Choosing wines from a wall of brace and girder filled options presents as much a degree of difficulty as picking winners from an NCAA March Madness bracket. When it comes to teenage basketball, do you stay the favourite course and go with all number one seeds? Should you think underdog, like Coastal Carolina Chanticleers or the Albany Great Danes? Who will be this year’s 2013 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles? Or the other 2013 final-four sleepers from Wichita State? Or Virginia Commonwealth in 2011? Butler, Davidson, George Mason, Kent State, Indiana, Loyola Marymount, Villanova, this list goes on. Who can forget the Jimmy V. coached 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack?

Related – Five Canadians to watch for during 2014 March Madness tournament

When you consider what wines to open alongside the march to the Final Four, or what to drink in March, are you thinking Cinderella story or go to, can’t miss favourites? Being partial to the underdog, the lesser known, smaller lot, less marketing backed bottle is not only smart but worth the risk. Winning the pool because you chose the right lower seed and picking out a wine gem from a sea of same-old, same-old is a winning combination. Here are six unsung heroes, dark horse wines to seek out this March. Get a little madness in your life.

Clockwise from top left: Casa Do Valle Grande Escolha 2012, Maison Adrien Vacher Les Adrets Altesse Roussette De Savoie 2012, Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Reserve Red Assemblage 2011, Niagara Peninsula, Tawse Gamay Noir 2012, Prà Soave 2012, and Le Clos Jordanne Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011

Casa Do Valle Grande Escolha 2012, Vinho Verde, Portugal (276220, $15.95, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 1, 2014 Release

Up a buck but for its nerve, ball fake, back-door cut and caution thrown to the wind, deserves to be so. Fast breaking mineral Vinho Verde without the hot spring, travertine effervescence. Rocks upon rocks, torched by the sun and set beneath a ripe apple orchard. A good bitterness, blanched nuts and lime in full-toasted flavour. Not your avô’s VV and that’s a good thing. Progress matters.   89  Tasted February 2014  @winesportugalCA

Maison Adrien Vacher Les Adrets Altesse Roussette De Savoie 2012, Savoie, France (365163, $16.95, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 1, 2014 Release

Expectations run high for this montane white to be light, ethereal and delicately floral. To the contrary, the Savoie Altesse/Roussette (sort of like saying Bourgogne Blanc/Chardonnay) is at first an offensive foul, a bit stinky, sweaty and humid, like the efflux of a runny, unwashed rind cheese. Auto emissions too, acquired aromas for sure, with more mineral to taste, along with funky apples on steroids. Thoroughly invigorating. Can you get on board?  89  Tasted February 2014  @ProfileWineGrp

Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Reserve Red Assemblage 2011, Niagara Peninsula (321893, $16.95, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

Backs up the 2010 with another vintage that offers talented local ”Meritage balance for under $20.” The blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is a Nik Stauskas-like pure shooter, a thing of BEEF: Balance, eyes, elbow, follow through. Solid extract winged by top-notch acidity and nicely packaged with waves of fruit. The extraction may not allow this modestly priced red to age without some deconstructing so enjoy the fresh and vibrant fruit now and for two or three more years. Will really work with game nights.  88  Tasted February 2014  @Rockway Vineyard

Tawse Gamay Noir 2012, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (322545, $18.95, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

The Tawse 2012 Gamay is a roaming shark with a Hammerhead-butt of (the serious side of) varietal aromas; tar, char and cherry pie. Capable of scoring points in the paint, a double-double even, like the twin tower Brampton brothers at New Mexico State. A very humid ’12, as per the vintage, with full-on flavour and in avoidance of the floor’s splinters. Forsakes the shaken and reductive instability of some young Tawse (big reds in barrel) for easy buckets kissed off the glass. For now and with every meal, including breakfast. Tang, inhibition, ball-stripping, #GoGamayGo.  89  Tasted February 2014  @Tawse_Winery

Prà Soave 2012, Veneto, Italy  (74534, $19.95, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 1, 2014 Release

Enter screw cap, exit the designation Classico. Pra Soave the man repossesses its self-respect and re-brands itself under the name “Otto.” This Garganega ventures into rangy, rambunctious, starburst territory. The tang pitches in many tones, there is texture to chew and it travels to lengths not typical for entry-level Soave. Bold Venetian. Madness even. “And I remember how we’d play simply waste the day away,” something the Otto will gladly encourage. The only Soave you might consider eating on a plate but Otto insists “couldn’t enjoy it any more, Mom. Mm, mm, mmm.” And one!  89  Tasted February 2014  @TheVine_RobGroh

Le Clos Jordanne Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Twenty Mile Bench (33902, $45.00, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

Extremely good showing for this stalwart in what is becoming a classic Twenty Mile Bench vintage. Cran/Raspberry earthy-straw scents layered in a cake of overlapping, alternating flavours in raspberry (again) and quality chocolate. More intensity than the other ’11 LCJ’s at this early stage, simultaneously concentrated and light, like a ball-distributing point guard with 20-20 vision. Increased oak in dribble drive motion really ties the spiced flavours together, without sacrificing freshness. This will improve for five years, if not more. Winemaker’s Sébastien Jacquey must have called on his muse for this LCJ because “some kind of madness has started to evolve,” and from here on in this Pinot will solicit a “need to love.”  92  Tasted February 2014  @LeClosJordanne

Good to go!

I’ve been too long without summer,
In this winter home.

We’re going to begin the last week of March with a quartet of white wines as a prayer for the hopes of warmer weather. A bottle full of fresh and sprite grapes to be brought into the temple as a gift to lay down at the altar, sacrificial ferments meant to appease the harbinger gods of spring. A prayer on the back of a wine angel to usher us out of the cold, to drink in long time missing, rarefied air.

Is this plea just a bit too Exodus 40:6 for you? “And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.” Maybe too much like an American World War Two patriotic song? “And our trust in the Lord, we’re comin’ in on a wing and a prayer.” Do you read this and think, “See the rich man lost and lonely, watch him as he dines, sitting there just testing all the wines…” Does this make you roll your eyes due to a kitsch allergy? “Our wine, which art in heaven, hallowed by thy legs…For thine is the Chardonnay, the Merlot and the Cabernet. Forever and ever. Amen.”

An assembly of really good white wine seems as good a plan as any to beg for spring weather, prosaic waxing or not. Let’s just make a plan. Open a bottle of white wine a day for four days, or open one and wait four days. Then look out the window. If I were a betting man I’d say spring will have sprung.

From left: Casal Di Serra Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi Classico Superiore 2011, Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Dillons Point Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Estate Argyros Assyrtiko 2011, and Tawse Robyn’s Block Chardonnay 2010

Casal Di Serra Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi Classico Superiore 2011, Doc Marche, Italy (268169, $17.95, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

What once was, though no longer is a single (Montecarotto) vineyard designated Verdicchio, the exceptional quality of the grapes remains obvious, front and centre. A five months lees meets yeast cold soak and a distant, though influencing stone’s throw from a (somewhat) far away coast combine for complex effect. A brilliant platinum hue and loaded stony, mineral relish is piqued by a pinch of salinity. The overall elaboration is urged along by lime citrus in zest, aromatic bitters and evolving fruit entering a nut stage. Very, very Verdicchio.  89  Tasted March 2014  @UmaniRonchiVino  @Noble_Estates

Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Dillons Point Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Marlborough, New Zealand (66092, $19.95, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

There is just something about Sauvignon Blanc from vineyards on or near the shore of Cloudy Bay. Alan and Petrina Shutkowski’s plot in Morgans Road joins ranks the likes of the original and iconic Cloudy Bay and te Pā as purveyors of distinct and inadmissible fruit. Rises to a next level concentration and exceptional length. Larger scale producer does upscale SB at a large-scale price with distinction. A thing that sings long and in the right green grass key. Avoids the sickly, herbal sweetness of overbearing aspara-gooseberry and bell pepper. Incredible acids and just the right kind of salivating, mouth-watering verve and tang. Just a pinch of grapefruit pith joins in to magnify the bitters in all the right ways.  Tasted March 2014.  91  @CoopersCreekNZ

Estate Argyros Assyrtiko 2011, Santorini, Greece (366450, $22.95, SAQ 11901091, $24.50, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

A 100 per cent Assyrtiko from a 150 year-old, Cycladic Phylloxera sanctuary vineyard. Separates itself from other Santorini adelphoi by ageing 20 per cent of the inoxydable, ancient-minded grapes in French barrels. An Assyrtiko that can’t help be anything but stony, atomic driven goodness. Volcano flow and spew, with more texture than most, its elevated price a necessary reflection of a tertiary expertise. Elevated aromatics, locked in tight by the barrel and matched by extreme flavours, so primary, raw, powerful, relentless and grippy. A remarkable white wine that impresses with a sensation of mouth rope burn full of complex, seafaring knots, this Assytiko will age for 15 years in the cellar and develop into something ethereal. Will melt away in dreamy waves when it settles together. Myth will beget legend, legend will beget truth.  93  Tasted March 2014  @KolonakiGroup

Tawse Robyn’s Block Chardonnay 2010, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula,Ontario (662841, $45.95, SAQ 11031443, $48.00, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

This current visit to the ever-ambrosial Robyn’s Block 2010 is unlike any that have come before. Seemingly lignified at present, a stranger in town, in an unexpected, dumb phase stalled as if by agostamento. Twenty Miles of limestone lurk and a green gem’s goddess figure hides behind the looking-glass. This regnant Robyn pleads “take away my inhibitions, take away my solitude.” While not the most flattering of her evolutionary positions, a retinue of resurgent fruit will lead to Robyn’s exodus. A few years patience and this cool climate Chardonnay will regain her warm, tropical smile, to shine again.  92  Tasted March 2014  @Tawse_Winery

Good to go!

Not so fast.

As time goes by, I am hearing less comments like, “well that one got a 95,” and “that one is better value because it got a 90.” Wine ratings may increasingly becoming maligned and less frequently employed but that does not mean they don’t have their place. Scores continue to be necessary as a way to evaluate wines that lack a certain level of honesty. Wines on the edge of being dodgily made, encumbered by heavy-handed, industry-fed, mass marketing machines. Scores separate and differentiate the wheat from the chaff when dealing with over the top residual sugar, hyper-acidification, bloated alcohol and (lack of fruit) masking. Embrocating one Malbec an 85 over another’s 84 makes a comment on the relative validities of those two sweetened confections.

Attaching a rating to a tasting note is not a question of right versus wrong. Ratings measure a bottle of wine against its peers. That is the simple answer. The problem is that the tasting experience is a subjective one and each reviewer has personal preferences, so in order to align with one (or more), the consumer must self-calibrate alongside a critic whose palate they’ve figured out. Very difficult to do, so relying on scores has always been the easiest road to travel.

Part of the problem is that tasting notes, on their own, are often fleeting and impossible to grasp. Guilty as charged. Fred Swan put this is the most eloquent terms. “Tasting notes are like photographs, portraying a subject at one brief moment in time and without a back story.” If tasting notes are just snapshots, is that not compelling testimony as to the need for an accompanying score? Or is the rating simply a tool understood within the context of marketing?

Jamie Goode’s take. “I find myself in a tricky position: I use points even though I don’t like to because readers find them useful. And I have to calibrate my scale with the major critics. This pushes me into a corner.”

Still the debate is growing and for good reason. The wine community is tiring of seeing scores, especially those tabulated using the Robert Parker Jr. anointed 100-point scale, attached to a critic’s wine tasting note. The question has always been this. Why would you need scores to sell wine?

Mr. Parker feels so strongly about the entrenched longevity of his system that he’s announced the launch of a new lifestyle magazine called “100 Points by Robert Parker.” Does this sound like a last gasp fling from a captain going down with his ship? Bill Zacharkiw seems to intimate the idea, but the Montreal Gazette wine critic is smarter than to lash out and drag anyone through the mud. Taking a high road, Zacharkiw writes, “from grapes to wine styles, there is truly a wine for everyone. I have my taste, you have yours, and Parker has his.” No, nor scores neither. Nor scores neither.

