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Dinner @ Alo
Alo - 163 Spadina Ave
Tasted September 4, 2018 by MC2 Wines with 160 views
Introduction
Have been lucky enough to average a reservation about once a month at this place. Will say I was a bit surprised at the number of repeats, but the food is always awesome and this time was no different. Some fun and off the beaten track wines as well.
Flight 1 - Pre-dinner small bites (1 note)
Don't have a recording of these although they've changed them up recently. Still have a gougeres which steals the show. Others were also tasty as I recall.
White
2017 Benito Ferrara Greco di Tufo
88 points
Off the by the glass list @ Alo in Toronto. Pre-dinner sipper/paired with the early bites. No detailed notes. A bit fuller bodied than I expected it to be. Perhaps some more white flowers and those notes. Less on the minerals. A good wine although not my favorite white of the night (I preferred the riesling a bit more - it was the type of day where a light white wine was just right).
Flight 2 - Amuse bouche (1 note)
East Coast Oyster
Madai
White - Sparkling
2013 Domaine Rolet Crémant du Jura Brut
87 points
I think for most ppl the more they learn about bubbles the more they seem to appreciate wines outside of champagne (esp these cremant types). I seem to find myself going the opposite way. The more I drink bubbles, the more I think it is very clear when something is a champagne versus not. This was a nice pairing with the food. It's light and easy and there's none of that slightly cloying flavor you can get in lower quality bubbles. But there's also nothing that particularly jumps out either. Good food wine.
Flight 3 - First Course (1 note)
Kanpachi, Summer Squash, Finger Lime, Furikake
White
2016 Domaine Sylvain Langoureau Bourgogne-Aligoté
88 points
Part of the wine pairings at Alo. Now the fourth time with this wine. It's a nice and easy one. Don't remember it standing out all that much, but it paired easily with the fish. No fruit to speak of. More of a grassland. Not overly green. Decent wine although not something I will seek out.
Flight 4 - Second Course (1 note)
Romano Beans, Field Tomato, Green Beans, Fennel
White
2015 Van Volxem Schiefer Riesling Trocken
89 points
From the wine pairings at Alo in Toronto. My favorite of the whites although it could also have been that this was just right what I was in the mood for (hot, still totally feels like summer day). It's got some nice acidity and just very fresh tasting. Crisp fruit notes. Dry. For my tastes this is something to be drinking now and not holding (but I find I'm more sensitive to aged Riesling as time goes on). Had prob the toughest pairing on the menu (some vegetables and tomatoes). Fairly high acidity in the dish, but the fruit seemed to balance that and the wine held it's own. Good for the price point.
Flight 5 - Third Course (1 note)
Little Neck Clams, Chanterelle Mushrooms (not on mine), Yukon Gold Potatoes, Smoked Butter
White
2016 I Favati Fiano di Avellino Pietramara
87 points
From the pairings at Alo. Interesting to read my old note. At this point int he dinner I'm usually nursing most of the glasses since the courses come quickly and each has a wine associated. The dish it was paired with had a smokey butter that was pretty intense and dominated. This worked well with that flavor. Enough body to stand up to it and a certain roundness and almost buttery nature itself. Not totally my style of white, but I can appreciate the way the two worked together.
Flight 6 - Fourth Course (1 note)
East Coast Lobster, Shishito Pepper, Lomo Iberico, Sauce Charon
Rosé
2017 Château de Lascaux Coteaux du Languedoc Rosé
87 points
From the wine pairings at Alo. Interesting because this don't speak to me as much this time. I find that there can be a bit of bottle variation in some of these lighter color roses so that sometimes you get this wonderful, vibrant, fruity but also light style wine that is refreshing and interesting. Other times it just comes across as a touch flat. The biggest difference is how bright the fruit characters are. Here, I didn't really get them. Perhaps because it was a different pairing? But I was quite taken with the lobster and its preparation.
Flight 7 - Fifth Course (1 note)
Muscovy Duck, Tokyo Turnip, Tamarind, Peanuts
Red
2013 Domaine Baud Père & Fils Côtes du Jura Rouge Ancestral
88 points
From the wine pairings at Alo. This wine was fine. Went best with the sesame sauce with the duck (struggled a bit with the more pickled options, but most red wines would). Didn't take detailed notes and don't have a lot of impressions of it. Was one of those more basic old world wines where it's a bit more earth and dirt driven and works better with food than without and it's too complex but nor does it have any of the off putting notes which to me suggests a wine where care was taken in the making.
Flight 8 - Sixth Course (0 notes)
American Wagyu Beef Ribcap, Eggplant, Black Sesame, Dashi
Bread & Butter
Unfortunately the menu I got afterwards had the wrong wine. We really drank a lower end Bordeaux (which given the quality of the wagyu was a bit overshadowed).
Flight 9 - Palate Cleanser (0 notes)
Pineapple, Armagnac, Earl Grey
Flight 10 - First Dessert (1 note)
Chocolate, Goat's Milk, Apricot, Almond
Red - Sparkling
2017 Braida (Giacomo Bologna) Brachetto d'Acqui
88 points
From the wine pairings at Alo. Sweetness came out a bit more this time than last. Some red fruits. It's not particularly complex or overdone, but there is something wonderful about a set of dessert bubbles at the end of a meal. Just comes across light and easy and refreshing.
Flight 11 - Second Dessert (1 note)
Strawberry, Kalamansi Lime, Vanilla
White - Sparkling
2017 Vittorio E. Figli Bera Moscato d'Asti
88 points
From the wine pairings at Alo. Funny - the last time I had this and the Braida I much preferred this, but this time I think I might reverse my thinking. Both are nice and light and easy to drink with just the right amount of sweetness. The Braida has some good fruit going on as well which made it a bit more interesting on this particular night. This seemed to come across as just sweet and bubbles this time around. Still not bad and refreshing. Not sure why - same pairing as the last time.
Flight 12 - Post dinner drink (1 note)
White
2017 Loimer Grüner Veltliner
87 points
From the by the glass list at Alo as a post-dinner drink. Similar to a lot of the other wines of the night, the best word to describe this was easy. It's a bit more subtle in approach. A wine that prob would have liked to have some food with it. Reasonably well put together, but not something that really jumps out at you. A background wine I guess.