Wine Blogging Wednesday #15
November 2nd, 2005 | 
Author: This month’s edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday is being hosted by Gastronomie and what a challenge this was for me!
Find a wine of which only 250 cases are made, and better yet, from a winery that produces less than 1,000 cases in total.
Well, I found all that and more!
First, let me tell you about the wine:
It’s called Divine Gooseberry, which may seem like a bit of a corny name for a wine, but we’ll discuss how “divine” it is shortly. It is made by Scotch Block Country Winery in Halton Hills, Ontario, about a 4o minute drive from my home.
When the theme for this month’s WBW came up, I had thought it might be time for my first visit to Scotch Block. I headed down there last week, and when speaking with winemaker Fred Bulbeck, he laughed when I asked him whether any of his wines were made in quantities of less than 250 cases. He pointed to the small number of shelves in the shop, and exclaimed, “They’re ALL under 250 cases!”
In the end, I purchased three different wines. Fred advised me that the gooseberry wine went very well with spicy food. I have not made curry in a while, so I thought it would be the perfect wine to feature on WBW, along with spicy East Indian ginger and curry chicken dinner (yes, I can cook as well).
I poured the wine into our glasses, and was impressed with the colour – a sort of translucent golden or peachish colour with a watery rim (after writing this, I visited the Scotch Block website where they describe the colour as “deep almond with just a hint of copper.” I’m not sure about the “deep almond” part).
On the nose, there was really not much there – almost like the smell of a spritzer – tonic or mineral water and white wine. We really weren’t expecting very much as far as taste goes after that.
However! It was quite delightful. It has a bit of an effervescence on the tongue (although the wine is most definitely a still wine) which passes with enough “bite” on the tongue to create a lot of interest. What is this exactly? I’ve never tasted anything quite like it, but there was a nice hint of apple aftertaste.
But we weren’t done yet. Wine and curry… I’ve never really had a wine that seemed to compliment curry before so, let’s dig into our spicy curry chicken and rice. Another sip of “Divine Gooseberry,” and we both exclaimed, “Wow, is that ever good!” Indeed, the curry almost seemed to make the wine taste better.
There is also a hint of Chamblaise in this as well, but you know you are not drinking a grape wine. It’s quite a remarkable as well as unique taste, and I’m grateful to Gasteronomie for such a challenging theme this month that introduced me to this fruit wine. Now I plan on trying to make my own homemade gooseberry wine – it’s sure to be a favourite around here.
Details
Divine Gooseberry
Alcohol: 11.5%
Cost: $12.95 Canadian (a steal really).
If you enjoy curry, I’d highly recommend you try to find a gooseberry wine to go with it.
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I will be glad to trade. Let’s see if I get any feedback on a mass trading first. If nothing happpens, I will send you a bottle of the Kinkead. Are you in Canada or US? If Canada might be some customs/shipping problems.
jens at cincinnati wine garage
Jens.. excellent – let’s see what happens. I am in Canada – but surely if wineries are able to ship wines across the border, we should be able to as well. The only issue I can think of would be the excise men wanting their little piece. Unless your State also has any other laws regarding alcohol.
And if it turns out to be impossible, well… sometimes I head south, and go through Cincinatti, so I’ll just keep you in mind if I plan another trip south! I’ll just bring it across the border myself!
Of course, the wines of Chateau-neuf-du-Pape are unusual in that they are so heavily blended. French A.O.C. allows as many as 13 grape varieties to be used in this wonderfully rich wine. The primary varieties are usually Syrah and Grenache. Of course we know the Syrah grape these days better from it’s South African or Australian sources as Shiraz. Syrah, is one of the oldest grape varieties. In the Rubyat of Omar Khyam (excuse spelling) Kahlil Ghibran speaks of wines in ancient Persia. The vines that are found in the cradle of civilization are the Syrah grapes. The Romans conquered the ancient world, and they brought back from Persia the Syrah grape. This they carried with them to many other points in their empire, including the Rhone river valley. There, to this day, are some of the oldest vines of one of the oldest varieties in the history of wine making. My favourite varietal. The chewiest, Syrah. mmmmmmmm
…. I’ve never really had a wine that seemed to compliment curry before ….
I set up Wine for Spice to do just that. All my wines are cool refreshing and semi-sparkling. All the refreshing qualities of a beer in a quality wine without the gaseous overload.
regrads
Warren Edwardes
http://wineforspice.com
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment, Warren. Yes, if you have a chance to try some gooseberry wine with curry, I’d recommend it!
Took a quick look at your site – looks interesting! I’ll have a longer look when I have some time.
There is also a hint of Chamblaise in this as well, but you know you are not drinking a grape wine. It’s quite a remarkable as well as unique taste.
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