showcase the diverse wines that the region has to offer. Bordeaux wines are not only for the wealthy collectors who spend thousands of dollars for coveted bottles of cru classes. There is a Bordeaux wine for every budget and every taste.

The Bordeaux After Work Party is a series of 4 events. Once a month a downtown venue is chosen for 2 hours of tasting and socializing. This past evening, the first 100 people to arrive received a free glass from the list of featured wines. Additional glasses were $5. For yummy wine, that’s a deal.

Sommelier station

the menu a la carte

This event had a new concept of a sommelier station. The sommelier du jour was Svetlana. She was there to give you a small sample of the wines. You could then decide what you wanted to start with at the bar.

Fantastic idea!

Angela Aiello

The evening had a great vibe. The after work crowd sipped away the evening listening to funky beats, socializing inside this cozy venue. I snapped a picture of iYellow Wine Club founder, Angela Aiello. She looks like she’s having fun! For more information on her events and for future Bordeaux After Work events, go to: www.iyellowwineclub.com

www.cosmotoronto.com/Eight-Wine-Bar

There were 5 wines to try throughout the evening: 3 reds, 1 white and a dessert wine.
All the wines are available at the LCBO. My picks for the night:

Eight Wine Bar

mmm wine

White
Chateau Ferran Blanc 2007 $21.00

A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. Dry white wine showing some oak with orchard fruit flavours. Well balanced and enjoyable. Nice wine for the money.

Red
Chateau de Panigon 2005 $16.95

A solid dry, red wine for under $20.
This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 2005 is considered to be a wonderful vintage in Bordeaux. This wine had good fruit, tannin and a medium finish. Definitely a crowd pleaser.

Dessert
Chateau Liot 2007 $19.00

A delicious sweet white wine with elements of honey and dried apricot while maintaing nice acidity. Best served cool. The wonderful thing about sweet wines coming from Bordeaux is that many of them are affected with what’s called Botrytis or “noble rot”. Don’t be fooled from the name. This “rot” is a good thing. It shrivels up the berries so the flavours are super concentrated. The Chateau Liot is a nice introduction to these wines of Sauternes and Barsac.

Wine menus

Like 2005, the 2009 vintage in Bordeaux was spectacular. From the reports coming, the wine world is now buzzing about 2010. While these wines are silently sitting in barrels in France, eager wine drinkers all over the world are awaiting their arrival to the marketplace.

Nicolas from Tannin Fine Wine

Nicholas from Tannin Fine Wine is a Bordeaux expert. I’ve heard him speak French fluently with the most beautiful accent. Oui, c’est vrai. He was pouring a wine not featured on the list:
Chateau Desvin-Bel Air 2003 $19.95

I’m having a lot of fun at these events! Now how about an After Work Week Party! Or, a Before Work Party…ok ok, just any excuse to have a party. 🙂

For more information on future events:
www.facebook.com/bordeauxwine

It’s all about the blend bien sûr!

This past Saturday I took a trip out to wine country with my favourite social wine club in Toronto: iYellow Wine Club. We had such a wonderful day tasting and learning. The common theme for the day was the art of blending and how winemakers are taking this traditional “old world” method and applying it to their wine. Here in the new world (ie. Canada, USA, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Argentina etc), the focus has been more on showcasing the single varietals. Walking through the wine shop, I’m sure you see many bottles with just the grape names on the label such as “Merlot” or “Chardonnay”. Throughout the day, people were always refering to the Bordeaux region as a wonderful example of blended wine.

This week is the third in the four part Bordeaux After Work party series. This series is to demonstrate the great diversity of the Bordeaux wine region. This event is a great way to taste various examples of wine coming from the region at excellent price point values. The www.enjoybordeaux.com is a great resource of information. It has everything you need to learn about the region, people and of course, the wine.

Youmna Asseily, vineyard owner from Chateau Biac from Bordeaux Wine on Vimeo.

Bordeaux wine is all about the blend. The philosophy is that the sum is greater than all the parts individually. Kind of like a great night in a club – it’s better when there are more people on the dancefloor. Who wants to have a party by themselves? Well, it depends I suppose…on what wine is to be opened!

The last few Vintages publications released by the LCBO talked a lot about Bordeaux. Usually when people say “Bordeaux blend”, they’re talking about the three major grapes in the finished wine – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (sometimes Malbec and Petit Verdot are added as more junior partners). For white wine, the blends are mostly made with the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

So why blend?
Sometimes the single variety on its own is too much one way (too ripe? not ripe enough?). You can add other varieties to round off the wine so it’s balanced and/or more interesting. Each year, the percentages of what varieties are used to make up the final blend are different so you don’t get the same wine. It’s really an art form…and a bit of mad science!