The fervor and sometimes rage in the argument reminds me of the (second) most famous of Hamlet soliloquys. “Why it appeareth nothing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man!” Most of the voices chiming in on this hot topic only see the ratings world in black and white. There are more shades of grey than many would freely admit. Scores have their place.

Who needs journalist scores? Pontet release before any have tasted and rated it!—
Jamie Goode (@jamiegoode) March 26, 2014

Meanwhile, Decanter is reporting that Château Pontet-Canet made a bold decision to test (more than 20 years) of uncharted waters by setting their en Primeur pricing in advance of the taste and ratings levies by the major critics. Since the nineties the likes of Parker, Decanter and Wine Spectator have all but determined Bordeaux Futures pricing. Pontet-Canet’s move is being seen as another nail in the 100-point coffin. One Bordeaux négociant commented, “If other chateaux follow this same pricing model, we might as well go home now.”

The real issue is the bottle itself. In the new world of wine, who has not thrown new stock and a vested interest into wines made naturally, in sustainable, biodynamic or organic ways? Who has not made a resolution to drink more honest wine? Producing good wine still trumps the natural theatre of viticulture and viniculture but honesty is the new order. Honest wines should go forth and be free of wine ratings.

Wine scores can be ignored if we concentrate on what matters. Like apiculate yeast, fermentative vigor, microflora, clonal selection and soil. We also need to talk more about and mention flaws, like chlorinated compounds, hydrogen sulphide and volatile acidity. These are things that are too often brushed under the rug.

I will continue to post ratings of the wine’s I review on WineAlign because as a community of critics we offer a round table of opinions that allow the wine buyer to make gathered, educated and informed decisions. In consideration that this forum is a singular expression of opinions, this column will no longer attach scores to tasting notes. It’s quite obvious, plain and simple. I only write about honest wines for canada.com. The prose speaks for itself.

With spring beginning this Friday, no joke, here are the last of the great big winter reds. Five wines recently tasted that thrilled by way of their fairness, their honor and their virtue. Wines that need no score.

From left: Mi Terruño Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Pearl Morissette Cabernet Franc Cuvée Madeline 2010, Ruffino Ducale Oro Riserva Chianti Classico 2008, The Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 1990, and Château Calon Ségur 2010, Ac Saint Estèphe

Mi Terruño Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Mendoza, Argentina (364133, $15.95, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

Stands out for its honest fruit, this Mendozan from San Roque district in Maipú county. Qualified by an admirable level of restraint, low in residual sugar and alcohol, straightforward, unencumbered. Winemakers María Eugenia Baigorria and Sergio Giménez have let the fruit speak in clean, level tones, in red berries, licorice red and black, a dusting of spice, red cherry and even strawberry. This is textbook hands off winemaking with nearly exceptional length and simply solid from start to finish. Mi sueno, mi terruño.  Tasted March 2014

Pearl Morissette Cabernet Franc Cuvée Madeline 2010, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula (winery, $38, WineAlign)

Francois Morissette’s 2010 is a pioneering example towards defining Bench appellation Cabernet Franc isomeric reactions. Relationships between grapes of a growing area and their ultimate destination in bottle. An affair of veraison, leaf drop, frost, hand harvesting, whole cluster sorting and berry oak fermenting.  Indigenous yeast, punch downs and overs for phenolic skin extraction and polymerization. Neutral oak and sulfur dioxide to provide antimicrobial and antioxidant protection. An eighteen month somniac’s rest, fine lees and no filtration. The structural arrangement in cohabitation of radicals and ions leads to such a Cabernet Franc. Fully expressive of an endemic, very ripe, vegetal varietal vicissitude that is both inbred and necessary. Currants and peppered berries of power and grit. Dry (2 g/L residual sugar), plump (13.7 per cent alcohol) and scarce (618 cases made). Reflective of the warm 2010 vintage and will always act in stark contrast to the elegant 2011.  Tasted July 2013 and March 2014  @PearlMorissette  On the card at Barque Smokehouse

Ruffino Ducale Oro Riserva Chianti Classico 2008, Tuscany, Italy (353201, $43.95, WineAlign) From the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

A re-release showing an exuberance of advanced character. Now acting out the strikingly rich and golden vintage, in Lamé and gilded iron. Speaking a most Tuscan, elite vernacular, already recognizable and evolving into its own skin, with a notion towards herbaceous, dried fruit. A classic pasta and roasted meats red wine. Nonna’s Trattoria kitchen in a glass. Drying just a touch, so drink up. Earlier note: “Slight earthy funk, imparted by the vineyard floor and in part from the wood. Sappy, resinous, distinctively warm-blooded, plummy fruit. Tuscan tang though light on pucker.”  Tasted October 2013 and March 2014

The Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 1990, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, California, USA (662015, $59.00, WineAlign)

A seminal bottling from a game-changing year, for two all important reasons. One, it was a great vintage for Napa reds and two, the Mount Veeder sub-appellation was established. While only 24 years ago, a mere five wineries existed there at the time, including Mayacamas, Mt. Veeder and Hess. No hyperbole to say this is tasting a piece of history. Despite my “shouting all about love,” this splendidly aged Cabernet is not so much about resilience as it is persistence and infinite wisdom. All those years ago there were Napa reds made at a mere 12.5 per cent alcohol, with finesse and a sense of George-like calm. With little aeration there is fig, prune and toffee gently weeping but with air the aged fruit is swept away by a wave of gob stopping Cassis before its time. Preconceived notions of banausic, early days Cabernet are smothered by the magic dust of this Hess religion, a Dharma of licorice, ash and enlightenment. A wine to make you forget where you are. Depth, length and up to a half decade yet of reserved life lay ahead.  Tasted March 2014  @HessCollection 

Château Calon Ségur 2010, Ac Saint Estèphe, Bordeaux, France (259010, $149.85, WineAlign) An In-Store Discovery from the VINTAGES March 29, 2014 Release

A blend that in 2010 is extremely high in Cabernet Sauvignon (86 per cent), with support from Merlot (12) and Petit Verdot (2). Immaculate hue in blue jasmine meets red ochre, echoed by blue and red fruit aromas. A purity of freshness and an exotic perfume distracts from the absurdity of the price, if just long enough to become intoxicated by its qualifications. It really does have it all. Red velvet layer cake made of the finest chocolate, the world’s least refined and highest quality sugar, spices only found in places reached and hand-picked by agile, primate-like humans. So approachable and marked by sweet tannins that will carry this Saint Estèphe for three decades.  Tasted March 2014

Good to go!

There are many reasons to believe in Riesling, that versatile and brutally honest grape. Riesling holds no punches, speaks its mind, tells it like it is. Grown worldwide and vinified in so many varying styles, Riesling is not so much a chameleon but rather a mutant. It takes root in every vineyard, marking its terroir, expressing itself singularly and without apology.

Canucks make Icewine from many different varieties; Vidal, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and most often, Riesling. This coming weekend the most passionate Icewine lovers will gather to get silly with Niagara’s nectar gift to the gods. The annual #icewinefest is set to begin on Friday, roll through the weekend and continue on for three more activity filled weeks. Wine Country Ontario has all the details. For more information, click here.

In 2006, a Gothamist author made a poignant call in the column A Riesling to believe. Quote, “there was so much going on in the glass that it truly captured our undivided attention.” There’s one rub. In 2012, The BC Wine Guys stated in their post, You Give Me a Riesling to Believe, “thankfully, a hand full of the original vintners in the province held to the belief that world-class Rieslings could, and would, be made in BC.” True that. Wineries of Niagara on the Lake also employs the catch phrase in their discussion on several local wineries fashioning excellent versions of Riesling, notably Between the Lines, Cattail Creek, Konzelmann and Strewn. Montreal Gazette wine columnist Bill Zacharkiw‘s more than appropriate recent rodomontade stated that 2014 will be the year of Riesling. His stance? “It’s time to spread the gospel about this glorious and misunderstood grape.”

Riesling held centre stage in this column twice last year. In the post, 100 kilometre wine for spring, there was this: “A modern-day Riesling narrative takes place less than a 100 kilometres away, along the Niagara Escarpment and above the pictorial towns of Beamsville, Jordan and Vineland.” In June, there was the Brock University Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute’s Riesling Experience 2013. It was there I asked the $128,000 question, “are you wine experienced?” It was also there in St. Catherines that Nik Weis of the Mosel’s St. Urbans Hof winery furtively suggested, “Riesling is better than an isotonic sports drink.”

Over the past two-four months I have exonerated and upheld with the highest Riesling belief that Canada does the variety justice above and beyond the pale, in the vineyard and in the glass. Gushing praise has been doled out to Tawse, Greenlane, Flat Rock, Angels Gate, Sperling, Hidden Bench, Thirthy Bench, Rosewood, Charles Baker (Stratus), 2027, Cattail Creek, Chateau des Charmes, 8th Generation, Featherstone, Fielding Estate, 13th Street, Calamus, Cave Spring, Tantalus, Colaneri, The Foreign Affair, Hinterland, Vineland Estates, Malivoire and John Howard. More reviews have been written, designed and pushed down your throats on Canuck Riesling than on any other grape. What’s up with that? Quality, that’s what.

If there is a better place to produce Riesling than up on the Beamsville Bench and the upper reaches of the Niagara Escarpment (the Mosel in Germany notwithstanding) then I’d like to know about it. With no disrespect to the Rheingau, Pfalz, Baden, Nahe, Rheinhessen, Alsace, Wachau, Clare Valley,  Eden Valley, Marlborough or the Finger Lakes, Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula and to a lesser extent, British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley should and will be making some of the planet’s finest juice.

As if the list of nearly 25 Niagara producers was not long enough, here are two more to add along with their three combined terrific Riesling interpretations.

From left: SUE ANN STAFF LOVED BY LU RIESLING 2012, SUE ANN STAFF GRACE’S DRY RIESLING 2011, and HINTERBROOK RIESLING 2012

SUE ANN STAFF LOVED BY LU RIESLING 2012, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario  (322636, $16.95, WineAlign)

Perhaps camping in that gray area between a laugh and a tear, ostensibly off-dry and simple in succulence yet an undeniable stonking acidity manifests its ability for give and take. Honey, lemon, melon and yellow plum combine for fruit forgiveness, with no petrol and “I know there’s a balance, see it when I swing past.” Really terrific.  88  Tasted December 2013  @SueAnnStaff

SUE ANN STAFF GRACE’S DRY RIESLING 2011, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (367086, $18.95, WineAlign)

Hard lemon drop sour candy, beautifully medicinal and waxy Riesling, dry yet intimating something more, something hung and harvested longer. More lemon, freshly squeezed and grapefruit too, with Alsatian promise but with a bent towards what I don’t know. Intriguing, beguiling and herbal, like a lemon balm tisane. “I know that you are strong enough to handle what I need.” Very unique Niagaran giving yet another reason to believe in the Peninsula as a dashboard confessional for Riesling prayer.  89  Tasted December 2013

HINTERBROOK RIESLING 2012, VQA Niagara Lakeshore, Ontario (270512, $17.95, WineAlign)

Despite the pale hue this has body and a certain, distinct clarity. Nearly but not quite off-dry, this makes use of lake-effect for balance. There are fresh herbs, the tang of yellow plum and even an odd licorice note. Springs a full stein of mouth-watering Riesling belief, so much so that a “congregation gathers down by the riverside.” Another hymn to Riesling is sung.  88  Tasted December 2013  @Hinterbrook

Good to go!

More wine predictions have been paraded out in the first week of 2014 than disgraced senators, mayors and potential Olympic men’s hockey team selections. What do they all mean? Will any of them really come true? Will support not continue to the largest brands, produced for the most middle of the road, common denominator consumer?

Tyler Colman polished his crystal ball to determine wine trends for the new year at wine-searcher.com. Jamie Goode insists “it’s going to be a good year for the Balkans and the ancient wine countries  and it’s going to be a bad year for many wine writers.” Ron Washam, the Hosemaster of Wine said “I read Dr. Vino’s predictions for 2014, and they were exactly the same as his predictions for 2013.” So he walked on the wild side, noting “I’m pretty sure “Supernatural” wines will catch on.” Chris Losh followed up with his satirical Chris-tal Ball from Just Drinks.

