Price is not determinative when it comes to quality of a wine. I had a buddy over for dinner last Saturday. He was happily ebullient over a $90 Pinot Noir from Prince Edward County in Ontario. Knowing that I write about wine and have made several recommendations to him for wine purchases he looked at me with plaintive eyes saying how awesome the wine was. Being polite I nodded and said good stuff and it was good but far from a $90 bottle of wine. I tried it again the following day and my opinion had not waivered. At $90 I thought the poor fellow had been taken advantage of. I have had many superior Pinot Noirs from British Columbia at a third of that price.
So I remember this incident upon trying a “lowly” $12.95 Portuguese wine from the Lisboa region called S. Sebastião a red blend of Syrah and Tinta Roriz.
On the nose with persistent and forceful blackberry, black cherry, cactus pear and milk chocolate. On the palate huge ghost of a blueberry pie slice reigns supreme. Immediately accessible and tasty. Not much of a finish. The wine would make a good sipper and pair with a multitude of foods. May I suggest Pasta a La Norma to take advantage of local eggplant in good supply until the end of October. Field tomatoes may last a couple more weeks. If you are having a prime rib roast on New Year’s Day this may be your wine. Best consume by the end of 2022.
(S. Sebastião, Vinho Regional Lisboa 2019, Multiwines, Portugal, $12.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 632869, 750 mL, 13.5%, RKS Wine Rating 89/100).
“The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs or impede their efforts to attain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental or spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest”.
“The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has piteously torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his “natural superiors,” and left no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous cash payment. The bourgeoisie possess the distinctive feature of simplifying class antagonisms. Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes, directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat. “
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels “The Communist Manifesto” 1848
If you prefer the wines of Bordeaux a common feature on their label is some Château in picture and in name. Who kidnaped the château on the front of this bottle? There is no château written and for pictorial representation perhaps it is there but so far in the distance.
The wine is 100% Merlot. It has been aged in oak barriques. Where is the oak from? How long was it aged in oak? The reclatricant label?
On the nose redolent with ripe red cherries. In the background a hulking yet non-threatening mass of just on the edge of maximum ripeness raspberries and strawberries.
This Bordeaux is smooth with gentle tannins and it is wine fit for sipping. A thin but prescient streak of cherry, cranberry tinged by a bit of raspberry jam charges down the tongue culminating in a juicy finish with a slight bit of grey pepper.
The wine is at its peak. Best consume by the end of 2022.
(Chombart & Speck Cave Mystére, Merlot 2019, Châteauu Lamothe de Haux, $19.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 17232, 750 mL, 14%, RKS Wine Rating 90/100).
I am not quite sure what to classify Pantopolio as? A deli would be too crude. I think I will settle with a “food emporium” crammed full of Greek delights, cheese, wine, seafood, meats just to name a few. There are literally hundreds of high-quality food items here. I discovered this wonderful shop 4 years ago and revisited it again uin Sptember in the mood to eat on our hotel balcony. So for octopus, stuffed grape vine leaves and pickled artichokes with a bottle of Moschofilero wine it was all consumed happily watching the sun set over the Gulf of Thessaloniki. Great selection of foods but a gaping hole when it comes to bread!
On the surface in the heavily trafficked areas of Thessaloniki one may be left with the impression the younger set survives on coffee and as the sun sets move on to cocktails. As in Toronto so it goes in Thessaloniki where wine and beer is dying and the mighty cocktail lifts its costly head. There is a multitude of food and delicious accompanying smells but when and where do these young bucks have time to eat?
Find the Pyrgos and you’ll find Kafeneio Pyrgos: Photo Robert K. Stephen
The poor buggers may be slipping into anorexia but I have found a wonderful restaurant, very traditional full of over 50-year old’s without a cocktail in sight! A multitude of tables outdoors on a balmy mid-September night with seafood being the name of the game here. While many Greeks enjoy an ouzo with a traditional seafood dinner there are certain rebels about that are drinking wine here at Kafeneio Pyrgos!
The view is of the Pirgos (White Tower). The sea smelts (Gavros) smell of the ocean as if they were caught in the morning. Heaping plates of cuttlefish, octopus, mussels, eggplant dip, Greek Salad, delectable fries and fresh Greek bread. The Thessalonians are big eaters but very measured. 4 hours later when the appetite is beginning to resurge there are pickings left with wine. None of this 90 minute per sitting self important restaurant hegemony you might encounter in New York or Toronto. Stay as long as you want and take your time. As the restaurant has been open since 1924 why hurry?
Kafeneio Pyrgos 3 Tsirogianni Street (opposite the Pyrgos)
“Always attuned to changes in the mood of the market, drug dealers had quickly realized the advantageous commercial consequences of a year of continual stress. When the numbers of the infections increased, so had the need to find drug-induced solace in what seemed like the Valley of the Shadow of Death. When the numbers decreased, what better way to celebrate the possible return to life than with a little of this or a lot of that? Even now, with things calmed down, the stress, it seemed to Brunetti, had not disappeared, nor had the desire to seek the comfort of narcotics.”
