2006 summer picks

Summer has been nice but wet here in Western Canada. Not just wet because of the weather but also because we have managed to sample 18 whites and 3 reds. France once again dominates our sampling with 9, then Australia with 4, 2 for the US, New Zealand and Chile followed by a single bottle from both Germany and Italy.

"Somewhere near the cool shadows of the laundry room. Past the litter box and between the plastic yard toys. This is your time. Time to enjoy a moment to yourself. A moment without the madness. The dishes can wait. Dinner be damned. Mad Housewife Wine."

In Spring I promised to search out some good Aussie wines and I am glad to say one has made my list. Here are the top 5 for summer.

1. La Rouviere, Chateau de Lancyre, Coteau de Languedoc, 2004 - Languedoc, France (18/20)$20
"dry, beautiful, aromatic, understated, lemon tones"

2. Bogle, Merlot 2003 - California, US (16/20) $25
"plum, blackcurrant, soft and flavoursome"

3. Mount Langhi Ghiran, Riesling 2004 - Australia (16/20) $19
"nice dry, citrus on the nose, clear white colour, lemon and lime, strong minerality" (for a full review read here)

4. Collalto, Prosecco Di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene - Suseganna, Italy (16/20) $25
"just the way I like my sparking wine, not too dry"

5. Pfaffenheim, Gewurtztraminer, Vin D'Alsace, 2004 - Alsace, France (16/20)$15
"sweet but not sticky, a great sweet wine"

I expect the fall will see us return to trying more reds and I intend to continue looking for good wines from outside Europe. Keep an eye out for a post on how I rate the wines from different countries.

For more information ...
La Rouviere
Bogle Merlot
Mount Langhi Ghiran(poor site)
Collato
Pfaffenheim (good site and in French)
mad housewife