Andrew Hunter
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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
Tini Sangiovese Di Romagna 2009, Sangiovese Di Romagna
Italy$7.75
A really nice, light wine. Sour cherry nose, a bit of mint. Light to medium body. Sour cherry and cranberry with some nice savory flavours. It's bright acidity and mild tannin reminded me of a Barbera crossed with a Beaujolais Nouveaux. An excellent wine to start the evening with (very slightly chilled even). Would be great with a warm sauteed mushroom salad.
An honest wine and a great value.
As always, no one makes better "cheap" wine than the Italians.
3.0 Stars
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Königschaffhauser Pinot Gris Trocken 2009, Qba Baden, Vulkanfelsen
Baden, Germany$13.95
Tight nose with some citrus, a hint of petrol and apple. Dry palate, some minerality, citrus, just a touch of sweetness.
A nice wine for the price.
3.0 Stars
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Château Fontaine 2008, Ac Sauternes
Bordeaux, France$16.95
Not a great sauternes. Nose: Honey, peaches a bit of xmas spice, citrus, some botrytis. Tastes ok, decent for the price but it's a bit thin and winey. Nothing like really good sauternes, but you get a hint for cheap. Is there such a thing as Wednesday night Sauternes? Apparently, yes.
Shell out the extra $12 and get a "Noble One" instead.
3.0 Stars
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Cono Sur Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2009, Maipo Valley
Chile$13.95
Distinct smell of vinyl (water wings!) that did not dissipate with aeration. Dusty tannin, thin fruit, medium body. Not enough concentration. Surprisingly disappointing.
3.0 Stars
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Pelee Island Lighthouse Cabernet Franc 2009, Ontario VQA
Ontario, Canada$12.95
(2010 vintage)
Some typical green pepper on the nose with a unique medicinal/iodine note almost reminding me of a northern Rhone syrah!
Sweet, ripe fruit on the palate but also quite savory with masculine leather and tobacco flavours. I found the complexities in this wine quite interesting. If you like old-school styled Cab Francs this is worth trying especially at this price.
3.0 Stars
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Santo Wines Santorini Assyrtiko 2010, Appellation Of Origin Santorini Of High Quality
Santorini, Greece$16.95
From my favorite Island in the world, this Assyrtiko isn't quite as precise as Sigalas or Boutari but it's still a fine wine. Crisp, minerally and citrusy, if slightly sweeter than the aforementioned producers.
For grilled calamari, saganaki, souvlaki, grilled pita and dips there's no better drink for my money.
3.0 Stars
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Small Gully Formula Robert's Shiraz 2006, South Australia
South Australia, Australia$19.95
I wasn't sure if I loved it or hated it. In the end it won me over.
Browning red, this has evolved quite a bit. Huge, in-your-face nose of alcohol, pepper and a ton of sweet, jammy fruit. This wine grabs your attention. You can smell the ripeness and concentration even through the 15.9%(!) alcoholic prickle. This had a very direct, mid-palate blast of sweet cherry, sour cherry, cranberry, earthy chocolate and alcoholic heat. Tannins are modest and almost overpowered by the concentrated fruit and alcohol. A really interesting wine for the price. Great with sweet BBQ meats and chocolate cake!
3.0 Stars
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13th Street Red Palette 2010, VQA Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$15.95
Herbal, almost seaweedy nose. Medium body. Palate has an interesting impression of salinity or iodine. Sweet/sour finish. Something unique about this that I liked.
3.0 Stars
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Concha Y Toro Winemaker's Lot 148 Carmenère 2008, Rapel Valley, Las Pataguas Vineyard
Rapel Valley, Chile$15.95
Dark wine. This had quite a floral nose (if perhaps somewhat synthetic. Dryer sheets came to mind) with dark fruit, and a nice earthiness.
Full bodied. A plush, fat wine. No wonder these grapes were sometimes mistaken for merlot. Lots of fruit flavour, some herbs, warm spice, and touch of smokiness. Decent tannic backbone. A balanced, easy to drink wine without being overly sweet.
No reason to cellar this, it's ready to drink.
I'd buy this again.
Outstanding with slow cooked BBQ pork.
3.0 Stars
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Château Rousseau De Sipian 2006, Ac Médoc
Bordeaux, France$22.95
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Sweet nose of blackberry/blackcurrant jam, spices like thyme, bay leaves come to mind, some woodiness. Full bodied with good fruit concentration, some earthiness. Tannins are modest. Some sourness and acidity on the finish but overall it's softer, fruitier and not as rustic as I thought it would be. A Thursday dinner Bordeaux.
3.0 Stars
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