The global community of wine writers, critics and commentators collectively seem to be saying no to the status quo. They are predicting sweeping changes to consumer tastes. They are not wrong, but neither are they right. The largest wine corporations and super-negociants will continue to push their brands built on four or five grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Pinot Grigio and Malbec) because bottles produced from those vineyards planted over the past 15 years with their huge excess of juice have to be sold. That can’t change. By all means, go ahead and march out a full-on pageant of obscure grapes my good-friend Zoltan; Kadarka, Fetească Neagră, Xinomavro, Blaufränkisch, Mavrud, Saperavi, Furmint, Harslevelu, Juhfark, Antao Vaz and Rktsiteli. Serve them at my table, please. It’s just that everyone else will look at you kind of funny.

Then there’s the hush, wink, say-no-more evil of the mega-purchaser model (read between those lines) of bullying the Brettanomyces out of your suppliers. You know who you are, you wine enabling vinous behemoths the equivalent of Sobeys and Walmart.

Today, at 2 p.m. ET the weekly Postmedia Wine Chat will resume. Gurvinder Bhatia, Rod Phillips, Janet Dorozynski and I will discuss the resolve to drink outside your comfort zone. We’re going to put aside what we know, leave the couch and venture forth to grapes, regions and hidden appellations either ignored or perhaps never visited. We’re going to recommend that you do the same. Here are five new releases to get you going in that risk-taking direction.

From left: REYES D’ARAGON BRUT RESERVA CAVA 2010, BODEGAS BERONIA VIURA 2012, CHATEAU JOLYS 2011, and BLUE MOUNTAIN BRUT METHODE TRADITIONELLE

REYES D’ARAGON BRUT RESERVA CAVA 2010, Spain (194803, $14.95, WineAlign)

Offers a rare opportunity for vintage-dated Spanish fizz and from somewhere other than Penedès. From Bodegas Langa and built upon a foundation of Chardonnay (along with Macabeo), this Cava takes a direct route through the village of white grapefruit, returns and replays there again and again. A high road dosage of sweetness lingers over licorice root and the rangy flavours include Manchego and green olive. Good, if not spectacular quality Cava. At $15 you have to appreciate the slightly oxidative bronze patina and refreshing copper minerality.  89  Tasted December 2013

BODEGAS BERONIA VIURA 2012, Rioja, Spain (190801, $14.95, WineAlign)

Great tenacity for such entry-level Rioja vin blanco. What more could you want? Freshness, grape must, tang, just a hit of spice, pepper. From my earlier note: “Exsufflates super ripe, fresh picked pear and emollient herbiage in pure, angled control. One hundred per cent, quick macerated and cold stabilized Viura of aromatics locked in tight. A pour that leads to a starburst of flavour. Complexity reaches the sea in an underlying tide of salinity.”  89  Tasted July and December 2013  @WoodmanWines  @BodegasBeronia

CHATEAU JOLYS 2011, Ac Jurançon Sec, Southwest, France (362046, $16.95, WineAlign)

Shake it up with this delicious if slightly unusual, tangy, edgy stuff. Out there and beyond your average French sipper, shaped by lemon curd and zest, tangy grapefruit and lengthened by rubber-legged dancing elasticity. May drive its car under the influence but it’s not warm and fat. Busts ” the move with the quirky jerk.”  88  Tasted December 2013

BOUTARI GRANDE RESERVE 2007, Naoussa, Greece (140111, $16.95, WineAlign)

Once you go Xinomavro, especially with this stupidly good value, you never go back. An inoculate of bright cherry liqueur is beginning to brick but holding steady and strong. Years of seeping have led to this moment of slight prune-ish activity but the old school beauty and charm is nothing short of wonderful.  Cherry wood resinous and still markedly tough tannins bring out the bitters but the wine glides smoothly forward into a soft, eloquent finish  90  Tasted December 2013  @boutari  @KolonakiGroup

BLUE MOUNTAIN BRUT METHODE TRADITIONELLE, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia (206326, $27.95, WineAlign)

Blue Mountain is the poster child for B.C. bubbles and this forth-righteous, tight to expansive, quintessential cool-climate Okanagan is the stalwart for the genre. The unabashed intensity in citrus acidity,  zero dosage style is exactly what it should be. If you have never experienced west coast bubbles, this is the place to start.  90  Tasted December 2013  @BlueMtnWinery

Good to go!

A year ago today the lead to my January 15th, 2013 column spoke succinctly to the mantra. “A glass or two of wine might just be the thing to help ward off the common cold and the flu.” In that rant some substantiating evidence was laid out in support of drinking wine (in moderation) to help fight off the nasty bugs of winter. A year on my conviction does not waver. Wine can help cure what ails.A wine prescription for cold and flu has been a curiosity read for many over the past 365 days. Ridiculousness? Perhaps. Personal hermeneutic? Yup. Something to consider? Definitely. Words to live by? You be the judge.

In that article I talked about wine’s antioxidant properties (called flavonoids) and compounds that attack bacteria, like resveratrol and polyphenols. All in the name of trying to immunize the body against hundreds of common viruses. What I failed to discuss was the positive mental health of a lifestyle that includes wine. Wine drinkers, at least the ones I spend time with here in Ontario, are happy people. Friendly folk, community-driven, supportive, neighbourly. Wine brings everyone together. It’s really something to see and be a part of.

In Argentina, Bodega Norton has forged and maintained some of the longest contracts with growers in comparison to anywhere in the vinous world. Vines, mountains, rivers, roots and the hands of workers are all treated with respect, professionalism, honesty and commitment. Norton’s wines are accessible and affordable, including the flagship Privada, described by winemaker Jorge Riccitelli with the fanciful comment “you can feel the grapes inside your mouth.” I sat down with Mr. Riccitelli on Monday, November 11th, 2013 at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto. The hour with Mr. Riccitelli sent me away with one profound thought. When you take care of your people, your team and the tonic you produce, health and happiness are not far behind. The tasting with Jorge was the stuff of pure joy. A visit to Norton must surely follow.

Michael Godel and Jorge Riccitelli

A recent mini spat slash argument in Toronto Life on the subject of 0rganic and biodynamic wines helps to push the point. In response to an inflammatory comment noting the “pseudo-scientific claptrap of biodynamic agriculture” the cosmogonal-minded Bench Vigneron Harald Thiel retorted, “the primary difference between organic and biodynamic production practices is the “cosmic and stellar” forces that biodynamic producers believe differentiate their wines.” To each his own says Thiel. I’m quite certain that Harald would concur that drinking wine can help bolster the immune system but going the natural route, in theory, will boost defences multi-fold.

Some take it to the extreme like Alain and Philippe Viret, winemakers who go beyond being organic and even biodynamic. They practice cosmoculture. Their vineyard is studded with menhirs and ‘planetary beacons’ in order to connect with celestial and earthly energies. It embraces Maya and Inca agricultural and spiritual concepts.

Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle is a flying ambassador who believes in the credo. At an October Trialto Group lunch at Luma Restauarant, the eerie connection between the restaurant group’s acronym and the act of natural winemaking was not lost on me.  The devastation of Chile’s black frosts were being discussed and the magnificent Ms. Lapostolle-Marnier pushed the sapient necessity of O & B practices to a group of diners/tasters. “Being organic and biodynamic, the vines are heartier, able to handle the frost’s potential damage, budding time and produce healthy vines.” Casa Lapostolle also has scientific data to prove that organic and biodynamic vines mature 10 days ahead of the others.

PHOTO: Michael Godel
Trialto Lunch at O & B’s Luma Restaurant

No one works harder or believes in the O & B philosophy to achieve wine nirvana more than Paul Pender of Tawse Winery. Everything Mr. Pender makes comes from fully certified and sustainable vineyards. I tasted through 25 barrels with Paul last Friday. His 2013 Chardonnays will be amongst the best we have ever seen on the Niagara Peninsula. The group of 2012 Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are all showing lush, deeply resonant aromatics, all pies of one fruit or another and with minimal oak intrusion. More pudding proof will come from the most recent tightly planted Pinot Noir, in the Tintern Road Vineyard from the Vinemount Ridge appellation. At only three years of age, the juice from those healthy vines already emit an aura of verve, wisdom and viability.

Not all of the wines reviewed here come from O & B vineyards but each and every one can contribute to your mental and physical health. Wine is your friend. When approached, integrated and embraced in the right way it can help to promote a healthy lifestyle. The defence rests.

From left: NORTON RESERVA MALBEC 2010, CENTUNO NERO D’AVOLA 2010, LA CARTUJA TINTO 2012, LAPOSTOLLE CUVÉE ALEXANDRE APALTA VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011, and TAWSE GROWER’S BLEND CABERNET FRANC 2011

NORTON RESERVA MALBEC 2010, Mendoza, Argentina (17061, $17.95, WineAlign)

As Malbecs come and go, group themselves into dime a dozen pigeon holes and fall from serious wine grace, this stalwart stays the course. Norton’s Reserva bottling has a proven track record for consistency. My most recent ’02’s spoke of strength, longevity and balance. In 2010, true to form, violets lead the arrangement of multi-floral scents and a kinder, gentler, sweeter set of tannins promote connectivity. Restrained and calm, this Norton forgoes the jams and jellies of other moderately-priced Malbecs and carries with it a smooth, long finish.  90  Tasted November 2013  @BodegaNorton

CENTUNO NERO D’AVOLA 2010, Sicily, Italy (357103, $17.95, WineAlign)

Though not exactly a chick magnet or my Sicilian dream, this Nero D’Avola is chock full of animal magnetism. It reeks of four-legged musk, circus mammal and deep-sea predator. Despite the oppressive mob of animale there is also lush berry to attract more than just the curious imbiber. A dense fruit roll up, unfurling, spewing earth, prune and coal. Will petition the non-sectarian toper.  88  Tasted December 2013  @Eurovintage

LA CARTUJA TINTO 2012, Priorat, Spain  (358861, $18.95, WineAlign)

This symbiotic blend of 70 per cent Garnacha and 30 Carinena rolls out the red carpet straight from the heart, not unlike Terrabianca’s 70/30 Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon Tuscan Campaccio. Only here the value is palpable, especially for Priorat. Fueled by blazing red cherry and plum. Vivacity with bright fruit seeped in acidity but also a coated note, though not of over-oak, that paints the tongue red. A rumbling layer of licorella slate lies atop eruptive rock and beneath a rolling thunder of boulders. This is high-octane Spanish winemaking, a red velvet car that doesn’t “even touch the break.”  89  Tasted December 2013

LAPOSTOLLE CUVÉE ALEXANDRE APALTA VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011, Colchagua Valley, Chile (947929, $24.95, WineAlign)

“We don’t want too ripe, jammy or confiture,” pleads Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle. While this Super-Chilean is certainly full-bodied, it remains a finessed red and silky in every way. Leans IGT, as opposed to Bordeaux or warmer climate (California). Stupidly easy to drink, built for resto luxuriousness and really is a terrific value. A choir of dark fruit aromatics, sung like songs by the birds of the vineyard and a late sensation of charcoal and char are expressed in this Cabernet of fashion and caste.  90  Tasted twice in August and October 2013  @LapostolleWine

TAWSE GROWER’S BLEND CABERNET FRANC 2011, VQA Niagara Peninsula (284570, $26.95, WineAlign)

From selected prime Cabernet Franc vineyard sites across the headland, the Grower’s Blend reaches near maximum potential in 2011. An immediate sense that “leaves are falling all around” in a composted layering of earth, cedar, savoury produce and sweet herbiage. A tart tincture spikes and sauces the fruit, straight from the “darkest depths of Mordor.” Winemaker Paul Pender’s perfume permeates the mess, lifting the CF to great Niagara heights. Ramble on Grower’s Blend.  90  @Tawse_Winery  @Paul_Pender  Tasted October 2013

Good to go!

The physiological and emotional roller coaster heaped upon grapes and growers these past 55 days has been nothing short of exhilarating, frightening and exhausting. First this monster climatic Dementor known as the Polar Vortex. Along with the demonic weather came the devastation of an ice storm, followed by record low temperatures. More recently, thaw and re-freeze. Consequences and challenges have abounded. Also, a silver lining. Freezing temperatures can kill grape buds on vines unprepared and left to fend for themselves. Those little vine kinder can also just be unlucky enough to grow up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some Niagara growers are reporting heavy losses to Riesling, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay vines. Here are the numbers as reported by Wines In Niagara’s Rick VanSickle.

