13 Jun A world tour of wine, Part 2

Do you walk into the Wine Rack and head straight for the same old labels? Are you lured by the featured selections, or do you go in looking for something exotic to impress your friends? Whatever kind of wine lover you are, you have to admit that while there’s nothing like that faithful cabernet, there’s also nothing like invigorating your palate with something new that works perfectly with your dinner menu.

The great news is that interesting vintages don’t have to stretch your budget, nor do you have to travel the globe to find them (though there’s probably no better place to enjoy a Soave Classico Superiore than in a gondola on the murky waters of a narrow Venetian canal). You can simply visit a reputable online wine retailer and sample vintages that add a little sparkle to bland weeknight fare. Here are some wines that you may not see featured at the LCBO, but are absolutely worth a try.

Australia

Arctic Fox Grand Cuvee, Fox Creek Wines, McLaren Vale: It’s well worth doing a little AUD/CAD conversion math to enjoy this refreshing, crisp white bubbly; it will remind you of the all-too-brief Canadian summer with its bouquet of citrus blossom and salad leaf with nectarine and white peach. Enjoy a glass with cold seafood salad or grilled fish on the Barbie, and feel transported down under.

Northern Europe

2015 Kaufmann Reisling, Hans Lang, Rheingau, Germany. So much for Northern Europe being too cold, wet and gloomy to support a vineyard. The Germans are good at everything, so it follows they would also be able to tease fruity, well balanced wines from cold, unforgiving terrain. This classic dry Riesling has pear, floral and mineral aromas and is ideal paired with fish, poultry and veal, yet hearty enough to stand up to pork, game meats and lamb.

South Africa

Blackwater Omerta Carignan, Publik Wines, Swartland, South Africa: Shhh, don’t tell anyone about this one; you’re better off taking an ‘oath of silence’ and keeping this wine to yourself. It’s fairly bursting with dark red berry fruit, with a rich, smooth taste that pairs perfectly with your favourite Italian food and meat dishes.

Scandinavia

Nordlund, Dansk VinCenter, Avedøre, Denmark: Because most wine grapes thrive in the warmer climate of the Mediterranean, it seems impossible that anyone could make wine in Denmark…but it’s not. Welcome to the new world of wine. Avedøre was one of the first vineyards to be established in Denmark more than fifteen years ago and primarily cultivates the Rondo grape to produce bold reds of high quality comparable to the best grown in other cold-climate areas.

Now that you have seen a tiny taste of what the world has to offer in terms of wines…does it inspire you to begin collecting in earnest? If your wine collection is starting to get too big for your home, that’s a nice problem to have. A Papro Wine Cellars Consultant would be more than happy to discuss storage options for you that will accommodate your current collection and leave room for many more world tours of wine.