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September 25 2009 
 WineDiva.ca & WineScores.ca
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Fall has officially arrived, and although I feel that brrrrrr... in the morning air, the sun still brightly shines.
I have just returned from the Catalunya region of Spain and visits to the land of Cava and Penedes as well as Priorat - liberally sprinkled (of course) with plenty of tapas to wash down all that wine.
Details on that trip will be coming this fall.

Try to get your paws on a copy of Vines Magazine September/October issue, on stands now, for plenty of wine reviews and my take on the "Cult of the Celebrity Vintner" and "Cool DownUnder" and if you are at a BC LIquor Store grab the Fall Taste Magazine and decide if Cabernet will take it's place as "King" again in, "Cabernet DownUnder" as well as some great international wine pieces from fellow wine scribes.

And for wine lovers, there are plenty of events, visiting winemakers and tastings on the calendar (honestly far too many for a gal to partake in) including:
Wines of Chile at the Sutton Place $89 click here for details and tickets
Wines of Argentina October 1 at Sutton Place Hotel more info here

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter - TheWineDiva for updates on events, travels, tasting notes and a few cheeky subtitles...

Cheers,
Daenna

 Adelaide Hills, South Australia
 

Shaw+Smith Pinot AH Adelaide Hills is more than a beautiful day trip or weekend lunching spot for Adelaidesiders. It's also a fantastic place to find good bottles of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and bubbly.
Traveling west, away from the ocean you weave up and away from the seaside plain of Adelaide City into the verdant geography and quaint towns within the Mt. Lofty ranges. Here, the prominent Mt.Lofty peak reaches for the sky shadowing the Piccadilly Valley. There are two subregions within the Adelaide Hills, Lenswood and the Piccadilly Valley and although the region is considered cool-climate, like Clare Valley (and most other wine regions in the world), there are micro and meso-climates which can produce elegant Cabernet Sauvignons and Shirazes...


photo: Pinot Noir at Shaw + Smith


Read more about Adelaide Hills... 


 That's Italian!
 I Perazzi La Mozza Morellino di Scansano DOC, Tuscany Italy, 2006

La Mozza


From the Grossetto region in the Maremma (by the sea) of Tuscany, this warm, ripe red provides gobs of sweet ripe cherry and chocolate, crushed flowers and undertones of woodsy notes and tobacco. It's full and supple on the palate with flavours of spiced cherries, leather, cigarbox and coffee and a long spicy finish.
This wine hails from one of the properties owned by celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich, her son Joseph and Mario Batali.

$24.99


Loads of new wine reviews here... 


 Salute!
 Masi Campofiorin Rosso del Veronese, Veneto Italy, 2006

Masi Campofiorin This ripasso wine containing the classic Corvina grape from Masi is a tasty alternative to the slightly more costly Masi Amarone Della Valpolicella. Initial aromas present a potpourri of cedar chips and crushed flowers, mixed berry fruits and leather with undertones of espresso grounds and carob. The palate is rich, earthy and savoury with spiced plums and tobacco, coffee and peppery notes. Expect a very good balance of fruit, acidity and fine tannins.
Pair with winter stews or rich meat dishes.

$19.99


More sipping into fall reviews here... 


 New Kid in our Backyard?
 Mt. Lehman Riesling, Fraser Valley BC, 2008

Mt Lehmann Riesling



This winery, just outside of Abbotsford popped onto my radar at the start of September and popped onto my palate less than two weeks later. I was impressed not only at the quality of the white wines I tasted but that owner Vern Siemens has been growing his estate vines longer than many folks in the Okanagan.
The Riesling reminds me of the more austere German Rieslings I tasted there...aromas of green apples and peach blossoms, lemon drops and minerals. The palate provides similar lemon-lime and apple peel flavours with a kiss of honey. It is a fantastically clean and crisp Riesling with a hint of sweetness but wonderful mouth-watering acidity.
Bravo!

$25 winery


Plenty more Sipping into Fall reviews... 


 Cin Cin
 Carpineto "Dogajolo" Tuscany Italy, 2006

Dogajolo



A Super-Tuscan blend of Sangiovese with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Dogajolo (dog-a-yolo) is a fragrant combination of cedar chips, cherries and crushed floral aromas with sweet spices and undertones of green olives and wild herbs. The entry is smooth and flavours of cherry, leather and spice box cross your palate, the finish is very dry with powdery tannins.
Pair with hearty meat and tomato stews or Italian cold cuts.

