Last Tuesday Hot Pink Apron was invited to Toronto’s new iYellow Wine Cave for an intimate wine tasting experience with Santa Carolina Chief Winemaker Andres Caballero.
Not one to let pesky responsibilities stand in the way of a great wine experience, I booked my hubby for a long lunch, dropped the kids off at school, and boarded a westbound train to the city for an anticipated daytime drunk. Errr.. I mean, in-depth food blogger research assignment.
It’s a tough job but someone’s gotta look, swirl, smell, sip and savour it.
The hosting venue, iYellow Wine Cave, is a new venture for the creators of iYellow Wine Club, which was established eight years ago. This new “cave” is a members-only wine bar/club welcoming Toronto wine fans — from the curious to the connoisseur — to their events, tastings and classes.
Tucked behind Queen Street West, in an alleyway between Simcoe and Duncan Streets, this was my gateway to a delicious Tuesday afternoon.
Down the stairs and into the basement, I instantly fell in love with the sophisticated + retro + fun decor of the iYellow space. The table area, which could comfortably seat about thirty, uses recycled oak barrels as tables. Elegant stemware assembled on each, ready for our tasting experience to begin. The walls are lined by upright pine crates working as shelves to display bottles, artwork and an extensive library of printed wine resources (companions, encyclopedias, and inspired novels). The lounge area, hidden in the back corner, pays homage to the classic den of the late ‘80s. With plush couches, crochet blankets, a record player, and a little 13” TV, the space is a total throwback to my rebellious youth. Even the hanging chandelier is identical to the one I grew up with. (The one I broke when trying to swing from it after some MUCH cheaper wine.)
I could have very easily spent the rest of the day on those couches, sipping fine wine, working that vinyl collection and ranting about the depths of Joy Division’s music. Fortunately (for everyone else attending the event), our hosts had an agenda to stick to. Next time.
Commence with the mingling.
After mingling with some fellow wine enthusiasts, we were asked to take our seats so the host may introduce the five Santa Carolina Reserva wines that we will be tasting and discussing on this Tuesday afternoon.
With everything so conveniently laid out, it’s clear iYellow has some experience in the area of professional wine tasting.
Andres Caballero explains to the room of bloggers and media folk that his mandate is to create a variety of quality wines that offer great value for wine buyers.
As we made our way across the gamut of Chilean wines set before us, Santa Carolina Chief Winemaker Andres Caballero (in a sexy Chilean accent) passionately explained the geography, processes and unique flavours of Chile’s prestigious wine country.
He informs us that Chile is now the fifth largest exporter of wines in the world, and the ninth largest producer. With mountain landscapes and close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, Chile offers a unique landscape for growing grapes for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenere wines. The climate is described as “midway between that of California and France”.
Map of Chile highlighting the country’s most lucrative vineyards. Courtesy of santacarolina.cl/en
We began with tasting the Sauvignon Blanc. (Remember: look, swirl, smell, sip, savour.)
Reserva Sauvignon Blanc: This white wine is very fresh and crisp, with lots of fruity character — almost exotic. I could swear I tasted lychee fruit in it. Andres explained that these grapes are grown in Leyda, close to the ocean. During the day the temperature can be very warm, then at night it drops drastically. These scaling temperatures alters the acidity of the grapes and contributes to the clean taste and bright aromas of this wine. This would be an excellent wine for summer nights and seafood feasts.
Reserva Chardonnay: Another tasty white wine. A little heavier, less fruity, with more structure than the Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes of this wine are collected from three regions of Chile: Natas, Leyda and Casablanca. And as soon as I heard “Casablanca”, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” started looping in my head. My pop culture addiction aside, I’m certain this Chardonnay and I will be enjoying some late nights together.
Reserva Carmenere: Apparently the Carmenere vine had mysteriously disappeared from Chile’s soils until 20 years ago when it was mysteriously re-discovered growing in the mountains. The sweetness of the sneaky Carmenere grape tannins make this red wine a unique match for spicy foods, especially those with a strong pepper note.
Reserva Merlot: My hubby’s note on this wine was ‘breakfast and sessional’, meaning he could drink it any time and all the time. Traditionally I’m not the biggest merlot fan, but I agree with him on this one. This may be the ideal table wine for our upcoming holiday gatherings – robust character yet smooth and non-intrusive so everyone can appreciate the flavour and mouthfeel.
Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon: This is a nice red wine made from grapes of Maipo Valley, a few of the Carmenere vines have grown among these vines so it is classified as a blend. This is a full-bodied and well-balanced red, with ripe tannins and spicy/cedary flavours. A great match for roasted lamb shanks or a beef stew on a cold winter day.
Oh, yes, and there was also food. Excellent food.
The caterers at SLICED Catering paired each of the Reserva wines with individual portions of some elegant lunch dishes.
Tastes like about five more. Please.
The crab cakes with homemade tartar sauce (including house-made pickles) paired with the Reserva Sauvignon Blanc was AMAZING. So fresh, so flavourful. The only thing that could have improved on that combination would have been some sun beaming on my shoulders and sand between my toes.
{Not pictured: the exceptional Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Browned Butter. Sorry, they were just too good and disappeared too quickly to photograph. Shut your eyes and imagine dollops of sweet pumpkin pie filling wrapped in a delicate handmade pasta and soaked in nutty browned butter, all with just a hint of sage. You can open your eyes now and wipe the drool from your chin.}
And then there were lamb sliders and curry chicken boats that offered just a hint spicy kick to showcase the companionship between spicy heat and the Reserva Carmenere.
OK, I’ll admit it, by this point in the afternoon I had a pretty nice wine buzz happening. A wine buzz that just happened to pair perfectly with all of the sumptuous food arriving to the table — this made it difficult to pause and actually snap some pictures. Fortunately, there was an event photographer on hand to capture all of the magic for us. Check out the flickr gallery here.
Cheers from me, Brett & Brett’s moustache. (I’m so glad it’s no longer Mo’vember.)
As the plates were cleared and wine glasses emptied, I knew my satisfying afternoon in the city was coming to an end. The time had come to catch my train back to ‘Responsibility Town’. Many thanks to iYellow Wine Club for organizing the event and to the team from Santa Carolina Wines for enlightening me on the variety and great flavours of their work.
I wish all Tuesday afternoons could be this juicy.
Back at the home front…
Later that night, once the kids were in bed, I opened a bottle of Cab Sav, and put on Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures. Had to get it out of my system after experiencing iYellow’s lounge.
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