Ciao Winebar and Côtes du Rhône-Villages, Rasteau Chapoutier 2007

"Ciao!" It is a versatile Italian salutation, meaning either "hi" or "bye", depending on the context.  But there is no confusion of meaning when you are referring to Yorkville's latest nightlife restaurant addition.  At Ciao Winebar (133 Yorkville Ave, Toronto) the language is unmistakably speaking of wine and great food.  This gem from Liberty Entertainment Group has friendly, unpretentious service and a chic 'new world meets old world' decor (with large amphorae vessels hanging from the ceiling).

The menu is affordable, rustic Italian, and delicious.  The large portions entice you to share with your friends, family, or date.  Try the grilled whole calamari ($13), perfectly cooked, tender in your mouth and never rubbery, was served with a generous portion of salad greens and spritz of lemon to help cleanse the palate.  The cappellini 'Puttanesca' (with tomato, capers, anchiovies, and olives; $12) was as wholesome as the pizza 'Diavola' (with spicy Calabrese salami, mozzarella and roasted red peppers; $14).  The ingredients were very fresh, the crust was thin, slightly crisp, and tasted like the wood-fired Neopolitan pizzas back in Italy. 

The wine list can be a bit daunting for someone that is new to ordering bottles in restaurants.  There are over 200 bottles to choose, with representatives from the big three (Spain, Italy, and France, and grouped by region) as well as Canada, USA, Australia, and New Zealand.  About half of them have a 'premium' level of exclusivity, with their prices commanding in excess of $100.  However, there still are relative bargains to be had. 

The Côtes du Rhône-Villages from M. Chaptoutier ('Rasteau') 2007 ($45) is a great southern French wine with Grenache leading the blend.  Deep ruby in colour, this wine has a distinct, soft white pepper on the nose and palate with fine tannins that tingle the lips.  The pasta and pizza help to bring out the dark fruit character.  Even though the wine is a heavyweight in the alcohol department, (14% by vol), one really does not taste the burning 'heat' because the wine is beautifully balanced. 

The dessert menu beckons you to cap off a great meal (only this time, you may not even want to share!).  With delights ($6-8) like the giant bacio bombe (a scaled-up sized version of the Italian-inspired hazelnut filled chocolates with the romantic messages enclosed in the wrapping) and mini-sized Sicilian cannoli (with mascarpone cheese and candied orange filling) it is hard to say no. 

There are so many options to choose from on the food and wine menus, you can add variety to your gastronomic experience.  Feel free to ask the opinions of your server, as a nicely paried wine is a must for these meals, both to digest...and for pure pleasure, of course.

The bacio bombe (above, was exploding with chocolatey richness)

Cesari Amarone 2004

Cesari Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2004

Veneto region, Italy; 14% alc by vol; opened December 31, 2009

Cellared for approximately one year and decanted two hours before serving at room temperature.

Served with: homemade pizza (whole wheat crust, tomato/basil/garlic sauce, prosciutto, dried fig, arugula, feta cheese, cremini mushrooms, green pepper, sundried tomato).

Colour/visuals: Warm, deeply opaque red with a hint of brick and plenty fine legs continuously run down the glass.

Nose: The leather is immediately noticed and followed by cigar box, a characteristic raisin, and a hint of pleasing moss.

Taste: Great mid palate sensation, dry, full bodied in weight.  The leather continues along with black cherry.

Finish: Lasts for one minute and longer. Firm acidity is in balance with the alcohol and it never felt ‘hot’.  The black cherry and the earth notes linger through.

This wonderfully complex wine was a joy to drink.  It will clearly improve into 2012.  Importantly, it is fully capable of pairing and complementing the variety of ingredients served.

Goats do Roam 2007

Goats do Roam red 2007 from Fairview Wine Estate, Paarl wine district, South Africa

Served with: Turkey dinner, sweet and white potatoes, stuffing with cranberries, grean beans, and gravy

Colour and visuals: Intense deep dark red to burgundy, multiple fast-running thin legs

Nose: Evergreens and cedar, spice, white pepper

Taste: Plush with dark fruit, mixed berry jam, blueberry

Palate: Perceptive sweetness that developed intensity after every taste, medium to heavy in weight, just a hint of fine tannin, no perceptive hard- or mid-palate mouthfeel

Finish: Woody, tart (a tad too much), a little hot from the alcohol (14% by volume) which seemed unbalanced, jamminess lasts for 30 seconds

Overall impression: Approachable.  Benefitted greatly when paired with all the food.  Better to serve slightly more chilled to dampen the alcoholic nature.  The jaminess is a positive quality.  Although the composition of the blend resembles southern Rhône style (40% shiraz, 18% pinotage, 17% cinsault, with carignan, mourvèdre, and gamay noir to add complexity), this wine is more characteristic of an Australian shiraz that is fruit forward, rather than a Rhône style syrah blend which is spicy and earthy. 

Choosing the right wine for you: White wines

What I like most about making white wine is how you have so many options when it come to creating your own styles. Have a look at these and dare to compare!

Bold, buttery, and cooked fruit (serve slightly chilled 15°C/59°F)

Chardonnay (California and Australia) — Probably the most recognized grape. Just look for the ones aged in oak or are ‘barrel fermented’. You’ll notice the cooked peach, pear, and apple.




Tart or fresh citrus character (these wines are palate cleansers and are best for cutting the fat in a meal, even when fried, making the first bite taste as good as the next; serve chilled, around 8-12°C/46-53°F)

Riesling (Germany and Ontario) — The King of the white grapes. I’ve had Rieslings that are very pinapple, or lemon, and even smell floral. My choice for pairing with fish and chips. German rieslings are typically lower in alcohol (under 10% by volume) and are sweeter. Ontario rieslings are generally off-dry and are (11-12% alc/vol).

