Gothe Leads Up Your Glass

It would also appear Australia is as big a draw at the box office as it is in wine shops, and for that I'm sure Playhouse International Wine Festival organizers thank you. If you have been procrastinating, don't wait any longer to grab some tickets. Log on to www.playhousewine fest.com today, before they are all gone.

There is one event struggling at the box office, mostly, I'm sure, because it's new to the festival and unlike anything ever presented before. Up Your Glass! is billed as a riotous evening of wine, stories and song with CBC Disc Drive radio legend, raconteur and long-time wine and food crusader Jurgen Gothe. The plan is deliver an irreverent, quirky look at the world of wine as written by Gothe, and anyone who has read his musings on wine knows Gothe will be out to rattle a few cages.

It's not quite a one-man show: Gothe will be joined by the talented Daune Campbell and "Canada's one man cottage industry of sound," multi-instrumentalist Kirk Elliott as he unleashes his two-act, 90-minute comedy that I'm betting will leave no wine writer, sommelier or winemaker unscathed. It's all happening in the heart of the city at Beyond Restaurant + Lounge, located in the Century Plaza Hotel and Spa at 1015 Burrard St.

Show dates run March 23 to April 7, including four performances during the wine festival on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 29, 30 and 31, at 11 p.m., and on Sunday, April 1, at 3:30 p.m. Tickets, $35, are available at Ticketmaster.ca, 604-280-3311 or Playhouse Services, 604-873-3311. Beyond Restaurant + Lounge are offering a dinner/show package for $60 per person that you can buy by calling 604-684-3474.

Now, in honour of Jurgen Goethe's predilection for the quirky, I've decided to pick six, off-the-beaten-track wines that you can find in government stores but that will also be featured at the Playhouse festival.

The quirky factor for Cono Sur Viognier Limited Release 2006 is how the hell do they do it for the price? The nose is all lime, mineral, mango and honey aromas. It is round and rich with elegance and moderate acidity. The flavours mix a ridiculous amount of spicy, ginger, orange peel, honey and mineral for the price. A solid, fresh wine for white meats and seafood. Great value.

The Dr. L Riesling 2005 from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer meets the quirky moniker, due to its easy-to-open, taint-free screw cap closure, something of a freak occurrence for most German wines. Enjoy its bright floral, slate, red apple, mineral, peach skin, spicy aromas and flavours with a wide variety of foods. The Euro has not been kind to Canadians, causing the price to jump to a level that causes one to think twice about a wine purchase. Think "buy" here.

Loire Valley appellations Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume are home to Domaine Henri Bourgeois, founded in 1950, but the French producer has a quirky interest in producing sauvignon in the south of France and New Zealand. Today we look at Henri Bourgeois Sauvignon Petit Bourgeois 2001, from the Languedoc. It's made from vines as old as 40 years, grown on chalky-clay soils. Look for clean mineral passion- fruit aromas with melon and asparagus in the background. The palate is elegantly styled with a crisp finish and a mineral lees aftertaste. The winery suggests you try this with halibut steak in lemon butter.

The Skillogalee Riesling 2005 from Australia comes from vineyards planted in the early 1970s some 500 metres above sea level. With so much flavour, it should come as no surprise that kangaroos are a major pest. Apparently they love to feast on the juicy fruit that mixes green apple skin, passion fruit, nectarine skin, lime, mineral, slate and a hint of mandarin flavours. Fine fruit intensity and elegance. Drink anytime.

Syrah is not the norm in southern Italy, but the Cusumano Syrah 2003 is making a case for the grape the Australians have made famous. Look for peppery, blackberry jam, smoky, meaty, spicy notes on the nose with similar blackberry, plum jam, smoky, peppery flavours and minty, sausage finish. Good intensity with a touch of acidity on the finish. Grilled meats or spaghetti Bolognese would be a fine match.

Our final pick is the Kaesler Stonehorse GSM 2005 from the Barossa Valley. The GSM mix is a quirky blend of grenache, shiraz and mourvedre with an enticing orange peel, cherry, strawberry jam nose. On the palate it is elegant with lots of strawberry, black raspberry jam, orange peel and licorice flavours. The latest vintage, now under screwcap, appears to have gained a fine boost in fruit.

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CONO SUR VIOGNIER LIMITED RELEASE 2006, VALLE DEL COLCHAGUA, CHILE
Price: $10.88
UPC: 7804320405407
Score: 87/100
Remarks: A solid, fresh style for white meats and seafood. Great value.

DR. L RIESLING 2005, MOSEL-SAAR-RUWER, GERMANY
Price: $17.98
UPC: 323445612660
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Fresh, green apple skin, peach pit, guava, floral flavours.

WINE HENRI BOURGEOIS SAUVIGNON PETIT BOURGEOIS 2001, VIN DE PAYS D'OC, LANGUEDOC, SOUTH OF FRANCE
Price: $16.95
UPC: 336591009147
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Clean mineral passion fruit aromas mix with lemon, citrus flavours.

SKILLOGALEE RIESLING 2005, SEVENHILL, CLARE VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Price: $23.99
UPC: 9331634000045
Score: 90/100
Remarks: Delicious Clare Valley riesling at a great price.

CUSUMANO SYRAH 2003, SICILY, ITALY
Price: $17.99
UPC: 8028262000158
Score: 88/100
Remarks: Spicy, blackberry, plum jam, smoky, peppery flavours.

KAESLER STONEHORSE GSM GRENACHE SHIRAZ MOURVEDRE 2005, BAROSSA VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Price: $25.95
UPC: 804871000066
Score: 89/100
Remarks: Elegant with black raspberry jam, orange peel and licorice flavours