COLUMN BY BRIAN PRESTON
This month we will explore summertime wine, Rosé in particular. LCBO is featuring this versatile and easy-drinking wine in their Vintages Release publication too. I will tell you about my discoveries cruising Hawaii and the Alaska panhandle in early May, list the Eastern Ontario 2024 Canadian Brewing Awards, and I will reference a few local LCBO good deals in wines.
We combined a sailing to three Hawaiian Islands and then crossed over to mid-Alaska to see the fjords and glaciers starting near Juneau as we sailed south to end in Vancouver. In Alaska, we discovered that those independent northern craft brewers are putting out some nice brews, just like here in Eastern Ontario. In Juneau we dropped into the Alaskan Brewery (and saloon) for some grub and beers. We tried a flight of 4 beers each including Amber, Kolsch and Porter, letting us sample the wide range of beers they make. I even bought the red Amber Ale T-shirt featuring an Alaskan fishing trawler sailing down the fjord. It was classic amber with a clean finish. Then at Skagway, the gals in pantaloons were hanging out the second storey windows haranguing the meek tourists walking by below trying to engage the crowd in banter. As Skagway was the jump off point for the gold fields, and not being shy, I went into character and yelled up asking, “How many nuggets”. She replied, “Five”, so I told her I would return from my claim with 2 more nuggets! She smiled and life went on as the tourists scurried in and out of all the authentic 1890s storefronts looking for souvenirs and Alaskan gifts for loved ones back South. Skagway Brewing Co., established in 1897, served up fantastic grub like halibut mixed seafood chowder. Their Spruce Tip chicken wings and dipping sauce with onion rings were the biggest I’ve ever seen – almost drumsticks – and the onions were thick and juicy inside a light beer batter. They were the best that I have ever eaten! Washed down again with many of their great beers including a Spruce Tip Blonde, Grapefruit IPA, Pilsner, Cream Ale, and Russian Imperial Stout. At ‘The Asylum’ bar in Ketchikan, we sat at the bar where only a couple of customers had arrived by 11:30 in the morning, and we sampled the beers -it’s 5 o’clock somewhere! Between Jessica the bartender and the owner, a Puerto Rican named Carlos, we had a custom tasting and the fun and banter between us had us telling tales and laughing like we were old time regulars. To finish they gave us a Duck’s Fart – a shooter made from just over a third Crown Royal and equal parts Baileys and Kahlua. Quite tasty! We almost wobbled back to the ship, having experienced not only the food and beverages of Alaska, but the real people and their down to earth hospitality. Alaskans and folks in rural Ontario have that same wonderful sense of humour!
Years ago on a vacation throughout Brittany and Normandy, we discovered that our go-to and most versatile wine for many meals and simply tasting was Rosé. With all the various shellfish and seafood that the northern coast of France is famous for, we usually tended to the crisp and palate cleansing Loire valley, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine. Rosé, on the other hand, has many versions from dry to sweeter (remember Anjou or Mateus). The driest and tasty one featured in LCBO this month is the Tavel area of the Rhone by Famille Perrin, LCBO680801 at $23.95. The foothills of Adige Valley in the Trentino area of northern Italy, produces Albino Armani Rose, LCBO19852 at $15.95 with a note of minerality and wild strawberry. Lastly, Petalos de Aresan Rose, new at LCBO# $13.95 from the Castilla region of central Spain, produces this 100% Tempranillo rose with a food-friendly crisp acidity. All are from the 2023 vintage. Try them on their own as a summer sipper or with a range of salads, seafood, white meat and ham or pork dishes.
The winners of the 2024 Canadian Brewing Awards have been named, with a number of Ontario brewers included. This year’s awards had 61 style categories, with three winners per category, each receiving a gold, silver or bronze award. In Ontario, there were 45 winners.
The following list of winners in Eastern Ontario is in order of the category, award level, brewery name, beer name and location:
- Wheat Beer – Belgian Style (Wit), bronze award: Flightriskbrewing’s Flight Risk Wit (Ashton)
- Wheat Beer – German Style (Weiss), bronze award: Brauwerk Hoffman’s Hefeweizen (Rockland)
- Oatmeal Stout, silver award: Flora Hall Brewing’s Oatmeal Stout (Ottawa)
- North American Style Amber/Dark Lager, silver award: Tooth and Nail Brewing Company’s Bunker (Ottawa)
- American-style Brett Beer, gold award: Flora Hall Brewing’s Foeder Aged Brett Dubbel (Ottawa)
- Smoked Beer, gold award: Cold Bear Brewing Company Ltd’s Anniversary Ale (Arnprior)
- Barley Wine-Style Ale, bronze award: Tooth and Nail Brewing Company’s Old Imperious (Ottawa)
In the LCBO 8 June Vintages Release, also look for the Gerard Bertrand Viognier 2022, LCBO#147985 at a great price $14.95. For something different, try the Graciano grape varietal, Agramont Graciano 2021, LCBO#37262 at $15.95 and a 97 point Decanter World Wine Award winner! And lastly, on sale is a perennial favourite M. Chapoutier Le Vignes de Bila-Haut Côtes du Ruissillon-Villages on sale at $14.95 (Save $2). This consistently highly rated wine delivers intense yet elegant big flavours of red and dark fruit with earth and spice notes that goes well with burgers, ribs or lamb. And Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Port is on sale at $30.95 (save $6) until 23 June.
Let me know if you like this travelogue style of writing and I will, when possible, continue to do so. I find that like drinking a wine on the piazza under the stars with a companion and enjoying the food, wine and conversation; when you buy a bottle and try it back home, it just doesn’t taste the same! With this style of writing, I am trying to make it less a technical product review and more of a light conversational experience. My email is: brianpreston@hotmail.com. And feel free to reach out to me if you want a beverage recommendation for a meal you are doing! Cheers!
