Troop, troop, troop

I've been pretty lazy with the updates, partly because of drinking wines that aren't available here, and partly just lazy. This past week I've managed to have a few different wines. My neighbour happened to be staying at the same hotel is me in Dawson and was sharing a couple of Pascual Toso wines, a malbec and a sauv blanc, with the hotel owners, and I managed to get conviced to have a small glass of each. The Aurora Inn is lovely by the way and the restaurant is better than anything in Whitehorse by far. Back to the wines, the Sauv Blanc was nothing special and I probably wouldn't have it again, but I had forgotten how much I liked the Malbec. I don't know if I've mentioned it here previously, but I have liked it very much in the past, yet haven't had it in a long while as I usually try to buy stuff I haven't had before (a bit of a challenge here). It is a nice, soft red. Lots of pleasant but non-descript dark red fruits, a bit of mellow spice, and a hint of violets. I find it very tasty and it is inexpensive.

Also this week I bought the new-to-Whitehorse Peller Estates Gewurztraminer. Unfortunately it is quite awful, having all the nasty characteristics of cheap white wine, with the added unpleasantness of cheap Gewurz, which pretty much results in a flavour reminicent of box wine with a dash of discount store perfume. Too bad, as there is not much Gewurztraminer to be seen in Whitehorse. I think all the ones I have are from Ontario and BC.

With dinner tonight (a nice moose stew prepared by my visiting sister) we had the Penfolds Rawson's Retreat Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon. It was very nice, perfectly drinkable like the Wolf Blass blend I have mentioned before. This one is a bit cheaper and I think I like the Wolf-Blass slightly more, but they are quite comparable. Good to bring to a dinner party as it should be universally liked for its inoffensiveness.

A few weeks ago I had the Yellow Tail Chardonnay. It is candy wine. Very heavy on the butterscotch flavour, but really not unpleasant. It manages to be cheap without the nasty cheap-white flavour that was so present in the Peller Estates Gewurtz. I don't think I would ever buy it as one can really do better, either with a not too much pricier Chardonnay, or with a more pleasant, but lighter Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio for a similar price.

They have a Sandhill Merlot in the liquor store now. I haven't tried it yet, but I did buy a bottle. Sandhill is an extension of Calona Vineyards, and I bought and very much enjoyed (the ones I've had so far) the Sandhill wines I bought when I was in the Okanagan last year.

Time for bed, a full day of tiling my sister's floor awaits me tomorrow. I don't know if my back and knees will hold out, but I am a trooper...