Luca Malbec, 2008. Mendoza, Argentina

Me and my buddy Jared were over at the Prohibition Gastropub on Queen St. East - a place best known for grafting duck confit onto Quebecois-style poutine - when I asked him what would come to mind if I shouted 'Malbec!'

     "Argentina"

     "What else?"

     "Big."

     "Big how?" 

     "Big fruit."

I forgave Jared his blunt answer and the possible innuendo associated with that 'big fruit' comment. There was duck confit poutine involved. It tends to narrow the visual focus to a circumference about the size of a poutine ramekim and atrophy the vocabulary. [...]

Domaine Zumbaum Tomasi, Clos Maginiai, 2007, Couteaux du Languedoc

The wine I've pulled from the closet tonight is from Languedoc. If you haven't tried anything from this part of France, I suggest you do. I get a little excited when I hear the word couteaux. Midi is an outstanding region. It's located in the southwest of France on the Mediterranean coast pressed up into the Catalan border and includes tremendous value appellations like Costieres de Nimes, Minervois, Cotes de Roussillon, Corbieres and finally Couteaux du Languedoc, where Domaine Zumbaum Tomasi is located.[...]

Le Clos Jordanne, Claystone Terrace, 2006, VQA Ontario

I'm from Ontario, so we'll start with a wine from Le Clos Jordanne, a winery making international noise for its French-style Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. If you're not from Ontario and want to know what the wine scene here is like, think Northern France and choose varietals that grow there. Pinot Noir. Chardonnay. Cabernet Franc. Riesling. Sauvingnon Blanc. Sparkling wines do well. Le Clos Jordanne has won some blind-tastings, going head to head with major Burgundy houses. It's a pretty big deal. The wine I had in my closet was from the Claystone Terrace vineyard. It isn't their top wine, but it isn't their basic Village either. Single estate level, I guess. It ran me about $40 a couple of years ago. [...]