Dan Trcka
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Followers (47)
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Following (5)
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Reviews (1016)
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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.
Reviews
Cave Spring Estate Riesling 2013, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$19.95
The 2013 Cave Spring Estate Riesling has attractive aromas of limestone, yellow apple, lemon followed by subtle lees, subtle honey and alcohol on the nose and lime, yellow apple and subtle lees on the palate. It is a light to medium bodied, off-dry, fruity wine; with fresh acidity and a medium finish. It is a fresh, food friendly wine that is sweetness forward; drink now to 2018/19 (cork enclosure). My impression: NICE, 89 pts – recommended for its quality; currently on sale for $2 OFF. 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
Chateau Des Charmes Vidal Icewine 2014, Niagara Peninsula (200ml)
Ontario, Canada$28.95
The 2014 Château des Charmes Vidal Icewine has sweet aromas of pear, apricot and honey on the nose and lemon, pear and honey on the palate. It is a full bodied, sweet, fruity wine; with good acidity and a medium to long finish. It is a food friendly and sipping wine, drink now and for the next 5+ years (cork enclosure). My impression: quite NICE, 89 pts - recommended for its quality. Tasted September/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
Catena Alta Malbec 2005, Mendoza
Argentina$49.95
The 2004 Catena Alta Malbec has long been sold out, but I was fortunate that my new friend invited me to his house for an excellent dinner that his wife prepared and decided to share it with me. It is a medium bodied, integrated wine with nice aromas of coffee, chocolate and cedar on the nose and blackberry and coconut on the palate. Tannins are refined (decant for 1 hour) and the finish is long and smooth, but a bit hot. Despite being 2004, it still has plenty of cellaring time left as it still should be at its peak in the next 5 to 10 years. My impression: BEAUTIFUL, 91 pts and would be a recommended buy if available. Tasted Sept/11.
If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):
http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recommended-wines-you-can-still-buy
3.5 Stars
(0)V
K W V Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Western Cape
South Africa$15.95
KWV delivers good wine at almost reasonable price (currently this one is on sale for $2 off = $14.95, so the price is pretty reasonable). This 2007 nicely aromatic, fruity to integrated, medium bodied Cabernet displays aromas of vanilla, blackberry and bilberry. The tannins are subtle to refined (decant for 30 min) and the finish is medium. It'll be at its best in 2011 to 2013? Personally I prefer the 06 Merlot or 07 Syrah - much more intense. My impression: NICE. Tasted May/10.
If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):
http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recomended-wines-you-can-still-buy
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Rocca Delle Macìe Chianti Riserva 2005, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$15.95
This light to medium bodied Chianti has integrated scents of raspberry, cherry, pine and vanilla. Tannins are refined (open for 30 – 60 min) and the finish is medium. It should get better with age – put away for couple of years. Previously, I tried its sister vintage – Rocca Delle Macìe Chianti Classico Riserva 2005 (930966) which seemed to me more complex (I didn’t take notes), but at higher price. This wine was fairly well received by my group of friends. My impression: NICE. Tasted Mar/10.
If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):
http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recomended-wines-you-can-still-buy
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Viberti Barolo Riserva La Volta 2001, Docg
Piedmont, Italy$69.95
This medium bodied Barolo is intensely aromatic with fragrances of cedar, leather and violets. The fruit is aged, tannins are refined to tannic (needs over an hour to open) and the finish is long. This wine is good to drink now or can beautifully age for another 5-10 years. My impression: BEAUTIFUL. Tasted Mar/10.
If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):
http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recomended-wines-you-can-still-buy
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Wolf Blass Gold Label Pinot Noir 2007, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Australia$27.95
The Gold Label Pinot Noir 2008 from Adelaide Hills was medium bodied (usually Pinot Noirs are light bodied) with fruity aromas of cherry, prune and a composition of green pepper (unappealing) and pine. The tannins were subtle, the finish was medium and acidic. The aging potential was of no more than 2 more years. My impression: NOTHING SPECIAL, 85 pts. Tasted June23/10 at Wine Align Wolf Blass Premium Wine Tasting event.
If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):
http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recomended-wines-you-can-still-buy
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Eberle Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Paso Robles
California, Usa$23.95
I have tasted this wine once before and decided to stock up on it. This beautifully aromatic wine is dominated by cherry followed by black currant, bilberry, oak + vanilla and almond tastes. It is smooth, slightly earthy and chalky. The alcohol is high 15.2%, but not at all intrusive, together with refined tannins this wine should age gracefully for 10 years at least. Body of this wine is medium, finish is long. My impression: BEAUTIFUL TO DEVINE. This wine could cost up to $40 and still be worth it. I am glad this wine is part of my cellar. Tasted Feb/10 and Jan/10.
If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):
http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recomended-wines-you-can-still-buy
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Cennatoio Chianti Classico 2006, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$17.35
The bottle that I opened was quite CORKY, which unfortunately spoiled the tasting experience. Caution should be excersised when buying this wine. Unfortunately when adding this comment I am not able to leave this wine unrated, so I choose to give it 85. Tasted Mar/10.
If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):
http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recomended-wines-you-can-still-buy
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Fassati Pasiteo Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2005, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$22.95
The 2006 Fassati Pasiteo Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano (present imported directly from Italy) is a medium bodied wine, with nice aromas of INTEGRATED to aged red berries, caramel, leather, oak and coconut. Tannins are refined to tannic (decant for 30 to 60 min) and the finish is medium to long and a bit sweet. Drink now and for the next 5 years. My impression: NICE to BEAUTIFUL, 89 pts - wine that surprisingly is port like, though not as thick on flavour nor alcohol. Tasted Oct/11.
If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):
http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recommended-wines-you-can-still-buy
3.5 Stars
(0)V