Ideal for a thirsty voyageur: Spicy options arrive just in time for winter festival

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/02/2015 (4130 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When a wine column falls on Feb. 14, the temptation is certainly strong to write about some aspect of Valentine’s Day: wine and chocolate, sparkling wine for your sweetie, and so forth.

But with the Festival du Voyageur having kicked off on Friday and running until Feb. 22, I thought it would be a heck of a lot more fun to think about the flavours of this province’s favourite winter fest than to pore over which juicy Merlot will go with that heart-shaped box of chocolates.

The Radio Boka 2013 Verdejo (Castilla Y Leon, Spain — $13.49, Liquor Marts and beyond) brings bright red apple, peach and spice notes on the nose that are crisp and clean, unencumbered by oak aging. It’s a crisp, light-bodied white that brings plenty of stone-fruit flavours as well as red apple and modest spice notes, with a hint of sweetness and a splash of acidity. This well-priced wine would go pretty nicely with a thick bowl of soupe au pois — pea soup. Three stars.

Looking for a good pairing for tourtière? Once again Spain provides the answer with the El Petit Bonhomme 2013 red (Jumilla, Spain — $13.99, Liquor Marts and beyond). A Monastrell-Garnacha-Syrah blend, this Spanish red (made by Quebec expat Natalie Bonhomme, no less) brings black cherry, blackberry, leather, spice, mocha and white pepper notes on the nose. This juicy, medium-plus bodied red’s lip-smacking fruit (without the sweetness) tips its hat to the New World, while soft tannin, light acidity and an earthier, peppery finish show Old World charm. Very good value, and quite food-friendly. 3-1/2 stars

Here’s a hearty, winter beer for all the wanna-be voyageurs out there. Dark-brown in colour and with a deep beige head, the Fernie Brewing Co. Sap Sucker Maple Porter (Fernie, B.C. — $6.25/650ml bottle — Liquor Marts) is infused with maple syrup, which is evident on the nose (as well as roasted malt, toffee, caramel, smoke and fig notes). It’s chewy, rich and somewhat sweet, with the dried fig and lighter raisin flavours augmented by the maple syrup component, and brings a lingering smokiness on the finish. This would take the edge off after a cool day spent at the festival; grab some maple sugar pie or a beavertail at the fest, head home and enjoy. 3-1/2 stars

Once upon a time, Fort Garry Brewing Co. brewed a so-so red ale called Fort Gibraltar. These days you can find the Fort Garry Brewing Co. Red Reaper Rye Pale Ale (Winnipeg — $10.62/1.89L growler) at the city’s growler-filling stations. This red rye pale ale is deep copper in colour with a rich, off-white head. Caramel, toasted-malt and spice notes are joined by very mild dried-fruit aromas (apricot and peach) on the nose. It’s crisp thanks to some hops, while also retaining a richness of toasted malt and caramel, working in the dried fruit and spice in more modest portions without becoming sweet. It’s quite complex while remaining remarkably drinkable — in fact, this was the first growler I polished off before it went flat (I’m the lone beer drinker in the house). Fingers crossed this excellent brew becomes a Fort Garry regular. Five stars

A “Legendary Québec product” (hey, it says so right on the label), the Caribou (Quebec — $21.06, Liquor Marts) gains prominence every year around this time, and if you’ve ever been to Festival du Voyageur you’ll know why. Cherry-red in colour, it smells quite a bit like sangria: orange peel, ripe strawberry, cherry candy and spice notes all come through on the nose. At 22.9 per cent alcohol by volume, however, it’s more like sangria on steroids: medium-bodied, viscous, a nice balance of red-berry notes and some heat on the finish. Best drunk at festival out of an ice glass, but will provide some of that festive spirit anywhere in a pinch. No rating — there is only one Caribou.

If you wanted to try and make your own Caribou-like concoction, try one part whisky, three parts red wine (or port for the heartier types), and maple syrup and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) to taste.

Before I forget, now would be the time to mention I’ve been growing a beard for the Festival du Voyageur’s beard-growing contest since the middle of December. In conjunction with the contest, beard-growers can also collecting pledges for the Manitoba Heart & Stroke Foundation.

If you want to see a picture of my (fairly pathetic) beard and/or make a pledge, check out http://wfp.to/bensbeard.

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson