Vine Living

Summer is Time to Do the Twist

2009-07-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

July has all but come and gone and the weather remains smoking hot, which demands fresh and racy for me in the wine department.

A summer sipper, in my opinion, starts with a screw-cap, is affordable and is usually white or the palest shade of red.

Light, bright whites or rosés are a no brainer as they are cool and refreshing – ideal during the typical Okanagan summer. And you shouldn’t have to pay a lot for a late afternoon patio quaffer. But why screwcaps, you ask?

They’re convenient, for one – a simple twist and you’re off to the races. Summertime is all about living easy and who needs the extra fuss that goes along with a cork and the contraptions required to remove them?

Secondly, summer wines must be kept cool – not an easy task in 30-plus degree weather. Screwcaps make re-sealing a snap so they can be popped back into the fridge or cooler for continued chilling without worry. The seal is usually pretty tight, so there’s little risk of leakage or getting that nasty cooler water in your bottle. Take it from someone who has had a glass or two of watered-down wine – the cork, just doesn’t cut it.

But most of all, screwcaps are the best at preserving young, fresh wines, so they don’t lose their appealing zip like those under a cork can.

More and more wineries in British Columbia are making high-style wines under the closure that used to be associated with products the calibre of Lonesome Charlie. Still there are sceptics who argue they cheapen the look of wines and lack the romance of a cork and that is preventing a full-on conversion.

Wine Access Magazine recently scolded naysayers and reluctant wine producers in an issue in praise of twist-offs.

“If you are making an aromatic summer sipper or a rosé and it is not under screwcap, you can forget about selling it in any progressive Canadian markets. We don't want any white wine or rosé that is made to be drunk fresh and young to be cork-finished.”

Amen.

So, get off your high horse, stash the corkscrew for a rainy day and source out some summer sippers under this simple seal. I’ve compiled a list of some of pocket-friendly, quaffable twist offs that will compliment any hot-weather table.

Wine Notes

Arrowleaf 2007 Pinot Gris
Green apple, orange rind, pear, some floral notes, mineral aromas with some fresh apple flavours with citrus, grapefruit and pear on the palate.
Body and Finish: Slightly sweet entry with plenty of zippy character and fresh finish
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: B *Cheeky and bright at a cheap and cheerful price
Price: $15
Availability: Winery, VQA shops, private retailers

Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery 2008 Pinot Grigio
Tropical fruit, peach, mineral, nectarine bouquet followed by a fresh palate full of citrus, peach, mineral.
Body and Finish: Good acidity on the palate and finish
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: B *Quaffable, bright patio pal
Price: $15
Availability: VQA shops, BC LDBs, private retailers

Tinhorn Creek 2008 Gewurztraminer
A new classy label greets you on a bottle that has been among the first under twist off in B.C. Aromas of sweet apples, ripe peach, lychee, ginger and rose water which come through on palate.
Body and Finish: A touch sweet but has nice acidity to balance it.
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now, well chilled
Score: B+ *A perennial favourite among B.C. Gewurzs and priced right
Price: $16.50
Availability: VQA shops, BC LDBs, private retailers

JoieFarm 2008 Rose
Bright ruby colour, very spicy nose and palate with rose petal, strawberry extract, cranberry, rhubarb and pink grapefruit. Lovely dry food style.
Body and Finish: Bright fruit entry with a zippy palate, and dry finish
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: A- *Made in the Old World style roses were meant to be
Price: $18.90
Availability: Private retailers, restaurants

Quails’ Gate 2008 Rose
Think pink with this wine full of strawberry, rhubarb, blood orange, mineral and slight hints of spice.
Body and Finish: Fresh fruit and bracing acidity.
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: A- *Dry, crisp and dirt cheap – all the things I like in a summer rose
Price: $13
Availability: Winery, VQA shops, BC LDBS, private retailers

Road 13 2008 Old Vines Chenin Blanc
Green apple, mineral, honey, peach aromas and flavours, this variety is overlooked by many but performs exceedingly well here. Loads of character from the older vines.
Body and Finish: A hint of sweetness that is well balanced by loads of fresh acidity.
Would I Buy It? Definitely
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: A *Seafood anyone?
Price: $19
Availability: Winery, VQA shops, BC LDBS, private retailers

St. Hubertus 2008 Pinot Blanc
Pear, peach, green apple with some lemon-lime character. Simple, quaffable patio style
Body and Finish: A touch of sweetness on entry, fresh lemon-lime palate and simple finish
Would I Buy It? Once in a while
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: B- *Priced right for summertime sipping
Price: $14
Availability: Winery, VQA shops, BC LDBS, private retailers

See Ya Later Ranch 2008 Nelly
Echoes of “whoa, Nelly!” are being sung – but aside from the cliché, this is a concentrated rose more reminiscent of a light bodied red. Aromas and flavours of sour cherries, raspberries, watermelon and even a hint of spice and smoke.
Body and Finish: Heavier than your average rose, there’s a hint of sweetness on entry, but finishes quite dry and slightly hot.
Would I Buy It? Once in a while
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: B *For red wine lovers looking for something a little brighter and chillable
Price: $17.50
Availability: Winery, VQA shops, BC LDBS, private retailers

Of Fire and Wine

2009-07-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

Some friends and I were sitting on my deck when we noticed the orange glow of the Rose Valley fire across the lake in West Kelowna.

Already wired after an afternoon of media drama over the Glenrosa blaze, which broke out earlier that day, this new and unrelated natural disaster developing before us was pretty much impossible to tear our eyes from.

We sat mesmerized by the spreading flames until the wee hours of the morning. Our collective weariness and mental turmoil, combined with the effects of an endless stream of wine, eventually compelled us to contemplate our own actions should we ever be faced by a fate similar to that of the West Kelowna evacuees.

One of my friends asked if my home was threatened by a forest fire and I was forced to flee what I would choose to save from the flames. The situation is unlikely considering I live a block from downtown - any fire would most probably originate in the house itself and there would be no time to consider rescuing any belongings other than live bodies.

Nonetheless, I humoured her and thought carefully about my answer. “My dogs, of course,” I said, “but the rest is just ‘stuff’ and can be replaced.” (Granted, I suspected even then that this was merely bravado bolstered by booze talking.

“What about all your wine?” she persisted. “Wouldn’t you want to take that?”

“Maybe some,” I replied, “but not to save it… to drink it.”

We all chortled over that, but the fact is I was deadly serious. After my recent move, I know I couldn’t face schlepping all those bottles again, even for a fire. But I reasoned that some liquid balm would be required to soothe tattered nerves amidst all hassle, haste and hysteria.

The next day found me in my little cellar turning over the wines, studying the labels and making a perfunctory note of what wines would be scoped up for medicinal purposes and which ones would be sacrificed to the fire gods. It occurred to me that not only would the remaining bottles not survive the embers, but would very likely feed the flames.

I decided that since there was a risk that I might return home to any empty shell following a hurried exit it made no sense to leave the best behind. So the bottles I chose to accompany me on my fantasy evacuation were treasured. They guaranteed that even if I ended up herded like cattle into some public school gymnasium, I’d be enjoying something pretty sweet out my paper cup.

Of course, my disaster plan also meant that should my house be unscathed, I’d have pillaged my collection for nothing, and have only uncelebrated dregs facing me in the aftermath.

I recall reading stories about wine collectors in areas at high-jeopardy of wildfires fitting their homes with flame-resistant storage systems - ideally rooms built out of concrete and ranging in price from $15,000 for a tiny closet to a cool quarter million for a the flood-proof, earthquake-proof, bomb-proof model. My own sad assembly hardly justifies such an expense.

Other at-risk homeowners with less disposable income have opted for the off-site secure storage route, where they stash their precious cargo in a climate-controlled warehouse - a sort of oversized safety deposit box. While this will keep your collection protected from harm, it also bars you from easy access to it. That’s a bonus for those not capable of keeping their mitts off their wine, for me the convenience of having bottles at the ready is half the pleasure of a cellar - kind of like having a wine shop in your home.

Still, practical matters are something local interface residents with a penchant for wine might start wanting to consider, given that we’re experiencing the second major fire season in six years. While many belongings can be packed into a storage van and left indefinitely, wines will perish in 30+ degree heat in rather short order.

And friends you’ve arranged to camp out with might not be enthused if you show up with your kids, dogs and 1,000 bottles at their door - or, at least, not without a corkscrew.

Wine Notes

Blue Mountain Brut (NV)
Talk about value in this crisp, dry bubble. Features delightful effervescence and a clean nose of green apple, lime, mineral and just a touch of yeast. Dances on your tongue deliver tree-free freshness, apple skin, lime zest, mineral and snappy finish. Pair with anything!
Would I Buy It? It’s already a household staple
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: A *Awesome value for bubbly fun
Price: $23.90
Availability: Winery, select private retailers

Stoneboat 2008 Pinot Blanc
Peach, pear, honey, spice, apple, mineral and grapefruit aromas. Bright entry of tree fruit and citrus and a bit of creaminess. Nice minerality on the finish. Perfect for a lovely white fish dish.
Would I Buy It? Definitely
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: A- *Underrated varietal that really delivers on quality and price
Price: $17
Availability: Winery, select private retailers

Mt. Boucherie 2006 Summit Reserve Syrah
Nice surprise from this under-the-radar West Kelowna winery. A Syrah that packs a punch with blackberry, black cherry, plum, savoury components of soya, pepper and some vanilla and sweet spice. Luscious fruit on the palate, spice and savoury flavours and a hint of black pepper. A finalist in the Lieutenant Governor of B.C. Awards of Excellence in British Columbia Wine.
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink over the next five years
Score: A- *Everything you seek in a scrumptious Syrah
Price: $25
Availability: Winery, VQA shops, select private retailers

Blasted Church 2007 Merlot
Black cherry, chocolate, pepper, resin, cedar, black olive, earthy and slight Madeira-like notes. The palate is full and round with intense dark fruit flavours, earthy, spicy and Porty. Shows some aged character. A finalist in the Lieutenant Governor of B.C. Awards of Excellence in British Columbia Wine.
Would I Buy It? Once in a while
Cellaring Potential: Drink over the next couple years
Score: B+ *No mediocre Merlot here
Price: $25.90
Availability: Check with winery

BC Lieutenant Governor's Top 12 Wines

2009-07-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes
After eight years as a judge for the Lieutenant Governor of B.C. Awards of Excellence in British Columbia Wine, I now know one thing for certain - this province makes some awfully good wine.

When it comes to finding ones that have that ‘wow factor,’ each year there are only a select number worthy of one of the LG’s elusive medals. But the bar keeps getting set higher and it becomes tougher to narrow down the lot.

This competition is unique in a number of ways. It celebrates the province’s industry exclusively and is open to every winery in British Columbia, as long as the wines submitted are made with 100 per cent B.C. fruit. No more than 12 medals are awarded each year, which means the winners have to be la crème de la crème among the hundreds of entries. And virtually the same judges are at the table year after year - establishing a consistency in evaluation not often found in competitions.

After eight years, I can say we have gelled as a group and are pretty clear on what we’re looking for. That’s not to say we always agree - not by a long shot. In fact, each of us brings a certain level of expertise, has a certain criteria we adhere to, as well as our own personal preference. In the end, I think the results are well balanced.

When our picks are finally unveiled after a gruelling marathon of tasting, there are always a number of winners that are repeats, which speaks the consistency in the quality and excellence of their products. But there are also usually a few first-timers - some of them surprises and always in a good way, particularly when small, lesser known wineries receive this impressive accolade.

This year’s new winners includes: Howling Bluff of Naramata; Bounty Cellars of Kelowna; Peller Estates of Kelowna and Church and State of Victoria.

Here are some of the highlights from this year’s competition:

* JoieFarm of Naramata was a double winner with the 2007 Reserve Chardonnay and 2008 Riesling.
* Seven of the 12 medals went to red wines, including two Pinot Noirs and two Syrahs.
* No sparkling or dessert wines won this year.
* A medal was awarded to a Vancouver Island-based winery for the first time ever - Church & State. However, the wine in question is made from Okanagan-grown grapes.
* Jackson-Triggs and Sumac Ridge - consistent winners over the years - were both shutout this year.
* The winning wines range in price from $16.90 to $40.10.

Here’s the winning list:

Bounty Cellars 2007 Pinot Blanc $16.90
Fabulous value presents itself in this charming PB with peach, pear, pineapple, honey, almond oil and citrus character. Lovely fresh style and zippy finish.

CedarCreek 2006 Platinum Reserve Merlot $40.10
Intense black fruit aromas with coffee bean, vanilla, chocolate and menthol plus some spicy and smoky notes. Quite luscious and round with a weighty mid-palate. Black cherry, blackberry, coffee and cocoa flavours.

Church & State Wines 2006 Syrah $26
Intense magenta colour with spicy, peppery, gamey aromas with brambleberry and very savoury notes. Luscious on the palate with intensity of black fruit flavours, some menthol and savouryness.

Howling Bluff 2006 Pinot Noir $29.60
A wine with wow factor, it features cherry, chocolate, dark vanilla, raspberry and baking spice. Lovely aromas of sweet red fruits, dark petaled florals, cocoa and vanilla. The palate is super silky with moderately soft tannins at the end.

JoieFarm 2007 Reserve Chardonnay $34.90
Buttered toast, pineapple, honey, melon, peach and spice in the bouquet. Soft, round, butter palate with bright golden tropical fruit flavours. Some toastyness on the mid-palate and just enough clean acidity on the finish.

JoieFarm 2008 Riesling $27
Green apple, pink grapefruit, peach, blossoms and honey aromas. Flavours of peaches, apple skin and lime. Bright and fresh with snappy acidity on the finish. Very drinkable style.

Pellar Estates 2007 Private Reserve Pinot Noir $18
Another solid effort from Peller. This is soft round accessible pinot with a strawberry floral undertone flecked with cedar and earth. The flavours mix a hint of cocoa with cedar, strawberry and vanilla all in a warm soft finish. Simple well made pinot.

Road 13 2006 Fifth Element $35.99
Leather, cocoa, smoke, earth aromas with luscious black cherry, plum character. This is a complex, yet elegant Bordeaux-style blend. Features lots of jammy black fruits on the palate with some smoke, dark vanilla and pepper.

Sandhill 2007 Small Lots Syrah $35
A big, bold effort with concentrated black cherry, brambleberry and savoury soya, coffee bean, dillweed accents. A jammy black fruits palate with savoury spice and lifted freshness. Deep, dark and intense.

See Ya Later Ranch 2008 Gewurztraminer $18
Pale rose petal aromas with lychee fruit, pink grapefruit, citrus peel. Bright fruit entry with loads of racy acidity on the finish.Stoneboat Vineyards 2007 Pinotage $24.90Intense magenta colour with plum, black cherry, dark vanilla, chocolate, spice, pepper and cedar. Has plenty of ripe luscious fruit on the palate with loads of spice, pepper, chocolate, menthol and earthy character. Firm tannins for structure and longevity.

Wild Goose 2008 Pinot Gris $19
Honey, pear, citrus peel, lemon oil, peach with some floral and mineral notes. Dry but fresh palate. One of the most consistently good PGs in the valley from a producer that knows how to bring the best out of this grape.

Of Wine and Dirt

2009-05-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

The next time someone yaps on about how glamorous my job is, I'm going to tell him about the day I spent staring at dirt.

I was on a media tour focusing on the geology of the Oliver/Osoyoos region, where we studied the soil and the lay of the land. Thanks to a rather brisk April wind, I think I tasted about as much dirt as I did wine that day. So if I describe a wine as being “earthy” you can bet I know what I’m talking about.

Truthfully, this is the part of my gig I like best - digging deep, literally, into what makes B.C. wines unique. The varied landscape of the Okanagan, in particular, often means no two wines will be alike, even when made with identical varieties planted on the same plot.

At Oliver’s Covert Farm, for example, we stood on a breathtaking bench where 30 acres of organic grapes are grown for Dunham & Froese Winery. If you were to scratch beneath the surface, you’d find sections of gravel, sand and dense loam, all which lend different characteristics to the fruit that will ultimately end up in the glass.

Across the highway at Quinta Ferreira Winery, the terrain there can only be described as beach-like. Excavation work being done on a building project the day we visited revealed metres deep of soft, astonishingly white sand. And to add to the mix was the discovery of an ancient fossilized tree and a second believed to be still living, according to an archeologist consulted by owner John Ferreira.

Just a stone’s throw away, metaphorically, we scoped out the rocky vineyards of Gehringer Brothers. Proprietor Walter Gehringer described clearing operations that took the better part of a year to complete in order to simply prep his land for planting.

“Some places are like the Great Wall of China,” he quipped.

Some people might file all this dirt in the “who cares?” category. But in my humble opinion anyway, great wines are grown, not made. Understanding the land – the “terroir” – enables me to relate better to what is in my glass. And it also seems to improve the taste of the wines I drink.

Not everyone is as inclined as I am to traipsing through the vineyards, turning over rocks and sifting through the dirt. In fact, most would probably argue that every appellation boasts a unique mix of soil types that sets them apart. And they wouldn’t be wrong.

But aside from what’s underfoot, the Okanagan Valley’s varied elevations and exposures as winds its way around lakes and mountains has also created individual micro-climates. Thus, the same site not only can feature mixed pockets of stones, clay and sand, but could also be several degrees hotter or cooler from one end to the other.

How the plots are managed is another factor. Gehringer prefers a manicured operation. His rows are straight and neatly planted with no weeds between the vineyards. That’s fairly old-school, but Gehringer argued that vegetative growth encourages insect activity and raises humidity levels which can lead to mildew and other diseases.

“We tried using straw but had a problem with mice which ate chewed the vines underneath,” he said. So he sticks to the tried and true formula of weed killer.

Meanwhile, vineyards for Dunham & Froese are less pretty to look at, but the latter system is tantamount to blasphemy at Covert Farms, where organic growing practices forbid the use of weed sprays.

Gene Covert said the family relies on mechanical weeding and some bio-dynamic practices and have no problem with humidity.

“It’s about developing an eco-system that works for you, such as planting wild roses or using ladybugs which do most of our pest control.”

Some growers choose to keep vegetation between vines on the long side, saying that pests, like the dreaded leafhopper, will take the “path of least resistance” and won’t climb or hop on the vines, if they can feed on the weeds below.

Even if you don’t care about any of this – the terroir, vineyard maintenance or blight and disease control - the vineyards in the Okanagan are worth exploring if only for the scenery.

They are easily amongst the most stunning of spaces as they are often set on plateaus, with unparalleled views of lakes and mountains, the grids of green vineyards magnifying every dip and roll. I’ve stood in many vineyards over the years and felt almost dizzy by their topsy-turvy sightlines.

I have yet to snap a photograph that does winery lands justice. It’s one of those “you-just-have-to-be-there” situations.

Poplar Grove 2007 Chardonnay
The price tag belies the elegance and quality of this yummy Chardonnay. French oak lends itself to a toasty nose full of baked apple, butterscotch, white blossoms and orange peel. Tree fruit flavours and citrus with butterscotch
Body and Finish: Lovely butter on the palate without being overdone and a good balance of acidity on the finish.
Would I Buy It? Definitely
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: A – Like finding a designer outfit at a knock-off price
Price: $22
Availability: Winery, private retailers

Dunham & Froese 2007 Merlot
Aromas of blueberry, mocha, plum, licorice, some meaty notes and a touch of pepper. On the palate there are ripe blue fruits, dusty chocolate, white pepper and some smoky flavours
Body and Finish: Ripe entry with some chewy tannins and a bit of a drying finish but no bitterness.
Would I Buy It? Yes, to cellar
Cellaring Potential: Let it age a year or so to soften the tannins
Score: B – Nice solid effort with good varietal character
Price: $22.90
Availability: Winery, VQA shops, private retailers

B.C. Buy of the Week

Thornhaven 2008 Rose
Sippable style full of fresh wild strawberries, herbaceous and floral notes, sweet cherries and hint of spice. Some citrus on the palate with some residual sugar for easy drinking, but I would like it drier. Add a splash of sparkling soda for patio parties.
Body and Finish: Light- body, crisp palate and clean finish.
Would I Buy It? Once in a while
Cellaring Potential: Drink up
Score: B- - Would be a much better buy at $14.90
Price: $16.90
Availability: Winery, VQA shops, private retailers

Import of the Week

Domaine Roc des Anges Segna de Cor 2006 (France)
This blend of Syrah, Mouvedre and Grenache features all those earthy barnyard and savoury aromas that many consumers seek in an Old-World red. Pepper, some dark red fruits and acid on the palate with a touch of smoke.
Body and Finish: Mouthfilling but not overly weighty and some freshness on the finish.
Would I Buy It? For a special occasion
Cellaring Potential: Drink over the next several years
Score: A- - If you like savoury over juicy fruit, this will fit the bill.
Price: $35
Availability: Private retailers

2009-03-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes
What do you get when you throw two acclaimed chefs into a kitchen and challenge them to create a meal around a selection of wines? You get a cook-off, a heck of a meal and a fair amount of chest pounding.

That scenario played itself out recently at Cabana Grille Restaurant when co-owner/head chef Ned Bell faced off against Mission Hill Family Estate Winery executive chef Michael Allemeier in what could easy be construed as Kelowna’s version of Iron Chef.

The two men are long-time friends and even co-hosted the show Cook Like a Chef on the Food Network. Their kitchen reunion was nothing short of a culinary showdown in front of a formidable crowd of 110 hungry patrons.

The inspiration for the evening was a selection of Mission Hill wines and each chef was challenged to make a dish to pair with each using a specified ingredient. For example, the ingredient in question for the 2007 Five Vineyards Pinot Grigio was shellfish, but beyond that the menu was script free.

Allemeier explained that each chef would give his “interpretation of the wines” in his choice of the final ingredients and their preparation and presentation.

For the shellfish course, Allemeier opted to use B.C. spot prawns and scallops from which he made a ceviche. The cold dish featured basil, yogurt, parsnip, micro greens and tiny “verjus” pearls made from the wine itself.

Bell, meanwhile, served up a roasted Ocean Wise – meaning it comes from sustainable seafood sources – jumbo scallop with organic walnuts, golden raisins soaked in the Pinot Grigio, curried lobster emulsion and eggplant puree.

Both dishes delivered big in the flavour department, but Allemeier was the clear winner when it came to the wine pairing component. The lemony bright citrus and mineral character of the wine mirrored the freshness of the ceviche, which tasted like it was plucked fresh from the sea. Bell’s version, while scrumptious, overpowered the lightness of the wine, which, despite its abundant acidity, failed at cutting through the richness of the colossal scallop and its robust accents. A better match would have been a crisp and aromatic Riesling.

Wine number two was the 2006 Perpetua, a Chardonnay from the winery’s new luxury line of products know as the Legacy Series. The secret ingredient was rabbit and this time it was Bell who served up a cold dish featuring a “finger sandwich” of rabbit brioche, brassica mustard crème fraiche and a galantine of rabbit with hazelnuts. Allemeier opted to make a rabbit Sheppard’s Pie.

In my view, both chefs executed their dishes beautifully, but came up a tad short in the pairing. I thought the elegance and refinement of the Perpetua – a wine to be treasured for its full palate yet delicate balance between fruit and oak – was somehow lost next to these culinary offerings.

The third course featured the another Legacy wine, the 2005 Quatrain – a blend featuring Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon – matched with venison. Allemeier elected to run with venison loin served with mushrooms and mint bread pudding. Bell produced braised venison shank on stoneground polenta with roasted carrots and plum.

Both dishes were incredible and picking a winner was a challenge as each had merits. Bell’s option was rich, flavourful and the meat melted in your mouth, mirroring the wine’s velvety texture. But Allemeier triumphed slightly with his rare loin cut and wild mushrooms, which picked up on the wine’s underlying earthiness.

Not to be outdone, Bell conquered in the next round when the men squared off with aged cheese for the 2005 Oculus, a Bordeaux-style blend also from the Legacy series. His dish of blue cheese shortbread and Camembert was simply yummy. Blue and hard cheeses have an underlying saltiness and their proteins cut through young, bold, tannic wines like the Oculus and soften all their hard edges. Bell accomplished this masterfully. Allemeier tackled a soufflé made from Salt Spring Island’s Moonstruck White Grace cheese and hazelnuts on beetroot with a side of cherries soaked in Oculus. In theory, it should have worked, but the dish was a little fussy and was easily manhandled by the big wine.

The last course was dessert featuring some kind of citrus to be paired with the 2007 Reserve Riesling Icewine. Dessert and the sweetest of dessert wines are always uneasy co-pilots. Both chefs got the pairing bang on though by balancing the sugary component of their dishes with healthy hits of citrus that picked up on similar characteristics in the wine without giving diners too much of a good thing.

If I had to pick a winner though, it would be Bell, and this is purely a case of personal preference. I’m not a fan of chai thus Allemeier’s orange and cardamon-scented chocolate chai didn’t appeal to me. I also struggle with foods that have semi-firm textures like tofu and Allemeier had two of those components in his dish – a cold lemon madeleine “cake” that sat in the chai and a lime gelatin “marshmallow.” But others loved the dessert and got a kick out of the presentation.

Bell’s dessert was a simple lemon and white chocolate cream with a honey pistachio baklava that was refreshing, light with a lovely sweet-sour component.

In the end, most people – including myself – thought the battle came to a draw, certainly if you tallied the votes in this could. But I thought people reading this might think that was a cop-out, so I came up with two tie breakers – best overall wine pairing and best overall dish. Here’s how that played out:

Best Wine Pairing Overall - Ned Bell for the aged cheese and Oculus course
He nailed the 2005 Oculus, an earthy, robust, Old-World style blend with his blue cheese shortbreads. The savoury, salty flavours were simply ideal with the wine. If this were a round of golf, this pairing would have represented that pleasing “ping” you hear when you connect with the ball in just the right way.

Best Dish Overall – Michael Allemeier for his rabbit Sheppard’s Pie
I don’t even care for rabbit, but I could not stop eating this dish and that was something I heard from many other diners that evening. While it may not have gone perfectly with the wine for which it was intended, Allemeier rocked the ultimate in comfort foods and brought it up to a whole new level.

So after the bonus round, we still have a draw. Hey, it even happens on Iron Chef from time to time.

Wine Notes

Pentâge 2005 Pentage
Aromas: Leafy tobacco, meaty, compost, mushroom, herbaceous, cherry, coffee bean, pepper
Flavours: Coffee, cedar, pepper, cherry, dusty cocoa, cranberry, tea, mentho
Body and Finish: Dry, earthy palate with moderate tannin and a slightly hot finish
Overall Impression: More Old-World and earthy in style than the fruit bombs we typically see in the Okanagan – not to everyone’s taste
Would I Buy It? For something different.
Cellaring Potential: Hang onto it for a couple years
Score: 89/100
Price: $29
Availability: Winery directly, private retailers

Mission Hill 2007 Five Vineyards Rose
Aromas: Orange blossoms, cranberry, strawberry extract, pomegranite, citrus
Flavours: Pomegranite, strawberry, orange zest, vanilla
Body and Finish: Bright fresh entry, nice acidity at the mid-plate, lots of zip on the finish
Overall Impression: A tasty little rose blend of Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Cab Sauv made in a lively, quaffable style.
Would I Buy It? Sure
Cellaring Potential: Drink Now
Score: 89/100
Price: $14.99
Availability: Winery Only

BC Buy of the Week

St Hubertus Estate Chasselas 2007 $15.99
Light bright wine of fresh green apple, a hint of peach, citrus and lemon. Easy sipping wine. Think cheese fondue.
88/100

Import of the Week

Sileni Cellar Selection 2007 Pinot Noir (New Zealand) $20.99
Forward bright fruit expression with aromas of fresh ripe Bing cherries, strawberries, and a touch dillweed. A graceful wine with juicy red berry flavours, menthol and mouthwatering acidity. Easy to drink.
90/100

Wine Q&A: Which Wines Are Best for the Cellar?

2009-03-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

Q: Recently I’ve been inspired to start collecting wines and have accumulated a couple of cases. That may not seem like much, but it has been tough to resist drinking those wines. I’d like to get more serious about collecting, but am curious about a few things. What criteria do you use when selecting wines you think are suitable for cellaring? And how do you know when a wine is ready to drink?
- Roger

A. Tucking wines away for future drinking can be a rewarding experience. To wine geeks like me, there is nothing quite like sipping a fine wine that has been aged to perfection. All the bite is gone and what greets you in the glass is luscious and smooth liquid gold – at least that’s what you envision.

But there’s a risk. You can make reasonable guesstimates as to the future prospects of a wine, but such as it is with an item often referred to as a “living thing,” many factors come into play that can spoil your fun.

There is a lot of bottle variation with wines kept over time. Even the same wines stored under identical conditions will sometimes not age and taste the same when opened side by side and these differences cannot easily be explained. A bum cork often assumes the blame, but it is sometimes not as simple as that.

There is also no exact science when it comes to assessing when the wine is ready for consumption. It is disappointing to open a wine you’ve invested some time in and discover you’ve jumped the gun. But it’s even more distasteful to wait too long and end up with a wine that has gone off and is virtually undrinkable.

That being said, I recently attended a tasting of 12 Okanagan wines that had been stored at least a decade and most of them were still quite lovely, which was a delightful and encouraging discovery.

When deciding how much time to put into a bottle, consider that as wines age, they lose their freshness. Dominant fruit flavours begin to melt away and are replaced by secondary flavours – more earthy, mineral or flinty, spicy and nutty characteristics. Sweetness also fades, while acid and alcohol become more noticeable. So if you like your wines zippy and bright with fruit-forward character, drink them sooner rather than later. I recommend buying a bottle to taste immediately before investing in more to put away. A wine that ages well should taste good on release, meaning you should also be able to drink it young. Unsavoury characteristics will not improve over time.

Wines shouldn’t taste better or worse with aging, just different.I personally seek out wines that exhibit good fruit character and complexity both in the nose and on the palate. I prefer those without a great deal of alcohol and aren’t excessively oaked. In reds, some tannin is desirable but the wine should not be bitter, which suggests unripe fruit.

Experts suggest that you can evaluate the wine’s age-ability by opening and decanting and tasting it at different intervals over several hours. While this method won’t mimic true aging, it will give you some idea how a wine may develop over time. Aerating the wine will open it up some and reveal some of the various layers that may be hidden in a tightly wound young wine.

Keep in mind that your cellaring conditions will affect the wines you store. Ideally, you want a climate-controlled environment if you’re putting serious money and time into your collection. Apart from that, chose a cool, dark, quiet, dust- and odour-free location in your home and store the bottles which have corks on their sides (this is not necessary for wines sealed with screwcaps). It is preferable that you take them out of the box.

Examine bottles before purchase for signs of any leakage. Bottles that appear to be seeping should be avoided, but if you notice this in ones you’ve already acquired, drink them immediately – hopefully they’ll still be good.

Wines kept for extended periods may have to be professionally re-sealed as corks can shrink and disintegrate over time.

Look for literature on the wines you invest in for clues on recommended aging periods and make note of when you think they should be opened. Have some fun by setting dates for the “big reveal” and invite your friends over if you’re willing to share.

In Focus: Disgorgement and Dosage
These two elements are involved in making of traditional sparkling wine. At the end of the process, a plug of yeast has to be removed from the bottle and this is called disgorgement. The neck of the bottle is isolated and frozen allowing the plug to be easily kicked out. Following that a "dosage" of sparkling wine is used to top up the bottle, and it is corked. The dosage is often blended with sucrose which will determine the sparkling wine’s overall sweetness.

BC Wines at Yellow Tail Prices

2009-03-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

I recently wrote about a study, which showed overall Canadian consumption of wine was escalating dramatically but complained that the report failed to provide specific details explaining why. I wanted to know why foreign wine sales were far surpassing local ones and what people were spending on average were per bottle. Well, several readers were more than pleased to provide me with the answers.

"B.C. wines are substantially pricier than imports,” wrote John. “If I’m looking for good value I head to the Chilean and Australian shelves.”

"I'm not ashamed to admit I buy a lot of Yellow Tail," wrote Hugh, referencing my cheeky suggestion that Canadians are now merely blowing their beer budget on this wildly popular Australian wine brand that has saturated the market. "It's reliable and affordable."

"I may be drinking a bit more wine than I was five years ago, but I'm trying to cut back on what I pay per bottle, especially now," said Karen. "Consequently, I don't buy a lot of local wine."

Ironically, nobody saw fit to provide me with an exact dollar figure, range or ceiling on which they base their spending.

But using Yellow Tail products as the benchmark, it appears the magic number lies between $13 and $18. Which makes me wonder where people do their shopping.

I did a little simple sleuthing and discovered that B.C. VQA stores list some 180 wines under $18. Let me repeat that – 180. Meanwhile, government stores list 120 local wines under that price point. And they don’t include all the bulk plonk from fruit of questionable origin that is made by the truckload in this province. Now if you can’t find something local you like and can afford in this lot, I’m at a loss.

I’m not going to get all preachy about how you should drink only local wine. I’m every bit in favour of people doing a little global trotting when it comes to their wine purchases.
But when people make blanket statements about the lack of value in B.C. product, it drives me to distraction.

Granted, there are indeed $25-plus wines aplenty in the marketplace. But the same holds true for products from Australia, Chile, Argentina and the like. Isn’t it time you give homegrown wines a fair shake?

O.K., I’m stepping off my soapbox now. I think the numbers speak for themselves. But since price is such an issue to consumers, I’m introducing a new feature – a tasting note called “B.C. Value Wine of the Week,” which will focus on products in the under $18 category.

And I’m kicking it off with a bang with an introductory list of value wines to get the party started.

18 Under $18

* Please note – availability of these wines at these price points are either through VQA stores or BC LDBS. Some may be available through private retailers, but expect a price mark-up.

Arrowleaf Red Feather 2007 $11.99
A blush that is earthy and full of red berries, fruit leather, mineral, spice. A touch of residual sugar but finish with a fresh, clean snap. Think hot tub for now and patio in the summer. Great deal.
89/100

Blasted Church Hatfield's Fuse 2007 $16.99
Fresh approachable white blend featuring green apple, citrus rind and flinty aromas. Has a fresh bright fruit entry with sweet-sour character and clean finish. Value and great packaging too, plus a twist off.
88/100

Cedar Creek Estate Pinot Gris Classic 2007 $16.99
If you like bone-dry, food friendly gris, this represents great value in a stylish version that features green apple, orange peel, mineral, and lime. Bright fruit on the palate with a lemon-lime slightly sour finish.
88/100

Gehringer Brothers Cuvee Noire 2007 $12.99
Surprisingly complex nose and palate of smoked meat, pepper, dark berries, mocha, earth and tobacco. Supple, silky and easy to quaff and at this price point, there should be no complaint.
85/100

Granite Cellars Ehrenfelser 2006 $17.90
Great value in a intensely aromatic wine featuring a bouquet of peach, orange peel, floral notes, spice and mineral. Sweet entry on the palate balanced by intense citrus fruit, peach flavours.
89/100

Inniskillin Merlot Reserve 2005 $17.99
This is not the fruit bomb you’d expect from Merlot, but if you like savoury reds, this peppery, earthy, leafy, black olive, resiny, smoky cedarbox is your kind. Think big, fat juicy steak.
87/100

Jackson Triggs Merlot Proprietor's Reserve 2006 $15
Yearly consistency with this wine, it features ripe, round black fruit aromas, licorice, spice and a touch of smoke. Juicy intensity in the mouth. Killer value.
89/100

Little Straw Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2007 $16.90
Classic SB aromas of gooseberry, fresh cut grass, green apple and grapefruit. Bright, lean, crisp palate with a pleasant saltiness – for those who like a fresh personality. Pair up with oysters or other shellfish.
88/100

Mission Hill Five Vineyards Cabernet Merlot 2006 $15.99
Nice, fruity, easy drinking style with supple texture and great freshness on the finish. Loads of cherry, cassis, cranberry, herbal notes in its blended character.
87/100

Peller Estates Family Series Merlot 2007 $14.49
Another savoury merlot featuring aromas of cedar, smoke, black cherry, plum and pepper spice. Nice weight on the palate, a bit of a dry finish, but tannins are moderate.
87/100

Prospect Winery Riesling 2007 $12.99
Apple, apricot, candied citrus peel, lemon-lime and a hint of floral in the nose. Fresh on the palate with a lingering acidity on the finish. A great buy.
88/100

Quails’ Gate Dry Riesling 2007 $16.99
This winery has done up dry riesling right with loads of green apple, floral, grapefruit and a touch of lemon character. Lemon oil, mineral, apple skin and grapefruit on the palate. Very stylish.
90/100

Road 13 Honest John’s White 2007 $17
Green jujubes, apple skin, orange peel, floral, pear, spice, grass and pink grapefruit with hints of honey. This is a complex blend made for foodies. Delicious.
89/100

Sandhill King Family Vineyard Pinot Gris 2007 $17.99
A perennial favourite among critics and consumers alike, this is always full of green apple, orange peel, mineral, yellow grapefruit, floral notes with a nutty hint. Bright acidity with mineral, lemon lime, apple skin and a clean finish. Could double the price.
90/100

St Hubertus Estate Chasselas 2007 $15.99
Light bright wine of fresh green apple, a hint of peach, citrus and lemon. Easy sipping wine. Think cheese fondue.
88/100

Sumac Ridge Estate Merlot Private Reserve 2005 $16
Deep.dark, aromas of black cherry, pepper, chocolate, coffee beantobacco leaf, spice, vanilla. Has all the lusciousness you’d expect in a ripe merlot. Long, slightly hot finish.
88/10

Tinhorn Creek Estate Cabernet Franc 2005 $17.99
Herbaceous, tobacco, pepper, black cherry, meaty, smoky, leather and vanilla notes. Features black berry, tobacco, bell pepper, herbs and a hint of orange peel on the palate. Terrific cab franc.
89/100

Township 7 Chardonnay Unoaked 2007 $17.99
Orange blossom, tropical fruit, marmalade, spice in the nose and on the palate. It features crisp acidity along with its lusciousness. A delight to drink.
89/100

Study Suggests Canadians Becoming Major Winos

2009-02-19T19:36:00.001-08:00

By Julianna Hayes

Canadians may consume beer and maple syrup by the gallon, but it appears we’ve also got a hearty appetite for wine.

According to research conducted on behalf of VinExpo, France’s huge international wine fair, Canadian consumption of wine increased by almost 27 percent between 2003 and 2007. During that time, we polished off more than 454 million bottles. And we’re apparently unstoppable. The report predicts we’ll have guzzled another 595 million bottles by 2012.

In fact, the Canadian wine market is growing at a rate three times the world-wide average.

Perhaps we’ve been draining the barrels and tanks to see us through the harsh winters. Or maybe it’s an indication of a looming social problem. Whatever it is, our humble native land is now to be reckoned with when it comes to global wine buying power.

It’s the one bright spot in an otherwise bleak economy – at least for the world’s wine producers, including those at home. They’ve no doubt been sweating the consumer-wide belt-tightening, particularly given that wine – while it might help get you through a tough day – isn’t exactly a necessity.

The study, titled Current Trends in the International Wine and Spirits Market and Outlook to 2012, contained some interesting observations. For example, importers were the big winners when it came to our insatiable thirst. Foreign wine sales soared by almost 30 per percent with consumers soaking up 32 million cases in 2007.

That makes little old Canada the sixth largest importer of wine in the world – and that’s nothing to sniff at. Plus we’re expected to knock have knocked back another 37 million cases by 2012.

France remains the number one supplier Canada-wide, but just narrowly edges out Italy. This isn’t the trend, however, in B.C., where Australian imports lead the sales, but its hold is slipping slightly. Next in line on our soil are U.S. wines, mostly from California, then Italy and Chile. French wines are in a distant fourth place.

While these figures might be discouraging to local enthusiasts, domestic wines are no slouches either. Sales of home-grown products shot up almost 17 per cent and in B.C., our locally made wines have a pretty strong hold on buyers. That’s excellent news for regional producers. And though an official from VinExpo admits the organization doesn’t have a crystal ball given the volatility of the current economy, the forecast is bright.

The condensed version of the study supplied to us media types raises more questions than provides answers, at least for me. It doesn’t say why Canadians are thirsting more for wine and what exactly it is that they crave. It doesn’t provide average price points or outline emerging consumption trends based on wine styles or varietals.

For example, it would be of interest to me to know if a good chunk of those 454 million bottles we recycled were simply [yellow tail] or if consumers were showing more imagination with their buying habits. I’d be curious to see which varietals wine enthusiasts are beginning to embrace and if they are willing to spend more to try them.

I’m also wondering if the slower growth in terms of domestic wine sales is due to lack of availability or if buyers continue to believe anything imported is superior as a rule.

The full report – at almost 300 pages and includes a CD-ROM – could contain some of those questions. But I’m not willing to fork over the 1,000 Euros to find out. One thing is certain though, plenty of market-hungry importers will cough up the cash in hopes of flooding our shelves with product that will find its way into to the Canadian consumer’s selective heart.

Incidentally, VinExpo runs June 21-25 this year in Bordeaux, France. Check out http://www.vinexpo.com/ for details.

And speaking of upcoming events, check out the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival http://www.playhousewinefest.com/, which this year celebrates British Columbia as the feature wine region for the first time – in anticipation of 2010. Tickets for signature events sell out fast, so if you intend to go, you’ll want to book early. In the coming weeks, I’ll spotlight some of the go-to events that shouldn’t be missed.

Wine Notes

Mission Hill 2006 Reserve Shiraz
Aromas: Chocolate, black cherry, white peppercorn, smoked meat, herbaceous, flinty chalk, coffee bean
Flavours: Savoury, herbal, black cherry, pepper, chalk, smoked meat, cocoa bean, expresso
Body and Finish: A savoury, racy fresh palate with good mid-palate weight, peppery, slight hot finish
Overall Impression: Elegant for its price point, more European in style. Not a fruit bomb
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drinkable now with food, cellar up to five years
Score: 89
Price: $22
Availability: BC LDBS, VQA shops, private retailers

Sumac Ridge 2007 Pinnacle (White)
Aromas: Honey, butter, spice, orange rind, mineral, grapefruit, tropical fruit, ginger and floral notes
Flavours: Citrus, apple, spice, mineral, ginger, butter, herbal, olive, floral, lemon oil
Body and Finish: Fresh entry with mouthfilling and butter texture on the palate and some zip on the finish
Overall Impression: Quite complex, robust, yet has some zip. Drink well chilled
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 89
Price: $25
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Fairview Cellars 2007 Sauvignon Blanc
Aromas: Gooseberry, fresh grass, lemon peel, grapefruit rind, mineral, green apple skin
Flavours: Cut grass, mineral, white grapefruit, lemon, spice, herbal, apple skin and a touch of salt Body and Finish: Racy, lemony, zippy entry that dances on the tongue…finish is fresh and lingering with a hit of saltiness that makes this wine sing
Overall Impression: Quintessential version, loads of racy acidity, all that you want front this variety. And this was just a barrel sample
Would I Buy It? Absolutely
Cellaring Potential: Drink when its released
Score: 91
Price: $TBA
Availability: Winery, private retailers

Wine Q&A: Can My Diet Include Wine?

2009-02-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

Q: Going on a diet may be clichéd when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, but I am committed to losing 20-30 pounds in 2009. I plan to do it by eating sensibly and exercising, instead of following an expensive program or some fad diet. The trouble is I LOVE wine and would hate to give it up. But everything I have read indicates that clear liquors are ok but wine is a no-no when it comes to dieting. Why is that? Is there such a thing as a low-calorie wine? Do you have any suggestions on how I can include wine in my weight-loss program?
- Jennifer

A: Most dieticians would say that anything in moderation is acceptable, but if you’re like me you probably find that advice hollow and unsatisfactory.

Actually I can totally relate to your dilemma. A broken foot brought my otherwise active lifestyle to an abrupt halt a number of years ago. While it healed I became lazy so even after I was fully on my feet again it took months to shake the lethargy. That resulted in a shocking weight gain. For the record, I managed to shed my extra pounds without giving up wine – more on that later. Let’s address some of your questions first.

Booze in any way, shape or form is a weight watcher's nemesis. They don’t call it “bellying up to the bar” for nothing. While “clear liquors” like vodka or gin may have relatively fewer calories than wine, the minute you add a mixer like cranberry juice or tonic water, all bets are off – unless you choose diet pop or soda water, in which case, why bother at all?

A lot of people who monitor their waistline don't factor alcohol into the equation. Unfortunately, all booze (clear liquors included) contains extra calories that our bodies don't typically use for energy. The calories from alcohol are easily stored as body fat, which then cause weight gain.

When it comes to wine, there are a couple things to consider when dieting: alcohol content and sugar. You might be surprised to know that robust Australian Shiraz may contain as many calories as a luscious Icewine. That’s because all the sugar that was in the grapes grown for the Shiraz was fermented into alcohol which will drive up the calorie count. The Icewine may be far sweeter, but it is typically much lower in alcohol.

Therein lies the real rub.

Another caveat when it comes to wine consumption is using a generic calorie-counting formula. Most basic dietary information pegs an average glass of wine at about 80 calories.

That doesn't sound so bad, right? But it’s time for a rude awakening. “Average” according to this formula is three to five ounces of wine at 10-12 per cent alcohol.

I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone who considers three to five ounces a “glass.” Most people will pour about eight ounces. Heck, I own stemware that can hold half a bottle.

And 10 per cent alcohol may have been common when bell bottoms were first in fashion, but today the demand for fuller, richer wines has driven up the average to 14-15 per cent.

The proper formula in the real world for calculating the calories in a glass of dry wine is this: 1.6 multiplied by percentage of alcohol multiplied by number of ounces. So if you drink eight ounces at 14 per cent alcohol, the calorie count is 180.

If you've got a penchant for big reds, which can tip the scales at 16 per cent alcohol, you're sipping 204 calories. Drink a whole bottle -- which a lot of people have been known to do -- and you're in the 610 to 665 calorie range. That, my friends, is more than in a Big Mac.

There's something else to consider -- booze gives us the munchies. Alcohol increases your appetite and the more you drink, the more your resolve will dissolve. That's OK if you reach for the carrot sticks, but most people tend to snack on foods higher in fat. The truth is, it's not just a beer gut you're packing, it's a nacho chips and cheese gut.

If you're a wine weenie like me, the danger zone is with those wine receptions, themed dinners and festivals where platters of triple cream brie, crustinis and fois gras are the norm.

So how did I do it? Since sampling wine is part of my work, avoiding it altogether simply wasn’t practical. So anything I tried for review purposes I spit out. I restricted actual consumption to two days a week and factored it into my diet plan as an actual food. On days I indulged in a glass or two of wine, I gave up a high-calorie carb to compensate such as potatoes, rice or pasta. And I assumed each glass was the equivalent to 250 calories to err on the side of caution. Another thing that worked for me was matching each sip of wine with a healthy gulp of water. It helped me drink my wine slower and filled me up so I craved less. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to pull it off with monumental self-control.

One final tip: read the label and stick to dry wines with moderate levels of alcohol such as Riesling, Chasselas, Chenin Blanc in the case of whites, and Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir in the case of reds.

Good luck!

In Focus: Midpalate

I am often asked to explain this tasting term used by critics. The “entry” is that initial impression you get when you first sip the wine, while the “finish” is the aftertaste and length when you swallow or spit. The “midpalate” is in between those two elements and simply refers a sense of the wine “unfolding” in your mouth. Typically, this is when you notice secondary, more complex or understated flavours that should form the most lasting impression on you as the drinker. Unfortunately, a high percentage of wine consumers skip this important step by drinking their wine too quickly. It’s crucial to savour the wine at the midpalate in order to fully appreciate it.

Valentine's Wines from the Heart

2009-02-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

By Julianna Hayes

There’s little dispute that among the people I know wine plays a supporting role when it comes to romance and seduction.

In fact, I’m willing to bet a good number of them hooked up after a glass or four of wine. It sets the mood and lowers inhibitions in a way other romantic task masters – such as roses, candlelight and chocolate – never could.

Even the language of wine is sensual with words like body and legs, soft and silky, racy and spicy, robust and voluptuous often peppering in its descriptions.

Thus it stands to reason that wine would be a key component when it comes to wooing a significant other or potential one on Valentine’s Day.

By virtue of its colour, people are typically drawn to red wine. Indeed that hue is Valentine’s Day’s signature shade. In the weeks leading up February 14th, one can’t walk into a shopping mall without being bombarded visually by red heart-shaped boxes, ribbons and bows.

Sales (and prices) of red roses go through the roof – in fact, they make up more than 50 per cent of floral purchases by star-struck lovers. I suspect that percentage would be higher if the supply of healthy, full crimson blooms was plentiful. But last-minute courters are typically greeted by sickly, spent petals at $100 a dozen.

Statistics bear out that red wine – of which there is an endless supply – is also preferred by more than half of V-Day imbibers. And why not? Its luscious aromas and warm, rich flavours and mouth-filling texture are practically x-rated. Plus it’s likely to be a good match with those rich, dark chocolates you also purchased or received. But should you and your honey share a whole bottle of Cabernet, you’ll both be sporting ghastly purple teeth and breath to match, which might bring the whole seduction to a screeching halt.

My advice? Keep it light. That doesn’t mean you have to forgo red entirely, but consider brighter, fresher options with less tannin to avoid the “Dracula Effect.”

Depending on who you’re courting, and the mood you want to invoke, here are some options for romancing with wine this Valentine’s.

If your date is curvy, vibrant, sensual with a spicy personality:

Inniskillin 2007 Discovery Series Marsanne Roussanne $17
Apple sauce and baked pear, orange marmalade, butter, cardamom, baking spice, mineral. Slightly sweet palate of pear, apple sauce, spice and some nice acidity on the finish. 86/100

Quinta Ferreira 2007 Viognier $20
Butterscotch candy, baked apple, nutmeg, candied lemon peel, ginger, coconut. Fleshy palate with some buttery oak, lemon rind, ginger, apple. 86/100

Herder 2007 Chardonnay $20
Barlett pear, apple, bees wax, pineapple, orange peel, luscious with a touch of butter, candied tropical fruit and citrus peel. 87/100

Oliver Twist 2007 Chardonnay $20
Apple skin, peaches, cream, caramel, butter, tropical fruit. Slight sweet entry, mouthcoating balanced by nice acidity. 88/100

Summerhill 2007 Ehrenfelser $20
Mango, spice, honeyed citrus, peaches and cream aromas. On the palate the texture is luscious and tropical accented by pink grapefruit and spice. 89/100

For classy, reserved, well-read, sophisticated lovers

Nk’Mip 2007 Pinot Noir $18
Bright red fruits, some toast, leafy aromas, coffee bean, herbal, fruit leather. Quite silky on the palate with some bright red fruit and a touch of lifted citrus. Finishing clean. 85/100

Mission Hill 2007 Reserve Pinot Gris $22
Nectarine, apricot, floral notes with citrus peel and granny smith apple, plus a hint of spice. Fresh and lively on the palate with lemon oil, bright tree flavours and clean acidity on the finish. 88/100

Sumac Ridge 2001 Pinnacle Sparkling $35
Red berries, peaches, mineral, citrus zest, floral, yeast and lemon in the nose. Lovely effervescence and a nice aged quality plus plenty of citrus, tree fruit and yeasty flavours. 90/100

For fresh-faced, cheeky and outdoorsy dates who have a rebellious spirit

Dunham and Froese 2007 Rose $17
Red berries, earthy, mossy, savoury notes, citrus zest, spice. Lots of racy acidity on the palate with sour cherries, wild strawberries, snappy tart apple, spice. 88/100

Domaine de Chaberton 2007 Canoe North Bluff Pink $14
Bright sour cherries, cranberry, sweet strawberry and lifted citrus character. Zesty red berry flavours, nice acidity, clean finish. 85/100

For dark and brooding types for whom only the richest, heaviest reds will do:

Jackson Triggs 2006 Grand Reserve Shiraz $26
Chocolate, savoury notes, soya sauce, blueberry, black cherry, cassis, peppercorn, leather. Earthy, extracted dark fruit flavours, smoky notes, bittersweet chocolate, soya, pepper and heat on the finish. 91/100

CedarCreek 2006 Platinum Reserve Merlot $40
Plum, blackcherry, blueberry, coffee bean, cedar, spice, mocha, dark vanilla and marmalade. Luscious, mouthfilling and rich on the palate, with lifted acidity and a long finish. 92/100

For sweet-natured, perpetually happy types:

Mission Hill 2005 Late Harvest Riesling $30
Baked apple, spice, honey, apricots, lemon oil, butterscotch. Bright, luscious flavours balanced by good acidity. A dessert wine that’s not so cloying. 88/100

Tinhorn Creek 2007 Kerner Ice Wine $25
Apricots, marmalade, butterscotch, candied citrus peel, and some tropical fruit aromas. Luscious but not overly sticky on the palate. Finger-licking good. 89/100

Do Wine Judges and Critics Lack Consistency?

2009-02-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

By Julianna Hayes
If you’re the kind of wine consumer who relies on critical reviews or gold medals to decide what to drink, consider this: apparently, so-called experts like me can’t always tell when they’re sipping the same wine over and over again.

A four-year study published last week in the Journal of Wine Economics revealed that only 10 per cent of judges were able to consistently give the same rating, or something very close, to the identical wine sampled multiple times in a large blind tasting.

Even more unsettling is the fact that another 10 per cent of judges at the California State Fair gave the very same wine far different ratings, ranging from deserving of a gold medal to meriting no medal at all.

Now you might think that the small percentage who gave consistent scores would be considered “super judges” and would be the “go-to” people for future competitions and ratings, but you’d be wrong. The study also found that these judges didn’t maintain their consistency from year to year.

Yikes.

In the wine-soaked movie, Sideways, the character Maya spoke about wine being a “living thing” that is constantly changing. “I love how wine continues to evolve, how every time I open a bottle it's going to taste different than if I had opened it on any other day. Because a bottle of wine is actually alive.”

Though Maya may have been a fictional person, what she said is, in fact, true. And it accounts for how judges in one competition could assess a wine differently months later in another. But it can’t easily explain away how a wine can be so profoundly different to the same taster on the same day.

"Consumers should have a healthy skepticism about the medals awarded to wines from the various competitions," said Roberts Hodgson, a retired Humboldt State professor, who conducted the study.

He also said he doesn't have any more faith in the 100-point-scale ratings of wines in magazines, newspapers and newsletters, like the ones published in this column.

I have always said consumers shouldn’t be distracted by shiny hardware or allow reviews to dictate their buying patterns. That’s because I want them to have the confidence to trust their own palates and decide for themselves what they like. But I realize the findings of this study are troublesome.

There are, however, some explanations. Despite its glamorous image, if you’ve ever had the opportunity to observe a wine judging, or better yet, serve as a “ghost judge,” you’d understand how gruelling an ordeal it is. It’s not uncommon for a taster to sample in excess of 100 wines in a sitting. Over time our once fresh palates will become weary and battered, even though we’re spitting and cleansing with water regularly. I leave the judges’ chambers with teeth befitting a ghoul and a tongue that tastes like my gym socks.

I’ve noticed throughout the exercise that my taste buds start to get numb, but my sense of smell gets more heightened. Thus I suspect if a wine I tasted earlier in the competition appeared again before me later in the day, I might notice less on the palate but more in the nose and those differences may or may not do the wine justice.

And like how food will change how a wine tastes, sampling other wines will affect our perspective of a given wine’s characteristics.

Consumers may be alarmed by these factors but they should consider a few things before dismissing the worthiness of all those gold medal wines they’ve invested in over the years. First of all, no wine wins or loses on the say so of a single judge. There has to be a majority consensus of the panel – usually consisting of a half dozen or more judges – for a bottle to score gold.

The second consideration is that most wines aren’t awarded the top prizes based on just one taste. Typically, wines that show well get pushed forward for a second tasting, usually the next day when the judges’ palates will be refreshed and they’ll also be trying a new bottle.

Is the situation ideal? No, but wine, and one’s perspective of it, is subjective – I’ve never pretended otherwise.

The study has prompted California State Fair officials to consider changes in the way they operate future wine competitions.

They plan to reduce the number of wines sampled per day -- currently is 150 or more -- to around 75 to in hopes of avoiding palate fatigue. They also want to start weeding out judges who demonstrate a lack of consistency year after year.

Hodgson, who taught oceanography and statistics at the university, now owns Fieldbrook Winery in Humboldt County. He designed the study because he didn't understand why "we would have wines that we sent off and would get gold medals in some competitions and in others would get poop. It seemed like a gold medal was just a matter of luck."

But the study’s findings have created a bit of a quandary for Hodgson, who has been using medals to sell his wines.

“And now I have written this paper saying the wine competition system that awards those medals isn't perfect."

Wine Notes

Township 7 2006 Chardonnay
Aromas: Butter, orange rind, vanilla, tropical fruit, peaches, lemon oil, some mineral
Flavours: Fresh tropical fruit, citrus rind, butter, spice, caramel
Body and Finish: Bright ripe fruit entry, soft and round with a layer of butter on the palate, clean finish
Overall Impression: Consistently well made year after year. Definitely for those who like some oak that is not overdone
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 88
Price: $20
Availability: BC LDBS, VQA shops, private retailers

Mission Hill Five Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Merlot
Aromas: Chocolate covered cherries, cassis, menthol, earth, pepper, coffee bean
Flavours: Bright, jammy fruit, pepper, spice, black cherry, dusty chocolate, herbaceous notes
Body and Finish: Bold entry with nice weighty texture on the palate, moderate tannins, slightly spicy finish
Overall Impression: Budget-friendly wine is stylish and shows good depth
Would I Buy It? Once in a while
Cellaring Potential: Drinkable now, cellar up to five years
Score: 88
Price: $19
Availability: BC LDBS, VQA shops, private retailers

Zero Balance 2007 Project
Aromas: Quite aromatic with peach, nectarine, marmalade, floral and spicy notes
Flavours: Peach, apricot, nectarine, spice, some mineral
Body and Finish: Racy entry with luscious fruit and good mid-palate acidity
Overall Impression: A bright, easy to drink wine with some residual sugar making it a good choice for Asian fare – Another Holman Lang enterprise on the Naramata Bench
Would I Buy It? Occasionally
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 86
Price: $18
Availability: BC LDBS, VQA shops, private retailers

Is That the Sound of Prices Falling?

2009-01-27T21:49:00.000-08:00

By Julianna Hayes

Last January when the first rumblings of an economic slowdown were making themselves heard, I recall real estate purveyors trying to soothe frayed nerves with reports suggesting the market had “slowed but was holding steady.”

Despite the fact the real estate crisis south of the border was beginning to creep north of the 39th, there was this sense in the Okanagan that we were immune, untouchable even. After all, this is a highly desirable place to live – we certainly couldn’t anticipate the same challenges as Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan, or Wawa, Ontario.

I was well acquainted with the hopeful sentiments as we were preparing to list our home. We simply couldn’t imagine the white hot real estate market in our area could turn stone cold in short order.

Yet, now a year later, the average price of a family home in Kelowna has been dropping at an alarming rate and people in need of selling are helpless as their precious equity circles the drain. Our house still isn’t sold and it’s now listed for almost $100,000 less than realtors originally suggested we ask for it.

Where am I going with this – aside from lamenting my own sad story? Well, I’m now wondering what the future holds for the wine industry, particularly on the local front.

Much has been written on the subject in recent months – but the reports have been contradictory. Studies indicate that wine consumption in most parts of the world, including Canada, is actually up, but others suggest that wine sales are down, which doesn’t seem to jive.

It all made sense when I came across some numbers from Wine.com – an online U.S. retailer that moves a tremendous amount of product. It reported that the number of bottles it sold in December 2008 was 15 per cent higher than what was peddled the same month last year. But – and it’s a big one – the average price of a bottle of wine sold in December 2008 was 17 per cent below the average price of one sold in December 2007.

So Americans seem to be drinking more, but what they’re drinking is quite a bit cheaper.

If this same trend also spreads north, that unfortunately doesn’t bode well for the B.C. wine industry. Since 1992, the average cost of a bottle of VQA wine has virtually tripled. It will now cost you $17.83 for a wine that typically retailed for $6.86 17 years ago.

Those consumers with loyalty to all things local may simply opt step down a tier and buy more wallet friendly B.C. products – perhaps driving prices down. That would be the best case scenario. The worst case would be if wine enthusiasts looking to save a buck simply switch to cheap and cheerful imports without giving the domestic market a chance to correct itself.

There has already been a softening of the once incredibly buoyant local wine market. The dollar value of VQA wine sales rose four per cent in 2007/08, but that was entirely due to price changes. The volume of sales actually dropped by three per cent. This is following double digit volume growth in six of the seven years leading up to this period.

In an industry where owning a winery seemed like a license to print money, this slowdown may come as a shock to local producers, especially if we haven’t seen the worst of it. Many of the more exclusive vintners have become accustomed to their wines being in high demand, selling out long before most people get a taste. There’s a certain headiness to that power. But enthusiasm seems to be dwindling. Indeed, I’ve noticed more and more elusive bottles lurking on retail shelves – selection is better than ever.

Despite all the doom and gloom, two major events are coming up that will thrust B.C. wines into the spotlight. The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, one of the world’s oldest and most respected wine events, has selected B.C. as this year’s theme region. The event, scheduled March 23-29, is expected to attract some 25,000 consumers and trades people globally. These are individuals with substantial buying power and, assuming the wines show well, sales should be brisk.

B.C.’s selection as the theme region is to whet appetites for local wine in anticipation of the other event I want to mention – the 2010 Olympics. I expect visitors for the games will snap up B.C. bottles simply out of curiosity, given that the local industry is largely unknown in other parts of the world.

Speaking of the Playhouse Festival, consumer tickets go on sale Tuesday and are known to sell out fast, particularly for signature and key events related to the theme region. Call 604-873-3311 for more information or visit http://www.playhousewinefest.com/.

Wine Notes

Burrowing Owl 2007 Chardonnay
Aromas: Baked apple, vanilla, butter, orange peel, mineral, spice
Flavours: Apple, nutmeg, vanilla, citrus, butter, peach, mineral, lime
Body and Finish: Quite luscious on the entry with good weight on the midpalate, mouthcoating but clean on the finish
Overall Impression: Lovely effort without the overkill of oak.
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now, but could cellar a couple years
Score: 88/100
Price: $25
Availability: Winery, some VQA shops, private retailers

Twist Tree 2006 Syrah
Aromas: Black fruits, meaty, pepper, orange rind, black vanilla, earth
Flavours: Earth, ripe black fruits, citrus peel, pepper and vanilla
Body and Finish: Ripe fruit entry with a weighty palate and a long slightly hot finish and good acidity
Overall Impression: Nicely done and a reasonable price for Syrah.
Would I Buy It? Once in a while
Cellaring Potential: 2-5 years
Score: 87/100
Price: $25
Availability: Winery, private retailers

Top Drops of 2008

2009-01-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

By Julianna Hayes

From the mail I get, the article identifying my top 25 wines of the previous year seems to be my most anticipated column.

While I try to impress upon people to trust their own palates, I understand the appeal a list of this nature has to the consumer. I also clip recommendations of this type written by other critics. I enjoy discovering new wines and I want to taste anything a critic raves about that I haven’t tried yet.

I was asked last year how I selected the wines for this list. I can tell you it isn’t easy. It’s not a matter of simply selecting the wines that got the highest scores, but also about the wines which made the best impression on me. Certain wines seem to leave their mark and typically they are ones I choose to fill my own cellar – assuming I can even find them again.

Here are my 25 picks from the past year. I’m including brief tasting notes.

My Top 25 Drops of 2008

1. Mission Hill Perpetua 2006 Chardonnay $33
Orange, green apple, hints of lime, some buttery notes, a touch of toast and mineral and lovely vanilla. Very fresh on the palate with just enough roundness and creamy character without being overly woody. Citrus, apple skin, tree fruit flavours, a hint of nuttiness and a clean elegant finish.

2. Lang 2007 Farm Reserve Riesling $20
Fabulously bright, green apple, white peach, mineral, spice, lime and the slightest hint of petrol. Loads of mouth watering acidity and a snappy finish that lingers.

3. Black Hills Nota Bene 2006 $43
Black cherry, cassis, black plum, smoke, tobacco, menthol, leather, earth, toast, blueberry and violets. Big entry, firm tannins and elongated finish
Overall Impression: A yummy wine with a lot big fruit and surprisingly easy to drink for its youth.

4. Sandhill 2006 Phantom Creek Vineyard Small Lots Syrah $35
Black cherry, cassis, black pepper, jam, violet, chocolate, herbal notes, toast. Luscious entry with a great deal of complexity on the palate, moderate tannins, slightly hot, elongated finish.

5. Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2006 $33

Cedar, savoury, earthy, chocolate, dried cherries, bell pepper, orange rind, cigar box, black pepper. Hard tannins require some time in the bottle.

6. Sumac Ridge 2005 Pinnacle (Red) $50
Blackberry, tobacco, leather, plum, jammy black fruits, nuts, baking spice, olive. Ripe, luscious entry, velvety texture, rich, warm and mouthfilling, extended finish, moderate tannins

7. La Frenz 2005 Shiraz $29

Earthy, cherry, plum, pepper, a bit of smoke and savoury meatyness. Spicy, plum, blueberries, cherries, sweet oak on the palate. Elegant and silky texture, medium weight, supple tannins and elongated finish.

8. CedarCreek 2006 Platinum Reserve Merlot $40
Spice, plum, black cherry, blueberry fruit, chocolate, orange peel, vanilla, mineral and some savoury notes. Luscious big fruit on the palate with a long finish. Needs some age.

9. Jackson-Triggs 2006 SunRock Vineyard Shiraz $35
Peppery, meaty, savoury, earthy notes with black fruits, a touch of smoke, and chocolate. Quite firm tannins, and a slightly hot finish that will soften up over time.

10. Laughing Stock Portfolio 2006 $39
Black fruits, dried cherries, chocolate, mint, dark vanilla, leather, violets, coffee bean, leather, meaty notes with ripe luscious black fruits on the palate. Savoury finish, lovely effort.

11. Quails’ Gate 2006 Family Reserve Chardonnay $30
Apple, pear, vanilla, citrus, buttery leesy notes with nutty, spicy, baked apple character in flavours. Mouth-coating and buttery on the finish.

12. Stoneboat Vineyards 2006 Pinot Noir $22
Nice complexity on the nose with bright fruit aromas of Bing cherry, straw.berry and a touch of rhubarb accented by tobacco, vanilla, white pepper and a bit of smoke. upple mouthfeel with bright fruit flavours, pepper and good length on the finish.

13. Sumac Ridge 2004 Steller’s Brut $27
Displaying a fine mousse with long lasting bubbles and a slightly peachy hue. This sparkling wine offers up a crisp nose, aromas of apples, yeasty notes and mineral. Nice, clean effervescence on the palate with loads of crisp acidity on the finish.

14. Wild Goose 2007 Autumn Gold $19
A delightful blend that includes Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer, it features baked apple, rose petal, apricot and spicy notes. Bright and fresh fruit character on the palate with some mineral and lime on the finish.

15. Road 13 2007 Old Vines Chenin Blanc $18
Floral, grass, green jujubes, green apple, mineral, yellow grapefruit, lime, gooseberry. Clean, crisp entry, touch of spritz on the palate, zippy finish. Fabulous price.

16. Blasted Church 2006 Syrah $27
Perfumy aromas of blueberry, plum, violets, blackberry jam, pie crust, vanilla and spice. Luscious on the plate with black fruit flavours, lots of elegance and a smooth, round and slightly spicy finish.

17. Red Rooster Winery 2006 Malbec $23
Complex nose of crushed violets, plum, blueberry, leather, pepper spice, smoky oak, vanilla. A big, weighty mouth feel with good fruit concentration, toasty oak, coffee bean, earth and moderate to firm tannins.

18. Tinhorn Creek 2005 Oldfield’s Collection Merlot $28
Excellent effort – gets better each year. Features jammy blackberry, black cherry, herbaceous, savoury flavours, some menthol. Robust on the palate with a long peppery finish.

19. Osoyoos Larose 2006 Le Grand Vin $45
Black cherry, pepper, savoury, leather, black vanilla, coffee, meaty, smoke, herbaceous notes, licorice, black olive. Has flavours of black cherry, herbal, leather, spice, earthy, coffee bean, meaty, vanilla. Elegant and multi-layered.

20. Peller Estates 2006 Private Reserve Pinot Noir $18

One of this winery’s four gold medal winners from the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, this is a stunning wine at an affordable price. Lovely cherry, chocolate characteristics with some earthy herbaceous notes. Silky texture. A best buy and widely available.

21. Church & State 2006 Syrah $26
Black cherry, mocha, pepper, some savoury notes, licorice, vanilla. Black fruit flavours, mocha, smooth tannins, orange peel. Quite pleasant to drink even young.

22. Inniskillin 2005 Discovery Series Zinfandel $30
Bing cherry, blackberry, jam, chocolate, perfume, coffee, toast, earth. Licorice, pepper, vanilla. Super ripe and luscious, full bodied wine. Well made.

23. Quinta Ferreira 2006 Obru-Prima $35

Blackberry jam, plum, pie crust, smoke, violets, cedar, coffee, vanilla, spice. Luscious ripe fruit, big mouthfeel, dryness on the mid-palate with some tannin and a long peppery finish.

24. Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2006 $25

Aromas of baked apple, honey, spice with leesy and oily notes. Flavours of pear, apple, honey, spice and a creamy, fat, sweet, nutty texture in the mouth. One of the bigger, creamier B.C. chards with. Appealing to those who like fat, juicy wines a touch on the sweet side.

25. Van Westen 2007 Viognier $25

Distinct spicy, ginger, butter, floral, peach and lemony character. Apple and lemon peel, some floral, orange flavours. Crisp citrusy finish.

Cold Is Gold for Icewine Makers

2008-12-17T16:06:00.000-08:00

By Julianna Hayes

Christmas came early for Okanagan winemakers when an unseasonal cold snap sent temperatures plummeting over the weekend allowing for the harvest of the region's priceless icewine grapes.

Vintners from north to south in the Valley were able to bring in a large quantity of the crop, which needs consistent temperatures of -8 C or less to get the Vintner's Quality Alliance stamp of approval.

Mission Hill Family Estate's chief winemaker John Simes noted that the winter blast this early has been fairly unusual this decade and that it is more common to have to wait until January/February for it to reach sufficiently cold levels to pick the icewine grapes.

He said the earliness of the harvest has resulted in fruit that is in excellent condition. Of note, a recent similar early harvest was in November 2006, which also produced superior Icewine grapes, as exemplified in the honour bestowed on Mission Hill’s 2006 Riesling Icewine that was awarded the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Trophy for the World’s Top Icewine at Europe’s major wine competition this fall.

B.C. In the Grand Scheme of All Things Wine

2008-12-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

By Julianna Hayes

Have you ever sipped a wine from the Finger Lakes, Nebraska, Idaho, Texas or Mexico?

Most people I know haven’t. These are not wine-growing regions with which most British Columbia. consumers are familiar. Indeed, anything from North America that ends up in our glass is either locally produced or hails from California’s Napa or Sonoma regions, or maybe Oregon and Washington states.

In fact, I’d venture a guess that a majority of people would consider those aforementioned regions as insignificant in the grand scheme of all things wine. Thus it would surprise them that the B.C. industry, despite its staggering growth, is considered slightly more or less trifling to most in the world of wine.

Acclaimed critic Jancis Robinson certainly made this apparent as her point of view in an article in the London Financial Times a couple years ago and lambasted us for our Canadian pride.

“In my experience no nation is more defensive about their own wines than the Canadians, perhaps because they have so little vineyard, less than, say, Slovenia or Japan. Every time I go there to launch a book, usually a reference book about the wines of the world, I am berated for not having devoted more space to the land of maple syrup. I suspect this is partly because Canadians tend to be fed stories which rather overstate Canadian wine’s place in the world of wine.”

Just to put Robinson’s comments into perspective, let’s consider some stats: There are currently 154 grape wineries in British Columbia and the total vineyard planted is 9,100 acres. We produce just over 13 million litres annually.

By comparison, Nebraska is about where B.C. was about 15 years ago with 23 wineries and under 1,000 acres under grapes, while Idaho has 32 wineries and 1,200 acres – about what B.C. had in 1995. Mexico’s Baja California region is home to about 50 producers and is experiencing unprecedented growth

The Texas industry closer in size with 163 wineries, but smaller in overall scale than B.C., having less than half the vineyard with 3,700 acres.

The Finger Lakes region of New York State has about the same number of wineries and vineyards as we do, yet somehow produces more than double the amount of wine as B.C. Still, little of what it makes seems to trickle our way and thus the region still seems obscure.

Now let’s take a look at some world’s largest producers:

California has more than 1,200 wineries and about 480,000 acres under vine – more than 50 times what is grown in B.C. Meanwhile, Argentina is the largest producer in South America and the fifth largest in the world, making some 1.5 billion litres of wine annual of its 520,000 acres of vineyard.

France and Italy are two largest producers of wine in the world. Both have more than two million acres of grapes in the ground and each produce more than five billion litres annually.

We make fine wines in B.C., but we’re a drop in the barrel…no, not even half a drop. Does this make us unworthy? No, but it makes it difficult to achieve worldwide recognition and appreciation mainly because we’re just “not out there.” There isn’t enough wine made here to find its way into the glasses of thirsty wine consumers worldwide.

Recently, a considerable milestone was reached by a winery on this side of the border. For the first time ever, a Canadian wine made it into Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the year. Albeit, the wine was from Niagara, Ontario, not B.C., and was 100th on the 2008 list released earlier this month – but it was a significant achievement on the list.

So much so that it created quite a buzz on Wine Spectator’s online forum. A poster from Toronto started the thread and it lead to some discussion about the lack of recognition for Canadian wines. One individual from Edmonton expressed disappointment that the successful Canuck product – Konzalmann’s 2006 Vidal Icewine – was a dessert wine.

“I just wish that WS would rate more dry white and red wines from Canada. I'm not sure if that is the magazine's choice or that not enough Canadian producers send samples to New York.”

That prompted a reply by Wine Spectator Senior Editor James Molesworth, who pointed out the supply problem concerning Canadian wines.

“We don't really 'choose' to review wines. What we review is a reflection of what is submitted, and to a greater extent, what is available in the marketplace. We make every effort to review everything that we can, and that we think our readers would be interested in knowing about...Many Canadian wines are simply not available here.”

Wine Spectator did review some 80 Canadian wines within the pages of the magazine throughout 2008, but that’s a puny amount when you consider the sheer volume of wines it writes about.

Still Molesworth comments must be reassuring for local producers that the lack of recognition for their products doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality and value, but rather an issue of scale.

Wine Notes

Van Westen 2007 Vivacious
Aromas: Floral, mineral, green apple skin, lime, spice, vanilla, lees
Flavours: Apple, mineral, citrus, spice, lees
Body and Finish: Crisp entry, bright flavours and medium-light weight, racy finish
Overall Impression: A bright, fresh wine that goes down easy but would make a lovely food wine (think roast pork loin) – Made with Pinot Blanc and a hint of Pinot Gris
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Would I Buy It: Yes, price is right
Points: 89
Price: $18.90
Availability: Winery, Private Retailers, VQA Shops

Burrowing Owl 2006 Syrah
Aromas: Black berry jam, smoke, pepper, earthy, coffee bean, dark vanilla, spice
Flavours: Black fruits, pepper, tobacco, herbal, vanilla, earthy
Body and Finish: Very weighty on the palate, ripe fruit with some drying tannins and a hot, elongated finish
Overall Impression: This is a bit of a monster and rather alcoholic tasting, but shows some finesse
Cellaring Potential: Hang on to it for a couple more years
Would I Buy It: Occasionally
Points: 89
Price: $38
Availability: Winery, Private Retailers

Xmas 2008: Give Wine Not Wine Gadgets

2008-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

By Julianna Hayes

For Christmas last year, I received a pair of fuzzy red socks, a cheese plate, reindeer patterned flannel pyjamas, and hand towels with a Noel motif.

I never got around to hanging the calendar and tucked the pjs and socks away unworn. The cheese plate sits in a cabinet unused and I ditched the towels on sight.

Some say I’m difficult to shop for. But as an obsessed oenophile, I think the ideal gift is obvious. You can’t go wrong with a bottle of wine.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Many people are panicked at the idea of having to choose a wine for someone they perceive as an “enthusiast.” They don’t feel they have the knowledge to make the right selection to suit the more sophisticated palate of the receiver.

So if they do embrace a wine theme for their gift-giving, more often than not it consists of a collection of gadgets, most of which only serve to clutter up a junk drawer. For instance, in addition to the aforementioned goodies, I also received floral-shaped foam wine glass charms, grape-shaped oven mitts and an antique-style corkscrew.

Unless the wine geek on your list enjoys re-gifting, don’t waste your money.

Which brings me back to wine itself – it’s the preferred option for aficionados. Here’s four good reasons why:

- As serious wine enthusiasts, we are also serious wine consumers, thus we go through a lot of bottles.

- Even if we aren’t agog with the wine you’ve selected, I can assure you it won’t go to waste. Someone we know will enjoy it – either a visitor or host of a party we attend.

- We always need wine for cooking. A halfway decent bottle will fit the bill in most cases.

- We can always dump the wine into a holiday punch, make mulled wine or sangria.

As the giver, the gift of wine is a no brainer. You’re probably going to the liquor store/wine shop anyway to stock up on festive refreshment, so picking up a few bottles for your wine weenie recipients eliminates a stop in what is likely already a hectic holiday schedule. Plus, presentation is inexpensive and a snap. Just drop the bottle into a dollar-store wine bag – which will likely be recycled by the receiver, so it’s eco-friendly too.

Plus shopping for wine for someone else will compel you to think about your own vinous purchases – so many of us tend to go back to the same bottles time and time again. In your hunt, you might be inspired to try something new yourself.

Having said that, don’t get caught up in trying to find the perfect wine for your connoisseur. And for heaven’s sake, don’t worry about spending too much and whether the wine got 90 points from Wine Spectator Magazine. It’s a myth that enthusiasts only drink award-winning, pricey wines. Like most people, we can’t afford to tuck into a $100, $50 or even $25 bottles every Friday night. I, for one, have plenty of favourites in the $15 to $20 range.

It’s certainly swell if you want to splurge on a fabulous bottle of Bordeaux or rare vintage Port. But many wine weenies would be just as happy with an affordable quaffable wine. Collectors, in particular, likely have plenty of cellar dwellers and don’t really need to add to their stash of untouchable-until-2015 wines. What they want are wines they can drink now – without the guilt that they’ve opened a vintage long before its prime.

When choosing a wine – whether it’s for a serious connoisseur or a fledgling enthusiast – first set a budget and then look for recommendations on wines in your price range. Many stores have what are referred to as “shelf talkers” which are hand-written by qualified staff. They’ll often include tasting notes and critical scores. VQA shops, private retailers with solid wine programs and Signature Liquor Stores often have knowledgeable personnel who can provide one-on-one consultation.

If you know what type of wine the person you’re shopping for enjoys, then look for something different in the same style or varietal. For example, if the individual typically drinks French Burgundy or British Columbia Pinot Gris, then consider similar wines from alternate regions. In the case of the Burgundy, look for a New World Pinot Noir from California or B.C. Choose an Alsatian Pinot Gris or Italian Pinot Grigio in place of the local Pinot Gris. Write a note to accompany the bottle explaining your selection.

If the above task seems too daunting, how about looking for something fun, like bottles with crazy names, unusual shapes or striking colours? Even if the wine itself isn’t up to snuff, you’ll guarantee the recipient a conversation starter.

How about a fruit wine? Many people dismiss this option and don’t take this category seriously, but many locally-produced fruit wines, such as those from Elephant Island or Raven Ridge Cidery, are a real treat.

One of your best bets is sparking wine. I can’t think of any enthusiast who doesn’t like bubble and there are plenty of very good wines of this style for under $30. And nothing is more festive.

Here are 10 hot wines for gifting:

Tinhorn Creek 2005 Oldfield’s Collection Merlot $28
Recently awarded 90 points by Wine Access magazine – denoting a wine of excellent quality. Features jammy black fruit, earthy flavours, some menthol. Robust on the palate with a long finish.

Peller Estates 2006 Private Reserve Pinot Noir $18
One of this winery’s four gold medal winners from the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, this is a stunning wine at an affordable price. Lovely cherry, chocolate characteristics with some earthy herbaceous notes. Silky texture. A best buy and widely available.

CedarCreek 2006 Merlot $20
This quaffable value wine is a real crowd pleaser, yet will appeal to even the most discerning palate. Concentrated red fruit characteristics, nice weight and silky tannins. Fill’er up!

Road 13 2007 Old Vines Chenin Blanc $19
Honestly, this winery could get away with adding another five bucks on this price and it would be well worth it – but we’re not complaining. Aromas of smashed lime jujubes, green apple, mineral, and tropical fruit notes in the bouquet and loads of racy acidity on the palate. Yum

Ganton & Larson Prospect Winery 2006 Shiraz $16
Few B.C. Shirazes/Syrahs come in under $20, so when you see one of this quality at this prices, grab it. Earthy tobacco notes, vanilla bean, black cherry and menthol. Smooth and easy to drink.

Quinta Ferreira 2006 Syrah $22
A truly stunning wine with aromas of violets, blueberries, jammy blackberries, vanilla and a distinct pepperyness. Quite savoury but with loads of ripe fruit. A bold effort worth double the price

Van Westen 2007 Viognier $25
One of the up and coming varietals in the valley and this one is a beauty with peach, floral notes, ginger spice, lemon, butter characteristics. Lots going for it.

Arrowleaf 2007 Snow Tropics Vidal $16
You don’t often see this variety in this drier style (it’s a 02), so an aficionado will certainly appreciate it. Quite perfumey and nutty with distinct stone fruit and floral notes, some citrus on the finish.

La Frenz 2007 Viognier $20
If you can locate a bottle of this stunner, the wine enthusiast on your list will be forever grateful. Selected Best White Wine in Show at the Northwest Wine Summit, among other accolades, this wine features super ripe character of dried apricot, peach and tropical fruits, plus some floral notes. It literally coats your palate and makes your mouth water. And can we talk about the price?

If you have your heart set on a non-wine wine gift, then think practical and choose something you know will be put to good use. Here are some ideas:

Wine Skins
In response to the banishing of wines in airplane cabins, the industry came up with these bags made of strong plastic and lined with bubble wrap and dual adhesive closures, sealing and cushioning individual bottles of wines so they can be safely tucked in your luggage. Perfect for the traveling oenophile on your list. $4 at the B.C. Wine Museum

Intelliscanner
If you have a wine collector on your list, this little gadget makes organization a snap. You use it to simply scan the barcode on a bottle of wine for automatic identification of the name, varietal, winery, country, region, type, and price. The information can then be downloaded to your Mac or PC for electronic storage. Saves inputting all the information by hand. http://www.intelliscanner.com/

White Wine Decanter
Most serious enthusiasts have a decanter for their red wines, but what about their whites? There’s a cool one available for $80 at the B.C Wine Museum, and I mean “cool” literally. The decanter sits on a glass reservoir that holds ice so the wine stays cold. So there’s no reason for your whites not to be just as pretty on the table.

Gift Basket
If you want to give wine, but want to dress it up a little more, then a wine gift basket is a logical, practical, yet beautiful option. A BC wine and artisan food basket from Discover Wines celebrates local foods and wines. For $80, staff will tuck bottles of Arrowleaf 2006 Merlot and Gehringer Brothers 2007 Pinot Auxerrois in with olive oil and cracked pepper Gone Crackers, Sea Change Ice Wine glazed smoked salmon, Aunty Penny's vegetarian antipasto, Bernard Callebaut dark chocolate, Okanagan Lavender jelly and Langford Petals Layered Fieldberry shortbread. Other selections and prices are available.

Books
Most enthusiasts I know appreciate a good wine-related book, particularly a buyer’s guide. Unfortunately, many of the internationally-produced ones from the likes of Hugh Johnson and Oz Clarke contain bottles that can’t be found on our soil. Which is why I love the ones written by Canadian writers, particularly those from B.C., such as The Province wine critics Kenji Hodgson and James Nevison. Had A Glass: Top 100 Wines for 2009 under $20 appeals to the local and frugal consumer. This is their third edition. http://www.halfaglass.com/

And if you’re looking for a stocking stuffer, my own pocketbook, Okanagan Wine: A Guide to Valley Wines, contains tasting notes on 80-plus local wines, and retails for $10. http://www.theokanagan.net/

How Well Do B.C. Wines Age?

2008-12-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

By Julianna Hayes

Since 95 per cent of wines are consumed within 24 hours of purchase, you wouldn’t think many people would get all worked up about the age-ability of their bottles.

Yet I get scads of queries from enthusiasts who want to know how long they can reasonably cellar a wine and how well they can expect it to age, should they ever have the urge. Typically the questions come from individuals who want to hold onto a special wine to enjoy on a momentous occasion in the distance future – such as a significant wedding anniversary, child’s 21st birthday or graduation.

I do my best to provide the information based on my own experience with aging wines, how the wines are made, and recommendations from vintners. But when it comes to B.C. wines, for the most part it’s been a crap shoot.

Old World wineries have centuries of making age-worthy wines under their belts. It’s fair to say that a proper Bordeaux from France can safely be tucked away for 10-plus years – but what about an Okanagan Meritage?

That’s what Rhys Pender of Wine Plus Consulting set out to resolve with a unique seminar last week studying how well local wines mature. Ten Years of Okanagan Wine featured a tasting of 12 B.C. bottles, all at least a decade old.

As someone with a few dusty local relics lurking in my wine rack, this seminar could potentially reveal whether I had a number of gems tucked safely away, or if simply I was in possession of some well-fermented vinegar.

Looking at Pender’s list, I suspected a number of the wines to be well past their prime. Included was a 1987 Gray Monk Riesling – complete with the garish red and black label that was the bottle’s uniform of the day.

There was also one of B.C.’s most famous wines – the 1992 Mission Hill Grand Reserve Chardonnay, which won the industry’s most talked about wine award: Best Chardonnay in the world at the 1994 International Wine and Spirits Competition. But at 16 years of age, I didn’t have much hope of it having held up.

Yet those wines and all the others surprised me – and pleasantly, I might add. While they might not be to everyone’s taste and a couple had certainly seen better days, none of them had deteriorated to the point of being undrinkable. In fact, many of them were quite delicious, which pains me to think of the potential lost in all those bottles I’ve opened and downed.

Pender, with the help of two skillful panelists – Sommelier Mark Filatow and Road 13 Winemaker Michael Bartier, facilitated the tasting, which included three Rieslings, two Chardonnays, two Cabernet Sauvignons, four Bordeaux-style red blends and one sparkling wine. Having multiples of most of these styles or varieties was terrific for comparison purposes.

Here are some of the more interesting points made during the seminar that you should consider of if you plan to age wines, local or otherwise:

There is a lot of bottle variation with older wines. Even bottles stored under identical conditions will sometimes not age and taste the same when opened even side by side. For example, one of two bottles of a wine we tried had a dusty, woody aroma that we assumed came from the cork. The cork wasn’t tainted, but somehow imparted some of its own characteristics into the wine. The other bottle was fine and both came from Pender’s cellar. That’s why it’s always a good idea to stock more than one bottle of a wine you plan to keep for a while.

As wines age, dominant fruit flavours begin to fade and are replaced by secondary flavours – more earthy, mineral or flinty, spicy and nutty characteristics. If you like them fresh and fruity, then drink them young. Sweetness also fades, acid and alcohol become more noticeable.

A wine that ages well should taste good on release, meaning you should also be able to drink it young. Unsavoury characteristics will not improve over time, said Bartier. Wines shouldn’t taste better or worse with aging, just different.

Cellaring wine may actually save you money – the average bottle of B.C. wine in 1992 was just over $6. By 1998, the price had risen to around $12. Now the average bottle retails for $17-plus.

It’s an accepted fact that the more mature the vines are, the better the age-ability of the wine. The Okanagan’s vineyards are considered quite youthful, so if wines made from such young vines are showing well after 10 years, the future should be very bright, remarked Filatow.

Alcohol content has risen significantly in the last decade, noted Pender. Most of the whites sampled in this tasting were under 12 per cent and the reds under 14 per cent. Now 13-14 per cent and more is the norm.

Check out Pender's website for information on his education programs – http://www.wineplus.ca/

Wine Notes

Here are some brief notes from the 10 Years of Okanagan Wine tasting:

Sumac Ridge 1997 Blanc de Noirs Brut
Still bright and fresh with fresh apple aromas and more pronounced yeasty, nutty character than would have been apparent when first released. Mineral and petrol hints, common to more aged sparkling wines.

Hainle 1997 Riesling
Most of the fruit character has given way to aromas and flavours of petrol, spice and mineral. Wine has searing acidity and alcohol is evident even at the relative low percentage. Would make a stylish food wine – Filatow recommends something like a cream of celery soup.

Wild Goose 1996 Riesling
Still fresh honeyed apricot, orange muscat aromas that are almost late-harvest or boytritis-affected in style. Pleasant sweet and sour on the palate with quite a lot of zip on the finish

Gray Monk 1987 Riesling
Some apple, honey, mineral, nutty and spicy character and lots of acidity. That aged petrol character is also evident. Impressive for a 21-year-old wine.

Mission Hill 1992 Grand Reserve Chardonnay
This big medal winner still shows peach, honey, with some petrol and a hint of aged sherry character. Comments were made that it tasted like a fine “Old World Chardonnay.”

Quails' Gate 1994 Family Reserve Chardonnay
This wine made an indelible impression on me when it was released and I was surprised to find just how much it still tasted the same after 14 years. Smoky bacon fat, baked apple, lime, nuttiness, spice and plenty of acidity.

Kettle Valley 1995 Cabernet-Merlot
Quite a lot still going on with cherry cough syrup, floral, olive, black cherry, orange zest characteristics. Quite a lot of acidity and some tannin remain.

Sumac Ridge 1998 Black Sage Meritage
Cherry, violet, blackberry, licorice and pie crust aromas. Velvety texture and still fresh and lively. Still has age-ability – has loads of finesse.

Mission Hill 1998 Oculus
Barnyard, earthy aromas with leather, soya sauce and coffee bean. More fruit is apparent on the palate with some white pepper, orange zest, spice and some tannin. Some people might find this too funky, but others love the style.

Poplar Grove 1998 Legacy
Cherry, chocolate, herbal, orange zest, kirsch and floral aromas. Texture is quite silky with some remaining tannin. Quite a yummy wine and still has further ability to age.

La Frenz 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon
Smoky, meaty, spicy aromas with coffee bean, black cherry and a touch of green bell pepper. Ripe black fruit and meaty, smoky flavours and a hint of herbaceousness.

Burrowing Owl 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon
Coffee, chocolate, cherry, olive juice, canned tomato paste and some herbal notes in the bouquet. Concentrated flavours of soya sauce, chocolate, dark fruits and spice.

Wine Planning for Parties

2008-12-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Q: I am planning a holiday wine party for about 20 people. I have yet to finalize the menu, but rather than a sit-down dinner (I don’t have the table space or place settings anyway), I want easy finger foods that I can serve at different intervals that will allow my guests to nibble on at their leisure and encourage them to mingle. I’m open to your suggestions. I can’t afford to buy all the wine for the evening, thus they’ll be bringing their own, but I would like to have a selection of bottles on hand that will go with the food. What advice do you have?
- Shelley

A: Wine parties are popular this time of year. And I certainly appreciate that in these challenging economic times, it isn’t feasible for most but the truly wealthy to offer up a endless supply of booze – thus BYOB is the norm in most situations.
To this end, might I offer a suggestion? Rather than having your guests bring a bunch of random bottles, why not consider a “wine club” format?

Wine clubs are becoming very popular and the idea behind them is that the host sets a theme and purchases a variety of wines that suit the menu. The guests then pitch in some cash - $20 to $40 a piece (depending on the caliber of the wines) to assist with the cost.

This is advantageous for a number of reasons:
1. It simplifies things for your guests. They can attend without worrying about what and how much to bring.
2. You can ensure that the wines served will best showcase the food and vice versa.
3. You can select the order in which the wines are poured so that they will go side by side with the appropriate foods.
4. You can control the amount of wine poured – if you serve one- to two-ounce tastes your guests can sample more wines and you can limit the amount you and your guests drink. 5. You can select a range of price points enabling you and your guests to sample bargain bottles – perhaps finding a few new affordable favourites – and experience higher-end, rare and/or revered wines you might not normally have the opportunity to enjoy.

Let’s consider the food. Start with platters of gourmet cheeses, meats, smoked fish, olives, nuts and dried and fresh fruit. These are lovely in terms of presentation, flavour and texture and can be left out most of the evening for people to snack on at their leisure. But because there is so much variety, wine pairing is often difficult. This is when to break out the sparkling wine because it will act as a palate cleanser and refresher.

Many people think of bubbly only for special occasions, but it is an ideal food wine because it can stand up to just about anything – sweet, salty, briny etc. B.C. makes a number of sparkling wines in the traditional Champagne style (only bubbly from the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne) and most are under $30. Comparable sparkling wines from France would be twice that at least.

Any other wines you serve with these foods should be light and refreshing. Think aromatic whites in an off-dry style like Ehrenfelser, Riesling or Gewurztraminer for goat and blue cheese and spiced nuts or a prepared appetizer like prosciutto-wrapped melon. Rosé wine would be lovely with smoked salmon or spicy salami. Lemony Chenin Blanc or Pinot Gris are naturals with fresh shucked oysters. Super dry Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon are great with olives.

Supplement these platters with a few well presented “amuse bouche” which you can bring out at various intervals and wow your guests. Consider chicken “lollipops” which are bite-size pieces of flattened chicken, skewered and either grilled or broiled and served with a variety of sweet/spicy dipping sauces – serve up an off-dry white such as Bacchus or Auxerrois. Lime and chili marinated shrimp or scallops served on a Chinese soup spoon make for a delightful presentation – dry whites or sparkling wine pairs best.

One of my favourite recipes is grilling or roasting a mustard and herb-crusted rack of lamb, then cutting it up and serving the individual rib chops as an appetizer – no utensils are necessary, guests simply hold the meat by the bone. This is when you break out the big reds such as Syrah or Bordeaux-style blends.

I know you said “finger foods,” but the truth is most people attend parties with an empty belly so they’ll need something fairly substantial to metabolize the alcohol they drink. How about considering a couple of one-pot dishes like Coq Au Vin, Beef Bourginon or Lamb Stew? These are easy, can be made well ahead and left to simmer in a slow cooker so they’ll be ready when your guests arrive. All you’ll need in terms of serving are some small bowls, cutlery and a ladle. What’s more these dishes tend to be very wine friendly as wine is often a key ingredient in the recipe itself. Wine selection is easy as you can simply serve the same wine you used in the dish.

Other tips

1. There are roughly five medium-size glasses in a bottle and you can count on at least two glasses per person. That means if you have 10 guests, you should have at least five bottles. (Or if you’re one of my friends 10 bottles).
2. For “tasting” size portions you can squeeze out about 10 pours.
3. Pour the wine for your guests rather than having them serve themselves. It’s the responsible approach because they will drink less that way. If you are confident enough, talk about the wine and why you chose it for the occasion.
4. Be sure that you have different glasses for the whites, reds and sparkling wines. Consider renting them if you don’t or asking guests to bring their own.
5. As for serving temperatures, I tend to like my wines on the chilly side for parties as the temperature in the room goes up a notch with added bodies. I find the whites will taste fresher and fruitier when good and cold. Light bodied reds would benefit from 20 minutes in the refrigerator before serving. Open fuller bodied reds, pour into a decanter and leave in cool place to aerate for at least an hour prior to serving.

Luxury Lines of Wines

2008-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

By Julianna Hayes

The packaging of a new Mission Hill Family Estate Chardonnay is minimalist yet undeniably upscale.

The Burgundy-style bottle is unadorned save for a band of real pewter on which the wine’s name – Perpetua – is embossed. Even without tasting it, you have the immediate impression that the wine must certainly be delicious.

Perpetua is part of a luxury line of wines called the Legacy Series introduced by the Westbank producer last week. Winemaker John Simes said the wine “gets the best of everything we can possibly do with a Chardonnay.” This includes coveted grapes from 10-year-old vines found in a single vineyard that is thinned aggressively to maximize ripeness and flavour. The wine spent about 10 months in “the best barrels that we know of.”

“I think this is close to being the best Chardonnay we’ve made. I’m really pleased with it,” said Simes. That bar was already impossibly high – the winery walked away one year with the trophy for the best Chardonnay in the world at a prestigious competition in the UK.

Perpetua is a beauty indeed – full and lush, loaded with ripe fruit, but without being annoyingly oaky. It’s the kind of wine that ruins you for all others unable to measure up.

But developing a taste for it will cost you. At $33 a pop, it’s by no means the priciest wine on the market, but it puts it out of reach for everyday quaffing.

Perpetua’s cellar mates in the Legacy Series are equally as rich in the glass and on the pocketbook. Quatrain, a four-grape red blend, is savoury, spicy and jammy and retails for $48. Oculus, a Bordeaux-style red blend – which has been part of the Mission Hill portfolio for some time, but will now be part of this line – is elegant and complex and sells for $70.

In today’s economy, when everyone seems to be clawing back spending on the non-necessities, it may not seem foolish to launch such top-of-the-line products. Simes acknowledged the timing might not be perfect, but the series was hardly a spur of the moment project.

“We’ve been working on it for quite a while,” he said, pointing out that the Quatrain and Oculus releases are both 2005 vintages. “We’ve been sitting on Quatrain for awhile. It’s nice to finally be able to talk about it.”

Even though the marketplace may seem volatile, Simes said the series has been well received at other launches in Vancouver and Calgary. And the wines are getting rave reviews – all three were awarded more than 90 points by renowned Canadian wine write Anthony Gismondi, a critic notoriously stingy with his marks.

And Mission Hill certainly isn’t the only B.C. producer targeting the high-end market. While a decade ago, a local wine selling for more than $25 was almost unthinkable – now that price-point is close to being average and “luxury lines” of wines are becoming more commonplace.

Some of the smaller Okanagan wineries don’t even bother to cater to the low- to mid-range consumer. The cheapest wine at Le Vieux Pin, for example, is a rosé for $25, while its priciest bottle is $65. Likewise, Black Hills Winery routinely sells out its wines in days, if not mere hours, even though nothing comes cheaper than $24.

Larger wineries like Mission Hill, CedarCreek and Jackson Triggs don’t really have that option, as they need broader consumer appeal to move their volumes of wines. Which is why their top of the line products must truly stand out.

Sandhill Estate, a spin-off of the Calona Vineyards portfolio, is marketed as a producer of “single vineyard” wines which come from carefully tended sites in the Okanagan. The Small Lots Program under the label goes even further by isolating “unique and distinctive barrels that deserve very special attention.” These bottlings are usually limited to a few hundred cases and are considered “finely crafted creations.”

At Quails’ Gate, the luxury line is the Stewart Family Reserve wines, which are produced from the “very best blocks of fruit the Quails' Gate vineyards have to offer.” The winery makes the series rare and exclusive by producing Reserve wines from vintages where the quality is exceptional – meaning some years the wines might not be available at all.

Jackson-Triggs already had Proprietor’s Reserve and Proprietor’s Grand Reserve lines when it launched its Sunrock Vineyard series three years ago. These wines narrowed the focus down to just one key vineyard in the very south, and arguable hottest, part of the Okanagan Valley. The emphasis is heavily on viticulture and wines made in limited quantities.

Among other wineries with specialty high-end bottlings are CedarCreek (Platinum Reserve), Road 13 ( Jackpot), Tinhorn Creek (Oldfield’s Collection), Summerhill Pyramid (Platinum Series), Sumac Ridge (Pinnacle) and Gray Monk (Odyssey).

Here are some notes on Mission Hill’s Legacy Series wines:

Mission Hill Perpetua 2006 Chardonnay $33

Luscious fruit aromas of orange, green apple, hints of lime, some buttery notes, a touch of toast and mineral and lovely vanilla. Very fresh on the palate with just enough roundness and creamy character without being overly woody. Citrus, apple skin, tree fruit flavours, a hint of nuttiness and a clean elegant finish. 91 points

Mission Hill Quatrain 2005 $48

Very jammy, blackberry pie aromas, fresh red berry fruit, black cherry, chocolate, spice and peppery notes with hints of tobacco and cedar. There is a distinct fresh dark fruit and earthy character on the palate, spice, pepper and a silky texture. Tannins are moderate, but the dryness on the finish will disappear with a bit more time in the bottle. This is a four-grape blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. 90 points

Waste Not Want Not: Cooking With Leftover Wine

2008-11-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

Q: I keep a decanter on my kitchen counter in which I pour all my leftover wine for use when I am cooking. I much prefer this to the stuff they sell in the supermarket. But a friend recently told me that mixing the wines is a bad idea and I could potentially ruin a recipe by using the stuff in my decanter. What do you think?
- Wendy

A: Cooking with wine is a great way to add flavour to foods. You are wise to avoid so-called grocery store “cooking wines.” They are typically overly sweet and tend to be high in acid and sodium. Not only will these characteristics be heightened during cooking, you'll want to be extra careful using these if you're on a low-salt diet.

That being said, the number one pitfall when it comes to using wine in recipes is most people think any wine will suffice. Your friend is right that dumping a bunch of different wines together could be a problem. Also, wine has a shelf life – a decanter of remnant left to sit for extended periods on a counter, or worse, a stove-top will eventually turn into vinegar.

If your recipes call for only a dash or two of liquid, you're probably not doing too much damage. But quality makes a difference when quantities start to add up. While I encourage you to keep leftover wines for later use, anything that has been uncorked for more than a few days -- especially if it is stored at room temperature -- just won't do.

Here are a couple good rules of thumb:

· Taste your wine before you add it to your dish. If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it. This is especially important if the wine is oxidized -- it will add bitter, harsh flavours to your food.

· When it comes to white wine, stay away from sweet and acidic wines. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris are good choices.

· Low tannin, fruity wines are best when it comes to red – unwooded or slightly oaked Gamay or Pinot Noir, for example, are great bets. Stay away from super heavy reds, which can overpower a dish.

· Store all leftover wine in a refrigerator – the colder temperature will slow the aging process. Transfer the wine to a smaller container with an air-tight seal, if possible – this will prevent further oxygen from getting into the wine and oxidizing it.

· Consider serving the same wine at the table that you cooked with. It's a guaranteed match and will bring out the flavours of your dish.

· Cooking wines don't have to be expensive -- you can usually find them in the $12-15 range. In fact, when a recipe calls for a port or sherry, lower-end bottles tend to be preferable because their fruity qualities are more desirable in cooking.

· Do not thin a sauce or stew by simply adding wine -- it will leave it with a hard, raw taste.

If you want to get a little more adventurous, try looking for wines that exhibit characteristics that match ingredients in your recipe. For example, if the dish has mint or mushrooms, look for herbal or earthy descriptors on the wine label such as what you might find in an Old World Pinot Noir or Merlot. Sauvignon Blanc is well known for its herbaceous character, which would work in a recipe in which herbs are prominently figured.

Wine is frequently a key ingredient in basting liquids for roasting, as a marinade, in dressings and dips, fondues and a wide array of desserts. It is also used in reduction and deglazing.

Reduction is when you add a liquid and then allow it to simmer in order to concentrate and thicken it. When you use wine, this method will intensify its flavours, but also reduce most of the alcohol content, which can overpower the dish, not to mention the diners.

As a rule, you should aim for a 50 per cent reduction -- meaning you want half the liquid you started with.

Deglazing is another good way to bring the flavours of wine into your cooking. You simply add wine to dissolve bits stuck to a pan after food has been roasted or sautéed. For example, if you've roasted a turkey, you can substitute wine for water to scrape up the food particles in the roasting pan and use it as a base for a delectable sauce. Try this also after you've sautéed wild mushrooms and herbs, carmelized onions or broiled root vegetables.

In Focus: Grenache
This is considered a workhorse of a grape, which is used a lot for blending. Grenache’s light and sweet berry character, makes it a great candidate for rosé wines, in fact, the French appellations of Tavel and Lirac make some delightful products in this style. The wines made with this grape are typically fruity, spicy and quaffable. Grown in Spain, California and other warm-weather regions, it is finding its way in small planting in Okanagan vineyards where it will likely be a challenge given that it is late ripening and favours very arid, hot climates. Local producers are eyeing it for rosé wines and blending.

Winning by a Nose: A Look at Wine Judging

2008-10-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

Drinking out of a brown paper bag at nine in the morning would be unthinkable for most people – at least those without serious social issues.

Yet an elite group of individuals do so frequently and aren’t ashamed to admit it. I am speaking of wine judges – the people responsible for putting all that shiny hardware on bottles that the industry loves to brag about.

You might think this to be a sweet gig, but I assure you, there is nothing glamorous about it. Unless, of course, you enjoy spitting into a stryofoam cup and having purple teeth.
While you get to taste some pretty nice wines, you have to slog your way through plenty of dogs as well. Certain flights will test a judge’s stamina – just try making it through 38 icewines without weeping.

And though several people have quipped about trading “jobs” with me when I talk about it being a grueling exercise – judging can’t really be classified as work, as that would imply a pay cheque. Aside from getting reimbursed for basic travel expenses – one organization gave me a daily meal allowance of 20 bucks and expected me to get around on city transit – judges are largely volunteers.

Wine judging always leaps into the forefront during the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival when the buying public looks to the results of the annual competition for benchmark bottles. Each year dozens of wineries are decorated with some serious jewels and this year was no exception. There were a record 425-plus entries and medals were handed out to 281 wines including an astonishing 38 gold – one of the biggest yields in the competition ever.

Were the judges overly generous or are B.C. wines really that good?

Let me explain how the competition works. Though I’ve been on a number of wine judging panels, I have never tasted in this particular competition. I did observe this year and discovered that it uses the same basic premise as most.

The eight judges were divided into two panels of four and each group tasted half of the wines – standard practise for competitions of this size. The sheer enormity of the entries makes it impractical, not to mention inhuman, for the judges to taste them all.

All wines were tasted blind – this is one of the most important bits. Flights of wine were presented according to variety or style and divided by vintage, but the judges had no idea of the producer or price so there is no opportunity for bias They were given a scoring sheet on which they could jot down comments and provide a numerical score if desired, but they usually only do this for their own information. For the purposes of the competition, they were asked to tick a box recommending each wine for either a gold, silver, bronze or nothing at all.

Wines that received an average silver or bronze rating automatically received those medals and the competition was over for them. Wines with a majority gold recommendation were set aside for a second round of tasting involving all the judges.

Unlike the Lieutenant Governor Awards of Excellence in B.C. Wine, for which I judge, where only up to 12 wines are recognized, there is no limit to the number of medals that can be handed out during the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. Thus the competition has a bit of a reputation for being charitable. The silver and bronze medals are sometimes seen to be default honours for wines incapable of scoring golds – they in essence give judges an out. What has happened as a result is that the luster has faded on the latter two medals and only those that won gold seem to capture the interests of consumers.

The debate actually came up during the session I sat in on. Coke Roth, a wine critic from Tri-Cities, Washington, who is one of the top judges in America, said the competition shouldn’t be concerned of awarding huge numbers of medals. If the wines are worthy – and he thought the ones in the competition were – then why should the numbers matter? A huge haul of medals should be considered a great thing for the local industry and the wineries should wear them proudly. It’s a valid point.

One new element in this year’s competition. In addition to awarding gold, silver and bronze, the judges were also asked to select the best white and red wine overall, as well as the best new winery. The top red honours went to Sandhill 2006 Phantom Creek Vineyard Small Lots Syrah, while the top white was Lang Vineyards 2007 Farm Reserve Riesling. The tiny Oliver winery of Dunham and Froese was selected best new winery.

Jackson-Triggs repeated history once again by winning the most golds with a total of five. But a surprise to all was the impressive showing by Peller Estates, which has never done well before. It took home four golds for the Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon in its Private Reserve line. Road 13 Vineyards picked up three golds.

Wine Notes

Kalala 2007 Pinot Gris (Organic)

Appearance: Clear, pale straw colourAromas: Mineral, citrus peel, yellow peach, green apple, spice
Flavours: Green apple, lemon-lime, mineral, hints of herbal spice
Body and Finish: A fresh, dry entry with lots of zest on the palate, finishing clean
Overall Impression: Those who like a steely dry Pinot Gris, lovely and refreshing – a bronze medal winner
Cellaring Potential: Drink now

Would I Buy It?: Yes

Score: 88

Price: $16

Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Sandhill 2006 Phantom Creek Vineyard Small Lots Syrah

Appearance: Opaque black cherry colour
Aromas: Black cherry, cassis, black pepper, jam, violet, chocolate, herbal notes, toast
Flavours: Intense black fruits, pepper, mocha, toast, herbal
Body and Finish: Luscious entry with a great deal of complexity on the palate, moderate tannins, slightly hot, elongated finish
Overall Impression: Yummy – not much else to say
Cellaring Potential: Best cellared a couple years

Would I Buy It?: Yes

Score: 92

Price: $35

Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Road 13 2006 Merlot

Appearance: Dark magenta, ruby tones
Aromas: Red plum, cassis, caramel, prune, toast, chocolate, floral, herbaceous notes
Flavours: Jammy red fruits, spice, chocolate, smoke, mint
Body and Finish: Ripe red fruit entry, fresh on the palate, silky tannins, smooth long finish
Overall Impression: A delightfully concentrated effort that also represents great value. Gold medal winner
Cellaring Potential: Drink now and for five years

Would I Buy It?: Yes

Score: 91

Price: $24

Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

BC Wine Lists Wow Judges

2008-10-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

A restaurant from the tiny coastal island of Galiano won two gold medals and a bronze in the British Columbia Wine List Competition held during the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival.

Atrevida Restaurant, part of the Galiano Inn, took the top honours in the Small Restaurant and Best BC Wines by the Glass category. It also won a bronze in the Best First Time Entry division.

Cobblestones Wine Bar in Naramata, the gold winner in the Best All BC Wine List category, was the Grand Prize Winner of the competition and received a prize package courtesy of EAT Magazine and WestJet, the official airline of the Okanagan Wine Festivals. EAT Magazine is a food and drink publication based out of Victoria and will feature Cobblestones Wine Bar in its winter issue. (http://www.eatmagazine.ca/)

The Best Overall Wine List gold went to Kelowna’s La Bussola.

Eleven restaurants in total from across the province received medals in the competition. There were ninety entries in total, evaluated by a panel of judges - Dennis Dwernychuk, Senior Product Consultant for the Orchard Park Signature Liquor Store in Kelowna; Julianna Hayes, an Okanagan Valley-based wine writer; and Suzanne Mick, co-founder and co-owner of Discover Wines in Kelowna.

Awards were handed out in five different categories. The complete set of winners are:

Best First Time Entry

GOLD
Cin Cin Restaurant (Vancouver)

SILVER
The Pointe Restaurant at Wickaninnish Inn (Tofino)

BRONZE
Atrevida Restaurant (Galiano Island)

Best Small Restaurant Wine List

GOLD
Atrevida Restaurant (Galiano Island)

SILVER
Haus Uropa Restaurant (Gibsons)

BRONZE
The Mark at the Hotel Grand Pacific (Victoria)

Best BC Wines-by-the-Glass

GOLD
Atrevida Restaurant (Galiano Island)

SILVER
Aurora Bistro (Vancouver)

BRONZE
Hotel Eldorado (Kelowna)

Best Overall Wine List

GOLD

La Bussola (Kelowna)

SILVER
C Restaurant (Vancouver)

BRONZE
Front Street Bar & Bistro (Penticton)

Best All BC Wine List

GOLD
Cobblestones Wine Bar (Naramata)

SILVER
Aurora Bistro (Vancouver)

BRONZE

Front Street Bar & Bistro (Penticton)

The BC Wine List Competition is presented by the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop in partnership with the British Columbia Restaurant & Foodservices Association and the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. This provincial competition, which was founded in 1997, will run biennially, with the BC Wine Label Awards occurring on alternate years. Registration for the 2009 BC Wine Label Awards will begin in August of next year.

The BC Wine Museum and its partners gratefully acknowledge event sponsors EAT Magazine and WestJet and extend their congratulations to all the winners.

For more information on the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop and its programs, please visit http://www.kelownamuseums.ca/.

Okanagan Fall Wine Fest: Shiny Happy Medals

2008-10-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

If you traditionally go for the gold, you won't have a shortage of options to choose from Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. A stunning 38 wines were awarded the shiny yellow hardware, while dozens of others won silver and bronze.

And for the first time, the festival awarded three prestigious medals - best white wine, best red and best new winery. Those honours went to Lang Vineyards 2007 Farm Reserve Riesling (white); Sandhill Vineyards 2006 Phantom Creek Vineyards Small Lots Syrah (red); and Dunham and Froese (new winery).

Here's a list of the gold medal wines:

* Burrowing Owl Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
* CedarCreek Estate Winery Ehrenfelser 2007
* CedarCreek Estate Winery Estate Select Meritage 2006
* Church and State Wines Merlot Coyote Bowl Vineyard 2006
* Church and State Wines Syrah 2006
* Desert Hills Winery Gewürztraminer 2007
* Ganton & Larson Prospect Winery “Ogopogo’s Lair” Pinot Grigio 2007
* Ganton & Larson Prospect Winery “Census Count” Chardonnay 2007
* Gray Monk Estate Winery Gewürztraminer 2007
* Hester Creek Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2007
* Inniskillin Okanagan Malbec Discovery Series 2006
* Inniskillin Okanagan Dark Horse Vineyard Riesling Icewine 2007
* Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Proprietors’ Grand Reserve White Meritage 2007
* Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Proprietors’ Reserve Shiraz 2006
* Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Shiraz 2006
* Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Sparkling Riesling Icewine 2007
* Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Riesling Icewine 2007
* Lang Vineyards Riesling Farm Reserve 2007
* Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Riesling Icewine 2007
* Peller Estates Winery Private Reserve Pinot Noir 2006
* Peller Estates Winery Private Reserve Merlot 2006
* Peller Estates Winery Private Reserve Syrah 2006
* Peller Estates Winery Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
* Red Rooster Winery Reserve Merlot 2006
* Road 13 Vineyards Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2007
* Road 13 Vineyards Merlot 2006
* Road 13 Vineyards 5th Element Red 2006
* Sandhill Wines Small Lots Syrah Phantom Creek Vineyard 2006
* Sandhill Wines Cabernet Franc Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2006
* See Ya Later Ranch Chardonnay 2007
* See Ya Later Ranch Riesling 2007
* Soaring Eagle Gewürztraminer Icewine 2007
* Sumac Ridge Estate Winery Pinnacle 2005
* Summerhill Pyramid Winery Cipes Gabriel Blanc de Blanc NV
* Therapy Chardonnay 2007
* Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2006
* Wild Goose Vineyards Mystic River Pinot Blanc 2007
* Wild Goose Vineyards Mystic River Gewürztraminer 2007

For a list of the silver and bronze recipients visit: http://www.owfs.com/festivals/Judging%20Awards.pdf

Gobble Gobble - Thanksgiving Wines

2008-10-10T09:16:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

Let’s talk turkey.

Despite the trend toward more avant garde foods, good ol’ fashioned turkey remains the crowning glory on just about every Thanksgiving table. Forget the mustard-seed rubbed sashimi or garganelli and grain fed veal cheeks – the bird is still the word.

So every year, I get the same question many times over: What wine should be served with holiday turkey?

That’s a tricky one, because it is not the bird that poses the problem with most festive feasts. It’s everything else you’ve cooked up that presents the challenge – the stuffing, candied yams, brussel sprouts, cranberries, gravy, jellied salad, marshmallow potatoes and so on.

Take the jellies and dressed up yams for example. They’ll make dry wines taste sour and sweeter wines taste dull. Don’t get me started on the cranberries. Bitter berries, combined with heaps of sugar, make most wine pairing experts want to weep.

If you can modify your recipes a little so they aren’t as sugary, the food will be much more wine friendly. Skip the marshmallows and make garlic mashed potatoes instead. Opt for buttered squash instead of candied yams. Forget the jellied salad altogether – I never understood the attraction in the first place. But if you’re heart is set on the sweet stuff, just keep it away from the Chardonnay – or anything else you pour.

When choosing a wine, think low-tannin, young and racy reds and fresh and fruity whites. You want the wines flavourful, but not too complicated. You want them to have good body but not be heavily oaked. Big California Chardonnays or Australian Shirazes just don’t work. The sweeter foods will heighten the bitterness of the tannins in those wines. And their heaviness will coat your palate and leave you feeling droopy when combined with all that food.

The good news is the wines that go best with Thanksgiving dinner are usually pretty affordable.
As a rule, you can’t go wrong with a New World Gewurztraminer or Riesling. They tend to be off-dry and fruity in style, which means they can hold their own with the sweeter stuff. They work nicely as a refreshing cleanser between bites, particularly if they’re well chilled.

If your heart is set on red, lighter wines like Beaujolais, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Lemberger and Pinot Meunier are good selections.

One of my favourite holiday pairings, is a blush or rose wine. Many of the ones made here in B.C. have distinct cranberry characteristics and, well, what could be a better match for your bird? And the colour of the wine is decidedly festive, don’t you think? If you go this route, look for a wine that is dry or semi-dry. You don’t want anything too sweet.

Some foodies insist that the way you dress your turkey should dictate what kind of wine you should serve. It’s a pretty safe bet if you’re unsure of what choice to make. Here are some suggestions:

* Sausage and apple stuffing – Gewurztraminer, Beaujolais
* Wild mushroom stuffing – Pinot Noir, Grenache
* Fruit and nut stuffing – Gamay Noir and Pinot Meunier (better for dried fruit recipes), Pinot Blanc or Viognier (better for fresh fruit)
* Corn bread stuffing – Riesling
* Oyster stuffing – Unoaked Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc Bread and herb stuffing -- Sauvignon Blanc

Okanagan Fall Wine Festival: More Than Close Contact Wine Tasting

2008-10-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

Elaine Fraser doesn’t drink. Yet for the past four years, the Calgary resident and her husband Tom have been making the pilgrimage to the Okanagan for its celebrated Fall Wine Festival.

“Tom is really into the wine,” she says. “I go for the food, the scenery and the entertainment.”

Fraser has never been disappointed. Indeed, the annual vinous event, which kicked off October 2, is no one-trick pony. There’s as much going on outside the glass to seduce teetotalers like Fraser, as well as those who fully appreciate wine.

It could easily be re-packaged as a culinary extravaganza or promoted for its art and music components. There are events to appeal to moms and dads with kids in tow, outdoorsy types, even dog lovers.

Perhaps that is why the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, now in its 28th year, is consistently voted one of the top 100 destinations in the continent by the American Bus Association.

But as the festival’s popularity has grown, so have the choices on how you can spend your time over the next 10 days. That may seem like a good thing – variety being the spice of life and all that – but the sheer volume of wine-soaked options, 180 at last count, is enough to make one’s head spin before ingesting a single drop.

Even people like Fraser are overwhelmed. “I don’t even drink the wine. Yet every year it gets tougher to decide what events we want to go to. There are so many attractive options.”

A good place to start is with the official Okanagan Fall Wine Festival guide, which is available at wineries, tourist information centres, liquor retailers, as well as online in PDF format by clicking the link to the right of this page or by visiting http://www.thewinefestivals.com/.

It’s a good idea to flip through it and circle the events that fall on the dates you plan to attend, then eliminate them one by one, depending on your criteria – price, location, available time, interest.

To help you out with your last-minute planning, here are a few picks based on theme. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so check out the guide for additional dinner options, seminars, tours and more. Events, dates and times are subject to change, so please contact the organizers before finalizing your plans:

Wine on the cheap

Free….

I hear a lot of whining about the expense of wine fest. But there are plenty of pocketbook friendly events for the more frugal enthusiast – even free stuff. First of all, most wineries are hosting open houses so there is absolutely no excuse not to participate in some way. There may be a nominal charge for tastings at some wineries, but most will reimburse you if you purchase.

Rootstock ’08: Two Days of Wine & Entertainment Naramata Style features the Bench wineries throwing open their doors for an eclectic blend of wine and the performing arts. At each venue you’ll find an interesting array of musicians, belly dancers, roving minstrels, mimes and magicians. Oct. 4 and 11. All Free. Visit http://www.naramatabench.com/ for more details.

Five art galleries in Kelowna offer an annual Progressive Tasting, Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., where you can view art and taste the ware from a local winery stationed at each venue. It’s all free and no reservations are necessary. You can start at any one of the galleries – Turtle Island, Art Ark, Picture Perfect, The Evans Gallery and Hambleton Galleries – and make your way to each at your leisure.

Next best thing to free…

Test your sensory evaluation skills with a Blind Barrel Tour at Rollingdale Winery located on Kelowna’s Westside. Participants will get a chance to guess varietals, compare wines made from single vineyards or how they present themselves with certain pairings or in different glasses. All this for $8! Offered daily. Call 250-769-9224

For a little more money you can throw a Shrimp on the Bar-by’-eh! at Greata Ranch October 4. The winery, located between Peachland and Summerland, will offer up a tasty barbecued snack with its wine to drop-ins willing to drop $15. No reservations necessary, but weather permitting.

Not exactly free but great value…

Icewine Discovery Tours – Inniskillin’s specialized tour focusing on Icewine, running daily through October 7 for $10; Nk’Mip Cellars – Cooing With Wine seminar, Oct. 1-5, $25; Harvest lunch at St. Hubertus, Oct. 3-4 and 10-11 – you won’t go away hungry, thirsty or starved for ambience, $27.99; Tinhorn Creek’s Vineyard and Habitat Walking Tour and Lunch, Oct 1-3, $25; Autumn Patio BBQ at Wild Goose, Oct. 4, $20.

Early Risers

If you must have a drink before noon, consider one of the festival brunches or breakfasts. Join the Nk’Mip Cellars Breakfast Club at 9:30 a.m. daily through Oct. 5 for a tutored tasting of wines. The idea is a clean morning palate is the best to taste with – well, that’s their theory and they’re sticking to it. Or you can choose from one of several brunches: The Thanksgiving Brunch at Manteo, which gets under way at 9:30 a.m., Oct. 12; Summerhill’s Wild and Organic Brunch, 11 a.m., Oct. 5; Tiny Bubbles Brunch at Gray Monk, 11 a.m., Oct. 5; Quails’ Gates’ Harvest Brunch, 11:30 a.m., Oct. 5 and 12.

Wine-O-Rama

If a bottomless glass is all you're after, you’ve got a few options including the WestJet Wine Tasting, Oct. 3 (Oct. 4 is sold out), at the Laurel Packinghouse in Kelowna, $55, and the Grand Finale Consumer Tastings at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, Oct. 10-11, $50. Each give you a choice of hundreds of wines to sample representing dozens of B.C. producers. Plus you get to keep a souvenir wine glass and get a free cab ride home. Phone 250-860-1470. There’s also the People’s Choice Awards, Oct. 2, at the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna, where you get to decide who wins the medals. Cost is $50, call 250-860-6060.

For a bit more money, you’ll see a bit more action along with your overflowing glass of wine at the Going Once…Going Twice Benefit Wine Auction, Oct. 4, at the Ramada Inn in Penticton. The cost is $78.75, 250-770-3272 x 4412. Careful how much you tipple or you might find yourself bidding on a barrel of wine.

If you love a winner, consider the Medal Winners Tasting, Oct. 10, at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre. What sets this event apart is being able to taste only those wines awarded medals in the Okanagan Fall Judging Competition, $65. There’s also Lunch With a Winemaker option for $60. Call 250-860-1470 for details.

Art and Music Buffs

Going along with the adage that wine aficionados also seem to appreciate fine art and music, several events combine these elements into one big cultural package. Organizers Wine Occasions have put together Art & Wine – A Perfect Pairing, a progressive tour of private artist studios in Kelowna, where participants can nosh on canapés and wine as they view the art, Oct. 5 and 9, 250-215-1368.

WAM! Wine, Art and Music, is an evening of the three in Kelowna’s downtown Cultural District, Oct. 11. It features live music and an open house of the resident galleries and studios within the Cawston Avenue block. The cost is $50 and includes 50 WAM dollars towards the purchase of art from participating venues. 250-860-1470.

Calling Art and Wine Enthusiasts features a tutored wine tasting and a seminar on the fundamentals of collecting art, Oct. 7, at Hambleton Gallery in Kelowna. Cost is $80. 250-860-2498.

For Flesh and Fur Families

The Oliver Festival of the Grape, Oct. 5, is one of the few family-friendly events where the young ones are kept busy by the Oliver Cubs & Scouts in the Kidzone, while adults savour wines poured by more than 30 Okanagan wineries. All this for $19 for advance tickets or $22 at the gate. 250-498-6321.

Rover gets some loving too at the Dog Days of Summer, an annual event welcoming canine companions at See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls, Oct. 4. Furbabies get eatable treats while their flesh parents partake in treats of the liquid persuasion. The cost is free, but a donation to the BC SPCA is encouraged. 240-494-0451.

Brain Candy

If you’re only here to drink, fine. But if you’re here to learn, then consider one of several terrific seminars being offered during the festival. Several blind tastings are featured that will test you palate in a light and friendly atmosphere. Among them are the Wine Fest Warm-Up offered by the B.C. Wine Museum in the Laurel Packinghouse, Oct. 2, which will pit men against women in a battle of the sexes. The evening also features an educational overview of the tremendous growth of the Okanagan wine industry. Cost is $40 – 250-868-0441.

Mission Hill’s Blind Wine Tasting, Oct. 12, will include a “double blind” component where wines will be poured in an opaque black tasting glass so you can’t see the colour. $40 – 250-768-7611.

What’s in the Bag? at the Keg in Kelowna, Oct. 8, features is six mystery wines paired with six mystery cheeses. $40 – 250-860-1470.

And for people concerned about their carbon footprint, the 100-Mile Diet Wine Pairing, Oct. 5, at the Rotary Centre for the Arts, aims to address the issue of sourcing out local produced foods with samples paired with local wines being served. $40 – 250-878-8050.

Foodies’ Choice

Once the signature of the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival, The Masters of Food and Wine: Cooking with Terasen Gas, Oct. 5, is a delightful mid-day event that’s a no-brainer for a fall Sunday when festival goers are seeking a low-key but intelligent event to fill their time. Located in Kelowna’s Laurel Packinghouse, it features an interesting mix of restaurateurs serving everything from lamb burgers and kangaroo loin carpaccio to dark chocolate and double cream brie. $55. Call 250-860-1470.

Don’t forget to check out the numerous luncheons and dinners offered throughout the festival.

And now for something completely different….

If you are looking for something with an original spin, look no further than Blasted Church’s Midnight Service events, where attendees will flock to the venue that inspired the winery’s name and hear the Gospel Experience Choir on Oct. 10 or the Ruthie Foster on Oct. 11. Food will be served by Memphis Blues. Courtesy bus service is offered from the Grand Finale Tasting in Penticton. Cost is $90. 888-222-6608

Or how about Savour the Shuswap, a progressive winery dinner/wine tour of North America’s northern most wineries? You start at Larch Hills with appetizers, wine and autumnal views of the northern part of the valley, plus witness a live chain saw carving (only in the north) before moving on to dinner, wine and music at Recline Ridge. The evening concludes with dessert and dessert wine at Granite Creek. The event is offered on October 4 and 11 and the cost is $119. Call 1-866-632-3456 for info.

Think wine can be paired with just about anything? Wine not? That’s certainly the thoughts of the organizers of Taste the Aromas of Coffee and Wine with Starbucks, Oct. 5 at Manteo Resort. Participants will get a chance to sample six different roasts with six different wines. $40. 250-860-1470

Not to be outdone, Manteo Resort offers an intriguing World Tapas Tour Oct. 9. You’ll get to stroll around the resort’s villas where you partake in the culinary delights of Canada, Italy, India and Korea, all paired with B.C. wines. The cost is $89. Call 250-860-1031.

Ready or Not, It's Harvest Time!

2008-09-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

One morning in mid-September, I awoke to a peculiar sound, a low rumbling I hadn’t heard in months – the furnace.

Though the temperature that day eventually climbed into the comfortable low 20s, summer as we know it in the Okanagan, with its 30 C+ days, is over.

Oh, sure, there may be the odd record-making blip, a day or two for which we’re hanging onto the shorts and t-shirts before packing them away for winter’s long respite. But we’re just as likely now to get frost in our gardens and snow in the higher elevations.

Though I mourn the end of long balmy days, refreshing dips in the lake and frosty beverages on the patio, I won’t miss summer’s more frantic pace, the jam of traffic and the throng of tourists. I love the fall and its promise of a more relaxed pace.

Ironically, it is – without a doubt – the most feverish time in the industry I love so much.

Up and down the valley, vintners are elbow deep in grapes. The harvest of 2008 started last weekend for most wineries with vineyards in the South Okanagan. Tinhorn Creek reported that it started Sunday, September 21, hand-picking 17 tonnes of Gewurztraminer grapes. As of Tuesday, at total of 37 tonnes of Gewurz, Chardonnay and Semillon had been collected.

Though everyone is about one- to two-weeks behind normal, growers are happy with what they see so far. The cooler season meant a great deal of crop thinning was required, but the addition of new vineyards in recent years means the total yield will be up 10 per cent from last year.

Vintners will be working pretty steadily until the end of October when the last of the reds should be pulled off the vine. It means long hours outdoors, on the crush pads and in the cellars – the grapes wait for no one.

And if that isn’t enough, harvest always coincides with the industry’s largest tourist draw – the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, which kicks off October 2. It is not unusual to attend a winemaker’s dinner during the 10-day celebration to see the guest of honour greeting people with hands stained deep red.

I have frequently questioned the timing of the festival. I know that when the public retires after a day or night of revelry, winemakers and their staff often go back to work into the wee hours. It’s a relief for them when the final wine is poured and the party’s over.

On the flipside, I can appreciate why organizers are reticent to change the dates. It’s a stunning time in the Okanagan, and the excitement of harvest is palatable, which is probably why the celebration continues break records for attendance year after year.

This is why I encourage visitors to take advantage of this time and use it as an opportunity to educate themselves about what it takes to go from grape to glass.
Several wineries from north to south have recognized that programs such as these would appeal to fledgling enthusiasts who want to better appreciate the effort that goes into wine. They have organized unique events that celebrate the harvest and teach wanna-be connoisseurs a little about viticulture.

Hunting Hawk Winery in Armstrong is offering a day-long opportunity October 3-4 called So You Want to Be a Winemaker? Participants will “job shadow” the winemaking team, helping to pick, crush, press and start the fermentation of the 2008 vintage. But the experience doesn’t end there. Sometime later, the wanna-be winemakers will receive delivery of a bottle of the wine they helped to make. The cost is $50 per person and includes lunch and wine tasting. Call 250-546-2164 for more information.

Quails’ Gate Estate Winery in Kelowna is offering a two-hour program daily October 6-10 called the Vineyard Exploration & Tasting, where participants will get to inspect newly planted Pinot Noir vines and well established Marechal Foch plants and learn about the annual cycle of the grapevine. The cost is $25 and includes a sit-down wine tasting. Call 250-769-4451

Further to the south in Okanagan Falls, there’s an event called Harvest & Lunch at Noble Ridge on October 9. Depending on what stage the harvest is in on that day, guests will find themselves touring and assessing grape readiness, picking grapes, touring the crush pad and/or tasting freshly fermented juice. They’ll conclude their tour with lunch and wine. The cost is $44. Call 250-497-7945.

In Oliver, Inniskillin Okanagan is offering tours of its Dark Horse Vineyard with winemaker Sandor Mayer on October 4. Dubbed the Annual Discovery Series Vineyard Event, visitors will hear about the challenges of working with the more unusual varieties planted there, including Malbec, Zinfandel, Marsanne Roussanne and Pinotage. Guests will also get a chance to taste wines made from these grapes, paired with various foods. The cost is $45. Phone 800-498-6211 for more information.

Also in Oliver, Tinhorn Creek has an event called the Vineyard and Habitat Walking Tour and Lunch, October 6-8. Owner Kenn Oldfield will lead guests on a hike through the winery’s Golden Mile area vineyards and discuss its viticulture and conservation projects. The cost is $25 and includes lunch and wine samples. Phone 888-484-6467 for info.

Many other facilities do allow their guests to conduct self-guided walking tours of their vineyards and some have demonstration areas where grapes are grown for educational purposes. Visitors are often welcome to pick and taste (within reason) the grapes and compare varieties.

Since crush pads are typically out-of-doors, tourists are often able to view vineyard workers process the grapes brought in. Tinhorn Creek, for example, has a balcony overlooking the pad, where visitors can perch themselves and view the process safely.

Keep in mind, that these places are working wineries, so be mindful to stay out of the way and dress suitably.

For more information on the 28th Annual Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, click on the festival guide link at the right or visit http://www.owfs.com

Wine Notes

Fork in the Road 2006 Oliver Block 249 Red
Appearance: Deep inky magenta colour
Aromas: Blackberry, cocoa, pepper, menthol, resiny, earth, leather

Flavours: Robust but fresh black fruit, pepper, mocha, earthy, herbal

Body and Finish: Nice weighty mouthfeel, silky tannins, smooth finish with decent length

Overall Impression: A nice blend of Merlot, Syrah and Cab Franc, it’s a pleasure to drink, if a little pricey for quaffing
Cellaring Potential: Drink now through 2012

Would I Buy It?: Occasionally

Score: 87

Price: $23

Availability: VQA shops, BC LDB, private retailers

Tinhorn Creek 2005 Merlot

Appearance: Black cherry hue with ruby tones

Aromas: Smoky oak, licorice, dill, black cherry, leather, smoked meat, leafy

Flavours: Smoky oak, dill, sour cherry, dark vanilla, meaty, pepper
Body and Finish: Quite a lot of power on the entry, moderate tannins with a dry, extended finish

Overall Impression: An earthy rather than fruity wine, still nice and fresh and good value
Cellaring Potential: I’d let it cellar another year or two

Would I Buy It?: Occasionally

Score: 86

Price: $19

Availability: VQA shops, BC LDB, private retailers

Soaring Eagle 2007 Merlot Rose

Appearance: Brilliant pink hueAromas: Strawberry extract, cranberry, candied cherries, citrus peel, spice

Flavours: Fresh strawberry, cranberry, citrus, spice, Bing cherry
Body and Finish: Very fresh and lively on the palate with some residual sweetness.

Overall Impression: Bright, fresh and lovely rose made from a variety not often seen in this style Cellaring Potential: Drink now

Would I Buy It?: Occasionally

Score: 86

Price: $19

Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Cellar Savvy

2008-09-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Q: I would like to start collecting wines but don’t have a cellar nor can I afford to build one or buy one of those fancy self-contained climate controlled units that I’ve read so much about. I was hoping you might have some suggestions on how to best store my wines for future drinking without investing in an expensive system. I would rather put my wine budget into the wines themselves.
- Paul

A: This is a dilemma encountered by many whose interest in wines have extended beyond the buying and drinking stage and want to take it to the next level – purchasing bottles they can allow to age to their full potential for future enjoyment. Indeed, buying wines when they are first released is the most economical option when it comes to those that are intended for aging. If you wait to purchase them when they are at their prime, their price will invariably have risen, sometimes two, three, even 10 times their original cost depending on how long they’ve been kept by the winery, the critical reviews they’ve received and medals they’ve – assuming that they’ll even be available by then. The top wines often sell out quickly and they are impossible to find beyond their initial release date.

The good news is you don’t have to spend thousands on a state-of-the-art system. While a climate-controlled space would be ideal, those of us with tight budgets prefer to invest our funds in wine rather than having a fancy, mostly empty cellar – and I am included in that statement. I have amassed a decent collection which I keep tucked away in the crawl space of our home. A series of Costco racks line an outside wall – which remains cool even in the height of summer, but there is no risk of freezing come winter. The area doesn’t get a lot of light and there’s little vibration, both issues which can affect wine over the long run.

I have had reasonable success with this set-up. Only a couple of wines over the years have failed the test of time and I’m not entirely sure that they weren’t flawed to begin with. I have kept some wines under similar conditions for close to 10 years and have been delighted with the results. Truly, there are very few wines that should be cellared as long as that. The idea that all wines improve with age is a myth. The majority of wines are made to consume young and I rarely keep any beyond three to five years. Whites, in particular, should be enjoyed when they are fresh and youthful.

To set up your cellar, find a place that doesn’t see a lot of traffic and where the temperature is consistent year round. A basement corner is a popular choice, but closets located on an outside hall work well as they rarely have heating vents and are surprisingly cool when the doors are closed.

Q: My wife and I were fortunate enough to purchase a couple of bottles of the Mission Hill 2006 Riesling Icewine (which recently captured the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Trophy for the World’s Top Icewine). We currently have them laying on their sides in the display tubes. Will the quality improve over time if we keep them this way? If we were to sell them for a profit (because they are hard to come by), do you think it would be best to list them now or several years down the road.
- Richard

A. Congratulations, you have indeed acquired a lovely wine. In the past eight years only three Icewines have been successful in achieving this award. And you are right, it is rather hard to come by. In fact, it is currently sold out at the winery. That being said, selling wines for profit is a tricky business. Sure the wine is rare and it won a prestigious medal, but how many people would want to buy it and how much they are willing to pay for it is virtually impossible to determine. You could certainly throw it on Ebay and command a crazy price and you might get lucky or you could risk it and list it with an auction house and end up getting less than you paid for it. It’s a crap shoot. In fact, according to Ritchie's Auctioneers, which consistently holds rare wine auctions in Toronto, only a tiny number of wines appreciate in value as they age.

Which brings me to your other question – will this wine’s quality improve over time? Not necessarily. Icewines are revered for their luscious sweetness, but a truly great one is also well balanced with a lot of acidity. An Icewine without adequate acidity will be cloying – you might as well be sipping a glass of maple syrup. Unfortunately, acidity tends to drop off with age and thus, for my tastes at least, I prefer Icewines to be fairly young. If you cellar this wine, some of the characteristics that made it the great Icewine that it is will invariably be lost over time.

But its age-ability is the least of your worries if you want to keep this wine as a long-term investment. Unless you can guarantee that the wine was stored under perfect conditions, nobody will be willing to pay top dollar for it. Unlike the first writer, who is planning to age wines for his own enjoyment, cellaring for profit requires an impeccable system or the wines will most certainly not increase in value. Even perfect conditions won’t assure that the wine will still be drinkable at the end of the day, but it lessens the risk for buyers.

In Focus - Mourvèdre
This grape may be among the most challenging of the varieties now being experimented with in the Okanagan Valley. It's extremely late-ripening - about two weeks behind Syrah (already considered a considerable challenge for the region). Plus, even under ideal conditions, its production is known to be irregular. One year it may produce a good yield, followed by a poor one, for no apparent reason. But the effort is apparently worth it, as the grapes produce wines of serious power, colour and flavour. Spain grows the lion's share of this grape. In the Okanagan, small plantings are being attempted in the Black Sage Bench region by Road 13 Vineyards. The plants are currently two years old and thriving.

BC Vintners Have Grape Expectations

2008-09-19T11:25:00.001-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

Beneath a brilliant September sun, Michael Bartier, the winemaker at Road 13 Vineyards in Oliver, gestures toward a row of vines and describes them as a “crap shoot.”

They are of the Mourvèdre variety, common to Spain but virtually unheard of among the Okanagan landscape. Indeed, they are the type of grape no one would ever imagine being rooted in the soils of the Great White North. They thrive on an extended growing period of mild, frost-free days in order to fully ripen.

The two-year-old plants look healthy enough, which is promising. But everyone knows that the weather above the 49th parallel can be unpredictable and the winters especially harsh and unforgiving – even in the Okanagan, which has come to be recognized for its unique microclimates that nurture grape growing.

Still, Bartier is hopeful for the Mourvèdre and the other challenging varieties he’s attempting, which include Grenache, Roussanne and Tempranillo. After all, merely 10 years ago, few would expect a grape like Syrah – among the world’s most sought after and responsible for the Australia’s famous Shiraz wines – would survive, much less thrive here. But it took the pioneering spirit of local growers and vintners to ignore the naysayers – as they have with Merlot, Chardonnay and just about every noble variety – and plant it anyway. Today, the grape is considered one of the area’s best performers.

“Mark my words,” said Bartier, during the tour of his “experimental” vineyard. “Syrah will become the Okanagan’s signature wine.”

Statements such of these are bold. But they are a testament to the boundaries that those in the local wine industry are willing to push. And thankfully so. If they acquiesced to the critics, regional cellars would be still filled with such atrocities as Fuddle Duck and Hot Goose, the vineyards with such native grape curiosities as Okanagan Riesling, or have died out altogether.

Local growers, of course, owe a lot to the world’s changing climate. While it's spelling potential disaster overall, it has ironically been a boon for more northerly wine regions. There have been countless reports and papers about how areas previously considered unsuitable for wine grape growing are now being cultivated for vineyards.

But that’s not to say it’s making things easy in the Okanagan. Each year presents its own unique challenges and this one is no different. With the fall harvest rapidly approaching, all vintners – especially ones like Bartier, who have tackled extra challenges – are in nail-biting mode. They are doomed if they get complacent.

So how is the harvest shaping up? Despite all talk of global warming, the summer of 2008 can hardly be called a splendid one. The spring was wet and cool and growers were worried they might have to drastically thin the crop of some of the more challenging varieties by as much as half to encourage ripening.

But by the end of June, the sun and heat arrived with a vengeance and was steady for several weeks. By late July, many vintners indicated they were pretty much caught in the vineyard.

By mid August, however, summer sort of petered out and they found themselves slipping behind again. Kenn Oldfield, owner and general manager of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, said the grapes on his winery’s Oliver site are about one-to-two weeks behind where the winemaking team would like them to be.

Indeed, most growers would agree they need to milk September for all its worth. It’s a crucial time in the vineyard when the sugars and flavours fully develop in the grapes. The good news is the sun has been shining pretty steadily since the beginning of the month, with daily daytime highs climbing well into the 20s.

“A week of above normal in September can make up for two to three weeks of poor weather in May,” said Mission Hill winemaker John Simes several months ago. “That’s when the weather really counts.”

Still, many vintners have been proactive and opted to thin the grape crop just the same. With less of a load, the plant can focus all its energy on ripening the remaining fruit.

