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WINE COLUMN
GOLF WINE
By Carolyn Evans Hammond, published in Outreach Connection and distributed privately on 28/08/09
Whacking a long stick at a little white ball every 12 minutes or so, trying to get it in a small hole a few hundred meters away, doesn’t amount to fun for me. Layer on the fact you keep doing it all morning or all afternoon makes me marvel that anyone has the inclination to golf. Can there be anything duller?
What’s even more surprising is that people call it a sport. To me, a sport requires sufficient exertion to break a sweat and if you’re perspiring because you’re golfing—which is essentially walking then pausing every 50 paces to swing a feather-light “club” once at a ball about the size and weight of a hard-boiled egg—there’s a problem. By those standards, professional wine-tasting could qualify as a sport—walk, pour, sip, spit… repeat... all afternoon. There may be less walking but the bottles are heavier than your average putter or driver these days so it balances out.
No, of course wine-tasting isn’t a sport. Nor is golf.
Actually, what amazes me most is that people don’t just golf, they watch others do it on television. TV producers even try to make it more emotionally-stirring with theme music usually reserved for spiritually uplifting New Age CDs and church hymns. Have you ever heard the theme song for The Masters golf tournament? Truly, madly, deeply hilarious.
The fact The Masters is so huge makes me wonder if there’s a potential audience of wine enthusiasts interested in watching me and my peers expectorate and scribble notes for a few hours. I know some very suave spitters who can spew a stream into the spittoon from two-feet away in a perfect almost poetic arc.
But this is a free world populated by people like me as well as those keen to play golf, watch golf, and idolize those —like Mike Weir—who do it every day for a living. Apparently, Mr. Weir is a pro golfer although I’ve never actually seen him play. I’m not just name-dropping gratuitously; I mention it because, if you’re a wine lover and a golf lover you might be interested to know he bought a winery about four years ago in the Niagara Peninsula and the wines are now widely available in Ontario.
Bet you’re wondering how they taste.
Well, I set aside my personal views on golf and put on my more objective wine cap to taste through the selection of bottles sent to me from his winery a few days ago. (Thanks Mike.)
These are my notes.
Mike Weir Chardonnay 2007,
Faint flavors and aromas of apple and citrus fruit. Balanced but quite one-dimensional. Not terribly interesting nor complex. Full-bodied with a hint of spice on the finish. I can think of 100 better white wines for the money.
Mike Weir Sauvignon Blanc 2008,
Subtle gooseberry and asparagus notes on the nose lead to a bracing hit of sharp lemon-lime juice on the palate. Lots of acidity but not much flavor and very little aftertaste. Overpriced and not terribly fun to drink.
Mike Weir Cabernet Merlot 2007,
Faint aromas of raspberries and chocolate lead to a disappointing palate of unsweetened cranberry and little else really. Then, it finishes with a tongue-puckering dose of under-ripe tannin. Not very nice at all.
Well, the wines aren’t great. But recent studies show a wine will actually taste better if you consume it with music you like. So, maybe these wines will taste better if golfers drink them to the theme music for The Masters to induce that warm fuzzy feeling.
I, like most wine writers, don’t bother spilling ink on wines not worth the money but I wanted to do so in this case. Why? Because I have little doubt golfers will buy Mike’s wines for his name alone so they deserve to know what they’re getting. Especially since none of the bottles above have a tasting note printed on the back label.
But I won’t leave you totally empty handed. I’m finishing this column with a recommendation for a very fine wine 20 times better value than any of the Mike Weir wines noted (no offense Mike). It’s a hugely delicious tawny Port.
Taylor Fladgate 10
Aged for 10 years in wood, this stellar tawny is just gorgeous. It starts with almonds and caramel on the nose with some subtle red cherry charm. Then, on the palate, comes a vibrant rush of flavour—all the glorious warm walnut-toffee-orange-fig complexity of an old tawny but shot through with vivacious red fruits. Incredible served slightly chilled, especially with cheese and nuts. And the bottle will keep for a few weeks in the fridge after opening. Miles ahead of the pack.
To find an LCBO near you that stocks a particular bottle, visit http://www.lcbo.com and search by the product name or number.
This column is distributed privately, appears in Outreach Connection weekly, and is posted at www.wine-tribune.com. Seasoned journalist and qualified sommelier Carolyn Evans Hammond has written for several major publications including Decanter Magazine, The Times newspaper, and Wine & Spirit International magazine in the U.K., as well as Maclean’s magazine, Taste magazine, Tidings magazine, The Toronto Star and The Province in Canada. Her bestselling book, 1000 Best Wine Secrets, is available at most major bookstores, and signed copies are available through her website. Carolyn’s next book is due out in March 2010.