Weather can be an important and significant factor in selecting wine. While warm weather and cool climate grapes go hand in hand, cooler climes beg for deep, rich and more structured varieties. Try these five.
1/ Maison Rivieres Fils Château Clos des Menuts Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France
Located west of Saint-Emilion, the rich clay-limestone soil gives the perfect conditions to create a classic Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. The deep ruby colour echoes the aromatic fruit and black currant with vanilla nuance with rounded tannins and a touch of oak.
2/ Le Vieux Pin Petit Blanc Okanagan Valley, B.C., Canada
Easily quaffable, friendly with a range of food from fruit plates to fish to brunch, this blend of sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, and unoaked chardonnay is rounded out with aromatic muscat, marsanne and rousanne. On the nose, exotic fruit and citrus. Hints of stonefruit linger in the mouth, with bright, zingy gooseberry to keep it fresh and lively. levieuxpin.ca
3/ Domaine Lafage Centenaire Cotes du Roussillon, France
The irresistible combination of 80% grenache blanc with 20% rousanne in this medium bodied white, combines stone fruit, perfumed citrus with a touch of salinity, yielding a crisp yet bold sipper. The 100 year old vines lay on gravel clay soil, near the Mediterranean coast and grapes are harvested in two stages. First, when the fruit is nearly ripe with high acidity and a second when the grapes are fully ripened to maintain the fruit characteristics.
4/ Campo Viejo Reserva Rioja, Spain
The popular Rioja Reserva, blended with tempranillo, graciano and mazuelo grapes is aged for four years giving it elegance through soft tannins with a lingering finish on the palate for a mid weight wine. Fruit forward with cherry and black plum, tempered by well integrated oak that hints at clove, vanilla and coconut allowing for a complex and rich experience. Spanish wine and food are a no brainer — or try with red meat, game and heady blue cheese.
5/ Chateau Liversan Bordeaux, France
Located along the Gironde river, the prestigious Pauillac region, mid-way between Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave, is known for its limestone soil and sloped hills; the ideal equation for high quality merlot, cabernet and petit verdot. The Cru Bourgeois with its inky purple is fragrant with deep plum, cherry and blackberry, giving way to bold yet soft tannins that will age beautifully in the next decade or more.
This original wines and spirits article first appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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