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Chateau muttmartre: no whine before its time
By Kim Campbell Thornton
February 8, 2008
I don’t know if you’re like me, but I find it difficult to resist bottles of wine that bear the image of a dog or cat on its label. I haven’t had much luck with the cat wines, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by those from Mutt Lynch and Dog House Wine, whose Checkers Cab I found at Ralph’s, of all places. I especially like Mutt Lynch’s Portrait of a Mutt Zinfandel and even took a bottle of it with me to Westminster a few years ago. Of course, these days I wouldn’t be able to get it on the plane.
Now dog-loving vinophiles can pour from a bottle that bears a photo or illustration of their own dog, thanks to Matt Hahn and Fleet Hamilton, founders of Carivintas Winery. Choose from among 14 wines, send them a digital photo of your dog, and wait a few weeks for delivery of your very own bottle of Greyhound Grenache or Cavalier Cabernet.
The best part is that 10 percent of the sale goes to the Bark Partner of your choice. Options include Best Friends Animal Society, Los Angeles SPCA, Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue, Southeastern Greyhound Adoption, and many more.
Mutt Lynch and Dog House Wine do their share, too. Dog House has a partnership with Guide Dogs for the Blind, and Mutt Lynch has a nonprofit wine program that has helped support such organizations as the San Francisco SPCA, Canine Companions for Independence and National Golden Retriever Rescue.
Drink up!
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I don’t know if they donate to any animal charities or anything, but, based solely on taste, I highly recommend anything from Chateau Le Paws. They don’t exactly have an animal on the label, but they have paw prints, and it’s a pretty cute label.
Comment by alice — February 8, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
Here on Canada’s south coast, we get quite good cat wines from Cooper’s Creek (NZ).
Today’s wines are a feline foursome from New Zealand’s Coopers Creek. For each bottle sold, a contribution is made to the Ontario SPCA. (Sales raised about $7,000 for “creature comforts” in the first quarter of 2005.)
CAT’S PEE ON A GOOSEBERRY BUSH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2004 Named for a common way of describing the aromas of Sauvignon Blanc, this has more gooseberry than the other descriptors, along with green apple flavours and zesty acidity. Pair it with goat cheese and tomato tart. Alcohol 12.5 per cent; $12.95 a bottle.
FAT CAT CHARDONNAY 2004 Rich and as full-bodied as the full-figured feline on the label. Look for toasty tropical flavours but there’s plenty of acidity to make this food-friendly. It’s purr-fect with well-herbed roast chicken. Alcohol 14 per cent; $14.95 a bottle.
TOM CAT MERLOT 2004 A well-paced Merlot that’s medium-bodied with good fruit flavours (plum, red berries) with some spiciness and good balance. Lap it up with a dish of grilled red meat. Alcohol 13.5 per cent; $15 a bottle.
SALLY CAT PINOT NOIR 2004 Nicely balanced between the earthy, spicy characters typical of Pinot Noir, and a ripe fruitiness that makes it a crowd-pleaser. Medium-bodied, it makes a good partner with grilled lamb. Alcohol 13.5 per cent; $14.95 a bottle.
Comment by shibadiva — February 9, 2008 @ 8:16 am
“I don’t know if you’re like me, but I find it difficult to resist bottles of wine …”
Yep, I’m like you! :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — February 9, 2008 @ 12:14 pm