Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port, 2009

Port has become a Christmas tradition at my house. For those not familiar with it, Port is a fortified wine from Portugal.  It is usually a sweet red fortified wine served after dinner.

This year I am having the Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port, 2009.

 Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Port, 2009

Wine: 

Location:  Portugal

Sugar Content:  97g/L

Alcohol:  20%

Price:  $18.55 (Current sale $16.55)

Vintages number: 46946

This Port is a very deep red colour with a scent of sweet prunes.

This sweet fortified wine has a  flavour of raisins and a slight spice.  It is extremely smooth and silky on the tongue and a pleasure to drink. Sipping this in front of a roaring fire after a traditional turkey Christmas dinner is an ideal way to begin the evening.  This is one of the best ports I have tried particularly at this price.  I will be buying this again during the holiday season.  I highly recommend this port for people who like sweet, fortified wines.

Recommendation:   Uncork

Rating:                   9.0  out of 10 

Trapiche Vina Jorge Miralles Terroir Series Single Vineyard Malbec 2009

Another wine, another country.  This one is a Malbec from Argentina.  Malbec is increasingly being associated with Argentina however it is thought to have originated in the Burgundy region of France.

This wine breaks my rule of not spending more than $20 but it`s the holiday season and I`m treating myself.  I`m also cheating by trying this wine after reading another review. I like to try wine without having read about it from a wine professional.

It was described as a $40 wine that tastes like a $120 bottle of wine receiving a score of 95 in Wine Enthusiast Magazine. 

I never drink $40 wine let alone $120 wine so I thought I should give it a try...so here it goes.

Wine:  Trapiche Vina Jorge Miralles Terroir Series Single Vineyard Malbec 2009

Location:  Argentina

Grape:  Malbec

Sugar Content:  6g/L

Alcohol:  15%

Price:  $39.95

Vintages number: 261040

The wine is an extremely deep purple colour.  The smell is of dark cherry.  On first drinking it is extremely silky.  Spice and dark chocolate are the closest I can get to describing it. The finish is smooth and pleasant.

It is a good wine, better than many I have tried.  That being said, there are less expensive wines that I would prefer to drink.  

What I may be discovering is that wine enthusiasts might describe my palate as unrefined.  I find that I like wines with stronger fruit flavours over spice and dark chocolate. 

The bottom line:  If you like medium to full-bodied wines with spice and dark chocolate notes then you will like this wine more than I did. It is a good wine but not my favourite, particularly at this price.  I would drink it again but only if someone else is buying.

Recommendation:  Uncork

Rating:                   8 out of 10

Boutari Agiorgitiko Nemea Red 2012

The Uncorked world tour continues to Greece with the Boutari Agiorgitiko Nemea Red.  The Agiorgitiko or St. George grape is native to Greece and is now the most widely planted red variety in the country.

Wines produced from this grape are known to by fruity with low acidity and strong colour.  With my love of beaujolais, I am looking forward to trying this one. 

Wine:  Boutari Agiorgitiko Nemea Red

Location:  Greece

Grape:  Agiorgitiko

Sugar Content:  5g/L

Alcohol:  13%

Price:  $11.95

Vintages number: 172148

The 2011 vintage is pictured above but I am trying the 2012.  It is a very deep red with a very sweet, fruity aroma that actually reminds me of grape crush pop and the inexpensive powder-made u-brew wine I drank while in university. 

It doesn’t taste like grape crush though. In fact it does not have much flavour at all.  It is a very light, inoffensive wine with a slightly bitter finish.

Like a pinot noir, you could probably pair this with duck or seafood and it would not over-power the flavour of your food. But why would you want to?

It is not a bad wine but it’s not a good wine either.  It is a wine seeking a personality. Like oatmeal, maybe you could add fruit and make sangria.

I don’t dislike this wine but it bores me.  I look forward to trying more wines from this variety but I won’t be uncorking this one again.

Recommendation:  Cork

Rating:                   6 out of 10

Domaines Vincon Feteasca Neagra 2009

Another new grape variety from a country many people may not be familiar with.  Romania is one of the world's largest producers of wine (11th most in 2009) and has a history with viticulture dating back 6,000 years.

The grape is the feteasca neagra, an old variety grown in Romania and Moldova.

Wine:  Domaines Vincon Feteasca Neagra 2009
Location:  Focsani County, Romania (About 180 km north of Bucharest)
Grape:  Feteasca Neagra
Sugar Content:  8g/L
Alcohol:  13%
Price:  $13.35
Vintages number: 669192

This wine has the typical dark red-ruby colour of the feteasca neagra grape. The smell of blackberry and slight spice is also found in the flavour.

For a wine with such deep colour I expected a strong flavour also but that was not the case. I would describe it as a medium-bodied wine with a smooth finish and similarities to the Georgian mukuzani I reviewed earlier but without the chalky feel.

While it may not make it into my regular rotation, it was a pleasant tasting wine and I look forward to trying other wines made with the feteasca neagra grape.

Recommendation:  Uncork
Rating:                   7.5 out of 10

The Georges Dubouef Beaujolias Villages is one of my standy-by wines.  Light ruby red, with sweet berry flavours, it is a delicious wine that I love to drink in the summer and fall before I usually switch to fuller cabernets.  If you enjoy simple, fruity wines this is a reasonably priced, clean and enjoyable wine.  Although I preferred the  2011 vintage, the 2012 is almost as good.