I spoke with winemaker Paul Pender of Tawse Winery in Vineland, Ontario yesterday. Paul is both unconcerned and not yet ready to make any sort of call on damage to his crops. “It’s still too early to tell,” he notes, “I won’t really head out to assess any potential damage until early March.” While Beamsville vineyards are reportedly hard hit, Pender is confident that his team’s strident and prudent vineyard management will see the vines through.

Balanced pruning means leaving a specific number of buds during the winter on a dormant cane for this year’s crop, the number based on the amount the vine grew the previous season. Tawse’s canes are cut back to two feet, the dead wood removed before winter’s freeze can hit. Buds this season were thinned from 12 to six, giving those tender bits a fighter’s chance to survive. And while Pender will not enter into an unequivocal conversation with respect to the heartiness of his vineyards as a consequence of 100 per cent organic and biodynamic farming, I can hear the surety in his voice and imagine the twinkle in his eye at the thought.

Other growers concern themselves with what may happen inside the many parts of the vine when there are freezes, thaws and re-freezes. Again, Pender is not concerned. Proper pruning should prepare a vine for a harsh winter, whether or not they are protected by a warm blanket of snow. In New York’s Finger Lakes region, Lenn Thompson is reporting “some minor bud damage to vinifera vines, but little to no vine death.” Steve Shaw of Shaw Vineyards on Seneca Lake had this to say. “Yes, this winter is definitely presenting itself in a rather volatile manner. As far as I can tell from checking a number of varieties and many buds, there does not seem to be any catastrophic primary bud kill. There is damage, but not too bad so far. I do not think that with things being this wacky that we can really rest easy until most of the winter has passed.” Brock University’s Cool Climate and Viticulture Institute in St. Catherines helps local growers with much needed information and infrastructure to deal with damaging weather. Their VineAlert program helps protect vineyards during frigid temperatures.

PHOTO: Weather INnovations Consulting LP (WIN)
Icewine Hours 2013

The news is not all bad. According to many icewine makers in Niagara, 2013 will shape up to be what many are forecasting the best ever vintage for the province. Temperatures dipped to the requiem in late December and most picked their shriveled, sugary berries before the new year. That is unprecedented, allowing this season’s icewine to remain high in necessary balancing acidity and well ahead of the fermentation arresting challenges from most years. Wine Country Ontario reported that “early icewine harvest in Wine Country Ontario starts the festival fever.” Look for the most balanced icewines out of 2013. Not to mention the Grape Grower’s of Ontario reporting the province’s grape growers gathered a record 79,756 tonnes of grapes in 2013 valued at nearly $100 million.

The Niagara Icewine Festival encompasses three weekends in January dedicated to the region’s beloved ambrosial elixir, wines that have become the calling card beyond the broader confines of Canadian borders. Icewine has been made since 1981 and in that short span of 33 years, Ontario and B.C. winemakers have challenged, and in many cases lapped their counterparts in Germany and Austria. Canadian icewine is globally renowned, even if it is not the most important wine resource bequeathed upon the rest of the world.

Icewine 101. Simply put, made from grapes that have been left to freeze naturally on the vine. Ontario’s stringent Bolshevik Initial Decrees-like laws insist that icewine must be made from approved grape varieties; the most popular are Vidal Blanc, Riesling and Cabernet Franc. Some small lots include Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Grapes are left on the vine until a sustained temperature of -8°C or lower is reached and then picked from those vines encapsulated in nets to protect them from birds possessive of a sweet tooth.

A national icewine debate is ongoing, inflamed by a recent Macleans Magazine article discussing the ideological differences between the VQA law preventing vine and grape separation before pressing and the Quebec practice of letting the grapes freeze in nets. Quebec growers do this out of necessity for fear of their fruit being smothered by excessive snowfall. Ontario’s old guard vehemently oppose the practice. The irony of VQA Ontario’s website low volume statistic, “with average yields of 500 litres for each acre netted,” is not lost on the curious. Two questions arise. How many grapes in Ontario nets end up in bottles of VQA labelled icewine and how can a culture of Canadian icewine be brought together without some form of compromise and collaboration? Yet again, is togetherness integral to the success of Canadian icewine, or more specifically, Ontario’s industry?

According to Klaus W. Reif of Reif Estate, apparently there are 3,750 berries needed for one bottle of 375ml icewine. Just consider the concentration for a moment, the hand-picked (though not all) labour involved and the specificity of the practice. The sweetest wine known to Canadians can indeed be re-worked as a palindrome for Niagara Ice Wine Festival.

A wet vial is fine nice agar

PHOTO: Michael Godel
Rick James Ice Sculpture, Niagara Icewine Festival

On Friday, January 10th, 2014 I was a most elated guest at the Xerox Icewine Gala: A Bacchus Evening of Icewine and Revelry. For a list of continuing events this weekend and next, here is a link to the festival site. More information here. With kind thanks to Magdalena KaiserSmit and Wine Country Ontario, I had the good fortune to taste a host of Niagara’s finest renditions, along with some very special bottles of sparkling and still wines. Here are notes on six wines sampled at the Fallsview Casino Grand Ballroom last Friday night.

From left: PELLER ESTATES SIGNATURE SERIES ICE CUVÉE, CREEKSIDE ESTATES WINERY SYRAH RESERVE BROKEN PRESS 2010, RAVINE VINEYARD RESERVE RED 2008, PILLITTERI ESTATES CABERNET SAUVIGNON ICEWINE 2011, and VINELAND ESTATES RIESLING VIDAL ICEWINE 2012

PELLER ESTATES SIGNATURE SERIES ICE CUVÉE, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Onatrio (284547, $31.95, WineAlign)

This is Peller’s most versatile fizz, a blend of traditional method Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sweetened by a dosage of Vidal icewine post disgorgement of its lees. The lees has been left to linger in the bottle, in spirit. Sapid, savoury bubbles tingle the senses to the bone and will offer the most comforting and proper pleasures to those discriminating and otherwise. Appealing to a large common denominator, this Peller Sparkling can really do no wrong.  90  Tasted January 2014  @PellerVQA

CREEKSIDE ESTATES WINERY SYRAH RESERVE BROKEN PRESS 2010 (202127, $39.95, WineAlign)

The floral lift from three to four percent Viognier gives notice to bend the brawny, savoury black olive and blistered Ancho fruit into balance. Syrah in a sunshine state but not from concentrate. Would accept a glass of this Brokenpress at any beck and call. “Grab your wine, take me where you been, with the violin time and the moon gettin’ thin.” From my earlier note: “Offers up gorgeous pine and pepper-laced correctness and so much juicy, fresh warmth from a terrific Syrah vintage in Ontario and even more parochial so on the St. David’s Bench. This Queenston Road Vineyard red is winemaker Rob Power’s secret weapon, absolutely freakin’ delicious stuff and the epitome of what Syrah should be like from Niagara. Verve, rigor and yet also flirtatious with expertly judged wood and tannin to re-fresh its spirit and lengthen its life. Love it.”  91  Tasted twice, October 2013 and January 2014  @CreeksideWine

PHOTO: Michael Godel
S’mores, Niagara Icewine Festival

PILLITTERI ESTATES MERLOT FAMILY RESERVE 2002, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (71753, $39.95, WineAlign)

Served from Jeroboam, one of 23 produced and a testament to the precocious, facile touch of then winemaker Sue-Ann Staff. The extreme five litre format has certainly been kind to the hermetic 11-year slumber of this Merlot, as has the above average red Niagara growing season. Charlie pulled out this rare behemoth “for the special occasion” and despite and with thanks to the perfect vintage meets size storm, it has held up with dramatic fortitude. Unmistakably predicated Pillitteri chocolate perfume, brushed violet, mulberry and oven-warmed baking spice. Holding in sustained concentration, the toffee, caramel and umami of wizened, oxidized fruit not yet a twinkle in its soapy sandalwood eye. How could Sun-Ann have known what time-cheating lengths her Merlot would see to?  93  Tasted January 2014  @Pillitteriwines

RAVINE VINEYARD RESERVE RED 2008, St Davids Bench, Niagara Peninsula (20483, $55.00, WineAlign)

This Bordeaux style blend (40 per cent Merlot, 33.3 Cabernet Sauvignon and 26.7 Cabernet Franc) is clothed in a coat of arms all about texture. A drawn and raised relief of dried, candied bramble fruit and charcoal lines of savoury, earthy hickory and herbs. Hearty warmth from a cool vintage, meat on a stick in a glass, charred, roasted and smoking. A spit of gamey goodness. Holding strong but drink now.  90  Tasted January 2014  @RavineVineyard

PILLITTERI ESTATES CABERNET SAUVIGNON ICEWINE 2011, Niagara On The Lake (46557, 375 ml, $60.00, WineAlign)

A most unique and striking rendition, wearer of many hats, confounding and curious. There is a funk about him that stands apart from the rest. Like a really well-aged, superb piece of washed rind cheese, then turning unabashedly sweet, with verve and symphonic tone. An orange sky of an icewine, anti-bittersweet, accented by mace and anise, carob even. “Here is what I know now brother. Here is what I know now sister.” Cabernet Sauvignon, in a vintage equipped with striking acidity, can turn into something to look forward to. One of the more interesting icewines to date.  91  Tasted January 2014  @Pillitteriwines

VINELAND ESTATES RIESLING VIDAL ICEWINE 2012, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (163018, 375 mL, $60.00, WineAlign)

This represents the icewine revolution, for the first time adding 15 percent Vidal juice into the Riesling mix. In 2012, the normally stand alone Riesling needed a shot in the arm, provided by the Vidal, a dose of icewine magic by winemaker Brian Schmidt. Lifted tree fruit blossom and added weight are the result, without hyper-sweet flavours. Riesling is the rock, Vidal the roll as this RV crashes into me. The pit orchard fruit is reduced and recognizable to taste, yet reserved and in phonic harmony. “Sweet like candy to my soul, sweet you rock and sweet you roll.” Brotherly love icewine, full of Schmidt wisdom.  93  Tasted January 2014  @benchwineguy

Good to go!

Winemakers in the most famous regions of Spain and Italy have gone pro in the practicum of wine that speaks loud and clear. If there is a downside it is the blurring of lines and overlapping of circles, where regions set far apart show similar, if near identical characteristics in their wines. How does this happen? How can winemaking trump terroir?

The simple answer is wood. Barrel usage is a global affair, with wineries scouring oak forests the world over to age their wine. French oak is most used and whether you make wine in central Italy or northern Spain, the oak you employ may result in more than just the commonality of wood. If your processes are tied by similar or even identical ties, your wines may taste eerily like one another, if not outright like kissing cousins.

Despite the oligopoly of technique and the lack of winemaking individuality gone viral in this generation, there are three things that continue to work in favour of regional character. The first is obvious. Soil. Or, more importantly, the components, the rocks and minerals that fleck the earth. Secondly, attitude. Call it conceit if you like but when a winemaker has the guts to make wines we like to call grippy, you can’t help but stand up and take notice. Third and so important to the consumer, is price. Spending $15-30 on wines from the most historic locales such as Burgundy and Bordeaux is almost always nonsensical and a waste. No where else in the world offers grip, pomp and pride like Spain and Italy and in that go to mid-price range.

A pentavalent and benevolent group fits this requiem for commercial gain. Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Priorat from Spain. Chianti and Abruzzo in Italy. A Venn diagram of commonality can be agglomerated from their proclivities. It is in these fab five Old World wine regions where a twain of ancient and state of the art collide. Here are seven gripping wines from Spain and Italy.

From left: CEPA 21 HITO 2010, ÉBANO CRIANZA 2008, and RESALTE DE PEÑAFIEL PEÑA ROBLE RESERVA 2004

Ribera Del Duero

The history: Located in north-central Spain, on a plateau, 90 minutes from Madrid. Ribera, or “river bank,” extends from both sides of the Duero. The Denominación de Origen (D.O.) of Ribera del Duero dates back to 1982.

