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
Ridge Three Valleys 2008, Sonoma County
California, Usa$35.95
Hmm...I always expect too much from Ridge. Paul Draper has made some fantastic wines. This has what you would expect in a Cali Zin: Raspberry/Strawberry jam and black pepper..good tannin and acid...but there is also a certain astringent quality here as well...like raspberry leaf tea. Overall this felt unbalanced...I would be curious to taste it again in a few years though I doubt this will aged half as well as their better wines. This is about $15 bucks south of the border. It shows.
3.0 Stars
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I Castei Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2006, Doc
Veneto, Italy$41.95
Already show slight bricking on the edge Fairly typical pruney, rainsiny flavours, maybe a bit too much heat.
Decent Amarone, nothing special here.
3.0 Stars
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Dirty Laundry Bordello 2008, Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada$49.95
Fruity nose, some green-pepper evident. Medium-full body, decent density of flavour but it's alcohol and acidity make it surprisingly high toned and almost thin on the mid-palate. "Disjointed" comes to mind. Plenty of tannin. This will soften with some cellar years but I'm not sure it has the stuffing to last. A tasty drink but I can't imagine spending $50 on this.
3.0 Stars
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Beringer Founders' Estate Shiraz 2009, California
California, Usa$18.95
Good value crowd pleaser. New world, fruit forward, good concentration of fruit, if bordering on over-extracted. Good balance, full bodied, spicy, slightly smokey. Maybe a bit too sweet but balanced by ripe tannin. Nothing particularly complex but a good all-round red wine.
3.0 Stars
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Goats Do Roam Red 2009, Wo Western Cape
South Africa$12.95
(2010 vinatge)
I suspect many people will like this wine for the exact reasons I don't: very jammy, sweet and manufactured. Ripe, heavily extracted, a bit heady at 14%. It has plenty of flavour: stewed berries, herbs, pepper. Oak and tannin kept to a minimum (at least in relation to the fruit).
Fine for inexpensive, casual drinking among wine novices, but stick to France if you want more character, balance and old world style.
3.0 Stars
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Ant Moore Pinot Noir 2009, Central Otago, South Island
New Zealand$20.85
nose: Raspberry, some cranberry & mint, (a hint of dark chocolate?), sawdust and alcohol. Palate: Sour cranberry/cherry/raspberry, a bit woody. Bright acidity, mild tannin. Short, slightly sour finish. A good Pinot but a bit overpriced. This would actually be a fantastic match for a turkey dinner. In fact, I may even grab another bottle or two just to put away for Thanksgiving. This got better and more interesting as it went along.
3.0 Stars
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Boutari Assyrtiko Santorini 2009
Santorini, Greece$15.75
My Danforth go-to wine and my summer house white. Lemony nose predicts great acidity. It's dubious that anyone can actually smell minerals but but you can taste them. Precise palate of citrus and a stoney, chalky, very dry minerality. Bright acidity, very refreshing. Perfect for cutting through garlicy and lemony greek dishes and grilled seafood. Assyrtiko with grilled calamari is classic. Not as laser focused as Sigalas but a well made wine from my favorite island in the world.
3.0 Stars
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Domdechant Werner Hochheimer Riesling Kabinett 2008, Rheingau
Rheingau, Germany$18.95
Very nice citrus, slightly floral nose. Crisp acidity and light sweetness on the palate. Subtle flavours of peach, a bit of cider. Light, appetizing and refreshing.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Santa Carolina Merlot Reserva 2010
Chile$12.95
Full bodied with good concentration. Smokey plum flavour (hIckory BBQ sauce?), coffee. Some tannin, good sweet/sour balance. Easy drinking.
3.0 Stars
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Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz 2008, Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria
Victoria, Australia$35.95
Sweet, soft nose of dark berries, some anise and milk chocolate. Full bodied. Good fruit concentration; cherries, blackberry. Not a fruit-bomb, not at all over-extracted. Tannins are present but sweet and smooth. A fair bit of alcohol but not overpowering. Overall this is a well balanced, easy drinking Shiraz that has some years of life left but to me there is nothing here to justify it's price.
3.0 Stars
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