Wine:  Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages
Location: Burgundy, France
Grape:  Gamay
Sugar Content: 4 g/L
Alcohol: 12.3%
Price: $13.95 at LCBO/Vintages
Vintages Number:  122077

Recommendation:  Uncork

Rating:                  9 out of 10

Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2012

Wine:  Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2012
Location:  Campo de Borja, Spain
Grape: Grenache
Sugar Content: 7 g/L
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $19.95 at LCBO/Vintages
Vintages Number:  273748

I was really looking forward to trying this wine. All of the reviews I had seen were good and I have a soft spot for Spanish wines.

After letting the wine breathe for 15 minutes I poured a glass and smelled what I thought was the faint smell of rubbing alcohol.  I then tried the wine and I noted a sour/bitter taste.  I googled rubbing alcohol and wine and found out that my bottle of wine may have experienced a microbial taint.  I visited the website WineFolly.com and read that certain microbes can spoil the wine.

Apparently this happens sometimes and the wine probably won't hurt you but the taste is unpleasant. Reputable wine retailers should be willing to take the bottle back as they can write it off.

As a result of this experience I am going to give Borsao the benefit of the doubt and not rate their wine. If I try it again sometime and experience the same thing then I will recommend keeping the bottle corked.

These things will sometimes happen.  For a simple explanation of problems please visit the Wine Folly website.

Recommendation:  No recommendation


Rating:                   No rating


Vintages Tasting Note
The terrific 2012 Tres Picos is one of the finest inexpensive, Grenache-based wines made in the world. This full-bodied beauty boasts a deep ruby colour as well as loads of strawberry and black cherry fruit, hints of lavender and crushed rocks, sweet tannin, and a broad, savory mouthfeel. It, too, should be consumed over the next 3-4 years. Score - 92. (Robert Parker Jr., erobertparker.com, Nov. 2013).

Tamada Mukuzani 2011 - Kakheti Georgia - Red -

Here we go...the first wine review. I could have selected an old stand-by or a vintage from a 'popular' wine country but where is the fun in that.  For my first review I thought I should select a wine I have never tired.  Not only have I never tried the wine, I have not had a wine from this country or tried a wine made from this variety of grape.  My first selection:

Wine:  Tamada Mukuzani 2011
Location:  City of Kvareli, Kakheti region. Republic of Georgia.
Grape:  Saperavi
Sugar Content: 6 g/L
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $13.95 at LCBO/Vintages
Vintages Number:  13979

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Knowing nothing about Georgia as a wine country, the saperavi grape or Mukuzani wines I have relied on Wikipedia to fill in the blanks and have provided links.

Mukuzani wines are dry, red Georgian wines made from saperavi grapes and aged in oak casks. Wikipedia says Mukuzani is aged a minimum of 3 years but the bottle describes a wine aged at least 12 months. I believe the bottle is an accurate description as I believe it was bottled in 2012 even though I am enjoying it in 2014. One website recommended chilling the open bottle in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before drinking (Approximately 16C). I agree with this as I think it slightly improved the flavour.

They describe their wine as being of a deep ruby with garnet tinges and a flavour of soft smokiness over velvety berry aromas. As an amateur wine drinker I don't always agree with the description on the bottle. In this case I would say the description is extremely accurate.

The only thing I would add is there seems to be an earthy, slightly chalky finish. It is not at all unpleasant, simply different than I have experienced with other wines and grape varieties. It is extremely smooth and there is no unpleasant acidity or aftertaste that I have experienced with other inexpensive wines of lower quality.

The recommendation on the bottle is to enjoy the wine with game meats, steak, veal, lamb, traditional goat cheeses and vegetable dishes.

My rule is always to drink what you like. That being said, I think the general rule of thumb is to enjoy stronger red wines with more flavourful meats and meals and lighter wines with less flavourful foods such as pasta and poultry.  I think the central idea is not to overwhelm the flavour of the food with your wine selection. This may not be completely accurate but it is my interpretation of wine pairing.

Again, my rule is always drink what you like. If you still enjoy your pasta with a full-bodied wine, then by all means, drink and enjoy. Just know that you may be going against the traditional wine gospel.

I very much enjoyed this wine. In my opinion this is a flavourful, medium to full-bodied wine with a pleasant finish. Velvety berry flavours and soft smokiness is a good description.

I would gladly drink this wine again.

Recommendation:  Uncork
Rating:                   8 out of 10

GETTING STARTED

I like wine.  It`s as simple as that.  I am a wine drinker, not a connoisseur.  I have no formal training as a wine taster.  I simply want to learn more about wine and keep a record of the wines I have tried and liked or not liked as the case may be.

Taste in wine is very personal so there may be wines I like that you won`t and vice-versa.  I would say my taste in wine is quite broad.  In the summer I tend to prefer light and medium-bodied wines that some would describe as `fruity` like Beaujolais.  In the winter I tend to drink more full-bodied wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. I also like wines under $20.  A decent wine under $10 is even better. If you want reviews of $100 bottles of wine then you need to find a different site.

My rating system will be simple. What Rotten Tomatoes is to movies, I plan on being for wine. Instead of 'fresh' or 'rotten' I will have a rating system of 'uncork' as in uncork this bottle of wine and drink it or 'cork', I wouldn't drink it again.  I will also have a 10 point rating system to more precisely rank the wine among the others I have tried.

I am also interested in hearing what you think. If you try a wine I have reviewed, please let me know if you think I'm crazy or if you have a similar opinion. If there is a wine you think I should try, please let me know.

That's all for now...lets get started.