About Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson:

Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson is the Free Press wine columnist.

• Chardonnay on a diet

  Lots of people tell me they flat-out won't drink California Chardonnay: it's too buttery, too fat, too oaky or too flabby. One thing I learned from my recent California trip is that this style of wine still exists, but that it's quickly going by the wayside. Sure, there are still a lot of unbalanced, creamy California Chardonnays out there, but most are produced in mass quantity from the massive Central Valley, where most of the state's cheaper, big-volume wines originate. But spend a few extra bucks and look for more specific regions on the label and you'll often find a California Chardonnay that brings fresh fruit and acidity with modest, balanced oak.

  View Full Column | 02/4/2012 1:00 AM | 0

• Wish you were here...

  HI, you've reached the wine column of Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson. I'm away from my column right now -- in fact, I'm in California right now, where my dry, cracked Winnipeg winter hands are undergoing therapy by visiting wineries in Napa and Sonoma. To continue, please select one of the following options:
  • To read a pile of reviews provided to tide you over until I get back, press one. I mean, read below.
  • To vent anger at my absence, clench your cold, cracked fists and smash them repeatedly into this page of the Free Press. (Note: do not attempt if reading the column online.)
  • To learn more about what I'm up to while away, visit www.winnipegfreepress.com, scroll down to the bottom where it says "Bloggers," and click on my name/face.

  View Full Column | 01/28/2012 1:00 AM | 0

• Taste the place

  In 2011 I tasted roughly 2,000 wines, and I can't see any reason why this year's tally will be much different. Some were tasted on their own, others over dinner, a couple of hundred were at wineries and hundreds of others were tasted blind (I didn't know who made them) in competitions. For me, one of the characteristics that helps a wine stand out from the rest is a sense of place. Wine types call it terroir -- a French word that strives to encompass soil, climate, geography and everything else about the land and the place that makes a wine taste the way it does.

  View Full Column | 01/14/2012 1:00 AM | 0

• Miles and miles of wine

  Last year was yet another humbling, incredible 12 months of learning about and tasting wine for me. I was lucky enough to travel a fair bit both within Canada and abroad, and in the process tasted roughly 2,000 wines. My top highlight of 2011 was spending two weeks visiting wineries throughout Australia, tasting wines that are available in our market as well as smaller-run or older gems. Spending a few days in Tasmania was a remarkable eye-opener in terms of just how good wines from the southern Aussie island can be. They're making world-class Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling and sparkling wine that's criminally underrepresented in Canada.

  View Full Column | 01/7/2012 1:00 AM | 0

• Tiny bubbles: Add some sparkle to your celebration with an effervescent wine

  Since I'm sure you all rushed out, last week's column in hand, to pick up wines for your holiday meal, this week we turn to one of the most wine-centric holidays out there -- New Year's Eve. Dec. 31 is all about the sparkling wine (including Champagne; more on that below), and with a little help you get the best bubbles without blowing your budget. The most important thing to know is that Champagne is usually only referred to as such when the product comes from the region of the same name in France. I say "usually" because there are still a couple of cheap, sweet, fizzy (and nasty) bubblies that aren't made in France that call themselves Champagne. Most producers with a conscience use the term "sparkling wine," not "Champagne." If you go into your local shop and ask for Champagne, you'll be shown the French stuff, and it starts at around $45 a pop. Save yourself and your favourite shop's staff some time and grief and decide whether you want sparkling wine or Champagne.

  View Full Column | 12/24/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Flatter your feast

  It's hard to believe that next Saturday is already Christmas Eve. I worked in retail at wine shops over the holidays for the better part of a decade, and I wouldn't wish the lineups on my worst enemy. So, dear readers, hit the shops soon -- beat the rush, and get the wines for your big holiday dinner ASAP. If you're making (or attending) a traditional-ish Christmas-type dinner, there are a number of wines out there that will work well with the big bird and all its accompaniments.

  View Full Column | 12/17/2011 8:23 AM | 0

• Friendly skies

  As a wine writer, I'm lucky to be able to travel a fair bit -- usually to destinations warmer and, arguably, more picturesque than Manitoba. But I haven't travelled (or sent someone on their way, picked someone up, etc.) since the new terminal at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport opened in late October. Beyond the generally beautiful interior, what intrigued me most about the new airport was the Airport Express Liquor Mart located on the arrivals level (not past security -- I parked, walked in and browsed). It's a 600-square-foot shop that carries 220 products, with a focus on Manitoba and Canadian products.

  View Full Column | 12/10/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Great wine of China?

  While we don't have much that's worth drinking on our shelves just yet, expect Chinese wine to get a lot of attention in the months and years to come. Many writers, critics and other wine folk who have visited their winemaking regions and/or tasted the wines coming out of China say that the country is poised to make a serious breakthrough in the global market. Take, for example, the recent win of the He Lan Qing Xue winery's 2009 Jia Bei Lan Cabernet blend at the 2011 Decanter World Wine Awards. In a competition that only gives out 25 awards to the best among the 12,000 entries, the winery's win in the Red Bordeaux Varietal Over £10 in the International category is pretty huge.

