culture
Unwined: A Little Glass (or Two) of Spring
Unwined is your weekend guide to booze news and reviews you can use.
The crummy, chilly weather we’ve been experiencing doesn’t mean we can’t put some spring in our glass. Unwined presents a few budget-friendly wines that are extremely versatile to pair with whatever you plan on eating this weekend.
2013 Cave Spring Estate Bottled Chardonnay Musqué
Vintages 246579, $15.95. ***1/2+
What does spring in a glass smell like? Don’t be fooled, this may say Chardonnay on the bottle but it isn’t your ordinary Chard. Musqué is a cousin to regular Chardonnay leaving you with a wine that has a lot of what you would normally expect in the glass: citrus flavours, and yellow apple with a bright clean finish. What is unique about Musqué is its floral aroma, which makes it perfect a perfect match for sushi or just for sipping on its own.
2012 Vineland Elevation St. Urban Vineyard Riesling
Vintages 38117, $19.95. ****1/2
This wine is as close to perfect as you might find in the Vintages section, whether you’re a wine noob or a hardened snob. Anyone with questions about whether a top notch bottle of wine needs to cost a lot of money should look no further: this very fine wine is under $20 a bottle. Plus, its graceful aging properties makes this a great bottle to stock up on. In fact, a person could easily hang onto one of these bottles for 20 years if they had the patience. But let’s face it: why wait? Unlike a fine Bordeaux from the glass case at the back of the store, there is nothing wrong with enjoying this wine immediately. It’s off-dry but balanced with great palate cleansing acidity. Flavours of apples, peach and a nice mineral note on the finish help round out this lovely wine.
2014 Featherstone Rosé
Vintages 117861, $14.95. ***1/2+
We are not ashamed to admit that we drink copious amounts of rosé year-round. This is because rosé is the swiss army knife of the wine world – you can pair it with everything! The nose on this particular wine has a great savoury edge of bell pepper, with flavours of strawberry and rhubarb that add just a touch of sugar on the finish. Rosé rookies need not worry about this wine resembling the “blush zinfandel” they may have experienced in the past. Featherstone can be enjoyed on its own or as a perfect match to grilled meats of any sort, whether in the form of a chicken burger, veggie kebab or steak.
2014 Tawse Sketches of Niagara Rosé
Vintages 172643, $15.95. ***1/2+
If wines with a savoury edge aren’t up your alley this is the rosé for you. Essentially Strawberry jam in a glass, this wine has its sugary finish in common with the Featherstone Rosé but is perfectly balanced with bright, crisp acidity. The fruit flavours in this wine make a great match for pizza – hopefully to be enjoyed on a warm patio in celebration of spring.