“Cabernet Sauvignon may make a popular full-bodied wine, but needs fresh fruit to round out the whole. Merlot is softwer and lighter, but unlike Cab Sauvignon, it has a full and generous middle. The result is a wine with greater balance and, from top producers, impressive ageing potential” – Vintages (Sept 3 2011 release)

Come out to the next event at Eight Wine Bar on September 20th. There’s a new concept where the wines are $5 by the glass (great deal!) and gourmet food platters are $10.

Bordeaux After Work @ Maraben

Let’s get the party started

Me behind the decks

Tuesday night I attended the second edition of the Bordeaux After Work Party series. This time, the event was held at Marben, located in the trendy King and Spadina. It was a fantastic evening. The venue was packed with eager wine lovers and the music, of course, was amazing…not only because I was the dj!

www.marbenrestaurant.com

iYellow team

What a great way to spend an otherwise drab Tuesday night. I just love summer patio weather. Marben has delicious food and friendly staff. The place has a really great vibe. I have to say that this event was bigger than the first! Lots of eager Bordeaux wine drinkers came out. I definitely heard a lot of French spoken which made me feel like I was in La France, even if for just a moment…

Wines for tasting

There were four wines of the menu. Two reds and two whites. The way the event worked was that your first glass was free and any other glasses were $9. Not too bad considering the pours were 5 oz.

The menu

What I like about this event series is that they’re introducing the general public to good value wines from Bordeaux. There’s a misconception that Bordeaux wine is too expensive, but that’s not true. You can find some lovely wine for every budget.

Marben entrance

I was eager to continue my tasting of the 2009 vintage. So far, I’m impressed. Out of the four wines featured, I preferred:

White
Chateau Fayau Blanc 2009
This was a nice Sauvignon Blanc blended with Semillion. Sauvignon Blanc showed through on both the nose and palate. Great minerality. I liked this one a lot!

Red
Chateau Courteillac 2009
Smooth and easy to drink. Light tannin and vanilla with some red fruit. This was a general crowd pleaser. This wine would be great for a BBQ or a party.

I’m enjoying Bordeaux After Work. It’s a great way to kick back and relax after a hard day at work. We’re having great patio weather this summer. It’s a wonderful way to spend time with friends while discovering the diverse wines that Bordeaux has to offer. Next Bordeaux After Work Party is September 20th so keep posted to find out the location.

www.enjoybordeaux.com
www.iyellowwineclub.com/blog/bordeaux-after-work-party

To make sure you get invited to each of these events, become a fan of Bordeaux Wines on Facebook here

Twitter Hashtag:
#bordeauxafterwork

Bordeaux Party @ Origin


Let’s discover

Last month I went to the Bordeaux After Work Party at Origin Restaurant, downtown Toronto. Today, is the second installment of this series and will be located at Marben Restaurant.

www.enjoybordeaux.com

www.iyellowwineclub.com/blog/bordeaux-after-work-party


Yummy cheese!

The Bordeaux After Work Party is a series of small after work gatherings at different locations in an effort to explore the diverse wines of the Bordeaux region. Good wine, good food – totally what I need after a hard day at the office!

La Sélection

The tasting bar out on the Origin patio. At these events, your first glass is free and any other glasses are sold at a decent price. Thank goodness I came a bit hungry. There were some delicious appetizers and cheese plates being served.

Origin patio

A view from inside Origin

The event was a full house! I snapped these pictures before the event opened. Origin is located in the St. Lawrence Market area. What a great way to spend a summer evening.

www.origintoronto.com


Wine selection

The fine selection of Bordeaux wines. Two reds, two whites and a rose. I was loving the whites as they were two very different styles. The Chateau Bonnet was a dry, crisp wine with lots of citrus notes and lively acidity. This white is from the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux. The other white (I have to admit, was my favourite of the night) comes from the Graves region. It was Chateau Boyrein 2009. It’s $16.95 a bottle at the LCBO. There was slight oak and great minerality. This was my view on Wine Align for this wine:

“I was at a “Bordeaux After Work” tasting event tonight at Origin in Toronto and this was one of the wines on the menu. I liked it! A great patio wine from Bordeaux. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion and Muscadelle, it’s a fine sipper. Good minerality, acidity and flavour. For the price, I think it will be a crowd pleaser.”

