Consumers Choice

offers only one road to riches for any aspiring wine distributor or producer, and that's through government liquor stores. Getting your foot in the door at the monopoly means getting a listing - whether it's the Holy Grail of all, the "general listing," which carries the potential of the product being sold in every store in the province, or its lesser cousin, the "specialty listing," which means if the wine is popular and priced attractively, it can end up in 60 or 70 stores. Whichever one the seller lands, he or she needs a bunch of them in order to survive. Unfortunately, getting a listing doesn't mean your wine will be sold in every store - store managers and local buying patterns make the final decision on that. And that means a lot of interesting new labels that could breathe some much-needed life on to local store shelves are doomed to fail before the consumer ever sees them. Now the monopoly has launched a pilot project to address some of the challenges faced by a new product that hopes to get the customer's attention. It has chosen 17 stores across the province that are known to sell the most wine, and now each of them will carry some designated newproducts for a trial period. The idea is to showcase something out of the ordinary, like a South African shiraz, or perhaps a highly rated but unknown supplier such as New Zealand's Saint Clair Estate, or Basedow of Australia. Each of the chosen stores will have a special display of the new arrivals, as well as a staff member who has tasted the products and can provide further information. I'm told that a wine will have to sell only a modest 12 bottles in the first month in order to remain on a store's shelves, and about 2,500 bottles will have to be sold system-wide over six months for the wine's listing to become permanent. Here's my take on eight new arrivals I tasted this week. The rest of the sampling, as they say, is up to you. From South Africa, the light and airy Bellingham Sauvignon Blanc mixes green apples and canned asparagus aromas and flavours. Tangy fruit flavours mark its entry, with more green apple and grapefruit in the finish. It's not as intense as most New Zealand versions of this varietal, nor is it as rich as the California labels. It's probably best viewed as a light, simple, patio-style summer sipper. On the other hand, the Bellingham Shiraz opens with rich blackberry and leather aromas laced with pepper and smoky American oak. Intense black cherry fruit marks the flavour, with spice and vanilla streaks throughout. There's a fine lick of acidity in the undercarriage to support the sweet, ripe tannins that linger in the finish. Good effort; fine value. Château Tanesse Blanc is classic Bordeaux white, pairing sauvignon blanc and sémillon, some of which is barrel fermented and some that sees no oak aging. This is a classy little white with round, creamy textures and lemon-lime flavours. It delivers big taste and style for the money. To accompany it, think shellfish, and buy by the case. I've tasted the Saint Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc several times, including at the winery in New Zealand. The 2001 is a must-buy. Zingy passionfruit aromas dissolve into a smoky, mineral/honeysuckle finish. Fine intensity and classic gooseberry finish. Bring on the mussels, scallops and oysters. This is an outstanding example of Kiwi sauvignon. The 1998 Les Brottiers, from the Rhone Valley, has a light colour and a cassis/herbal fruit nose. It is soft and simple without much stuffing, and it finishes on the lean side. A solid everyday hamburger red - nothing more, nothing less. Also from the Rhone, The Domaine de Périllière 1998 has a wonderful dark red colour and a soft, plummy, cherry-berry, spicy fruit entry. Gobs of ripe, sweet fruit persist on the palate and through the finish. It is rich, round, soft and cheap. Pour liberally around the barbecue. The Basedow Shiraz is all Oz with its super-ripe, plum jam fruit; sweet, dark berry flavours, and big creamy, American oak and leather aftertaste. It's very appealing for those who like their shiraz big and blowzy on the nose, and soft and sippable on the palate. The CK Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from California is nowhere near as plush as the preceding reds, but it is round and soft, and there's plenty of black currant fruit to carry the day. Fine varietal character for the price and certainly well-suited to grilled or roast chicken. Weekend Wine Tasting: New Listings Wine Bellingham 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa Price $12.95 Stock No. 596692 Score 13.5/20 Remarks Light, tangy summer sipper. Wine Bellingham 2000 Shiraz, South Africa Price $15.95 Stock No. 596684 Score 14/20 Remarks Well balanced, fine value. Wine Château Tanesse 2000 Blanc, Bordeaux, France Price $13.95 Stock No. 21055 Score 15/20 Remarks Stylish mix of lemon, lime and butter. Wine Saint Clair 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand Price $17.95 Stock No. 554196 Score 16/20 Remarks Tangy passionfruit and gooseberries. Wine Laurent Charles Brotte 1998 Les Brottiers, Côtes du Rhône, France Price $12.95 Stock No. 612150 Score 13.5/20 Remarks Lean, simple hamburger red. Wine Domaine Périllière 2000 Côtes du Rhône Villages, France Price $18.95 Stock No. 597369 Score 15.5/20 Remarks Lovely, dark, round, peppery fruit. Wine Basedow of the Barossa 1998 Shiraz, Australia Price $19.95 Stock No. 595561 Score 14.5/20 Remarks Cream soda, cherries and leather. Wine CK Vineyards Wildwood Canyon 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, California Price $14.95 Stock No. 508044 Score 14/20 Remarks Easy-drinking cassis-flavoured red.