Dan Trcka

Followers (47)	(140) (32)
Following (5)	Reviews (1016)

Updated September 2013.

....Dear reader, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Daniel Trcka and much like yourself, I am a wine enthusiast.

My wine story
....I am inherently curious and have always had the need to figure out how things work – this drive has led me to become as I am today. It is always interesting how passions evolve before they become entities that engulf oneself and become him or herself. My passion began the day when I decided to make my own wine. Thinking that my creation must fare better than the cheapest 1.5L table wine I went ahead and surprisingly achieved it. Naturally, this then led to a simple question “what makes one wine better than another”? The somewhat complicated answer took me on a quest to learn about the complexity and the range of ‘tastes’ – first seeking the answer in a pursuit of knowledge (I highly recommend reading a 926 page book titled WINE by Andre Domine), and then finding it by training my sense of smell (54 scent Les-Nes-Du-Vin kit, also highly recommended) and learning how to listen to it. Subsequently, natural progression (for me) was to share my passion and the newly gained knowledge, and so I started reviewing wines on the WineAlign website, and Natalie MacLean’s site, but these not fully satisfying my need to express myself, I developed this webpage and launched it on July 19th, 2012.

My palate
....Let’s face it, I love red wines and even though I appreciate white wine, I really enjoy reds. My palate is quite varied, meaning that I enjoy all sorts of wines ranging from light bodied aromatic Pinot Noirs, fruity Barberas or tannic Nebbiolos to full-bodied green Carmeneres, refined Cabernets or jammy Malbecs or Shirazes. If I go by the numbers, then in the not-so-distant-past, Rioja’s Tempranillo followed by Piedmont’s Nebbiolo and Tuscan Sangiovese were the most common guests on my dinner table; though recently Ontarian wines (mainly whites) have become quite frequent and welcomed visitors. I enjoy wines that spent some time in oak, acquiring some toasty/woody notes that add to their complexity; prefer mid-aged (integrated) wines, but don’t shy away from youthful and fruitful ones; and I pay attention to the trueness of the grape. I hope that knowing this will help in deciding whether my palate matches yours.

Other than wine, what do I do
....I am fortunate to work in a prestigious research institute, on a fascinating, cutting edge project, for a professor who is one of the smartest men I know and with colleagues that are a friendly, knowledgeable bunch. We are trying to understand what makes stem cells – stem cells; specifically, we convert regular cells into stem cell like cells, using mice and mouse cells as our model. We then use these cells to generate mouse embryos, from which we isolate differentiated embryonic cells and induce them to undergo secondary, synchronized reprogramming into a stem cell like cells. We can study this secondary reprogramming and gain insights that bring us ever closer to personalized medicine in hope that one day we, the mankind, will be able to convert one’s cells into body’s deficient or damaged cells thus restoring health.

My contribution to scientific advancement
– MBNL proteins repress ES-cell-specific alternative splicing and reprogramming.
.. Nature June 13th, 2013.

– A late transition in somatic cell reprogramming requires regulators distinct from the pluripotency network.
.. Cell Stem Cell December 7th, 2012.

– Discoidin domain receptor-1 deficiency attenuates atherosclerotic calcification and smooth muscle cell-mediated mineralization.
.. American Journal of Pathology. November 5th, 2009.

– Collagen stimulates discoidin domain receptor 1 mediated migration of smooth muscle cells through Src.
.. Journal of Cardiovascular Pathology. January 19th, 2010.

– The in vitro real-time oscillation monitoring system identifies potential entrainment factors for circadian clocks.
.. BMC Mol Biol February 16th, 2006.

Contribution Acknowledgement
– Matrix-dependent adhesion of vascular and valvular endothelial cells in microfluidic channels.
.. Lab Chip August 7th, 2006.

– Transcriptional oscillation of canonical clock genes in mouse peripheral tissues.
.. BMC Mol Biol June 16th, 2004.

– Fez1 is layer-specifically expressed in the adult mouse neocortex.
.. European Journal of Neuroscience December 2nd, 2004.

Visit Blog - http://www.grapeselections.com

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Reviews

Château Des Charmes Estate Bottled Vidal Icewine 2013, VQA Niagara On The Lake (200ml)

Ontario, Canada
$25.95

The 2013 Château des Charmes Estate Bottled Vidal Icewine has perfumed aromas of honey, honey dew melon, cantaloupe and hawthorn on both the nose and palate. It is a full bodied, sweet, fruity wine; with good acidity and a medium, honey finish. This is a food friendly (enjoy alongside cheese) and sipping wine; drink now and for the next 7+ years (>4.5 cm cork enclosure). My impression: BEAUTIFUL, 89 pts – recommended for its quality. Tasted in Jul/14.

