Having brunch…that’s what you call it when you switch your everyday breakfast for fresh fruits side by side with bacon, and pastries sweet-talking the smoked salmon, garnished by secrets and sharing with family and friends…by videoconference, as required by social distancing.

So I’m going to invite a new friend: a really nice Canadian who will certainly add to your carousel of flavours: the P3 2019…   P for pinot and 3 for trio.

In 2012, Bruce Nicholson, a winemaker with Inniskillin, had a surplus of pinot blanc which he daringly mixed with some pinot gris and pinot noir. The result was right on target: an assemblage of the three pinots and an instant success.

The salmon colour of this white wine from the Niagara Peninsula is surprising. The pinot noir not only contributes the attractive colour, but also provides subtle aromas of field berries, to which is added the floral note of the pinot blanc and the exoticism of the pinot gris.

A full and generous mouth support by acidity that plays well with the sweetness. Charming! Enjoy your virtual toasts and be careful of your screen and keyboard!

Owners of Domaine La Madura in St- Chinian in the Languedoc, France, Nadia and Cyril Bourgne work a mosaic of various soils surrounded by garrigue (scrub) – thyme, rosemary and juniper – which leave their mark on the wine.

The couple’s hobby-horse is having the grape varietals and the land converse. Carignan, often used as an accessory grape, is the top note of this assemblage in the Classic 2018 from Domaine La Madura, followed in order by the GSM trio (grenache, syrah, mourvèdre).

Black cherry, blackberries, pepper and of course, the garrigue, which is both smelled and tasted. Freshness from the Carignan supports the chubby body of the wine and all its aromas, right through the finish. To add to the pleasure, get out the Raz El Hanout and make yourself some Marrakech chicken wings or a warming deluxe tagine!

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