Wild thyme - Sommelier at Large

Okay, okay, okay already! Yes I know. I know what they say. If you want to really show that you have accepted something about yourself you should say it out loud and say it publicly. But of course that will only happen if you are ready. I believe I am ready. Okay here goes…

I AM A …………….okay, okay, alright ……………..I…. AM…………. A GEEK!!!! Whew, now that actually wasn’t so bad. Oh wait, I guess I need to be clearer. I am a geek, not as in a nerd geek, or computer geek. No, I am one of those types who speak in tongues foreign to most people. Everything, absolutely everything, goes to my nose before it crosses my palate. I say things like essence of cat’s pee and yes it has the nose of petrol and a long lingering finish. I also say things like biodynamic versus organic, terroir and kimmeridgian. I am the epitome of a “WINE GEEK.” There I’ve said it! I’ve come clean. And now that I have freed myself….

There is so much great wine out there that one never should limit oneself to just drinking the same wine out of convenience. I know it is hard to venture beyond the familiar comfort zone but please…life is way too short. Not all red wines and white wines are the same. One need only to do a vertical tasting (meaning tasting a few different types of wines all of the same colour at one time for instance, there are different types of vertical tastings) in order to truly appreciate that all wines are most definitely not the same. They may appear to be the same as they are white or red in colour but that is where the similarities end.

Cat’s pee, how can that be a good thing when it comes to wine? Well let me say that the true essence of a good sauvignon blanc in a blind tasting ( where you try to figure out what a wine is when you have only what is in the glass to go by) is the descriptor known as cat’s pee. NO it is not the smell of urine. It is however very distinctive. Sauvignon blanc (white wine) can be very herbaceous on the nose. The reference to the word petrol is a descriptor for a riesling. Again, a distinctive characteristic of a riesling and one that you most definitely remember once you have nosed it. (Nosed it, that’s wine geek talk for smelling it.)

The world of wine is so vast and intriguing. For instance did you know that we have a desert in Canada that grows grapes for wine production? Yes a desert. Do you know where it is? Did you know that the Ontario wine growing region is on the same latitude as the Burgundy wine region in France? Did you know that not all rieslings are sweet? In fact you can make absolutely any wine sweet, white or red if one so desired. Take for instance Port wine.

The story of wine goes as far back as the Time of Christ. There are always references in the gospels about the vine and the workers in the fields. How about the story of when Christ went to a wedding and they ran out of wine. Christ then turned the water they had at the wedding into wine. ( Now that is of course if you believe in Christ.)

Inside the great Pyramids some are known to have pictures on tablets showing the harvesting of grapes and the making of wine. The Christian church at one time was the largest holder of European vineyards.

Wine at one point in history was the preferred drink of choice. This was due to the fact the wine was safer to drink than water as water was impure and carried disease. Sometimes wine was added to purify the water.

So enough about the history (amazing though when you think about it and that’s not even scratching the surface), what wine should you serve with dinner.

You should always try to pick out what is the strongest flavour in the dish that you are preparing and pair the wine style with that. If you are having a cream based dish then you need to choose a wine with acidity to cut through the creaminess. There are always exception to any rule but having said that a general rule of thumb or basic rules for the novice is as follows;

- Red wine with red meat
- White wine with white meat or fish
- Strong sauces and strong flavoured dishes require full bodied full flavoured wines
- An easier choice would be to pair regional dishes with regional wine (for instance paella with spanish wine , pasta with Italian wine)
-Sweet wines pair nicely with rich pates, certain fruits
-You shouldn’t serve a high alcohol wine with a spicy dish as this will increase the heat (Unless you like heat that is then go for it!)

In what order should you serve your wine:

White before red
Dry before sweet
Light before heavy
Simple before complex
Younger before older

If you change the order around what happens is a heavy red wine served before a light white wine would completely overpower your olfactory (senses) so much that the light white wine may suddenly appear to not have much flavour. And in so doing you do not get the true taste of the white wine and you may well decide that you don’t like it without truly having tasted it.

As I say, these are just basic rules of thumb to go by. If you are a little more advanced in your wine knowledge then you can get very specific about the wines to choose.

We do all have our preferences as to style we like. Old world versus New World. Old world would be France, Italy. Old world style tends to be more nuance and subtleties. New world would be California, Australia. New world tends to be more in your face style. Very powerful nose, very upfront, jammy qualities as in Australian shiraz. There is no mistaking an Australian shiraz. Where as syrah from the Rhone region in France, which is Shiraz is much different being from a cooler climate. We’ll save this for another day. As I say there is so much to talk about when we talk about the world of wine.

I would like to recommend a book for you to read. It is a book that is very easy to follow and one that I truly feel will change your mind about wine all being the same. The book is called Wine and War. It is by a couple by the name of Donald and Petie Kladstrup.. The book is about what families in France did to hide their wines from the Germans during World War II. It is most intriguing. I must tell you that after having read so many books about tasting notes, having written and tasted thousands of wines myself this book truly gave me a new insight into the liquid that is in the bottles on the LCBO shelves. Wine is no longer an alcoholic beverage but is an expression of family histories, terroirs (oops had to sneak in wine geek speak again) and the love and passion that they have and continue to put into producing their wines through the generations. You will never look at a Rothschild or Hugel in quite the same way when you see it on the shelves. (And not one tasting note in the book. A refreshing change and a great view from the other side of the bottle.)

So on that note I will end here. I hope I have sparked a little more interest in that bottle of wine that you pick up next time. It more than likely may just have a great family history.

Next time before you take a sip of your wine, take a moment to nose it. If you have a sauvignon blanc see if you can nose citrus fruits of any kind, maybe lemon for instance. Or perhaps your next cabernet sauvignon from the new world, see if you notice plummy, overripe fruits on the nose before you sip. Take a long slow sniff in order to really take in all the nuances. Do it too fast and you won’t get anything.

If you have any questions please feel free to drop by Wild thyme flowers as I am there every day. We are located at 1112 Queen Street East. Please also watch for our changes at the shop, one that will include all things to do with wine. I look forward to hearing from you.