Unoaked Chardonnay (Ontario; Chablis, France) — Many may notice how much Chardonnay has a crisp green apple character when not kept in oak. The Chablis region of Burgundy, in France, has a soil rich in limestone. Thus, the wine from here has a wonderful minerally property.

Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) — Enjoy the fresh cut grassiness and herbaceousness of this spectacular white wine. It’s crispy acidity is great for a pre-dinner apertif.

Pinot Grigio (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy) — This northeastern Italian province makes a very fragrant white that is similar in nature to Sauvignon Blanc. However, from talking to my colleagues and friends at wine seminars, I gather that Pinot Grigio is more approachable because it is more balanced, being less ‘grassy’ in scent.

Interested in red wine, too? Have a look at my page on reds.
http://kevindonato.blogspot.com/2009/12/choosing-right-wine-for-you-red-wines.html

Choosing the right wine for you: Red wines

Bold Reds (serious reds, for full flavoured dinners and cheezes, red meat; best served just below room temperature and benefit from ‘breathing’ from being poured into a decanter)
Enjoy their earthiness, cedar, subtle tobacco


Barolo (Piedmonte, Italy) — Made from the Nebbiolo variety.


Amarone (Veneto, Italy) — A powerful form of Valpolicella which is made from partially dried grapes to concentrate the flavours; they have a level of residual sweetness.


Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile) — Chile’s most planted grape. It’s a great all-rounder with a balance of earthy and fruit. Some fantastic deals to be had in store.

Can range from the earthy to the deep fruity
Bordeaux (France) — Varied from the Cabernet-dominated to the Merlot dominated. I find

the Merlot offerings to be more plush with dark fruits like plum, black cherry, and currant.

Compare these two for fun! Pretty much the same sort of grape, but the difference in climate and winemaking practices make a huge difference.


Shiraz (Southern Australia) — The Aussies love to make blockbuster Shiraz that is very fruit forward to the point of being ‘jammy’. You’ll appreciate the residual sweetness.


Syrah (Languedoc-Roussillon, France) — These Southern French offerings (and usually blends with other grapes such including Grenache and Carignan) are a bargain! They will be more ‘peppery’ rather than fruity, and drier rather than sweet.




Medium and Lighter Reds (Very versatile, range from the easy-sipping type, to the complex; serve these slightly cooler than heavier reds to appreciate their subtleties, around 15°C/59°F)


Beaujolais (Burgundy, France) — Made from the Gamay grape. The lightest are ‘Beaujolais Nouveau’, and released every year on the third Thursday of November. Taking a mere two months from grapevine-to-bottle, they are so new you may even taste some slight effervesence left over from the recently finished fermentation! Beaujolais is actually a complex medium bodied red that can sometimes command very high prices – but can be worth your while.

Pinot Noir (Burgundy, France; British Columbia and Ontario, Canada) — Seen the movie Sideways? I totally resonate with the character played by Paul Giamatti that poured his heart out for this grape. I love its light earthiness. I especially love to break famous wine myths in my wine appreciation seminars, like that you can’t eat red wine with fish, and serve this with salmon or grilled tilapia. Pinot Noir is fantastic with mushroom dishes. Another country that is a still a lesser known rising star for this grape is Canada so check them out, too.


Zinfandel (California) — Bursting with dark ripe fruit. This is Californian flagship wine grape by far. It even comes as a great summer sipper as a blush Rosé which is of medium sweetness.

Interested in white wine, too? Have a look at my page on whites.
http://kevindonato.blogspot.com/2009/12/choosing-right-wine-for-you-white-wines.html

Choosing the right wine for you

Just when you thought you were ready to dive in and start making your own wine, or to just visit the local outlet to buy a few bottles, you are met with the daunting task of actually choosing from the plethora of available products. Correct, no two are created equal and since wine is virtually a living thing (more on this in later chapters), no two bottles will be exactly the same.

Piled up to the roof with names like Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc,Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay or Chablis, Gamay or Beaujolais, Shiraz or Syrah, Barolo or Bordeaux or Burgundy, you start feeling dizzy. What do they all mean? Even more important, which is for your taste?Below is a quick synopsis of grape and wine naming.Firstly, those wines that are of the "Old World" come from Europe, including France, Italy, and Spain. These countries name their wines after the region they were made, and most are made from combinations of grapes (although it is becoming more favourable from a marketing standpoint to label the bottles with the type of grape rather than the region – for approachability). For example, Bordeaux is a region in France that blends primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and a few more) together. Valpolicella is a varietal in Veneto, Italy and primarily uses three local varietals, namely Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara.

Most wines from the "New World" (North America and everywhere else) are named directly after the type of grape used.

September 2009, Caroline Cellars, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Enjoying a nice glass of their Cabernet Sauvignon, and a cheese assortment, on the sunlight patio.

Below is a short take on some wines to match with "mood and food” and a few regions I’ve had particularly good experiences with. Being so early in this blog, I’m going to merely skim from the top of all there is to offer. The bottom line: To develop a sense of what you like, you have to really dive in and try wines you’ve never had before, with food and without. Take notes! When you find a nice bottle, keep a note or keep the bottle so you will remember what to get next time.

See red wines

http://kevindonato.blogspot.com/2009/12/choosing-right-wine-for-you-red-wines.html

See white wines

http://kevindonato.blogspot.com/2009/12/choosing-right-wine-for-you-white-wines.html

-- Happy adventures