  View Full Column | 12/5/2011 3:18 AM | 0

• No wine? Just fine

  It pains me to say this, but it's true - not everybody likes wine. Some people have legit excuses - allergies, sulfite sensitivity, etc. -- while others simply don't have the refined palate to appreciate the magnificence of the fermented grape juice the rest of us have come to love. I kid, I kid -- but in reality, a bottle of wine might not be the right holiday gift for everyone. Sure, beer can be a fun gift, but if you had planned on spending $30 or so on someone, you either have to get them a 24-pack of cheap swill or a mountain of specialty beer.

  View Full Column | 11/26/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• The cure for what ails you

  It's been called the candy of meats: no matter how you slice it, there aren't many omnivores who don't enjoy a good slice of bacon (or two, or three) every once in a while. Enter Baconfest, an event cooked up by Hot 103's Ace Burpee and some local foodies via Twitter. Taking place Nov. 30 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the atrium of Richardson College at the University of Winnipeg, this event brings the sizzle when it comes to local chefs and eateries -- nearly a dozen have signed on, with local brewery Half Pints on board to provide libations. The idea is simple: chefs create delicious bacon-driven dishes for those in attendance to devour. There are no losers here, people.

  View Full Column | 11/19/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Nice work if you can get it

  Natalie MacLean has made a name for herself as one of Canada's best-known wine writers. Her first book, Red, White and Drunk All Over, was a decidedly no-nonsense affair that took readers around the world in a lighthearted attempt to shed light on the world of wine. Her new book, Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World's Best Bargain Wines, continues the journey, albeit with a focus on getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to buying wine. MacLean is on a promotional book tour right now, and will hit Winnipeg on Tuesday as part of her trek across Western Canada. 

  View Full Column | 11/12/2011 2:17 PM | 0

• Fortify yourself

  No matter how hard I try to resist it, cooler fall temperatures move my wine drinking habits away from whites and dry rosés and toward heavier reds. But what really gets my palate pumped in the fall and winter months is a nice glass of port. First, a primer: port is fortified wine made in the Douro Valley -- specifically in and around the city of Porto (or Oporto). Indigenous Portuguese grapes are grown and harvested in the same way as the grapes for most typical dry reds would be. However, a neutral grape spirit called aguardente is added -- this halts fermentation, meaning the wine stops converting sugar to alcohol, leaving more residual sugar in the wine. The aguardente boosts the alcohol content to around 20 per cent by volume.

  View Full Column | 11/5/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Bouquet of Benji

  Sniffing a couple of thousand wines per year has tuned up my nose so it knows when something doesn't smell quite right. While every wine smells slightly different, there are some constants you can pick up with some practice. Vanilla, pencil shavings and/or spice aromas are pretty good indicators that a wine has seen some time in oak barrels, for example. More importantly, I've developed the ability to detect a fault in a wine, and can often determine whether a bottle is faulty or it's just poorly made. If you smell a wine and something doesn't seem quite right, there's a chance it's flawed. Here are a few things to look for (or, as it were, smell for) when sticking your nose in a glass of wine.

  View Full Column | 10/29/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Can't argue with Dionysus

  The history of wine on this planet may not begin with Greece, but the country certainly played a key role in developing and spreading a culture of wine across much of the world. Grape seeds and empty skins unearthed in Greece suggest wine was being made there around 6,500 years ago. Greeks were instrumental in honing the winemaking process, both in the vineyard and in the winery, and were key transporters of wine and vines to most of the most important European nations producing wine today. So why is it, then, that Greek wines occupy such a small sliver of space on shelves at most shops? Why don't more of us drink Greek wines on a regular basis?

  View Full Column | 10/22/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Decisions, decisions

  It was a tense time in the Okanagan Valley when I was there a few weeks ago. Not because contest winners Ken and Hedy Pawluk and I weren't welcome -- quite the opposite -- but because the grape harvest was starting up. Winemakers are at their busiest in the fall, often having to drop what they're doing to bring in a certain grape variety that's suddenly ready to be picked.  

  View Full Column | 10/15/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Breaking down borders

  NOW that I’m back from my weekend in the Okanagan Valley with Taste of B.C. contest winners Ken and Hedy Pawluk, I’m kicking myself for not bringing back a few wines home in my suitcase. Yes, you can order wine online from many British Columbia and Ontario wineries, but it’s illegal to have it shipped from either province to Manitoba (or any other province, for that matter). For a time it looked as if Kelowna-Lake County Conservative MP Ron Cannan's motion in the House of Commons might have some traction. In introducing Motion 601 last December, Cannan hoped to allow for a personal exemption from the penalties of the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act, 1928 (IILA) when travelling to and from wine country. (Yes, while there have been a few amendments to the law, it was in fact written in 1928.)