The lowdown: Highest average elevation in Europe for growing red wine grapes. Summers are hot, winters are cold, rainfall is minimal. Lower vineyards are alluvial with sand and reddish clay. Higher ones built of limestone, marl and chalk. Tempranillo in the main grape. Finest recent vintages include 2004, 2009 and 2012.

CEPA 21 HITO 2010, Ribera Del Duero, Spain (360503, $17.95, WineAlign)

Oh the shaken, modern humanity. Nothing shocking here, this 100 per cent Tempranillo parfait of silky chocolate, mixed berries, vanilla and wood chips. Finds parity in biting red cherry flavour. Though it may as well be any ambiguous, heterogeneous or hermaphroditic $30 IGT, its price puts it at the front of the line. Fun to drink, high-toned, textured and structured, though its origins are not at once obvious. Will evolve felicitously for five to seven years.  89  Tasted December 2013  @DrinkRibera

ÉBANO CRIANZA 2008, Ribera Del Duero, Spain (355099, $21.95, WineAlign)

Amid a sea of Spanish reds, this Ribera stands alone as the most modern on the table. Dusty, trenchant dark chocolate, mocha crema, thick, syrupy, rehydrated plum fruit. Accented by both white and black pepper, anise and a late lash of astringent tannin. Abrasive as a pleading Waits croon, this Crianza is “better than a cup of gold. See only a chocolate Jesus can satisfy my soul.” Another Ribera with qualities akin to present day, Sangiovese dominated Chianti Classico. Immaculate confection.  89  Tasted December 2013  @EuroVinatage

RESALTE DE PEÑAFIEL PEÑA ROBLE RESERVA 2004, Ribera Del Duero, Spain  (355107, $31.95, WineAlign)

Typically modern version with just the right amount of age. Interesting to see nearly 10 year-old Ribera, with so much obvious oak and modernity retain its fruit lushness and presence after such a chunk of time could have stripped away its freshness. Candied violets and pansy, peppery nasturtium and marble slab, rocky road ice cream. Oak nearly integrated but persistent in chalky texture. Confounding bareback ride on a wild 100 per cent Tempranillo horse that bucks as if Bordeaux or Rhône varieties would seem to bolster the whole.  90  Tasted December 2013

From left: CIRELLI MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2012, CASTELLO DI QUERCETO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2011, PLANETS DE PRIOR PONS 2009, and ONTAÑÓN RESERVA 2004

Abruzzo

The history: Central Italy, stretching from the heart of the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea.

The lowdown: Mostly mountainous and wild terrain. The four DOC produced in Abruzzo are the Contro Guerra, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane. Montepulciano is the most planted red variety. Finest recent vintages include 2006, 2009 and 2010.

CIRELLI MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2012, Abruzzo, Italy (663939, $17.95, WineAlign)

Winemaker superstar to be Francesco Cirelli does what more should do. Age organic grapes of purity and pristine quality in clay Amphore. The natural empathy and wisdom of crop rotation (for more than just grapevines) drives the logic and proportion of Cirelli’s wines. This Md’A smirks and balks at thoughts of it as entry-level, though it concedes to the moniker ‘poster child’. From 15 year-old vines set in sandy clay soils near Atri in the Colline Teramane zone. The fruit is like raspberry felt, lifted, spritely, gregarious and inviting. The wine never plunges into bitterness, nor does it depend on any crutch to remain upright and weightless.  90  Tasted September 2013 and January 2014  @TheLivingVine

Chianti

The history: In central Tuscany. The two Chianti zones, Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), produce the largest volume of DOC/G wines in Italy.

The lowdown: Chainti Classico must have a minimum 80 per cent Sangiovese, the main variety of the region. Other indigenous grapes include Canaiolo and Colorino, bur Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are also used. Soils vary from marl of layered sandstone, to chalk and clay, blue-grey sandstone and clay-limestone. Finest recent vintages include 2006, 2007 and 2011.

CASTELLO DI QUERCETO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2011, Tuscany, Italy  (680496, $22.95, WineAlign)

Heather meadow Sangiovese, emotive of old school Chianti Classico aromas, notably tea, new leather and sour cherry. Texturally succulent and lush, like mini-modern Sangiovese Grosso. Nearly syrupy and 90’s-styled by a heavy-handed, wood-soaked guilty conscience. The kind of CC to “waste away the weekend with perfect regard for how cavalier we used to be.”  89  Tasted December 2013  @ChiantiClassico  @ProfileWineGrp

Priorat

The history: In Catalunya, northeast Spain. The most recent regulations of the DOQ were defined in 2006.

The lowdown: Dominated by hillside vineyards with poor soils, the dark slate called Licorella and low-fielding old vines. Garnacha and Carinena are the most planted, but also international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Finest recent vintages include 2004, 2009 and 2012.

PLANETS DE PRIOR PONS 2009, Priorat, Spain, (314559, $24.95, WineAlign)

Clearly contemporary, voluptuous Garnacha blend, in symmetry with foil Carinena, In support are small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon (10 per cent), Merlot (five) and Syrah (five). Chalk, grain and chocolate intensity, scents of dusty mulberry, menthol tobacco, eucalyptus and licorice. Works its international styling to great effect, if a bit heavy, woody and hollow up the middle. Lags just behind the stellar 2008 and yet this ’09 will have many a follower. Just a bit more structure would make it a prize.  89  Tasted December 2013

Rioja

The history: In northern Spain, on both sides of the River Ebro. The oldest Designation of Origin in Spain (DOCA), established in 1926.

The lowdown: Confluence of Atlantic and Mediterranean climates, with soils ranging from chalky-clay, to ferrous-clay and alluvial. Tempranillo is the most planted (red) grape. Finest recent vintages include 2005, 2005, 2010 and 2011.

ONTAÑÓN RESERVA 2004, Rioja, Spain (725895, $25.95, WineAlign)

The animal that is an ’04 Rioja Reserva is a VINTAGES darling. Here is yet another example in a long line-up spread out over several months of releases. 2004 palate fatigue should certainly have set in but for this youthful yet learned Ontañón. The dichotomy is not lost with much wood to be nosed though it’s neither abstruse nor resinous. More like a smoking cedar plank beneath the rendering weight of a slow-roasting porcine slab. Tangy cherry, sour plum and really stretched length. Mineral finish. Brillo Tempranillo with a touch of Graciano.  91  Tasted December 2013  @TandemSelection

Good to go!

Chris Lackner

“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan sang. But these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop-culture offerings is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what’s on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the coming week.

MOVIES

Big release on Nov. 11: Arrival.

Big picture: It’s like Contact meets District 9 meets War of the Worlds — minus most of the war (your first clue is the lack of aggressive words — war, independence, invasion, etc. — in the title). When mysterious UFOs begin landing across the globe, an elite team of scientists and soldiers (Hollywood’s favourite odd couple!) is assembled to investigate, including linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams). Her job is to get answers to two questions: “What do they want?” and “Where are they from?” (This time, I suspect E.T. wants to do a lot more than phone home.) As for the aliens, they look a lot like giant octopuses with ink-like tentacles, and appear to speak in “elephant.” (BTW: You can tell Trump isn’t president in the movie. There would be no waiting for translation. It’d be a quick label of “nasty” alien, followed by tiny fingers on the nuclear launch pad and movie would be over in 20 minutes.)

As for Adams’s brainy heroine? With the help of alien-induced flashbacks, she’s humanity’s only hope to solve this interstellar Rubik’s Cube before someone starting shooting. Note to Earth’s renowned linguists: If the army ever shows up in helicopters, and says, “pack your bags,” it can’t mean anything good. Either aliens have arrived, apes have evolved and are plotting humanity’s downfall, or Atlantis is finally invading and you’ll need to learn to speak dolphin. Stat.

Forecast: After critics panned both Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad, I predict Arrival is secretly DC’s next Superman movie in disguise. Lois Lane (Adams) is already on the scene, and who’s to say the alien ships aren’t from Krypton? Maybe the squids are like Kryptonian Chihuahuas. But seriously, I don’t have to be a language guru to guess at the intentions of Arrival’s aliens. Tentacle-covered creatures land in a world made of mostly water? They’re intergalactic ocean squatters. On a side note, this sci-fi blockbuster is a further sign that Canadian director Denis Villeneuve has truly arrived.

Miguel Rivas, left, and Emma Hunter are anchors of The Beaverton [Comedy/Bell]

Big events: The Beaverton (Nov. 9, Comedy Network); Knuckleheads (Teletoon, Nov. 11 and 12); Canada’s Smartest Person (Nov. 13, CBC).

Big picture: Laughter is a cure for political frustration. In the U.S., the most toxic election in history has disillusioned voters. In Canada, we agonizingly wait for Justin Trudeau to commit to giving every citizen a free puppy. Enter The Beaverton, based on the popular fake news website. Both Canadian headlines and international news will be in the TV shows satirical sightlines. Take comfort in the absurd. Early fake news stories include Don Cherry unveiling a new clothing line for women and Canada moving to Canadian Tire money as its national currency (finally, your crazy uncle’s dream come true!).

Meanwhile, for Yankee yucks, inaugurate your Nov. 7 with The 2016 SNL Election Special (NBC). Expect Alec Baldwin to appear with a fresh Trump impression. Then Stephen Colbert’s live election night special — the aptly subtitled Who’s Going to Clean Up This Shi*t? — airs on cable (Nov. 8, The Movie Network) instead of his usual CBS Late Show slot. Expect Colbert to take off the comedy kid gloves mandated by broadcast TV.

For non-political Canuck comedy, the animated series Knuckleheads — from the team behind the popular French TV and web series Têtes à claques — debuts in prime time after a stint on Teletoon at Night. Clay animation and digitalized, exaggerated human features combine for an unlikely one-two comic punch. Meanwhile, the search for Canada’s Smartest Person (not named David Suzuki) continues.

Forecast: Colbert will prove the most insightful and entertaining way to watch our neighbours choose between the two detested candidates. Am I the only one who’d like to see a celebrity edition of Canada’s Smartest Person featuring the likes of Margaret Atwood, Rex Murphy, Justin Bieber (with the help of unlimited lifelines) and Don Cherry (with the help of unlimited Ron MacLeans)?
 
Honourable mention: The True Memoirs of an International Assassin (Nov. 11, Netflix). A Netflix original comedy, this time starring Kevin James as a bumbling author accidentally turned bumbling assassin. It’s like Castle meets James Bond meets … do you really need a formula? It’s Kevin James in a movie not good enough for theatres. His characters’ nickname is The Ghost. Surprisingly, Adam Sandler doesn’t co-star, so that’s one positive.  

Sting releases his 12th solo album, 57th & 9th [A&M Records]

Big release on Nov. 11: Sting (57th & 9th); The Rolling Stones (Havana Moon).

Big picture: The Police’s siren song has long faded, but Sting is still poignant on his 12th solo album. The venerable artist veers back to rock after forays into everything from classical to holiday tunes. He was joined in the studio by members of the Tex-Mex group the Last Bandoleros (maybe Sting should rebrand as Picadura?). Standout tracks include the ballad 50,000, written the week of Prince’s death, which finds the 64-year-old Sting confronting mortality.

When it comes to immortality, the Rolling Stones release a live album of their historic March concert in Havana, Cuba. It should have been called Havana Moon: Live Because We Keep Breathing Through a Combination of Voodoo Magic, Blood Sacrifice and Duct Tape. The album closes with (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. One suspects the Stones’ fan on your Christmas list won’t feel the same way.

Forecast: Sting showed up in the studio with no new material, writing the album on the spot. That alone puts the Stones, who haven’t released a good studio effort in decades, to shame.
 
Honourable mention: Martha Wainwright (Goodnight City). The Canadian singer-songwriter delivers a raw, personal album of 12 new tracks, which includes six of her own and an additional six tunes donated by the likes of Beth Orton, Glen Hansard, brother Rufus Wainwright and author Michael Ondaatje.

Donald Trump once had his own board game.

“It’s not whether you win or lose,” promised the ad, which ran in 1989. “It’s whether you win.”