Donna Leon: “Give Unto Others”: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2022
“But artists, he had long since concluded, were rather like politicians in their interest in the tasteful appearance of truth rather than the truth itself. “
Donna Leon “Give Unto Others” : Atlantic Monthly Press 2022
Thessaloniki is Greece’s second largest city behind Athens. Despite being an old fogey I certainly pick up a very youthful and hip vibe in Thessaloniki. And that has been constant in the last decade. The cafes and bars are packed and it is a love affair with the cocktail and coffee. I prefer Thessaloniki to Athens. Athens this September had more Americans in it than Greeks! Thessaloniki is more of a Euro insider secret.
My savvy wife booked Daios Luxury Living choosing a Junior Suite with an ocean view. The entrance to the hotel is on a tree lined side street with a Manhattan feel. Check in was, shall we say, indifferent. After 3 flights in 5 days one can become dazed all of which crumbled with an exceptional room and not only a fantastic sea view but a huge wrap around private balcony one side facing the ocean and the other side the side street where the hotel’s entrance is. Why on earth go out for tea or a glass of wine with a huge balcony facing the sea. This for me was luxury. Hundreds of interesting people on the promenade below and stunning views. We did also eat in a couple of nights watching the sunset . Certainly there are times you don’t want to eat out and with this wonderful balcony the omnivore was out searching for a feast.
Note as a real winner there is a mini fridge with beer, Coca-Cola (the neat old bottles), water and juice which is replenished daily. That is a real nice touch very much appreciated by a jet lag pummelled traveller. The room exceeded expectations with a wood accented bathroom stocked with Greek Zealot toiletries. Linen and toiletries are first rate. By objective standards the suite is not huge but its design makes it feel much larger and comfortable.
Side street entrance: Photo Robert K. Stephen
Breakfast was impeccable with everything you could possibly need. A very professional vibe in the dining room. I enjoyed the Norwegian smoked salmon draped over a “Greek bagel” which I call a koolirakia. Want a custom egg dish just ask the staff. The freshly squeezed orange juice was a good way to start the day. Based on past experience “luxury hotels” often make available lose leaf teas. Not the case here. Is it my fault I can’t start the day without two mega cups of various green teas!
Cleaning staff were efficient and meticulous.
Location is superb.
While the hotel represents “nouvel luxe” with an 80’s boutique hotel vibe the room layout and the balcony made this a deluxe experience.
So 5 stars means a lot of dough? Not really in fact you might want to say my savvy wife snagged a great deal. For me paying more for a balcony was a stellar investment.
Be forewarned at 62 degrees Fahrenheit the wine is flabby so try to bring it down to 55 degrees which is what your refrigerated cellar temperature should be. The nose is primarily black fruit with some plum and mocha all sitting on a pool of kirsch. On the palate the tannins are soft but a bit of pepper on the finish. There is cherry and overly ripe strawberries. Definitely drinkable but mundane and boring which unfortunately rather summarizes 90% of the wines on the shelves of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Their buyers are asleep at the wheel boring consumers to death. Is there no daring and chutzpah at the LCBO? Yawn! A falling asleep wine. Jamessuckling.com gives this a 91. Give me a break. Wineflation seems to be the Suckling game. And the Liquor Control Board of Ontario loves it as does the pay to play cadre. Quite frankly are there other wine writers that the LCBO recognizes other than Suckling at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario “media control centre”?
(Château Larroque 2018 AC Bordeaux Supérieur, $15.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 92536, 750 mL, 14%, RKS Wine Rating 84/100).
Château de Marsan 2018 Cadillac-Côtes de Bordeaux (84)
The wine is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. The label says open the bottle an hour prior to serving but I think after you open it up then pour into a decanter/carafe to let it breath. Simply opening up a bottle doesn’t facilitate the flow of air to the wine. If you are searching for a top-quality wine above the “usual” you will not find it in this wine. It is a respectable wine without a wow factor. But again isn’t that the case with 95% of wines you buy?
On the nose immediately one notices a high-test alcohol wine at 14.5%. Is this Australia? Black cherry, blueberry, licorice and red plum. Fine grain tannins with acidity to perfection. The finish is dilute. Again the LCBO obsession with Suckling as they include a Suckling rating of 90. My experience is that there is always a minimum 3-point inflation in a Suckling rating. I give this an 84. There are 7 Bordeaux reds in the LCBO August 13, 2022 Vintages release and 5 are Suckling ratings. Give me a break. Could it possibly be Suckling ratings are inflated so they can be used to sell wine? My God are wine writers pimps! No way! Right?
(Château de Marsan 2018 Cadillac-Côtes de Bordeaux, Confrier Freres, Gironde, France, $17.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 46245, 750 mL, 14.5 %, RKS Wine Rating 84/100).
Château Haut-Mazières 2019 Bordeaux (86)
A blend of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 % Cabernet Franc which has aged 12 months in oak. On the nose loads of black cherry and blueberry all rather dense and sleepy. On the palate expect a brief clash with muscular tannins but it is only momentary and edifies the structure of the wine. Quite frankly this is a burly if somewhat explosive wine but not a cheap thrill. Put another way a well-made wine that can lift beef and lamb to stellar heights. Yes this is a foodie wine. And cheapest of the three I find it to be the best.
(Château Haut-Maziéres 2019 AC Bordeaux, Caves de Rauzan, France, $14.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 487546, 750 mL, 13.5%, RKS Wine Rating 86/100).
Conclusion
Bordeaux reds usually do far better than the three reviewed here. Those wines are drinkable but certainly not the hidden gens for Bordeaux reds I have tried in the past.
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