Let’s learn!

I love the literature on Bordeaux wine and region. This booklet gives you all the information you need to know. I’m such a nerd. I carry this around with me now for some extra reading.

My glass

The great thing about Bordeaux wine is that you can find something for every occasion. You can find every kind of style and price. Bordeaux wine is basically what you want it to be! There are some fantastic wines for not much money. There are also sparkling wines coming from the region as well.

I can’t wait for the next event tonight! There will be four new wines to discover. See you at Marben Restaurant. www.marbenrestaurant.com

Who wants to go to Bordeaux after work?

I do! There is a new event series starting up in Toronto called “Bordeaux After Work Party”. This series is hosted by the iYellow Wine Club and the Bordeaux Wine Council. Funny, as I’m writing this, I just saw a commercial on TV about which beverage is better to have a dinner party. In the shot they had someone fumbling to open a Bordeaux wine bottle and another person making some sort of mixed drink using a tomato based beverage (I won’t say the name). I think they were really trying to sell the tomato-based beverage as the ideal candidate for a party. I’ve never seen anyone have as much trouble as this actor opening a wine bottle. Personally, I would prefer to have wine at my dinner party – especially a nice wine from the Bordeaux region.

There will be five events throughout the summer in Toronto, each at a different trendy location. During these events, five wines from every region of Bordeaux will be featured. The first glass will be free and anything else after that will be available for a reasonable price. These events will offer you the opportunity to learn more about the Bordeaux region and the many different wine styles associated with with it.

These two sites are very informative and interactive. They have maps, videos and food pairing suggestions: www.enjoybordeaux.com and www.bordeaux.com

I personally have been to the old port City of Bordeaux. Sadly, I didn’t make it to the wine regions while I was in the area. I was passing through on my way to a wedding. Having explored many of the other wine regions of France, Bordeaux still remains a key area that I must visit!

Here is a map of the various wine regions of Bordeaux. It may seem complicated at first but the more you learn about this area, the less daunting it will be. I highly recommend learning about Bordeaux by tasting your way through it. 🙂

http://www.terroir-france.com

If you’re not familiar with Bordeaux wines, then here are some key facts to get you started:

Bordeaux produces a wide range of wines from red, dry white, sweet, semi-sweet, sparkling and rose
Wines from Bordeaux are labeled by region and not by grape variety
In general, Bordeaux wines are blends. This means that you’ll rarely see a wine from Bordeaux made from one grape variety. The main winemaking feature of the Bordeaux region is the creation of a balanced wine made from the blending of the various grape varieties
The major red grape varieties which are in general, blended, are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (sometimes Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere are used)
The major white grape varieties are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon
Some wine lingo:

“Left Bank” (refers to the area left of the Garonne river) – wines are usually Cabernet Sauvignon dominant in the blend
“Right Bank” (refers to the area right of the Dordogne river) – wines are usually Merlot dominant in the blend

Sparkling wine from Bordeaux is Cremant de Bordeaux
Delicious sweet wines come from Sauternes, Loupiac and Barsac
Key feature of sweet wines coming from areas such as Sauternes is “noble rot” which gives the wine a unique flavour. Don’t worry, it’s a good thing and it’s delicious
Looking for a dry white? Try something from the region of Graves, Pessac-Leognan or Entre-Deux-Mers
A good introduction to the entire region as a whole would be to find a wine labeled as Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superieur. These wines can be made from grapes from anywhere in Bordeaux
A wine from Bordeaux doesn’t have to be expensive to be enjoyable. There is something for every price point

As you taste wines from Bordeaux, make note of the region that it’s from. Whether it’s a general Bordeaux Superieur, Pomerol, Margaux or one of the many others, each region offers it’s own unique stamp to its wine.

http://www.smith-haut-lafitte.com

How to read a Bordeaux wine label interactive tutorial:
www.snooth.com/articles/commentary/how-to-read-a-bordeaux-label

The following dates for the Toronto “Bordeaux After Work Party” events are as follows: July 19, September 13 and October 25.

For more information about up-coming wine events in Toronto:

www.iyellowwineclub.com

Also check out Bordeaux Wine on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/bordeauxwine

The main thing to take away from this post is that you can find a wine from Bordeaux for any occasion and to pair with any type of food. The options are endless! C’est magnifique.