Our Memorable Wine Moments of 2011

While overall 2011 was a pretty terrible year on a personal level, we did have a good year as far as wine and wine moments are concerned.

We were able to travel to the Niagara Valley in July to enjoy a few days in the middle of one of Canada's best wine regions. We also successfully and (from what we know now) illegally brought back a case of wine which we still have a few selections left to enjoy.

On that trip, we found our Wine of the Year, the 2008 Frogpond Cabernet Franc. It was a very unique and memorable wine. It was one of those wines where you did not want to see it end.

We also got the chance to visit our own Annapolis Valley on several occasions and we had the nicest time trying the local vintages. Our wine industry is still in its infancy and we know that there are more great wines to come from this region.

Some standout wines from the year include:

2007 Abad Dom Bueno Mencia from Bierzo Spain (Absolutely awesome - the 2008 was great but the '07 was a jaw dropper. Mencia in general is a new favorite varietal.

2008 Hill & Dale Cabernet Shiraz from South Africa - at $15 locally, it is a wine that tastes like twice the price.

2007 Torres San Valentin Garnacha - another $15 winner

We tried a number of Argentinean and French Malbecs this year. We know that they are all the rage in the wine world but we know there are only a few memorable ones from the past year. Also, Portuguese wines have become more of a favourite, with Douros and Daos being a wonderful and inexpensive surprise.

This year's Port of Wines Festival at the Cunard Centre here in Halifax was another success, though this year there was not a real runaway winner as the most memorable wine of the show. There were a number of great wines and the overall quality was good but the must haves were few.

Another big event this year was starting this blog. We have spent so much time drinking and talking about wine, it has truly become a passion. We thought this blog would be a great outlet and a way to add others to our discussions. We have been overwhelmed by the support and we will continue the conversation in 2012. As always your thoughts and opinions are always appreciated.

Have a Happy New Year!

Keep on drinking!

Chris & Shannon