I Greppi « Godello

PHOTO: LAURENT FIEVET/AFP/GETTYIMAGES

They are white-collar students of a history and culture bound by their sectarian world. They are modern, hip, expatriate citizens of their diaspora. They toil in brick lofts, go to lunch, work out and dine. Here in Canada they can play hockey without a puck. They are the twenty-somethings, bottles of wine voiced of a specific roundelay. They dwell in an important niche, to serve the upwardly mobile, the progressive, the blue.

In need a good bottle of wine to bring to dinner? From Quebec to Alberta, from Ontario to British Columbia, here is a list of twenty-somethings certain to act as a gambit for your most discriminating host.

The grape: Garnacha

The history: The Cooperative of Borja was founded in 1958 but winemaking here dates back to 1203 with the monks at the Monastery of Veruela

The lowdown: The Spanish (Zaragoza) equivalent to Piedmont’s Produttori del Barbaresco. Grapes come from 620 member growers covering 2,500 hectares

The food match: Chicken, Pork and Pistachio Terrine

Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2010 (273748, $19.95, B.C. $27.99, SAQ $22.15) has more wood, char and toast than a forest fire but the wild boar and ciervo roasting on that fire is intoxicating. Black licorice and Herbero cause insentience in the mouth, not so typical for juicy Spanish Garnacha. Mineral-driven and dark, Parkerish even. 89 @AuthenticWine

The grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

The history: From a Chilean Sparkling wine outfit dating back to 1879

The lowdown: A big oak red out of the Maipo Valley

The food match: Spaghetti with Beef and Veal Meatballs, preserved roma tomato sauce

Valdivieso Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (312769, $19.95, $27.96 Alta.) engages straight out with a purple allure and a waft of lit cedar. Violaceous perfume, herbal without being balmy, dusted by spicy wood while shying away from mocha and chocolate. Excellent redolent berry persistence, pretty yet strong. 89 @ValdiviesoChile

The grapes: Carinena, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah

The history: Ultra-modern Priorat, from the team of vine grower Juan José (Jou) Escoda and winemaker Toni Coca

The lowdown: 21st century blending of indigenous and international varietals grown out of stony soils, poor in organic material and helped little by rainfall

The food match: Braised Chicken Thighs, caramelized onion, plum tomato, brisket-sherry gravy

Planets De Prior Pons 2008 (314559, $22.95) carries a dolor quarry of licorella, the black slate and quartz of Priorat so present in avant-garde yet rustic wines like the Pons. Most ruby-red, embattled by Spanish garriga, a kiss of the salty sea and mountain air. Peppery, red licorice balanced on an eave of canted length. 91 @clickvinus

The grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc

The history: From Fattoria Vitticio (Greve in Chianti), owned and managed by Alessandro Landini

The lowdown: Joint venture with the Cancellieri-Scaramuzzi family in Bolgheri”s Castagneto Carducci

The food match: Prosciutto and Bresaola, beemster, crostini

I Greppi Greppicante Bolgheri 2009 (170381, $23.95, SAQ $23.60) spoons out Bolgheri typicality with dry espresso bean sharpness, Tuscan coast silicon and a bit of funk. All this and a very respectable 13% abv. The minerals never cease their whorl and I wonder how this can possibly linger for months on LCBO shelves. So very Italian this Greppicante. “I have your blood inside my heart.” 90

The grape: Pinot Noir

The history: From British Columbia’s Similkameen Valley, a unique appellation proximate to but not to be confused as being a part of the Okanagan Valley

The lowdown: This terrific ’08 will be followed up by the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in British Columbia Wines 2009 winner

The food match: Homemade Ricotta, toasted bread, extra virgin olive oil

Eau Vivre Pinot Noir 2008 (308353, $24.95, $19.00 B.C.) is blessed with a lightness of being, a Ruby Port, redden voile sheen and a firm anatomy. Cranberry and pomegranate meet a Marlborough, cloisonné, mineral veneer. This is a Pinot lover’s Pinot, specific, cerebral, incomplete in its forgiveness. 88 @EauVivre

Good to go!

