grapes glass
November 26, 2009 
 WineDiva.ca & WineScores.ca
 Bi-weekly newsletter


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Can you believe November is almost over? That means parties are in full swing and shopping days are fewer before the holidays set in. I have started delving into the big reds as part of my annual Top 50 - $20-$50 wines. These are the gift bottles you may want to drop in someones stocking.
Watch for that newsletter in early December followed by a special 'bubbly' blast!

I also want to thank all you loyal followers, its been a busy couple years that has translated in WineDiva.ca being the Google ranked #1 Wine Reviews website in Canada!

If you are looking for party wines (or just everyday drinking wines) remember to check out my annual TOP 100 Best Buy Wines! These are wines I have reviewed on WineDiva & WineScores between November 11, 2008 & November 11, 2009.
They are wines under $20 and have scored 89+ points on my sister site WineScores.ca.
These are wines from around the world...red, white and bubble which stand out in the category of quality and price.

Pick up a copy of Vines Magazine December~January issue. And find out what I really think about Cava in Cava Confidential, on stands now.

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

Cheers,
Daenna

 Best Tastings - Fall 2009
 

Glasses red white wine



Fall is busy in this city we call Vanhattan. Part of that reason is that it's the perfect time for wine producers and vintners from the Southern Hemisphere to visit as they are just coming out of their winter season and vines are still in their early stages.
But it's not just those from down below the equator who left an impression on my palate...




Read about: Chile's iconic Vina Errazuriz
Peter Lehmann 20 year Stonewell Shiraz vertical
Rodney Strong & Davis Bynum of Sonoma
Napa Valley's historic Ehlers Estate
Some great drops from the Côtes du Rhône and a steal from Montepulciano's Terralsole...


read it all here... 


 Laughing Stock 'Portfolio' Okanagan Valley BC, 2007
 

LFNG Portfolio



This premium BC Meritage blends 56% Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Laughing Stock has done a fantastic job marketing their wines, making them stand out on those crowded shelves. But if the juice was not good, they wouldn't have the following they do.
The 2007 Portfolio is concentrated - rich plummy, berry aromas, chocolate mint patties and spice cake notes. The palate is supple yet juicy it shows impressive density and gobs of warm berry compote, vanilla, cocoa and spice. The finish is smooth and lengthy.
Well done!

$40


Read this new review and more... 


 Top 100 Best Buys 2009
 

Top 100 WD











What are the Top 100 wines of 2009?
These are best buy wines - great value for the price. They are wines I have had the opportunity to review on WineDiva.ca & WineScores.ca over the past year. They have scored a numerical rating of at least 89/100 points on WineScores.ca.
This is the second year I have released a Top 100-Best Buys, the response last year was fantastic.
By releasing my Top 100-Best Buys of the year in November it has the added benefit of making your holiday shopping easier. Parties and family get-togethers require good bottles at reasonable prices. It's expensive enough at this time of year, and your time is limited so this is my gift to you...
Enjoy!
I know you'll find more than a few gems in this list!

Remember!
By accessing the WineDiva Tool Bar on each review you can:
*Send that individual review to a friend (as a hint...)
*You can find more wines from that particular winery/producer
*You can find similar wines (based on aromatic and flavour profile)
*But you can also score that wine out of 5 stars, and
*You can post that wine to your personal FaceBook page and create your own private cellar for friends to see...


See all 100 wines here... 


 Burrowing Owl Estate Syrah, Okanagan Valley BC, 2007
 

BOV Syrah



An impressively complex wine that shows what BC can do with Syrah in the right location.
Blackberries and plums with plenty of chocolate, cedar and spice, a hint of graphite, espresso and savoury undertones of garrigue and smoked meat. Those savoury aromas reappear on the palate - it's a gutsy wine, chewy, meaty and concentrated with great acidity and flavours of char grill, mocha and fine white pepper with ground coffee and spice flavours lingering on the finish.

$38+


More new reviews on WineScores.ca... 


 Yabby Lake Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria Australia, 2006
 

Yabby Lake PN



This classy Pinot Noir hails from the cooler-climate wine region of Mornington in the southern portion of the state of Victoria in South Eastern Australia.
Typical red cherry and red berry fruit aromas, saddle leather and beetroot, cigarbox and faint spice with undertones of forest floor and composty/mushroom notes. It's a bright wine with juicy red fruit flavours, woodsy/savoury tones and cedar with fine spice - clove flavours cling to the finish. It's decidedly earthy/forest floorish and wonderfully funky at the same time. Nice elegance and soft, powdery tannins linger.
You can drink now, but as a cellar gift it will still be drinking nicely in the next few years.

$51+


More new reviews here... 


 WinoScope
 Sagittarius

Sagittarius girl

Sagittarius is the archer.
Sagittarians are known to be optimistic and good-humoured, honest, philosophical and straight forward...
They can also be superficial, careless, tactless and irresponsible.
Their planet is Jupiter and their colour is deep purple. The centaur (half man half horse) is your animal...
*note centaurs are known for their love of the drink...


If Sagittarius was a wine she would be... 


 Pacific Breeze 'Killer Cab', 2006
 

Pacific Breeze Killer Cab


Pacific Breeze Winery, located in New Westminister has deftly handled the "Cellared in Canada" debacle by naming the vineyard in which their grapes come from right on the label. Or, in the case of this new "Killer Cab" the label clearly states; "Produced and cellared in New Westminister BC from USA grapes". Simple, honest and effective.
The wine itself has gobs of briary berry aromas, chocolate nougat, sweet vanilla and hints of coconut. Its super easy drinking but still has some complexity - jammy fruit, liberal chocolate, espresso and spice. Nicely balanced with soft tannins and good acidity.

$23+


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... 


 Painted Rock Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley BC, 2007
 

Painted Rock Cab


One of BC's newest wineries, the Painted Rock Estate Winery has launched with an impressive portfolio and a nod as the best new winery at the 2009 Okanagan Fall Wine Festival wine competition.
The Cabernet has a complex bouquet of smoke, savoury herbs and leathery notes with fresh raspberry and blackcurrent aromas and plush chocolate. It's medium to full-bodied with a smooth texture, flavours of coffee, smoked spices, wild berries and meaty tones with tobacco and some toasted oak flavours and powdery tannins lingering on the finish. Not a bruiser of a Cabernet, leaning more toward refined.

$40


More big reds here... 


 Line Shack Cabernet Sauvignon, San Antonio Valley California, 2006
 

Lineshack Cabernet


This appealing Cab was recently chosen as a by-the-glass pour at our Western Fairmont Hotels.
Layers of dense chocolate, creamy dark berries, leather and sweet plummy and vanilla aromas with a core of smoke and rich dark earth. Expect very pleasing flavours of smooth berry liqueur, chocolate, tobacco and warm spice. It's supple and concentrated with good structure and balance. Flavours of mocha linger on the palate, carried along on a wave of smooth, ripe tannins.

$25+


More new reviews here... 


 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 Kelowna on am 1450 in Summerland & Penticton or listen on www.thetastingroomradio.com
and now...


Listen for Wine Diva's weekly reviews...

This Saturday, November 14th, I talk about my recent trip to Argentina.


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: LOTS More!
WineDiva's annual TOP 50 - $20-$50 and of course BUBBLES!
Plus Spain, Argentina and more...

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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