See my wine recommendations readily available at the LCBO here:

http://grapeselections.com/grapeselections

or here @

http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recommended-wines-you-can-still-buy

3.5 Stars

(0)V

Jul 28, 2014

Chilensis Lazuli 2011

Maule Valley, Chile
$14.75

The 2011 Chilensis Lazuli, likely composed (based on 2009 and 2010 vintages) of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Syrah and Carmenére and aged in French and American Oaks for 12-14 months, has seductive aromas of sweet wood and spice – namely pine, thyme and clove, supported by fruitful black cherry on the nose and dusty black cherry, red currant and pomegranate on the palate. It is a medium to full bodied, extra-dry, fruity wine; with good acidity, dusty tannins (decant for 30 to 60 min - a must!) and a medium to long finish. It is a food friendly and sipping wine; drink now or cellar till 2020 – not much further due to short cork enclosure. My impression: NICE to BEAUTIFUL, 90 pts – recommended for both its quality and value – currently on bin end clearance discount of $3.20 – STOCK UP! Tasted in Jan/15.

See my wine recommendations readily available at the LCBO here:

http://grapeselections.com/grapeselections

or here @

http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recommended-wines-you-can-still-buy

3.5 Stars

(0)V

Jan 20, 2015

Trapiche Pure Malbec 2013

Mendoza, Argentina
$15.95

The 2013 Trapiche Pure Malbec, sourced from foothill vineyards in Uco valley and crafted without any use of oak, has attractive aromas of earthy blackberry and black cherry on the nose and blackberry, red currant and subtle stems on the palate. It is a full bodied, extra-dry, fruity wine; with refreshing acidity, refined/dusty tannins and a medium finish. This is a food friendly wine that goes well with hard cheese or steak; drink now and for the next few years (composite cork enclosure). My impression: quite NICE, 89 pts – recommended for its quality and value – excellent complexity rarely found in unoaked wines and should find its place to many cellars for short term cellaring. Tasted in Sep/14 at 'iYellow’s Trapiche tasting with the winemaker Sergio Eduardo Casé and Carla Castorina' http://grapeselections.com/grapeselections/wine-reviews/.

See my wine recommendations readily available at the LCBO here:

http://grapeselections.com/grapeselections

or here @

http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recommended-wines-you-can-still-buy

3.5 Stars

(0)G

Sep 29, 2014

Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley

British Columbia, Canada
$44.95

The 2012 Burrowing Owl Estate Winery Cabernet Franc, aged in combinations of French, Russian, Hungarian and American oaks for 22 months; has expressive aromas of toasted oak, vanilla and milky black cherry on the nose and pomegranate, dates and oak on the palate. It is a medium bodied, extra-dry, fruity wine; with refreshing acidity, refined tannins and a medium finish. This is a food friendly wine; drink from 2015/16 till 2020 - evolution potential of +1 (cork enclosure). My impression: NICE, 89 (+1 EP) pts, quite expensive for what it is. Tasted in Nov/14 http://grapeselections.com/grapeselections/wine-reviews/.

See my wine recommendations readily available at the LCBO here:

http://grapeselections.com/grapeselections

or here @

http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recommended-wines-you-can-still-buy

3.5 Stars

(0)V

Dec 01, 2014

The 2009 Viña Mayor Reserva, from Ribera del Duero aged in French and American Oak barrels for 18 months, has intensely rich aromas of coconut, vanilla, toasted oak and black cherry on the nose and black cherry, blackberry, vanilla oak and spice on the palate - nose more reminiscent of wines from Rioja than Ribera del Duero. It is a medium bodied, extra-dry, integrated wine; with good acidity, refined tannins (decant for 15 min) and an extra-long, silky finish. It is food friendly in only few instances as it will overpower most foods, therefore sip it by itself; drink from now to 2025 (cork enclosure). My impression: BEAUTIFUL, 91 pts – recommended for its quality and value especially that it is on sale, so STOCK UP. Tasted in Sep/15.

See my wine recommendations readily available at the LCBO here:

http://grapeselections.com/grapeselections

or here @

http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recommended-wines-you-can-still-buy

3.5 Stars

(0)V

Sep 13, 2015