I have decided to go in a slightly different direction this week.  This is a time of celebration – Cliff had a Birthday on Monday and on Tuesday CJ’s will be 18 years old!! 

The Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut has a “nose of green apple and pear with great fresh aromatic notes.  The Palate is continuous and lively in the mouth, slightly sweet but perfectly balanced. Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore is superb with all meals.  Excellent with fish, crustaceans and other seafood, but also with vegetable appetizers, or first dishes that are light and delicate, and with white meat.” (tasting notes)

Don’t tell Cliff but this is what we will be drinking tonight at his Birthday dinner.

This Prosecco has a sweetness level of  ‘2’.

Forty Creek Double Barrel rye - “Forty Creek Double Barrel has a wonderful golden roasted aroma filled with deep vanilla notes and highlighted with toasted spice, pecan and walnuts. There is a caramelized creaminess to the flavour with a rich spice that lifts it off the tongue. The finish is very smooth, mellow and extra long.”  (tasting notes from John Hall – whisky maker)

Old Pulteney 21 yr old scotch whisky - “Sweet to start with a light fruitiness; hints of honey and vanilla followed by a dry finish.”  (tasting notes)

Fireball Cinnamon whisky
Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

“This Russian River Pinot Noir is a blend of five different clones, each of which addes to the elegance, balance and complexity…  The nose has hints of earth, sage, cherry and spice with a noted minerality.  Juciy cranberry and Bing cherry on the palate finishes with great acidity.”  (winemaker’s notes)

When looking at the Kokomo Pinot Noir 2008 (USA) it doesn’t look like there will be much flavour, but take one sip and WHAM!! Fruit Explosion!!  Great by itself or serve with chicken, turkey or fish.

Cruzan 9 Spiced rum - “…aged rum combined with a unique mix of 9 spices, including allspice, vanilla, pepper, ginger, mace, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & juniper berry….The taste incorporates complex layers of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, warm spice and toasted wood. ”  (website)

Spicebox Canadian spiced whisky  - “Brilliant amber with gold highlights; very pronounced vanilla bean underscored by apple pie spices and toasty grain whisky aromas; medium sweet and round on the palate with flavours of vanilla and spice in a medium length finish.”  (product information from LCBO)

Quinta de Vargellas Estate Vintage port 2008 - “Inky black with a vivid purple rim.  Compact and stylish nose, with intense aromas of blackcurrant and wild berries tightly wrapped around a dark nucleus of liquorice and treacle.  This dense backdrop is overlaid with subtle notes of tea, rose petal, thyme and exotic wood with an attractive grapey freshness emerging as the nose develops.  As usual with Vargellas the nose shows exceptional purity and resolution but is seductive in its complexity.  On the palate the tannins are beautifully integrated and deceptively subtle but their firm sinews become apparent on the long finish which is packed with intense black berry fruit flavour.  Serving Suggestions:  Walnuts are an excellent accompaniment to Vintage Port, as are blue veined and other richly flavoured cheeses.  So too are dried fruits such as apricots or figs.  Alternatively, simply savour the rich and complex flavours of the wine on their own in a generously proportioned glass with good company.”  (website)

Fonseca Late Bottle Vintage 2005 port - “Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage 2005 has a fine, elegant bouquet. Intense dark chocolate and rich luscious black berry and cherry fruit aromas. Full, ripe, rounded fat fruit mouthful. Fills the mouth to bursting with juicy black fruit, liquourice and chocolate. A wine with lovely textural quality; velvety, smooth. The finish is full of flavor and wonderfully intense and long.”  (tasting notes – portwine.com)

L’Ecole Apogee Pepper Bridge red wine (USA) – “Boldly aromatic, this sophisticated and complex wine has aromas of spice and earthy hints of sweet tobacco and leather. Dense dark fruit is wrapped in nuances of smoke, cocoa, and mint with gripping tannins as the finish persists.” (website tasting notes)

Lagavulin 16 yo single malt scotch
Mount Gay Eclipse XO rum
Diplomatico exclusive reserve rum
Jose Cuervo Margarita mix
Jack Daniels Honey Tennessee whisky
Red Stripe Jamaican lager
Danzante Pinot Grigio (Italy)

Tempus Alba Malbec 2009 (Argentina) - “This Malbec was born as a result of a precise fermentation process control, a long maceration of 30 days and 8 months of ageing in oak barrels.  (70% French, 30% American).  It has a deep violet colour typical of the Malbec wines, with excellent structure and soft tannins.  Very well balanced, a long finish, and with a reminiscence of ripe fruits.  Our oenologist highlights the intense plum and red fruit aromas with a  hint of vanilla, chocolate and coffee.” (tasting notes)

Deerfield Ranch ‘Red Rex’ 2006 (USA) – “Red Rex is fruit forward, full-bodied, complex and velvety.  The grapes are triple hand sorted for quality, each lot is aged in select French and American oak barrels for over two years and blended by taste to reach every part of your palate.  40% Cab Sauvignon, 23% Syrah, 19% Merlot, 7% Sangiovese, 5% Malbec, 4% Cab Franc, 2% Petit Verdot.” (tasting notes)

Three Olives Chocolate vodka

Fundador brandy (Spain)
Danzante Pinot Grigio (Italy)
Dr. ZenZen Vino Noire (Germany)
Bacardi Breezer Party Pack

Ehret Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (USA) – “The taste of this wine has benefited greatly from the origin of and agricultural practices used in the vineyard.   It is currently dark in color, displaying a fruit with rich, distinctive flavours and intense aromas.  The mouth feel is soft, with tannins that are not overpowering, and silky with a long-lasting finish.  This wine will thrive in the bottle for the next 10 years.  100% Cabernet Sauvingon, aged for 24 months in French oak.” (tasting notes)