Holiday Weekend Wines

Day holiday weekend is one of the busiest of the year for local residents -- many of whom will head out-of-doors to enjoy what is usually the driest and mildest weather of year.

No matter what your plans, be it camping, boating, hiking or simply sticking close to home and enjoying the fireworks, I wanted to share some favourite summer sippers with you and the good news is you should be able to locate most all of them in local stores without too much trouble.

There's no theme for today's picks other than each is worth getting to know if you are looking for affordable wines to pour around the house.

First up is a delicious German riesling sporting a streamlined label and flavour profile. Dr. L Riesling 2001 is the brainchild of winemaker Ernie Loosen who wanted to create a clean, fresh, inexpensive version of his complex, single-vineyard, Mosel rieslings and that's exactly what he's done.

Dr. L., as the modest white label indicates, is a riesling made from fruit grown in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. There is no confusing nomenclature; no long village or vineyard names only fresh, crisp, delicate riesling fruit.

Loosen says "all the great winemakers he's met invariably possess a clear concept in their mind of what their wine should be. It's a vision that places terroir over technology and grape quality over quantity."

In the case of Dr. L, Loosen's vision is a fresh, floral and mineral scented white wine. Delicate, refreshing and packed full of ripe apple, citrus, mineral and juicy nectarine flavours. The only thing missing is an easy-opening screw cap that would further ensure consumers the wine would remain fresh. Dr L should be on Indian/Asian restaurant wine lists city wide.

Another white that fits the fresh and zippy profile is Banfi Le Rime 2001, a blend of 70 per cent chardonnay and 30 per cent pinot grigio. The grape mix is a sensible idea. The slightly richer chardonnay offers up structure while the northern Italian pinot grigio brings a crisp, mineral, acidic edge to the wine.

Look for a low-key, mineral/kiwi and grapefruit rind nose. There's some decent weight and body (from the chardonnay) with mineral, green apple, pear and almond flavours with a touch of passion fruit and citrus rind (from the pinot grigio) in the finish.

I marked the score down a bit because it needs drinking. The 2002 version is arriving this month in government stores and a very recent tasting reveals it's a fresher more mineral edition that is worth seeking out.

Many British Columbia wineries are doing a fine job with pinot gris but no local gris can challenge the powerful versions of that come out of Alsace. Such is the case with the Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris Reserve 2001 that not only manages to elevate the fruit front and centre on the palate but it does so with substantial weight and body.

The Sparr reserve version is handpicked from 20 to 35 year-old vines that are especially ripe. The nose is highly aromatic with buttery, baked apple, quince and mineral/floral notes throughout. The entry is surprisingly rich and fat on the palate with ripe apple, slate, citrus and nutty butter flavours and fine acidity on the finish. It's so ripe it tastes sweet. Grilled pork would be a terrific match.

Barossa Valley Estate (BVE) has introduced a new line of wines designed for the North America market it's calling "Spires." The name is inspired by the picturesque valley's numerous towering church spires. The price appears to simply be inspired.

With so much overpriced Oz juice in the market the $14 BVE Spires Chardonnay 2002 with its attractive mineral and pear fruit flavours is much welcomed.

The textures are round, the fruit juicy, with more mineral, ripe apple and peach flavours with a dash of lime and orange butter in the finish. It has impressive styling and value for an inexpensive chardonnay and it's better value than many similarly priced California labels.

The red version, Spires Shiraz 2002, isn't quite the wine the chardonnay is and it's more expensive but it is a solid shiraz made from a mix of young and old vines. Look for ripe blackberry, leather and pepper aromas with a touch of jasmine. The textures are soft and round with jasmine, licorice, blackberry and coffee flavours and a spicy earthy finish that reminds me of some Rhone Valley versions.

The ultimate quaffing red is the Fetzer Zinfandel Valley Oaks 2000. Sometimes the old tried and true brands are overlooked in the rush to taste something new but don't rush by the Fetzer zin. It has a spicy, peppery, bramble berry nose complete with a briary Twist. On the palate it's warm and jammy with peppery, spicy fruit flavours. It's a touch dry in the finish but that will fade with time or a grilled chicken salad.

WEEKEND WINE TASTING:

Holiday Weekend Sippers

Wine: Dr. L Riesling 2001, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
Price: $15.92
UPC: 323445612660
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: Ripe apple, citrus, mineral, juicy nectarine flavours.

Wine: Banfi Le Rime Chardon-nay & Pinot Grigio 2001, Tuscany, Italy
Price: $15.95
UPC: 8015674910069
Score: 13/20
Comments: Mineral, green apple, pear and almond flavours.

Wine: Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris Reserve 2001, Alsace, France
Price: $24.99
UPC: 3263530020512
Score: 16/20
Comments: Ripe apple, slate, citrus and nutty butter flavours.

Wine: Spires Chardonnay 2002, Barossa Valley, Australia
Price: $13.94
UPC: 9311043085857
Score: 14.5/20
Comments: Juicy, ripe apple, peach flavours with lime/orange butter.

Wine: Spires Shiraz 2002, Barossa Valley, Australia
Price: $15.95
UPC: 9311043085864
Score: 14/20
Comments: Jasmine, licorice, black-berry and coffee flavours.

Wine: Fetzer Zinfandel Valley Oaks 2000, California
Price: $15.99
UPC: 082896700127
Score: 14/20
Comments: Warm jammy, peppery, spicy fruit flavours.