It seems the U.S. presidential candidates have taken this advice to the campaign trail. Winning is the only option.

Trump has suggested he wouldn’t concede an election loss, bucking the U.S. tradition to lose gracefully, at least in public. Hillary Clinton called “half” of Trump supporters a “basket of deplorables,” and later apologized, but only for the “half” part.

With positions of influence (and a massive media presence), these leaders are role models for youth. We got to thinking about what kids are learning about competition, both from the election and from an increasingly cutthroat social culture.

Kids are set up to compete at almost everything. They’re graded at school, pushed to outperform each other on the sports field and pressured into vying for popularity on social media. Most benchmarks for achievement are ranking systems among peers.

“We have been raised to confuse succeeding with winning,” says Alfie Kohn, author of No Contest: A Case Against Competition (Mariner Books, 2006).

“One can succeed at something — cooking a meal, solving a math problem —without ever trying to triumph over someone else,” he adds.

Research suggests that certain healthy competitive environments help children perform better. A race makes them run faster, a friendly game helps both teams improve a skill. But while a winner’s high offers performance incentive, there’s a risk that kids’ self-esteem can become dependent on beating others.

Fierce or negative opposition causes anxiety that makes it hard for kids to do their best. The key is to point out the difference.

If parents want to help their kids become more gracious competitors than our potential world leaders, the key is cooperation. Support and respect for little- league rivals and the peers they’re meant to work with is required.

“We have been raised to confuse succeeding with winning.”

One town hall debate ended with Trump and Clinton naming something they respected about the other. That moment of civility is a learning opportunity. Teaching your child to recognize the skills of their opponents encourages mutual respect, which takes the sting out of losing and the fun out of gloating — a bully behaviour that comes with a hostile contest.

Children should focus on personal goals rather than breaking down others. Whether they win or lose a game of soccer isn’t as important as developing a skill — like heading the ball or mastering a trick shot.

And parents, watch what you say on the sidelines.

Research shows that children don’t start exhibiting competitive tendencies, like sabotaging opponents to win a simple game, until the age of four. But they learn social cues from those around them even earlier.

Are you trash-talking coworkers while gunning for a promotion? Yelling at the TV when your team botches a free throw?

“If you need to beat others, your child will learn that from you,” says Kohn. Left to their own devices, children are natural co-operators, he adds.

We’ve seen youth work together to build schools and clean-water projects overseas, from the foundation up. We’ve seen them harness competition in a positive way, with teams facing off to fundraise the most for a cause.

In the right circumstances, competition is motivation for self-improvement, and even a boost to achieve a shared goal.

Our kids are tomorrow’s politicians and business leaders. The arenas they compete in — the classroom, the sports field — only get bigger. And so do the stakes they’re playing for, whether in the boardroom or on the debate stage.

You can’t avoid competition outright, but you can teach your child to achieve victories without defeating others.

Craig and Marc Kielburger are the co-founders of the WE movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day.

AT SEA – I’m currently cruising the Strait of Malacca aboard Silversea’s luxurious, 382-guest Silver Shadow, on a spectacular 12-day cruise through Southeast Asia. We departed from the vibrant, shop-till-you-drop city of Singapore last Monday, and have so far visited four ports of call: Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Malaysia; Georgetown, Malaysia; Phuket, Thailand; and Yangon, Myanmar.

It is the latter that is particularly noteworthy. Silver Shadow spent three full days docked just outside of Yangon, allowing guests ample time to explore this mysterious and still-developing country that you might better recognize as Burma.

Myanmar isn’t an easy country to travel around on your own. The transportation network is primitive, and traffic – particularly in Yangon – is legendary. You’ll spend far more time sitting stopped in traffic than not. Domestic flights are complicated, and even the act of obtaining a visa isn’t the easiest process.

Silversea simplifies all of that. A few days prior to the ship’s arrival, Visa paperwork was sent to every suite onboard. Silversea arranged for tourist visas for all guests onboard, and had already pre-filled out most of the paperwork for us, which amounted to five pages per guest. Silversea then took care of the arrangements and clearance formalities, and we stepped ashore as if we were calling on St. Thomas in the Caribbean for a day.

Silversea offered a number of shore excursions in Yangon, ranging from full-day panoramic city tours to half-day sightseeing ‘tasters.’ The line also took advantage of the three-day stay in Yangon to offer guests Mid-Voyage Land Adventures: overland excursions to places that would otherwise be impossible to reach with only one day in port.

On my sailing, these mid-voyage land adventures (available at an additional cost) included a two-day trip to see the magnificent temples at Bagan, and a one-day journey north, to the city of Mandalay.

Since I’d been to Bagan and Mandalay last year on a river cruise, I elected to spend three days touring Yangon and the nearby port city of Thanlyin. Silversea also doesn’t force you to take a tour if you don’t want to: despite our remote docking location that was, with traffic, nearly an hour’s drive from Yangon city center, Silversea arranged for complimentary shuttle busses to run between the Silver Shadow and Yangon’s historic train station, located in the heart of the city.

It’s the kind of little touch that most lines don’t provide. Surely there’s a considerable cost with providing shuttle busses for 12 hours a day for three days. And yet, it is one of many little perks that you’re entitled to in most ports of call when you sail with this luxury line.

Even though we’ve seen some spectacular sights on this cruise (like “James Bond Island” in Phuket and the sprawling city of Kuala Lumpur), you’d be hard-pressed to find a guest here onboard who wasn’t entranced by Myanmar. Yangon’s glittering Shwedagon Pagoda is a marvel by day and night, and the sheer number of golden temples and stupas that dot the countryside is a sight to behold. The Burmese people are, to a fault, friendly and helpful, and you can still walk through packed local markets teeming with goods, foods and people without fear of being pickpocketed or harassed in any way.  

If you want to see Myanmar for yourself, Silversea has a bunch of different ways you can do that. As of right now, there are three Silversea Expedition cruises and five “classic” voyages that will all call on Myanmar between now and 2018. They are:

• Silver Discoverer – November 21, 2016 – 11 Day Phuket to Phuket
• Silver Discoverer – December 2, 2016 – 15 Day Phuket to Maldives
• Silver Shadow – December 8, 2016 – 12 Day Singapore to Singapore
• Silver Discoverer – February 27, 2017 – 14 Day Kolkata to Phuket
• Silver Shadow – February 11, 2018 – 11 Day Singapore to Singapore
• Silver Shadow – March 13, 2018 – 11 Day Singapore to Singapore
• Silver Muse – October 23, 2018 – 17 Day Muscat to Singapore
• Silver Muse – December 1, 2018 – 12 Day Singapore to Singapore

I often tell people there are a lot of good reasons to consider a luxury cruise, and here in Southeast Asia, those reasons are even more readily apparent.

Every time we disembark Silver Shadow, complimentary bottled water is available at the gangway. Every time we come back onboard, cold towels and refreshing drinks are offered to guests as a matter of course.

Aboard all Silversea ships, all beverages are included in the cost of your cruise, with the exception of all but the most premium wines and vintage cognacs and scotches. Gratuities are included, and additional tipping is never expected. Every room onboard is a suite, and every suite has butler service. It sounds stuffy and haughty, but it’s not: your butler is there to assist you in any way possible, from making dining reservations to inquiring about shore excursion options, or just stocking your suite with your favorite drink preferences.

Your butler can also present one of nine different types of pillows from Silversea’s Pillow Menu, or provide your choice of Bulgari or Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries. A hypo-allergenic option is also available as a third choice. Want to change you mind one day in to the cruise, or even halfway into your voyage? No problem. Your butler will just add those toiletries to your suite. Suites come stocked standard with Bulgari Green, while high-end suites feature Bulgari White.

Next year is an exciting one for Silversea. The line will be refurbishing most of its existing fleet, including Silver Shadow, in what is one of the largest projects in the company’s history. It will also take delivery of the new, 596-guest Silver Muse in April, and fall will see the company’s first luxury ship – the 296-guest Silver Cloud – converted into a new expedition ship. With a reduced passenger count of between 200 and 260, she’ll be given new suites, new public areas, inflatable zodiac rafts and an ice-strengthened hull. She makes her maiden expedition voyage to Antarctica next November.

I’ve still got a few more days here aboard the Silver Shadow. After another pleasantly warm day at sea today, we’ll be arriving in Langkawi, Malaysia on Thursday before our last port of call in Malacca, Malaysia on Friday. It’s been a wonderful journey, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it ends.

Happy cruising.

Math, schmath. Canada’s Smartest Person isn’t determined by algebra skills — and IQ score doesn’t count for much, either.

The coveted title, rather, is given to someone whose smarts fall into the musical, physical, social, logical, visual and linguistic categories. Debuting Sunday on CBC, Season 3 of Canada’s Smartest Person, hosted by funnywoman Jessi Cruickshank, will see several new contestants fight for one of seven spots in the show’s finale. Viewers can play along at home on the show’s app, or online.

We helped prepare the first batch of hopefuls for battle with some warm-up questions:

Canada’s Smartest Person contestant Rup Magon. [CBC]

Musician, Montreal

Which of the six categories does your intelligence fall into?

Being a recording artist, I’d normally be inclined to say musical. However, I think my intelligence would come from a blend of musical, social, and visual.

What made you want to do this?

My mother was a teacher and now is a PhD in Education. We’ve often had heated discussions regarding the education system. I’ve always asked questions like: Who created it? Why was it created? Who chose the subjects? Does it actually limit our intelligence? So when I got to know more about the show, I was pleasantly surprised to see a mainstream initiative about the same thoughts I had.

Why will you win?

My parents took the time out of their schedules to make me try all kinds of sports, instruments and subjects, which gives my intelligence range. Above all, though, I travelled with them. True education comes with travelling. I wish to do the same with my girls.

Canada’s Smartest Person contestant Jonathan Gagnon. [CBC]

Engineer, Vancouver

Which of the six categories does your intelligence fall into?

Social smarts. I’ve always been a people person.

What made you want to do this?

I coach a baseball team and our first baseman, Jeff Sudnicki, proposed that I should apply. I have lots of confidence when it comes to intelligence because I have always been one of the smarter people in the room, but two years ago I suffered a brain injury that left me cognitively handicapped. Over the last few years, I’ve been working hard to get back to my old self and qualifying for this competition has been a sign of great progress.

Why will you win?

I actually don’t think that I will win (odds are, right?). But if I do, I can credit growing up in a family that was not able to afford the things that the kids around me had. It gave me a chip on my shoulder and made me hungry for success.

Canada’s Smartest Person contestant Steve Norn. [CBC]

Insurance broker, Yellowknife

Which of the six categories does your intelligence fall into?

My strongest area would be in logical intelligence. However, I can do the remaining five areas of intelligence quite well.

What made you want to do this?  

My family encouraged me to do this. I want to show my girls that it’s OK to put themselves out there and seize opportunities and not be afraid of failure.

Why will you win?

I will win because I can do a variety of things quite well. I am not a polymath by any means, but I feel I am a bit better than a “jack-of-trades” when it comes to what CSP is looking for.

Canada’s Smartest Person contestant Vincent Law. []

Cancer researcher & fashion blogger, Calgary

Which of the six categories does your intelligence fall into?

I would have to say logical, linguistic, visual and social are my strongest intelligence, because often I use logic and linguistic for my scientific research and visual for my fashion and creative line of work. Social intelligence is also my strength.

What made you want to do this?

A few years ago, I had a serious brain infection that nearly killed me. When I recovered from that ordeal, I made a bucket list of things that I wish I could do in my lifetime — One of them was to be on a TV competition show. I am grateful that CBC gave me this opportunity and that they believe that I may be one of the smartest people in Canada.

Why will you win?

We all have different strengths and weaknesses. I will win is because my strengths will be highlighted and I will take advantage of that and shine.

Canada’s Smartest Person contestant Susan Forgues. [CBC]

Retired military helicopter pilot, Orleans, Ont.

Which of the six categories does your intelligence fall into?

My top three are visual, linguistic and logical. My background as a helicopter pilot gives me an advantage in the visual and logical challenges and my university degree in anthropology and my masters in cognitive studies speak to my strengths in linguistics.

What made you want to do this?

