Andrew Hunter
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Following (8)
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Reviews (319)
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Andrew Hunter is a musician and composer. He abandoned his career in film and television to raise his kids, make music and drink wine.
My love of wine started with underage sips at the family dinner table. In college I fancied myself a sophisticate as I drank Chianti with pizza, back when Chianti still came in wicker 'fiasco' bottles. (I miss those, great candle holders.) I admit to still having a soft spot for Mateus. Cheap, sweet wine in a chubby bottle was just fine. Back then all I knew about wine was that there was red, white and pink (and girls really liked that white zinfandel!). It was years later, when I started to frequent some of Toronto's finer restaurants, that vinous epiphanies began to occur. Sips of wine that caused quiet pause and an exclamation of, "oh...wow."
I began to read everything I could about wine. I built a cellar and started collecting bottles. My taste evolved from sweet, easy-drinking, fruit-forward wines to the more old-world styles of France and Italy. I tend to prefer wines that are understated and complex over the super-extracted fruit-bombs which seem to be increasingly fashionable. I'll generally take Bordeaux over Napa and Tuscany over Australia. But there are always exceptions!
I'm a huge fan of sweet wines. I rarely meet an ice wine or Sauternes that I don't like. I also get along very well with Port.
Riesling is my favorite white, along with Viognier, Gerwurztraminer and Santorini Assyrtiko. Chardonnay is my least favorite. No matter how much I spend or how great the pedigree, I have yet to be blown away. Somewhere out there is a really delicious Chardonnay. I'm still looking for it.
My busy life leaves little time for blogging but at the very least I review every wine I taste.
There's nothing more subjective than art...Except perhaps wine. At our wine club I'm always pleased when someone prefers the $12 wine to the $50 wine (unfortunately it never seems to be me). For all it's pretentiousness and hype wine is a just a drink, either you like it or you don't. There is no right or wrong. It's all about discovering what you like!
In my wine reviews I try to describe the wine in a simple, unpretentious way. My aim is to help the reader decide if it's a wine they might like or want to avoid.
Of course, I'll tell you if I like it or not, but also, unlike many professional critics, I write with the clear assumption that what you like and what I like may very well be opposite. It doesn't matter. I'll tell you if a wine is sweet and fruit-forward and or dry, tannic and savory and let you decide.
http://torontowineguy.blogspot.com/
Reviews
Terranoble Gran Reserva Carmenère 2009, Maule Valley
Maule Valley, Chile$18.95
This wine has a pronounced sourness to it, which grew sour-er over time. Underneath that sourness is a concentrated wine full of dark fruit, herbs, slightly medicinal hints, and meaty, smoky, spicy flavours. Reminded me of a lesser northern rhone syrah.
A good wine but the sourness threw it right off balance for me.
3.5 Stars
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Concha Y Toro Marques De Casa Concha Carmenere 2010
Chile$19.95
Dark, stewed cherries and cocoa on the nose.
Big and fat on the palate: Blueberry pie, cognac-flambéed cherries jubilee. A hint of smoke, like maybe the guy who sat on your chair before you was smoking a nice cigar. Warm alcohol spine. Well balanced. Long, sweet blackcurrant finish. Heady (14.5%!).
This is a big modern wine but it's not overly sweet with plenty of herbal, savoury notes to avoid tasting too cloying or commercial.
3.5 Stars
Zenato Rosso 2009, Igt Veneto
Veneto, Italy$13.15
This bottle may not be completely indicative of the wine. A distinct barn-yardy waft upon opening. Initially off-putting but I've had many Brunellos with a similar thing. It blew off after a while to reveal old leather, dark stewed berries, anise and smoke on the nose. Full body, plenty of acidity and some rustic tannin. Lots of rustic flavour: cooked strawberries, sour cherry, herbs, some woodiness and astringency. This packs quite a flavour wallop in the mouth. Interesting for the price. Try with a spicy pasta dish.
3.5 Stars
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Rioja Bordón Gran Reserva 2004, Doca Rioja
Rioja, Spain$24.95
Fruit, wood and spice on the nose. On the palate there's something almost bordeaux about this. Old-world dry without being austere. Medium-full bodied. Tangy berry flavours with wood, herbs and some earthiness. Quite dry but tannins in balance.
An honest Rioja with enough complexity to make it worth the price.
3.5 Stars
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Clos De Los Siete 2008, Mendoza
Mendoza, Argentina$23.95
Interesting blend. Full bodied, quite complex on the palate. Big, but a bit contrived. That sounds pretentious but what I mean is that it tastes over-manipulated, like it's been designed to be "interesting". Nevertheless I liked it despite it tasting a bit manufactured. If there were cola tastings I'd still give Pepsi a 90. Most people at a dinner table will enjoy this..and of course that's the point here isn't it?
3.5 Stars
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Castello Di Querceto Chianti Classico 2008, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$24.95
Nice Chianti. Complex nose: herbs, wood, leather, vanilla. Good fruit, plenty of rustic, savoury flavour. Dry, woody, fairy tannic. Quite vigorous and drinkable now but this should develop well over the nest few years.
3.5 Stars
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Baracchi Smeriglio Syrah 2008, Doc Cortona
Tuscany, Italy$26.95
I would have guessed this was a northern Rhone wine. Flavours of anise, herbs, olives, dark, smokey fruit. Quite savoury, very old world in style. An Interesting wine.
3.5 Stars
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Icario Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2007, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$25.90
Really good Vino Nobile Di Montepulchiano here. Nice fruity, woody, herbal nose. Medium-full bodied, plenty of vanilla/oak flavours and lots of tannin. An interesting balance of sweet fruit and drying leafy tannin. Not exactly a great value but a tasty wine that very much my style of wine.
3.5 Stars
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Morgan Syrah 2007, Monterey County
California, Usa$24.95
A really lovely wine with a nose I immediately described as "sexy": Soft, subtle perfume, sweet fruit and warm spice.
Old-world in style but not at all rustic or unfriendly. A complex but delicate palate of sweet, ripe fruit, fruitcake spice, warm alcohol, fresh herbs, soft tannin and a pleasant, mushroomy earthiness. Long finish. Perfectly balanced. A very well made Syrah in a more subtle, elegant style. It would be interesting to see how this develops over time but it's drinking perfectly well right now.
3.5 Stars
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Muga Reserva 2007, Doc Rioja
Spain$23.95
(2008 vintage)
Dark in the glass. Boozy, sharp nose. Some air freshener. Full bodied. Warm, spicy, peppery palate. Tannins a bit rustic. Definitely a food wine.
An enjoyable wine but significantly over-priced for what you get.
3.5 Stars
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