Archive for the Alan Kerr Category

This past weekend, 19th – 21st of February brought “Cuvée” to Niagara. Cuvee is something akin to the Oscars, bringing folks all deftly robed in their Sunday best to the Fallsview Casino to taste their way through some of the best food and wines the region has to offer. Trophies and awards are of course given out, and for the category of “Best Limited Edition Red Wine and “Cuvee Gold Designate” went to Niagara College’s Teaching Winery Canadian Oaked Pinot Noir 2007. How cool is that? As of today, the complete list of Cuvee awardees has not been posted, but once it is, I will link it. Read the rest of this entry »

Living through a Canadian winter can be, at times, hard to endure. This winter though has been a breeze. The temperatures have been unseasonably mild and Niagara has seen little if any snow. That was until Monday night, the same night I was slotted to leave to drive to London and taste for the next two releases, scheduled for March 13th and 27th. Heavy snow then freezing rain changed my plans to drive, thus I have no notes on either of the releases. Stay tuned for next month though as I am certain Mother Nature will be kinder to me.

In the meantime, I have something else that you might enjoy coming through in the next couple of days. Stay tuned.

Cheers
CK

Sorry to say that there was not a lot of wine to sample for this release. At least my pocket book will not go through a similar devastation that it took two weeks ago. The theme for this release is wine from the Southern Rhone and Kosher wines. Sadly the latter group had just a couple for sampling. Many of the Rhone wines were missing, but what I did taste for the most part was exemplary. I probably will buy those that I did not get to try as they are well priced and well touted by the pro’s, at least according to the write ups in the catalogue. Read the rest of this entry »

Moments after joining Facebook’s “I hate wine ratings” group, my Vintages catalogue arrived in my mailbox and guess what, the theme of the release is “North of Ninety,” showcasing a plethora of wines that critics believe warrant ninety points or higher. Good news is there are many exceptional wines to be found and if you are a numbers buyer, then this is the release for you. I also tasted several Northern Rhone Valley wines from the 2007 vintage that rock. Well priced, well balanced and really tasty. Do feel free to read on……… Read the rest of this entry »

It is good there is no charge to the reader to view my notes for this release as they are rather skimpy to say the least. This weekend showcases wines from Argentina. Sadly though, the LCBO shipped very few wines period for the tasting. I guess even the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world has to tighten the belt after the holidays. Siduri, a well renowned producer of Pinot Noir from California has two AVA wines making their debut in the catalogue. Asking prices are unfortunately, high according to friends south of the border who buy them regularly, but any Siduri I have tasted in the past has been stellar.  Perhaps I may splurge. Anyhow, as always, I found a couple worth picking out so please read on. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy New Year and welcome to 2010. The premier release of the year is the annual “Great Wine Great Value”.  This basically translates as ‘you spent too much money in the last couple of months, so the board is going to be kinder and gentler on the pocket book.’  There certainly are several wines that offer a great drinking experience and are priced below fifteen bucks. All you need to do is read on to find them. Read the rest of this entry »

Having missed the last release, the one in which all the usual high end wines are sold, I am happy to report I am back in business and tasted a good deal of the wines from December’s single release. Interesting to note that six of the wines were corked including a bubbly and the Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel blend that I was eager to taste. Oh well, best wishes to all for the holiday season and enjoy your wines. Read the rest of this entry »

Alan Kerr (r) with Patrick Hersey at the 13th Street Winery - click to enlarge

When it is a balmy seventeen degrees C ( 63 F) outside, the sun is beaming down and it’s mid November, I should be arduously working in my yard, raking leaves and turning over the soil. On the other hand, my garden can wait; a quick spin down the road to check out a few wineries has way more appeal, especially as the new location of  13th Street Winery is barely a five minute drive from my home. Read the rest of this entry »

Sad to announce, but I was unable to attend the last Vintages tasting due to my teaching schedule. This means I have no notes for wines released tomorrow, November 7th or November 21st. However, I will be back on track in the New Year and if I can I will get notes for December’s holiday release. In the meantime, there will be lot’s of other notes posted here by me mates so stop back in.

Cheers,
CZ

What’s new at Vintages on October 24th? The focus is on wines from both the land of Oz and port from the Douro Valley. Here are a few notes on the wines from the release. (Click to enlarge images)

130278 PIRATHON SHIRAZ 2005, Barossa Valley, South Australia $38.95
Lots of toasty oak, cedar, smoked meat, dried herbs, forest floor and briar. There is fabulous structure on the palate, showing pure blueberry fruit essence, lively acids and a super long finish. Find this wine

10223 TORBRECK OLD VINES GRENACHE/SHIRAZ/MOURVÈDRE 2006 Barossa Valley, South Australia $20.95
A brawny wine that displays a dusty robe of dried mushrooms, blackberry, black raspberry, Szechwan pepper and coffee grounds. Powerful and spicy on the palate, it has good acidity and a long creamy finish.  Find this wine Read the rest of this entry »