I’m always interested in new experiences and I think both my educational and professional background make me uniquely suited to compete to be Canada’s Smartest Person. I also have two granddaughters and I want them to know that it’s great for girls to be smart!

Why will you win?

I believe that those who are smart are innovative, curious, critical thinkers. I have strengths in all three of these areas and will challenge my fellow CSP participants in all areas of intelligence.

Canada’s Smartest Person contestant Stephanie Harvey. [CBC]

Pro gamer, Quebec City

Which of the six categories does your intelligence fall into?

I would say that the only category I am not decent at is linguistic. Although I am bilingual, I consider myself pretty average in both languages. Most likely logical and physical will be my strongest.

What made you want to do this?

I like to jump on new projects and test the water, left and right. I want a chance at proving that I am a world-class gamer, but also that I have some talent in a bunch of other fields.

Why will you win?

I’ll win because I am a well-rounded human being, I have always been interested in many fields and can perform well under pressure.

Canada’s Smartest Person Season 3 debuts Sunday, CBC

And then there were two. Jasmine Lorimer has spent a whole season on The Bachelorette Canada winnowing down a field of 20 men desperate for her affections to just two. Our thoughts go out to her in this trying time.

The homegrown reality show is all set up for its two-part finale — one episode this week, one episode next week. For this they will need (as always) a lot of wine — more specifically, Two Oceans wine, an official sponsor and unofficial ambassador for romance on the show.

And just as Lorimer must now choose between aviation engineer Mikhel Sickand and firefighter Kevin Wendt, we plebeians are often faced with what’s arguably an equally tough decision on the average night out: red wine or white?

If Two Oceans’ shiraz and pinot grigio were men, these are the types of men they would be. Choose wisely.
 
Shiraz

In a nutshell: Intense

Backstory: He’s the kind of guy who reads William Faulkner, who dines by candlelight, whose eyes are piercing, who can suggest five types of sin with the arch of an eyebrow.

Favourite colour: It’s red, and Mr. Shiraz embodies all the passion and forbidden pleasures the hue suggests.

Food soulmates: Red meat, game and pasta.

First kiss: The guy starts out soft and succulent, but then it’s all sour-sweet with spicy undertones. He’ll keep you on your toes.

A bottle of Two Oceans wine is spotlighted in a game of spin the bottle on The Bachelorette Canada. [Two Oceans/Corus]

In a nutshell: Fun

Backstory: This dude is always down for a good party. He’s got magazines like Details and GQ on his coffee table, can work his social media game like it’s Monopoly and strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

Favourite colour: Mr. Grigio goes for white. As in the colour of good cowboys and the dress code for very exclusive parties in the Hamptons.

Food soulmates: Salads and cold meats. Nothing too heavy.

First kiss: He stirs warm summer memories in all their sun-drenched glory. But this guy has some tricks up his sleeve — like throwing a lychee in your basic fruit salad.

The Bachelorette Canada] airs Tuesdays, W

It’s the most macabre field trip we’ve heard of. In the fall of 2015, 22 participants in a McMaster University program hiked to a cemetery in Hamilton, Ont., to view the graves of city residents who died in the 1918 influenza pandemic.

The unusual excursion was part of a free course on the history of plagues in Hamilton, offered through McMaster’s Discovery Program. It’s an initiative that gives educational opportunities to local residents who, for social or economic reasons, haven’t been able to get a post-secondary education. Discovery is one part of McMaster’s strategy for using the university’s resources to benefit the city.

Across Canada, forward-thinking universities and colleges are finding innovative ways to give back to the communities they call home. In so doing, these institutions are also improving the quality of education for their students and strengthening their own relevance in a changing world.

The Discovery Program has run free 12-week courses since 2011. McMaster wants the program to foster a passion for learning, and possibly even start participants on the path to higher learning, explains McMaster president Patrick Deane. This fall’s course offering is studying diversity, and how cultural differences make communities like Hamilton stronger and more resilient.

The university offers free child care and transit passes to make classes more accessible. Deane adds there’s always a line-up to enroll, and professors fight for the privilege of teaching in the program.

In another community-oriented initiative, McMaster opened a medical centre in downtown Hamilton last year. Med students are getting a hands-on education providing health services to some 16,000 city residents who don’t have a family doctor.

Ryerson University in Toronto is cultivating community green thumbs. Torontonians can participate in Ryerson Urban Farm, volunteering, learning gardening skills and getting nutritious fresh food from the eight on-campus gardens.

Further west, the University of Winnipeg’s offers a “model high school” for disadvantaged local youth—particularly young aboriginal people—who show strong academic potential. Tailored secondary school courses prepare them for university, and they’re accepted into the University of Winnipeg’s scholarship programs.

Across Canada, forward-thinking universities and colleges are finding innovative ways to give back to the communities they call home

And the University of Victoria puts its brain power at the disposal of the community. Its researchers help local organizations, and also work with businesses to find commercial uses for on-campus discoveries. Through the UVic Speakers Bureau, schools and community groups can host experts who give free talks on a wide range of topics. Nearby, the City of Vancouver and six post-secondary institutions, including Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia  are involved in a similar initiative. Through a partnership called CityStudio Vancouver, city staff, University students and community members co-create and develop solutions to  local challenges.

The benefits of these kinds of collaborations accrue back to the institutions.

Increasingly, students can access university-level teaching almost anywhere. With ever more online courses and Iinternet-based private schools, it’s possible for a student to sit at home and listen to a lecture given by a professor halfway around the world. Even some academics are starting to ponder whether our society still needs brick-and-mortar institutions anymore.

By supporting their communities in productive ways,and  solving local challenges like access to health care, colleges and universities reinforce their relevance in the modern world. Initiatives like the aforementioned, also create added educational value that students could never get from a Skype lecture. They provide young people hands-on experience and, just as important, meaningfulness in their education.

Studies like the annual Deloitte Millennial Survey demonstrate that upcoming generations want to know how their consumer purchases and jobs make a difference in the world. We believe the same applies to their education. If students can use their learning to support the broader community, it will give them the meaningfulness they crave.

The successful schools of the future will be active and engaged supporters of their communities.

Craig and Marc Kielburger are the co-founders of the WE movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day.

Luxury line Seabourn’s brand-new Seabourn Encore is inching steadily closer to her maiden voyage. The 600-guest ship, which departed on her sea trials on November 4, will be christened in a lavish ceremony in the port of Singapore on January 7, 2017, followed by a 10-day gala maiden voyage around Indonesia.

Now, Seabourn has announced that acclaimed singer Sarah Brightman will serve as Seabourn Encore’s Godmother.

“Sarah Brightman embodies the style and sophistication, the talent and innovation, the playfulness and inviting warmth that create the unique atmosphere guests enjoy onboard every Seabourn vessel,” said Richard Meadows, president of Seabourn. “We’re so grateful to have her officially name Seabourn Encore.”

Brightman launched her career with the British dance troupe Hot Gossip in the late 1970s. In 1981, she made her West End musical theatre debut in Cats, and went on to star in several West End and Broadway musicals, including originating the role of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. Brightman furthered her musical career as a classical crossover artist, a genre she is often credited with creating and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Her 1996 duet with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on “Time to Say Goodbye” became an international sensation and one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Brightman seems like the ideal choice for Godmother of Seabourn Encore, which is Seabourn’s first newbuild since the debut of Seabourn Quest in 2011. Designed by Adam D. Tihany, the 40,350-GRT Seabourn Encore will be similar to her fleetmates, but will feature one additional deck along with newly-expanded and reconfigured public spaces. The all-suite, all-veranda ship will make her debut in Southeast Asia before heading across the Middle East for a summer season in the Mediterranean.

It’s an exciting time for Seabourn, which now features one of the newest fleets of any luxury cruise line.

Seabourn Encore will officially be delivered on November 30 of this year, and she will sail a series of preview cruises throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East before her official christening ceremonies in Singapore in January. While her maiden voyage from Singapore is long sold out, there are still some spaces available on Seabourn Encore’s first sailings in the Med and Southeast Asia.

Her sister, Seabourn Ovation, sets sail in 2018.

Happy cruising.

What kind of beasts are we talking about, and why are they so fantastic?

They’re magical creatures as examined in magizoology, a field of study in the Harry Potter cannon. You know, your standard Glumbumbles (melancholy-inducing insects), Kneazles (smart catlike creatures), Runespoors (three-headed snakes) and Mokes (shrinking lizards).

Didn’t we already find these beasts in a book of their own?

Yup. It was published in 2001 and positioned as an actual textbook from Harry Potter’s library. The author is listed as Newt Scamander, a famed magizoologist, but of course J.K. Rowling is the real mastermind. Incidentally, the new version of Fantastic Beasts that’s being published is a word-for-word copy of the film’s screenplay, which Rowling wrote.

Will we see a young Dumbledore?  

You bet your wonderful wizarding wand you will — eventually. The Hogwarts headmaster pops up in the second Fantastic Beasts film, and dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald also appears in the series. Fantastic Beasts is kind of a Harry Potter prequel set 90 years ago in New York City. Some characters are familiar, but the film isn’t directly centred on Harry, Hermione and Ron — it’s all about Newt, Jacob Kowalski and sisters Porpentina and Queenie Goldstein.

We’re still confused — Ms. Rowling, you have some ’splaining to do.

Luckily, Ms. Rowling has already done plenty of ’splaining. The author has published dozens of complementary stories and essays on her Pottermore website, including a collection on how the wizarding world works, a guide to the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) and a partial history of magic in North America.  

When people talk about taking a cruise around Asia, they typically mean something that starts in some of the big-name Asian ports of call, like Hong Kong or Singapore. But Princess Cruises has, for several years now, been quietly offering some pretty special sailings that focus entirely on Japan.

Back in 2014, Princess put the 2,670-guest Diamond Princess through $30 million dollars’ worth of upgrades in order to sail the line’s itineraries in Japan. The result was an on-board experience that’s refreshingly immersed in Japanese culture, from the massive 8,800-square-foot bathing experience designed to replicate a traditional Onsen, to the new on-board sushi-themed dining venue serving up a variety of sushi, sashimi, seafood cocktails and, for dessert, matcha ice cream with red bean paste — not to mention a variety of regional sakes (Japanese rice wines).

Since then, Diamond Princess has operated exclusively in Japan, although many readers might remember her from her summers in Alaska where she operated cruises from Vancouver and Whittier.

Sailing between April and November of 2017, Princess is offering a whole host of Japanese-themed itineraries, most of which sail round-trip from Yokohama, the port city for Tokyo. These sailings are helped along by the fact that getting to Tokyo a one-stop deal for many Canadians, with nonstop flights available from Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.

While Princess does offer a few five-night taster cruises, you’ll probably want to take one of the longer voyages aboard Diamond Princess to really experience all that Japan has to offer.

My favourite one is the eight-day “Circle Hokkaido” trip. Sailing from Yokohama, Diamond Princess stops in Kushiro, Otaru, Hakodate, and even finds time to swing over into Eastern Russia, where a port call is made on remote Korsakov, which has passed in and out of Japanese control throughout history. This particular voyage is offered on four dates in 2017: Aug. 20; Sept. 5 and 18; and Oct. 1.

If you have some time to spare, it’s tough to beat the 16-day “Hokkaido and Ryukyu Islands” voyage. This one is only offered on one date, July 5, 2017, so chances are good that it will fill up fast (the one-off cruises always do). This voyage, however, offers a great look at Japan and even takes the time to swing down into Taiwan, with a call on Keelung — the port city of Taipei — on July 10. Other ports on this journey include Okinawa, Ishigaki, Kushiro, Otaru, Hakodate, and the stop in Korsakov, Russia.

What I like about these cruises is that they aren’t your typical voyage through Asia. In fact, few other cruise lines focus an entire season on Japan, and fewer still do it with a ship that’s got the comfort and amenities of the Diamond Princess; a ship that’s barely over a decade old and has plenty of open deck space to enjoy scenic cruising throughout Japan’s famous Shiretoko Peninsula, which was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. With snow-capped mountains, cascading waterfalls and towering cliff faces, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in Norway’s Geirangerfjord or Alaska’s Tracy Arm. It also includes one of the largest populations of brown bears in the world.