Grilled Cheese, Bacon, Heirloom Tomato and Feta

as seen on canada.com

The Austrian-born Kurt Gödel arguably came out with the two most important mathematical theories of the 20th century. We share a surname, but the comparisons end right there. I’ve no intention of acting out a Julie and Julia here but I will offer up some reviews that aim to illustrate Mr. Gödel’s P=NP theory and its connection to wine.

Gödel’s proof of his 1929 completeness theorem may be his lasting legacy, including serving as a basis for Calculus taught in higher learning institutions. He later wrote a legendary “lost letter” in 1956 to von Neumann that stated his famous incompleteness theorem, a proposal so complex and far-reaching that it too pertains to wine.

Einstein and Gödel, Photo by Oskar Morgenstern, Institute of Advanced Study Archives

Gödel’s theorem states that within any axiomatic mathematical system there are propositions that cannot be proved or disproved on the basis of the axioms within that system; thus, such a system cannot be simultaneously complete and consistent. To simplify, it says that a ‘system’ cannot be understood (or ‘described’) without the ‘rules’ of a ‘higher’ system. Apply this theory to fermented grape juice. Within a bottle of wine there are perceived aromas and tastes. Their presence cannot be proved or disproved. They exist in the eyes, nose, mouth and most importantly, the mind of the taster. Even the perception of colour is subject to debate. Add to that the issue of bottle variation and no critical or amateur rendering of a wine’s quality is complete and consistent. Any object (such as wine) being described is, by definition, a subset of the system in which the description is being offered.

It is true that the more you taste the probability of ability to determine the quality of a wine increases. But to be a successful critic, you have to bring life to the mainstream. Wine critics repeatedly refer to varietal correctness, to specific descriptors (licorice, cassis, graphite, generous, supple) and to terroir, that is, the land which makes the wine come to life.

Winemakers and critics make mistakes, they venture into cul-de-sacs, they hone their craft. The amateur wine drinker may intuit, but even experts sometimes forget, that modern wine with broad appeal can be considered great wine, that ideas that we now see as easy were once unknown. That is why I give all wine a chance, with an open mind. Here are some recent tasting notes:

La Ferme Du Mont La Truffière 2009 (234716 , $14.30) forgoes a typical and basic Côtes Du Rhône, Grenache Blanc easy manner in exchange for a swagger of acrid punch, pop and pomp. Viognier and Clairette add depth to semi-ripe pear skin and blossom. The ardor of lemon and grapefruit are short-lived. Blanched nuts take over to signal a let up at the finish. 85

Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (293043, $16.95) has the look of pale Sahara gold, “with the salt and musk of lovers’ rich perfume.” Lip-smacking tart green apple, grapefruit and the unmistakable blanched scent of lowland Marlborough green vegetable. A Jane Austen sensibility “beyond vulgar economy, ” the Stoneleigh is sprawling SB, an Abbey hospitable to all visitors. 86

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Chardonnay Adelaide Hills 2011 (270017, $14.95) specifies its arid but relatively cool locale by emoting stone fruit, citrus zest and tart verdigris over tropicana. A piquant, riverine expression cutting through russet meets loam terra firma. Versatile, if not ambitious and toasted oak is not its master. Lunch partner to grilled cheese, bacon, heirloom tomato and feta. 87

I Greppi Bolgheri Greppicante 2007 (170381, $23.95) clambers out of a primeval ooze milkshake composed of brewed coffee, currant syrup and smoked cedar chips. A Bordeaux-blend in Tuscan clothing, born of a French/Gallic avariciousness and living a life of Michelangelo terribilitta. Deep, brooding, mouth-filling, dangerous. Demands flesh. 88

Good to go!

Godello

a wine processor

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A wine list of twenty-somethings