$21.99


There's plenty more where this came from... 


 No laughing matter
 Laughing Stock Vineyards Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, BC 2008

Laughing stock Chard


Bright apple, citrus and mineral aromas upfront supported by appealing caramel, sweet spice and toasted, nutty notes. Well-integrated oak on the palate with plenty of acidity and a creamy texture. Expect flavours of white fruit, spiced butter and caramel with loads of citrus peel on the finish.
Well done!

$26


More Sipping into fall here... 


 Rock 'em sock 'em Aussie fruitbomb
 Cat Amognst the Pigeons 'Fat Cat', Barossa Australia, 2007

CATP fat cat


Another fantastic vintage for this fruit forward Barossa blend. Made from Shiraz with 30% Cabernet Sauvignon it smells of blackberry jam and sun-warmed blueberries, sweet vanilla and mint chocolate patties with espresso and cigarbox. The palate is opulent, oozing juicy purple berries, bittersweet chocolate and leather with fine, peppery spices. Ripe tannins on the finish with flavours of roasted coffee beans lingering.
Delicious, and $5 less than last vintage!

$19.99


More where this came from... 


 Retail/Agents Partners Program
 New menu feature - Affiliated Retailers

RPP where to buy bottle 300h

By partnering with WineDiva.ca and WineScores.ca readers will know where to find the wines they read about on my websites. Are you in British Columbia, Alberta...?
Readers and wine lovers will be able to simply click the link on each individual review for the closest store to them.
Agents can sign up individual stores to support a product and wine stores can list all my reviewed wines (on both sites)...and more! Your store name will appear each time that wine is searched and each time it appears in a newsletter page or in my "sure bets - food and wine pairing".
With 650,000 hits per month on my combined sites - a lot of people are looking for where to buy wine!


Check it out! Under Agents and Retailers on my left hand menu (WineDiva.ca & WineScores.ca) is "Affiliated Retailers" private wine stores and cellar doors and all over BC are listed - is your name on that list?
If you are interested in having your store name and location attached to my reviews email us at: marketing@winediva.ca


read more here... 


 Argentine value
 Finca Flichman Malbec Oak Aged, Mendoza Argentina, 2008

Finca Flichman malbec oak


A substantial Malbec that is inky hued with aromas of black fruits, smoke, spiced meat. loads of pepper and a hint of wild herbs. Supple on the palate with a solid core of dark fruit and savoury flavours, nice balanced acidity and good structure. The finish is smooth with plenty of oak spice flavours lingering.
Very good value!

$11.99


More wine reviews from BC, France, Spain... 


 The Tasting Room
 

TDM and DVM 300h

"...The Tasting Room is the radio version of an audio blend, a Meritage for the soul."
Terry David Mulligan and his guests discuss food, wine, viticulture...

Listen across Canada each Saturday to hear Wine Diva's weekly wine reviews.

The Tasting Room - is on Saturday...
10am - noon am 1150 in the Okanagan or listen on www.thetastingroomradio.com
and now...
Vancouver 5-7pm on "The Buzz" am 1410 (formerly CFUN)
and Sundays in Toronto at 7:30 am on the "Best of the Best" am 740
Saturdays in Edmonton on the "TEAM" am 1260


Listen for Wine Diva's weekly reviews...


Link to The Tasting Room Radio... 


 "My Favourite Wines"
 A super-cool new Facebook application

facebook button




We have built a new application for all you Facebook users, suitably called called "My Favourite Wines".

And it's so easy to use.
Each one of my wine reviews (on WineDiva.ca and WineScores.ca) has a Facebook button attached. Every time you see a wine you like it, click on the Facebook button (like the one above) and it will lead you through to a Facebook sign-in page. Sign in as you usually would and follow the prompts. You can post that wine (along with its bottle shot) to your wall, write your own review, tell your friends, and build your own cellar page with all of your "My Favourite Wines".
Now, when your friends come over they can simply look at your "My Favourite Wines" page and know what wine to bring!
Give it a try!


Try it yourself here... 


Coming next: Yarra Valley.

Don't forget to visit winescores.ca and winediva.ca for new wine reviews every day!
And follow me on Twitter - @TheWineDiva

Pink and Cheeky...

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