So majestic is this area on the island of Hokkaido that Princess includes it on a number of Diamond Princess itineraries in Japan.

For the coming year, the number of itineraries in Japan is poised to be the line’s biggest, with a total of 39 different voyages on sale that range from five to 17 nights in duration. Princess also offers the ability to combine these voyages with overland journeys that explore both Kyoto and Tokyo. These add-on packages explore some of the most popular sights in each city, and visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Mt. Fuji, Togendai and Lake Ashi.

“We’ve been recognized as the top cruise line in Asia offering the best itineraries and our 2017 Japan voyages more than live up to this accolade, offering our longest season yet,” said Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz. “We visit the top-rated ports, provide local cultural entertainment and culinary experiences on board and offer bi-lingual service to make it easy and memorable for our guests to explore all that Japan offers.”

Happy cruising.

If Kyle Humphrey had a fictional kindred spirit, chances are it would be Roseanne Conner — that working-class and often crass mom from the hit sitcom Roseanne. To wit, the Canadian co-creator of the new web series Coming In once dedicated an entire blog to her fashion sense.

“Roseanne was so real and unapologetically herself and captivating, and it wasn’t a family that you really saw on TV,” he says.

His latest project shares that same sense of originality and authenticity, though format-wise it’s a different beast. Coming In, about a gay man who wakes up one day to discover he’s straight, debuts Monday as 11 short clips on CBC Comedy’s website (cbc.ca/comedy).

Expectations are high. Humphrey and Coming In co-creator Graydon Sheppard — who’ve been dating for years — are also the guys behind Shit Girls Say, a Twitter parody account set up in 2011 that now boasts 1.88 million followers.

There’s also a companion book and a YouTube series featuring montages of Humphrey in drag spouting lines like “Could you do me a huge favour?”, “I had such a good sleep” and “Twinsies!” Episode 1, co-starring Juliette Lewis, has racked up more than 21 million views.

Coming In, however, has a full-blown narrative arc. It starts with Mitchell (Dylan Archambault), walking into a support group for gay men who are trying to be straight, and telling them of his plight. Subsequent episodes show him facing the challenges of coming out as a straight man.

Dylan Archambault stars in Coming In. [CBC]

“We started thinking about Coming In a couple years ago, just walking around Toronto one day, and the idea came to us. We thought it would just be a really funny way to tell the coming out story in a new way and make it more relatable to a wider audience.”

The final product is warm, well-developed and witty. There’s some swearing and skin — a bare bum, most notably — and the sensibility echoes Australian series Please Like Me, about a man who realizes he’s gay after being dumped by his girlfriend. That show aired on CBC-TV in Canada last year.

In fact, Coming In is — er — coming in at a time when LGBTQ characters are finding their footing on both TV and computer screens.

On conventional TV, shows like Empire (Fox), Modern Family (ABC), and Degrassi: Next Class (Family Channel), have gay lead characters, while streaming services boast acclaimed fare such as Orange is the New Black and Sense8 (both Netflix), as well as Transparent (Amazon Prime/Shomi).

What’s more, a recent report by GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organization, said the 2016-17 TV season has the highest percentage of LGBTQ main characters yet: 4.8 per cent in prime-time scripted broadcast TV, a record in the 21 years it has been tracking such numbers.

“There seems to be representations of younger people, and Glee had a lot of diverse and groundbreaking characters on that show. It’s going toward the positive, but I think not since Will & Grace has there been a totally gay show for the mainstream,” says Sheppard.

Kyle Humphrey, left, and Graydon Sheppard are the creators of web series Coming In [CBC]

Coming In also has another advantage: brevity in a time when attention spans trade in 140 characters or fewer. Each episode is about three to six minutes, dialogue is pithy and plot points are straightforward.

“You can really get to the story quickly and move along quickly, but the disadvantage is that we don’t get to really explore all these ideas that we have — we just kind of touch on all these things,” says Humphrey.

Adds Sheppard: “We definitely want to see another season; we want to keep going with it. This is where (Mitchell’s), journey begins, really. He is now facing questions about masculinity and dating and finding a place in the straight world.”

For Humphrey, Coming In could even eventually morph into something along the lines of his beloved Roseanne.

“We’ve always seen it as a half-hour comedy,” he says, “and we’re hoping that this proves it as a concept so that we can make it into a more traditional fleshed-out show.”

Coming In starts streaming on CBC Comedy, Nov. 21

A cruise with Mickey Mouse and the gang may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Holidays, but Disney Cruise Line is pulling out all the stops on its Christmas and New Year’s cruises this winter.

As you might expect, Disney is an amazing choice for families. The line’s kids programs are second to none, and even adults can’t help but fall under the Disney spell. I personally know couples that don’t have kids — and don’t want kids — that sail with the line because their adult offerings and amenities are just so darn good. Plus, like Disney’s land-based theme parks, it’s practically impossible to resist a smile when Donald Duck or Captain Mickey wanders your way.

Every cruise line does Christmas, but Disney sprinkles just a little more of its magic dust over everything aboard the four classically styled ships in its fleet. If you’ve never seen a Disney ship before, it’s a pleasantly elegant affair, with swooping lines, a black hull, and a vibrant yellow “cheat line” meant to emulate the classic ocean liners of days gone by.

Aboard Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy this year, kids and kids-at-heart are going to be treated to a veritable wonderland of activities. Starting in early November, Disney will begin offering some incredible holiday cheer.

Things start on the first night of the cruise, with Mickey’s Tree-Lighting Magic — a tree “lighting” ceremony held in the ship’s soaring, three-storey atrium. Disney’s characters will lead holiday carols and will proceed to light the tree, which stands the full height of the ship’s atrium.

Also held in the atrium lobby is Santa’s Winter Wonderland Ball, where guests will gather to welcome Santa and Mrs. Claus with an event that features Broadway-style entertainment and holiday tunes that will surely turn into a singalong. A flurry of magic snowflakes rains down on the atrium as this happens, which adds that touch of Christmas — even in the Caribbean.

Other holiday amenities include roving Dickens-era carollers who stroll throughout the ship spreading holiday cheer. Kids can also take part in gingerbread house making classes, make holiday-themed crafts like decorating stockings and making holiday animation cells, and of course everyone is invited out to meet Santa.

Disney also offers an on-deck Deck the Deck Holiday Party. This tropical celebration features limbo contests under gigantic candy canes, dances designed for the whole family, and a conga line around the pool. Or, mom and dad can head to one of the many adults-only lounges for some holiday libations.

I personally think the coolest aspect of these cruises — from the kid that lives within me — are the Christmas morning celebrations. With Santa Claus behind the tree, kids and families are invited to join in a special surprise, along with musical performances. A traditional Christmas dinner will be served that night in the ship’s main dining room, and Christmas and Hanukkah services will be held on their respective days.

There’s still some spots free on Disney’s ships this winter, even if you’re not sailing on an actual Christmas sailing. And, of course, there’s no time like the present to plan for 2017.

For everyone reading this that thinks what I’ve just described is amazing, there’s probably another that’s cringed at every part of this. And that’s OK, too — a Disney cruise isn’t for everyone. You have to have a healthy love for the characters that roam the ship, and you have to be able to buy into the entire idea of really being a kid again.

But I will say this: if you’ve never been on a Disney cruise and you have kids (big or small), this is really one of cruising’s most rewarding experiences for families of all ages. Disney may target families, but the line’s innovations, amenities, cuisine and service are all top notch.

There was a time when I was skeptical, too. And then I went on-board, and someone called out my name over a loudspeaker, as if by magic, and welcomed me. And I have to tell you, when you see Captain Mickey wave at you while you’re walking along the promenade deck, well, you become a big kid again. And you wave back.

Happy cruising.

Chris Lackner

“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan sang. But these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop-culture offerings is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what’s on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the coming week.

MOVIES

Big releases on Nov. 25: Allied; Bad Santa 2.

Big picture: Brad Pitt and French actress Marion Cotillard play an intelligence officer and resistance fighter whose fates are intertwined during the Second World War. For the record, the last time Pitt played a spy sleeping with the enemy (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) he ended up divorced and later re-married his co-star. (Sure, Brarion isn’t catchy. But you could get used to it, right?). As for the plot? Bullets fly. Sparks fly. Buttons on blouses fly off. Lines are crossed. Star-crossed lovers are double crossed. And so on. Is she a double agent? Does he care? It’s Sleeping with the Enemy meets James Bond meets The Departed, and all is fair in love and war.

Meanwhile, Bad Santa 2 marks the big-screen return of Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton), the worst Santa. Ever. He’s greedy, racist, misogynistic, temperamental, unbalanced, angry and a lying schemer. (I suspect Thornton will have a four-year job as White House Santa starting 2017.) In this sequel, Willie reunites with is loathsome elf sidekick and plans to rob a charity on Christmas Eve. Kathy Bates joins the cast as Willie’s criminally minded mother. Christina Hendricks checks in as a curvaceous charity director, and the subject of Willie’s un-Santa-like thoughts.

Forecast: Hollywood will finally see the crossover potential and cast Thornton in The Santa Clause 4.

Honourable mention: Moana. This animated adventure finds The Rock voicing an affable demi-god named Maui, a deity built like a wrestler with the maturity of a frat boy. Maui must help a young girl named Moana on an epic sea journey to find a new island home (I’m guessing Hawaii) for her people. You can thank Walt Disney for this Christmas gift.

Alexis Bledel, left, and Lauren Graham and in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. [Netflix]

Big events: Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (Nov. 25, Netflix); 3% (Nov. 25, Netflix).

Big picture: These Girls are more likable than the ones on HBO. Three generations of Gilmore women return to bemoan the state of their idyllic small-town lives. This marks a new beginning for the WB/CW (2000-07) series, set in the fictional Stars Hollow, Conn. This “new season” is unveiled as four 90-minute movies (with additional “seasons” on the horizon). Nine years after the series’ finale, Rory, the youngest Gilmore, is leading a rootless — her grandmother calls it “vagabond” — life after her budding journalism career imploded. (Note: Kids of America: there is no better time to be a vagabond! Go live abroad for four years! Stat!). As for mom Lorelai, she is coming to grips with a relationship that may have passed its prime.

Meanwhile, Netflix’s first Brazilian original series is 3%, a sci-fi thriller about deep class divisions. In a near dystopian future, the elite live in a heavily fortified island utopia, while the rest of us suckers live on a Mad Maxian mainland. Select landlubbers are recruited to join the 3% based on a series of mental, physical and psychological tests — everything from assembling building blocks to bludgeoning one another to death. It’s The Hunger Games meets international cinema meets Saw meets The Maze Runner … meets your nearest escape room.

Forecast: Am I the only one who would have preferred to see Gilmore Girls: 3%, in which our plucky heroines battles for survival in the post-apocalyptic future? I bet all those skills Rory picked up as a vagabond would come in real handy.
 
Honourable mention: The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration (Nov. 24, ABC). This thinly veiled advertisement for Walt Disney Resorts features musical performances by the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks. Presumably, there will also be special appearances by various characters destined to soon be incarcerated or deported in Trump’s America — from Aladdin and Jasmine, to Pocahontas and Mulan, to Beast and Goofy. (What can I say? Enjoy them while you can, kids.)

The Weeknd releases the new album Starboy. [Handout]

Big release on Nov. 25: The Weeknd (Starboy).

Big picture: Toronto’s Abel Tesfaye isn’t just working for the weekend. He must be in the studio eight days a week. His last album (the breakout Beauty Behind the Madness) was released little more than a year ago. Tesfaye has cited Michael Jackson and Prince among his inspirations. This time around, Daft Punk joins him in studio on two tracks — a rare collaboration for the secretive electronic duo. Combine their pop-music savvy with The Weeknd’s club mystique. By now, his ubiquitous hit Can’t Feel My Face has probably hit No. 1 in multiple different galaxies. Whether you have tentacles or arms, The Weeknd’s beats are irresistible.

Forecast: Sadly, we lost a Starman this year. But at least this Canadian Starboy’s future is bright. The 26-year-old R&B sensation will take his career to new heights, exuding confidence under the ever-widening spotlight.