30 - Wednesday, April 8, 1992 - North Shore News im search of reasonable red THE SECRET to enjoying the three nights of mass ‘‘Inter- national Festival Tastings’’ that are the backbone of the an- nua! Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Vancouver's biggest wine event, is an appreciation of logistics, rather than a discriminating palate. With cver 100 exhibitors in most years (113 this year), turning the cavernous hails of the Van- couver Trade and Convention Centre into a vast vinous Valhalla, you don’t fave to be the Amazing Human Calculator to figure that taking it in alphabetical order might get you from Andres Wines to Brown Brothers, but not much further. The number of confused souls who regard the three big tastings as a kind of All You Can Swill liq- uid buffet has mercifully declined every year, and one sees fewer pairs of young ladies in hell-raiser heels taking the simply but deadly geographical approach, stopping at each successive table for a sip of whatever is dry and white and becoming hazards to navigation _ halfway round the course. The sensible Wine Handicapper . spends five minutes reading the tout sheet and ticking about six names recognizable for quality wines, especially if the price of their products has caused you to come over a bit queasy in the ai- sles of your local LDB outlet: this is the perfect opportunity to drink out of your financial depth. The true aficionado attends all three successive evenings, sampl- ing whites on one, reds the next, - with a serendipitous night of wandering from champagne to - port forthe coup de grace. : Veterans who don’t-have the wherewhithal or a week to spend at the Betty Ford Clinic confine ". themselves to one night. of selec: . : tive sampling. VERDICCHIO DE? CASTELLI DI : eh Wem “BATTAGLIA. $11.50. "Classic;’ genuinely distinciive. : Stalian white wines are harder to ‘ find than nude photos of italian politicians. Italy annually spews forth oceans of indifferent cheap white . stuff that is fine for removing paint ‘rom an Alfa-Romeo. The upscale wines, meanwhile, are the result ._ of experiments with plantings of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, which cut the ground out from » under the quality control bureau- cracy, since only wines from native grape varieties qualify for the D.O.C. — the Italian counter- part of the French Appellation Controlee — and the foreign-ver- sus-native grape debate can turn a convocation of Italian wine- makers into the OK Corral at the *: pop ofacork. — This Verdicchio from The Mas- _ ches, easily identified by the am- phora- shaped bottle, retains a By John Moore Contributing writer My one stolen evening during the recent April 1 to 5 festival had to be devoted to red wine, since some French producers have at last decided to take the festival seriously and splash around some of their upscale product instead of sending the cannon-fodder house wines to defend their honor against the best California, Australia, Spain and now Chile can produce. Years ago, when | associated red wine with 160 oz. jugs and the dry heaves, an old man whose doctor restricted him to one glass of wine a day, gave me a glass of Chateau Latour 1966 on the occasion of his birthday. “So that’s what people pay all that money for,’’ | recall blithering in stunned amazement after an indescribable mouthful. This year, they were actually pouring some Chateau Latour 1983, which would cost $162.10 if it were available locally. No wonder there was a block- long lineup snarling traffic in the ballroom. No, | didn’t taste it; | came back later and tasted the firm's “se- cond wine,” Les Forts de Latour 1985, (between $50 and $60, and available in a few months). Arnazingly, after all those years, | immediately recognized a clear echo of that wonderful long-ago - epic wine that has so influenced faintly salty tang from its Adriatic - origins with a ‘‘size’’ and rich texture equal to the wildest ciop- pino, bouillabaisse or chowder your imagination can devise. CHATEAU PERENNE. PREMIER COTES DE BiAYE. $13.30. (FRANCE). The Cotes de Blaye, Bourg etc. aren’t quite the North Shore of Bordeaux (that distinction is claimed by the elite parishes of St. Emilion and Pomerol), but the ex-urbs (say, Squamish); yet in a my bank overdraft. While those who were prepared to stand in line for half an hour for half a teaspoon of the '83 Latour were doing so, | was sampling the Chateau Lynch Bages 1987, still surprisingly firm and tannic in a poorish year, but will probably soften in another two if you have $39.50 to spend, and provided it comes to the LDB. The money would be better spent on the Chateau Cantenac Brown Margaux, 1988, ($38.40), a better year and a marvellous wine. already showing the rounded ele- gant fruit, restrained tannin and perfect balance of its type. Chateau La Tour Martillac 1989, is typical of good Graves, still tan- nic, with promises of great ele- gance to come — not available as yet, but the LDB does buy this wine. Should be about $30 if and when. This is Ed. Kressmann’s pet property, and the product reflects the efforts of a man who has to redeem himself for a lot of litres of Selectionne Red. . The Californians, who have always supported the festival in strength, were out in force again this year with their heavy guns. Trying the Stag’s Leap Napa Valiey Cabernet Sauvignon 1989 almost caused me to re-evaluate Reagan's presidency. (The wine was Reagan’s fave.) While many of these California cabernets taste like ‘‘test-tube”’ wine with all the right features but somehow lacking in individual “soul,”’ a few like this one and those from lron Horse Vineyards, teaily do have the kind of distinc- tive flavor signatures you expect from the more elegant, faster maturing and ‘user friendly’ communes of Margaux, Pomerol See Notes page 32 good year, and ’89 is yet another “vintage of the century” if you believe French wine hyperbole, they produce fantastic wine at bargain prices. This one is typical of the area at its best: full and forward, immense fruit with tannin very discreet at this point. Very drinkable now, when a Medoc would be dumb and unyielding. Experts may question how long such ripeness will last without tannic ballast, but, hey, “petits chateaux” hit their stride in seven years, and this one will grace any table for at least another four. Make sure your retum is not delayed Bee Taxation 74 VITAMINS & BODY CARE PRODUCTS SUPPLEMENTS & SPECIALTY FOODS AT LOW, COMPETITIVE PRICES f quali SEYMOUR NATURAL FOODS te Vill Mall OPEN 7 pays orga e Village Ma 924-1371 Need Your Carpets Cleaned?? Introductory Carpet $87 | Cleaning Special Save an additional 5 rooms of wall to-wall carpsting. Bsteps 15% with this ad. . City DucT AND CARPET CLEANERS Division of City Duct Cleaners Inc. « "We're Environmentally Friendly" | New Mandarin & ‘Szechuan + nent $4. 95-8550 DAILY LUNCH SPECIAL — Mon.-Fri. 11: 30am 3:00pm: . 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