Author Archives: John Galea

Calamus White 2007

Posted on March 19, 2009 by John Galea

This wine is, you guessed it, not available at the LCBO 🙂 I’m on a roll. We picked this one up on the latest trip down to Niagara. The wine is a simple slightly complex white. It would go well … Continue reading →

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Sandbanks Riesling 2007

Posted on March 16, 2009 by John Galea

I really hate to do this again, but this is another wine not available in the LCBO. We picked this one up at the winery back in the fall. We took a trip out to Prince Edward county for the … Continue reading →

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TOMÀS CUISINÉ VILOSELL 2005

Posted on March 14, 2009 by John Galea

I really enjoyed this wine tonight. I paired it with a striploin steak with rice and cauliflower with cheese. Dessert was a chocolate brownie! It went well. The subtleties of this wine are best appreciated without food but it is … Continue reading →

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J. Lohr Painter’s Bridge Zinfandel

Posted on March 13, 2009 by John Galea

This wine is one of the wines by the glass at Keg restaurants. Unfortunately it is not available at the LCBO. You can pay an importer to bring it in, but you can only bring in a case at a … Continue reading →

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LUIGI BOSCA RESERVA MALBEC 2005

Posted on March 12, 2009 by John Galea

I’ve had this wine in my cellar since August and I can’t get over how much this wine has softened in the 7 months since I bought it. I brought it up from the basement and it was slightly chilled … Continue reading →

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Trius Cabernet Sauvignon 2007?

Posted on March 11, 2009 by John Galea

I had this wine at Casey’s before a leaf game. I paired it with dark meat rotisserie chicken and rice. I quite enjoyed the wine. Terroir is big in Niagara and this wine bears little resemblance to Napa Cab but … Continue reading →

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TWIN FIN PINOT GRIGIO

Posted on March 9, 2009 by John Galea

I had this wine at a restaurant called Symposium in Mississauga.  As usual the glass cost about the same amount as the bottle. This is a reasonably priced quite good pinot grigio. It has a reasonably long finish with a … Continue reading →

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CLOS LA CHANCE RUBY-THROATED CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005

Posted on March 8, 2009 by John Galea

I first tasted this wine at the Society for American Wine annual cab tasting event. They used it as the reception wine. This wine is a bargain $17.95. What you have here is a solid Californian cab. Absolutely varietal in … Continue reading →

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Wine tasting trips in Ontario

Posted on March 5, 2009 by John Galea

We have done a couple of trips to the wine tasting areas of both Niagara as well as Prince Edward County. For these we chose to spend just one night down in the area which works out well. Go down … Continue reading →

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D’ARENBERG THE HIGH TRELLIS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006

Posted on March 4, 2009 by John Galea

The last time I had this wine I was thoroughly disappointed. The wine had a nasty bitter after taste. So much so that I returned all unopened bottles. I got given this one so I thought I would try it … Continue reading →

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Peller Heritage series chard 2006

Posted on March 3, 2009 by John Galea

I had the pleasure of drinking this wine at Jack Astors. The wine unfortunately does not seem to be in the LCBO. This is one of those lovely middle of the road chards. It has some oak, some butteryness and … Continue reading →

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Waupous Seyval Blanc 2005

Posted on February 24, 2009 by John Galea

Last fall we travelled up and checked out a number of the wineries in the Prince Edward County area. The trip was thoroughly enjoyable and the wines were very different than those of Niagara. The whites have a ton of … Continue reading →

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Montalto Nero d’Avola / Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 IGT Sicilia Italy

Posted on February 24, 2009 by John Galea

Every now and then I come across a review about some great bottle of wine under $10. Blah blah Blah, yadda, yadda, yadda and skip to the chase. Underwhelming, tasted like vinegar. Alcohol was the only flavor. Then every now … Continue reading →

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ST. LUCAS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006

Posted on February 17, 2009 by John Galea

There is not a lot to say about this wine. It is slightly varietal, lots of oak with a medium to mild finish. I didn’t love this wine, but didn’t hate it. I won’t be rushing out for more. This … Continue reading →

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LES COTEAUX TUFIERS VOUVRAY DEMI-SEC 2006

Posted on February 17, 2009 by John Galea

On first tasting this wine is overwhelmingly sweet. It reminded me of a mild ice wine or a Riesling Auslese. This does fade after a while but this is very much a wine dominated by sugars. The tasting notes below … Continue reading →

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TENUTA COPPADORO COTINONE 2005

Posted on February 13, 2009 by John Galea

Ok, I’ve got a deal for you! For $20 I will give you a deep purple color liquid whose taste can best be described as sucking on a bunch of wood chips! Are you lining up for the opportunity? This … Continue reading →

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CHÂTEAU LA GORCE 2005

Posted on February 13, 2009 by John Galea

Like Mr CWG I too prefer Bordeaux over Burgundy. I just find them more complex and rewarding. I must admit to more recently exploring Bordeaux’s. This example is lovely especially for the price. It’s a bit harsh and bitter out … Continue reading →

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KIM CRAWFORD KIM’S FAVOURITE SP CHARDONNAY 2006

Posted on February 13, 2009 by John Galea

This is another middle of the road chard. Quite good. Slight bit of butteryness, slight bit of oak with a bit of fruit. Nothing stunning but quite palatable. For the money I would choose others, but finishing the bottle was … Continue reading →

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D’ARENBERG THE STUMP JUMP WHITE 2007

Posted on February 8, 2009 by John Galea

My mother use to make something she called froja. She opened the fridge to see what odds and ends were left over and through them in a pan and added eggs to bind them altogether. In the end what you … Continue reading →

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INNISKILLIN WINEMAKER’S SERIES THREE VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY 2007

Posted on February 8, 2009 by John Galea

This is a lovely totally middle of the road Chard. With a medium amount of butteryness as would be expected from a California style Chard but well in check. It also has a nice bit of Oak. There is a … Continue reading →

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CAVE DE SAUMUR RÉSERVE DES VIGNERONS SAUMUR 2005

Posted on February 1, 2009 by John Galea

This is a smooth elegant wine with absolutely nothing distinctive going on. If your looking for a non-descriptive wine that will definitely offend no one (although it won’t please anyone either) this is the wine for you. The finish is … Continue reading →

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ANTINORI PÈPPOLI CHIANTI CLASSICO 2006

Posted on February 1, 2009 by John Galea

This is a lovely Chianti Classico. Lots of depth, nice finish, and nice fruit. Decant for about an hour to allow some of the acidic bitterness to fade. Nice tannins and oak on the wine as well. I enjoyed this … Continue reading →

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CASTELLO DI NEIVE BARBARESCO 2005

Posted on February 1, 2009 by John Galea

When you are looking for a bigger wine but not quite up to a Barolo or not up to the price you can reach for a Babaresco. These wines are made from the same Nebbiolo grape as a Barolo but … Continue reading →

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ANGIÃ’ ARCHEO PRIMITIVO 2006

Posted on February 1, 2009 by John Galea

The Primitovo grape has been genetically linked to the Zinfandel. So the principle difference between the Italian Primitivo and the Californian Zinfandel is one of style. In California the Zinfandels are field blended with a number of other grapes giving … Continue reading →

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SILENI CELLAR SELECTION PINOT GRIS 2008

Posted on January 21, 2009 by John Galea

This is a lovely wine with a good bit of acidity, some green apple flavors, and some oak. The wine for my tastes is more like a Sauvigon Blanc than a Pinot Gris. No real peach in the taste with … Continue reading →

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