\nEach year the Wine Writers Circle of Canada gets together for their annual holiday dinner. Granted it’s usually after the holidays, but it’s still considered our Christmas\/Holiday Dinner.<\/p>\n
Now at a wine writers dinner what more important: the food, the wine or the combination of both. Well that’s a personal choice. I’m always intrigued by what the writers bring out in public and what statement they are trying to make, if any. Fot the record I brought a bottle of Southbrook 1999 Triomphe Merlot<\/span><\/a> … it took a while to open up, but when it did it turned out to be a nice wine. My tablemate brought two wines, a badly corked Spanish wine and a delicious Marsala (Italian Port-style wine) for dessert<\/span><\/a> (which I subsequently went out and bought a few bottles of the next day). Past President Sheila, hearing of our table’s dilemma, rescued our dry palates by parading over a bottle of Dados 2007 Reserva, a plumy, fruity, spicy red form Portugal. Speaking of spicy, another writer brought over a small tasting of a California 2005 Syrah from Bernat in the Santa Inez Valley … this was a high alcohol monster, loaded with spice and pepper on the nose; the palate produced much of the same, loaded with spiced blackened fruit that exploded in the mouth – lovely.<\/p>\n Another bottle that was brought around was a magnum of Summerhill 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Okanagan Valley (BC). The bringer has a lovely story to tell about how she had come to acquire such a beautiful bottle of wine, and it was beautiful on the outside, alas what was inside was corked and not very palatable – no wonder she was parading and passing it around.<\/p>\n The Dinner …(to find out what was for dinner, click here<\/span><\/a>)\n<\/p>\n \n \n<\/p>\n