  View Full Column | 10/8/2011 12:57 PM | 0

• Perfect scents

  If you only heed one piece of advice I ever give you, dear readers, let it be that you smell your wine. Before tasting/drinking it, give the wine a good swirl in the glass (provided it's not filled right to the rim), shove your nose in and inhale. Our sense of smell is so crucially linked to our ability to discern flavours in food, wine and more -- as we've all experienced when we lose the ability when we get stuffed up from a cold or allergies. While we have more than 10,000 taste buds in our mouths (mainly on the tongue), taste is actually the weakest/least sensitive of our five senses. Humans can typically discern five distinct flavours: bitter, salty, sweet, salty and umami (which can loosely be described as savoury). Our olfactory sense, meanwhile, can discern thousands of different smells, even when the chemical component in question is minute.

  View Full Column | 09/24/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Stop looking Sideways at Merlot

  It’s boring, it’s simple, it has no character — these are some of the charges laid against Merlot on a regular basis. Yes, some examples out there that reinforce these stereotypes, but there are as many wines that break them. While there is still some pretty insipid entry-level Merlot out there, I’d say that there is just as much insipid Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in that same price point. In fact, I’d say Merlot at around the $15 price point is a relatively undervalued category — there are some great values out there from Chile, Argentina, and the Vin de Pays D’Oc region of France.

  View Full Column | 09/17/2011 6:00 AM | 0

• Stop looking Sideways at Merlot

  It's boring, it's simple, it has no character -- these are some of the charges laid against Merlot on a regular basis. Yes, some examples out there that reinforce these stereotypes, but there are as many wines that break them. While there is still some pretty insipid entry-level Merlot out there, I'd say that there is just as much insipid Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in that same price point. In fact, I'd say Merlot at around the $15 price point is a relatively undervalued category -- there are some great values out there from Chile, Argentina, and the Vin de Pays D'Oc region of France.

  View Full Column | 09/17/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Spirited energy

  My recent five-day stint judging at the Wine Access 2011 Canadian Wine Awards reaffirmed my belief that wines made in our country - including regions outside of the Niagara Peninsula and the Okanagan Valley -- continue to improve in quality and consistency. Similarly, there are dozens of Canadian breweries producing some fantastic beer in every region of the country. So it should come as no surprise that our spirits are also among the world's best. As is the case with beer and wine, we make our fair share of plonk, but our premium and specialty spirits continue to win awards and catch the attention of critics, judges and drinkers worldwide.

  View Full Column | 09/10/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• ManyFest, many wines

  For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been training for the 10-mile run happening in conjunction with ManyFest, the downtown festival taking place next weekend. The fest, formerly known as Lights on Broadway, returns with another batch of activities highlighting our city’s downtown. Included in the weekend’s activities is the Taste of Downtown Wine & Cheese Festival, an event that won’t require as much training on my part. The other day I figured out that I’ve already tasted nearly 2,000 wines this year — in training terms, that should put me in Olympic athlete territory.

  View Full Column | 09/3/2011 1:26 PM | 0

• Local focus

  While shopping for imported wine in Prince Edward Island proved to be a bit of a rocky affair, I was impressed by the emphasis in Liquor Stores given to locally made products. Liquor Stores have P.E.I. beer, wine and spirits displayed together under the slogan "Good earth, great spirit." How could I not oblige? Located in St. Catherines (some 20-ish kilometres southwest of Charlottetown) Matos Winery is the new kid on the block/on the island. Established in 2007 by Jaime and Heather Matos -- from Portugal by way of the Niagara Peninsula -- its first wines were bottled only two months ago. While the couple weren't able to get their products into P.E.I. Liquor Stores this vintage (much of their 10 acres of planted grapes were lost to birds, a problem that will be rectified this vintage), all signs point to their products being available province-wide next year.

  View Full Column | 08/27/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• We’ve got it good

  Prince Edward Island’s population is about a 10th of Manitoba’s, and as such, the selection in their 19 government-run liquor stores is a fraction of what we see on our shelves. Their Oak Tree Liquor Store in Charlottetown has the most extensive collection of wines, beer and spirits, and features a dedicated fine-wines corner — somewhat of an anomaly among the rest of the stores.

  View Full Column | 08/18/2011 3:30 PM | 0

• Kicking glass?

  For hundreds of years, wine was packaged pretty much the same way: in a glass bottle with a cork jammed into the neck. Then, in the mid-20th century, cheap plonk started being sold in larger formats with screwcaps instead of the cork. While it took a while to catch on, most wine drinkers wouldn't hesitate to pick up a bottle under screwcap just as easily as they would one under cork. Embracing the screwcap has meant consumers have an easier time opening wine and producers can deliver wines with consistent freshness from bottle to bottle.

  View Full Column | 08/13/2011 1:00 AM | 0

• Win a wine trip

  Who doesn't like the chance to win things, especially when it comes to wine? Well, the Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Liquor Marts and Wines of British Columbia have got a great opportunity in store for you. Starting next week, a contest gets underway where you can enter to win admission to a special event we're planning at the Winnipeg Free Press News Café on Sept. 15. We'll have some folks from British Columbia wineries on hand to talk about making wine in the Okanagan Valley, the B.C. wine industry in general and more. There will be B.C. wine on hand for you to sample, some food to munch on, etc.

  View Full Column | 08/6/2011 1:00 AM | 0

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