What this means, however, is less quantity and ultimately less wine, when supply is already a problem in the valley.

Bartier doesn’t need to worry about his experimental varieties at the moment. That’s because the plants have already been vested of their fruit. At just two years of age, they are too young to be relied upon for producing good quality berries, thus they are pruned before any bunches form in order for the vines to put all their energy in growing healthy and strong.

It will be at least a couple years yet before anyone gets a taste of the first Okanagan Mourvèdre – if Bartier’s science project proves a success.

Here’s a look at some of the challenging grape varieties being attempted by Bartier and others in the Okanagan:

Tempranillo
This black grape native to Spain is the main variety used in Rioja. Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano, which means early, a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes, but still later most varieties common to the Okanagan. The wines tend to be dry, deeply coloured and scented with relatively low alcohol. They also are know to be low in acid, which has been a drawback, but the Okanagan's cooler climate may well drive those acid levels up.

Mourvèdre
This grape may be the most challenging of all Bartier's experiments. It's extremely late-ripening - about two weeks behind Syrah in hotter climes, and its production is known to be irregular. One year it may produce a good yield, followed by a poor one, for no apparent reason. But the effort is apparently worth it, as the grapes produce wines of serious power, colour and flavour. Spain grows the lion's share of this grape.

Grenache
This is considered a workhorse of a grape which is used a lot for blending. The wines it produces are fruity, spicy quaffable reds and pinks. In fact, Bartier is considering the variety for a rose. Grown in Spain, California and other warm-weather regions, it is late ripening and favours arid, hot climates.

Roussanne
This white Rhône grapes is often blended with Marsanne and such a blend has already been made in the Okanagan from valley fruit by Inniskillin, as part of its discovery series. Late-ripening for a white, it features a rather distinctive herbal, floral tea character and relatively high acid. In the southern Rhône, it is only one of four grape varieties permitted in white Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Marsanne
In the Rhône, Marsanne is the most widely planted white wine grape in the Hermitage AOC where it is a component of the white Hermitage wines in a blend with Roussanne. On its own it can produce deeply-colored, full-bodied white wines with distinctive floral and nutty aromas.

Carmenere
This is a recently revitalized European variety that was one of the original six grapes of Bordeaux. Now with of its plantings in Chile, it has found its way into the Okanagan by way of Black Hills winery. It produces wines that are intensely crimson in colour - in fact, that is where it gets its name - with characteristics of red berries and spices.

Zinfandel
Despite its association with the sweet, sickly, low acid white Zins of the 80s and early 90s, Zinfandel is a red grape capable of producing wines of impressive power. It's a very late-ripening variety, yet several Okanagan wineries have been growing and producing stunning versions for several years.

The Allure of Sexy Labels

2008-09-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

Q. Hi… I was wondering if you could give your insight on the sexiest wine labels in B.C. I see there's quite the difference in marketing in Canada compared to the U.S. and was wondering what sells your spirits there...
- Stacy

A. People taste with their eyes almost as much as they do with their palate. Certainly if you haven’t had the opportunity to try a particular wine, what is it about it that will inevitably compel you to part with your money? The label, of course.

Sexy packaging has become as big here in B.C., as it has everywhere else…perhaps even more so. That’s because local wines not only have to compete amongst themselves, but with everything else on the marketplace – namely wines from the Australia, California, France, Italy, New Zealand and so forth. While, B.C. consumers do embrace local product, there is an underlying cynicism toward anything domestic – particularly when it comes to wine. Thus the label must grab them, otherwise B.C. bottles will get lost in the sea of choices.

A pretty label goes a long way toward attracting the buyer’s attention, but so does the name. If you need confirmed examples of this, look no further than the struggling local wineries that have gone on to success following a simple name change. With monikers like Prpich and Scherzinger, the proprietors of these two wineries couldn’t give their products away.

But once their names changed to Blasted Church and Dirty Laundry respectively, the bottles just flew off the shelf. Add to that the fact that they introduced some rather imaginative packaging and a great story – Dirty Laundry with a past association with a brothel and Blasted Church and its whimsical Tim Burton-esque labels – and there was instant success.

Wineries I consider to have sexy marketing are:

Laughing Stock – Proprietors David and Cynthia Enns hail from the financial world and used their background for a clever play on words. The packaging features a ticker tape etching wrapping around the bottle.

Howling Bluff – The label features a simple, but charming caricature of a wolf baying.

Road 13 – The new name of the winery formerly know as Golden Mile Cellars, it is named for the road on which it sits and the label is a simple, but eye-catching graphic featuring a black silhouette of a tractor and dog and the name written boldly in red.

See Ya Later Ranch – Formerly Hawthorne, the marketing features anecdotes of the former ranch property owner who was passionate about his dogs. The wines are named for the late pets and many feature angelic depictions of them.
Sandhill – Wines from the Small Lots program are bottled in dark vessels with simple, but elegant etching on them.

Therapy Vineyards – Let’s just say they do Freud proud.

Shipping Wines: No More Mr. Nice Guy

2008-09-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

Several weeks ago I received a question about with shipping wines across provincial borders. The reader who wrote wanted to know how relatives from Saskatchewan to the Okanagan Valley in B.C. could bring back or ship wines home.

I said that although cross-border shipping is supposed to be prohibited, many people do it without consequence. In fact, a large portion of B.C. wineries offer the service, as evidenced by this comment from a reader of my blog:

“Last year I had 19 cases of wine shipped by various B.C. wineries to my residence in Manitoba…Every bottle arrived in perfect condition. We visited dozens of wineries and not once was it suggested this was not possible or was illegal, in fact shipping was a regular service offered. – LW”

Call it incredible timing but suddenly liquor boards, including the one in B.C., are cautioning wineries of a crackdown on this practice. It started with Red Rooster winery on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan, which received a stern warning by the Manitoba Liquor Commission for shipping wines directly to consumers in that province. Andrew Peller Limited, which owns the winery, as well as Sandhill and Calona, responded by ordering all its B.C. operations to cease filling out-of-province orders.

Now, many wineries are getting cold feet about what consequences they'll face.

At issue is liquor sales tax collection. All boards add a mark-up to booze entering the province and thus wineries shipping directly to buyers are viewed as tax evaders.

The ones who suffer, of course, are the out-of-province consumers. There has been a push for sometime to lift this archaic law, at least for homegrown wine producers. Indeed, if wineries from B.C. can’t ship directly to customers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Quebec, for example, it’s likely residents there will have to opt for mostly imports since their liquor boards don’t carry much domestic product.

Don’t expect the situation to change anytime soon. Governments are greedy when it comes to liquor and taxes, and the wheels of progress turn very slowly in this country.

Wine Q&A: Headache in a Bottle

2008-09-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

When wine causes physical grief for rather than the obvious, it can impede its appreciation. Indeed, the so-called “red wine headache” appears to plague a disproportionate amount of people. But what causes it? It might not be what you think.

Q: Just about every time I drink red wine, I wake up with a splitting headache and its not because I’ve over indulged. In fact, sometimes the headache starts after just half a glass. It starts in my sinus and spreads behind my eyes. I love red wine, but I suspect I am allergic to sulfites. Can you recommend any organic reds?
- Alison

A: There are two misconceptions here. First of all, if the headaches are a result of drinking red wine only, sulfites are not likely to be the culprit. Second, organic wines are not necessarily sulfite-free. Sulfites occur naturally in virtually all wines as a by-product of fermentation, so there is little chance of getting around them. Sulfites are also added to varying degrees by many winemakers, including those producing organic wines, to prevent bacterial growth and oxidation. White wines, particularly sweeter one, usually have a higher percentage of sulfite than reds. I’d also like to add that according to the American Food and Drug Administration, only about one per cent of the population suffers from sulfite allergies, the majority being asthmatics. And breathing problems, not headaches, are the more typical reaction to sulfites.

Tannins are also often to blame for red wine headaches and that is indeed a possibility. Lab studies have shown they provoke blood platelets into releasing serotonin, and high serotonin levels can cause headaches.

Another possible cause are histamines, which are naturally found on grape skins. Since the skins are required to steep in the fruit juice to extract the colour we all love in red wines, they will contain about 20-200 times more histamines than white. The deeper the colour, the higher the histamine level is likely to be. Even if you don’t suffer from allergies as a rule, they may cause you some grief. I attended a tasting of big Australian reds some years ago and virtually everyone on the panel was stuffed up afterwards – we all suspected histamines to be to blame.

Try drinking some lighter-coloured reds that are unoaked, such as Beaujolais Nouveau (released every year on the third Thursday in November). If you still are suffering, you may have to switch to white.

I have a friend who takes a mild, non-drowsy anti-histamine before she drinks red wine. But before you mix any drug with alcohol, consult your doctor.

Wine When Cheap Is How You Feel...

2008-09-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

One of the very first bottles that whet my appetite for wine was a German Riesling called Blue Nun.

I was attracted to it first by its appealing packaging – a tall sleek, iridescent cerulean glass bottle adorned with a virginal, establishment symbol. In my youthful, defiant eyes it was an amusing metaphor for everything I struggled against.

I bought it as a lark for a university dorm party, but I instantly loved its soft, off-dry style. Equally as important was its price. For a financially-strapped student, dollars always had to be factored into the equation – I could hardly justify blowing my book budget on a Chateau Latour, no matter how much I was into wine.

Blue Nun became a regular staple in my dorm room. Though there were a few other wines I indulged in, I frequently returned to this tried and true favourite. After graduation, I continued to buy and serve it at parties and dinners as I struggled to find my financial footing throughout the 80s.

My tastes and interests changed, my pocketbook expanded and the wine became a decidedly retro symbol in my eyes. I haven’t poured or tasted a drop of of it in close to 20 years. But Blue Nun certainly represented good value back in the day.

And apparently it still does.

The 2007 German Riesling was among 29 wines chosen as category champions in Wine Access Magazine’s 2008 International Value Wine Awards. At just $10.99 a bottle in B.C. liquor stores, it was tops in the Riesling category following a blind tasting earlier this summer by a panel of esteemed judges.

The Value Wine Awards are held annually by the magazine to reveal some of the best wine buys available in Canada for under $25.

“The results are simply some of the best information available to wine drinkers in the country who appreciate well-made wine, but do not want to spend a fortune to taste it,” said Wine Access editor-in-chief Anthony Gismondi.

In the sea of wines that now top $50, $75, $100, even $500 a bottle, this is an important competition that truly appeals to the average wine drinker.

What is interesting about the results is the overall regional breakdown. Among the top category winners were four from California, three from Spain, three from Chile, two from Germany, two from Argentina, one from South Africa, one from Italy, one from Portugal, one from New Zealand, and one from France.

And surprisingly perhaps to many, eight wines were from British Columbia. You do the math.

B.C. producers take a lot of heat for “overpricing” their wine. In fact, it’s the most common gripe I hear from readers. How can you explain that almost a third of the top wines in a blind competition that included hundreds of international wines of great value comes from our own soil?

I have my own thoughts, but I’ll let you stew on it for a while.

On to the local results:

* Therapy Vineyards, located on the Naramata Bench, was champs in two categories – taking the top spots with the 2007 Pinot Gris ($24) and 2007 Artist Viognier ($23) for those respective varietals.

* There was a tie between two B.C. producers in the Merlot category – Inniskillin Okanagan’s 2005 Merlot Reserve and Sumac Ridge’s 2005 Private Reserve Merlot both wowed the judges and pleased them with their prices.

* Another local tie for a best-of spot prevailed in the Aromatic Blends category between Joie’s 2007 A Noble Blend ($21.40) and Mission Hill brand Rigamarole 2007 White ($16).

* Despite the fact that Austrialian Shirazes are often considered cheap and cheerful, it was also an Okanagan wine that took the Shiraz/Syrah category. That honour went to Jackson-Triggs 2006 Proprietor’s Reserve Shiraz ($18).

* Rounding out the local success stories was Wild Goose, which won the top spot in the Rosé category with its 2007 Blanc de Noirs ($19).

These wines were in good company, winning alongside wine giants known for producing excellent value wines such as J. Lohr of California and Finca Los Primos of Argentina.
Here’s the complete list of category winners. I’ve included prices for those of which I found a listing in B.C.:

CHARDONNAY (No oak)
Leaping Horse 2007 Chardonnay, CaliforniaSANGIOVESE
Altesino 2005 Rosso di Toscana, Altimo, Tuscany, Italy ($21)

RED BLENDS — OLD WORLD
Torres 2003 Gran Sangre de Toro Reserva, Cataluña, Spain

RED BLENDS – NEW WORLD
Graham Beck 2006 Shiraz Viognier, Robertson, Breede River Valley, South Africa (tie)

Tin Roof Cellars 2005 Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast, California (tie)

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
J. Lohr 2006 Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California ($22)

SAUVIGNON BLANC
Arboleda 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Valley, Region de Aconcagua, Chile

TEMPRANILLO
Campo Viejo 2004 Reserva, Rioja, Spain

PINOT GRIS/GRIGIO
Therapy Vineyards 2007 Pinot Gris, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley ($24)

RIESLING
Blue Nun 2007 Riesling, Rheinhessen, Germany ($11)

MERLOT
Inniskillin Okanagan 2005 Merlot Reserve, Okanagan Valley (tie) ($18)

Sumac Ridge 2005 Private Reserve Merlot, Okanagan Valley (tie) ($17)

AFTER DINNER
Taylor Fladgate 2002 Late Bottled Vintage Port, Douro Valley, Portugal ($25)

WHITE – SINGLE VARIETIES
Torres 2006 Viña Sol, Catalunya, Spain

PINOT NOIR
Casas del Bosque 2006 Pinot Noir Reserve, Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile ($23.30)

SPARKLING
Soljans Estate N/V Fusion Sparkling Muscat, Gisborne, North Island, New Zealand

RED SINGLE VARIETIES
Castillo de Monséran 2006 Garnacha, Cariñena, Spain (tie) ($11)Illuminati 2006 Riparosso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy (tie) ($18)

ROSÉ
Wild Goose 2007 Blanc de Noirs, Okanagan Valley ($19)

SHIRAZ/SYRAH
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan 2006 Proprietors’ Reserve Shiraz ($18)

WHITE BLENDS
Maison Chapoutier 2006 Belleruche Blanc, Southern Rhône Valley, France

CARMENÈRE
Arboleda 2006 Carmenère, Valle del Colchagua, Valle del Rapel, Chile

CHARDONNAY (Oaked)
Rodney Strong 2006 Chardonnay, Sonoma County, California ($23)

MALBEC
Viniterra 2005 Malbec, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina (tie) Finca Los Primos 2007 Malbec, San Rafael, General Alvear, Mendoza, Argentina (tie) ($10)

VIOGNIER
Therapy Vineyards 2007 Artist Viognier, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley ($23)

AROMATIC – BLENDS
Joie 2007 A Noble Blend, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (tie) ($21.40)
Rigamarole 2007 White, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (tie) ($16)

AROMATIC – SINGLE VARIETIES
Bürgerspital 2007 Scheurebe Würzburger Stein-Harfe, Franken, Germany

When I see results like these I’m always curious as to what people are willing to cough up for a bottle of wine. Indeed, there’s a profound difference of option between individuals who won’t spend anything over $12 and those who think a well-made wine under $25 spells good value. This contest speaks to the latter, though truly frugal enthusiasts will find some picks among the winners in their price range.

I’d like to know the average you spend on a bottle of wine - take my price poll.

Here are the results from the previous poll:

What percentage of the wine you consume is from B.C.?
* 13 per cent of respondents said they only drink B.C. wine
* 56 per cent indicated that B.C. wines make up more than half of their total wine consumption
* Only four per cent of respondents indicated they’re B.C. wines make up for less than 10 per of their consumption
* All respondents indicated they drink at least some B.C. wine

Wine Notes

These are my notes on three of the local Value Wine Award winners:

95-100 Sets the bar.
90-94 Outstanding, has wow factor.
80-89 Good to very good.
70-79 Average, may have minor flaws.
60-69 Drinkable, but not recommended.
00-59 Undrinkable.

Rigamarole 2007 White

Appearance: Clear straw colour

Aromas: Green apple, floral, peach skin, spice, lemon, touch of mineral

Flavours: Apple and peach skin, spice, grapefruit, mineral

Body and Finish: Clean entry with light crisp palate, sweet and sour finish

Overall Impression: Simple, drinkable, fresh style with just the right amount of residual sugar
Cellaring Potential: Drink now

Would I Buy It?: Yes

Score: 86

Price: $16

Availability: VQA shops, BC LDB, private retailers

Inniskillin 2005 Merlot Reserve

Appearance: Dark, black cherry hue

Aromas: Black cherry, chocolate, vanilla, pepper, menthol, plum, dillweed

Flavours: Black fruits, vanilla, mocha, pepper, spice, herbaceous

Body and Finish: Rich fruit entry, nice mid-palate weight, slightly hot, extended finish.
Overall Impression: A quaffable red at a quaffable price, lots going for it.
Cellaring Potential: Drink now through 2010

Would I Buy It?: Yes

Score: 88

Price: $18

Availability: VQA shops, BC LDB, private retailers

Sumac Ridge 2005 Merlot

Appearance: Deep, dark berry tones
Aromas: Blackberry jam, black plum, toast, floral, dark vanilla, spice, cedar, touch of smoke
Flavours: Jammy dark fruit, baked pie crust, savoury hints, spice, smoke, chocolate, vanilla
Body and Finish: Super ripe and concentrated entry, soft mellow tannins, smooth easy finish.

Overall Impression: One of my favourite quaffers – what more can I say?

Cellaring Potential: Drink now and over the next few years

Would I Buy It?: I do

Score: 89

Price: $17

Availability: BC LDBs, VQA shops, private retailers

Wine By The Numbers

2008-09-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

The proprietors of my favourite watering hole aren’t exactly wine connoisseurs. Indeed, their inventory of wine is limited to just four bottles – two that are drinkable, two which I can only describe as “challenged.” Obviously, I go there for the company.

Recently, I noticed they’d posted a tasting note on their chalkboard for one of the lesser wines in their repertoire:

“The ripe, plum-strawberry fruit is immediately inviting in this hulking whopper. Then it opens up unexpectedly like a linebacker with degrees in literature and art history, offering up stimulating layers of lavender, provençal herbs, licorice and an elegant, mineral-laced finish. Brawny but complex.”

The description was not of their own hand, but rather ripped from the pages of a national newspaper, which publishes a regular wine column. It was a lark, with the patrons and proprietors poking fun at the prose used by the author.

I laughed right along with them. But as a writer myself of such things, the ribbing struck a cord. While the linebacker-slash-scholar analogy was arguably clever, what purpose did it serve other than providing a source of amusement?

I confront this question a lot because I see this sort of thing creeping into tasting notes more and more. As writers, there’s an ongoing temptation to get fancy with our words whenever we put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard, as it were. But when it comes to wine critiquing, at what point does imaginative prose simply become superfluous?

Superfluous is precisely the word one reader used to describe my original tasting notes, which featured a five-star rating system:

“I look forward to your column each week, particularly your recommendations on wines as my wife and I are always looking for new and great wines to drink,” wrote Steve K. “I’m just not that impressed with the way you rate the wines. First of all, the definitions you provide for the one-to-five star levels are amusing, but they’re superfluous and don’t really tell me much.”

In fact, according to Steve my entire system of rating wines was fundamentally flawed: “If I were to take the five-star system literally it would mean that a four-star wine is 20 per cent better than a three-star wine. I know that is probably not what you intended. But the 20-point differential is pretty broad, wouldn’t you say?”

Touché.

When I received that letter, I hadn't been happy with the way I critiqued wines for some time. But I struggled to come up with a superior format. After much research and plenty of soul-searching, I implemented a new system a few months ago.

Since I have an entire column in which I can flex my dubious creative writing skills, I decided that wine tasting notes should be utilitarian and provide the information I believe wine enthusiasts are looking for when they read them. And if the queries I get from readers are any indication, consumers want to know the following:

How does it taste?
What does it cost?
Where can they find it?
How does it rank?

In this no-frills format, I hoped to provide all this information along with a few notes on the appearance, body and finish, my overall impression of the wine and its cellar-ability.

The ranking system was a trickier issue. I agreed that the five-star system wasn’t working and that too many wines were falling into the 3½- to four-star range. But until now, I resisted switching to the more popular 20- and 100-point scales, as used by Jancis Robinson and Robert Parker respectively.

I have finally opted for the 100-point system, but with some personal tweaking. This is how it works:

Each wine will be awarded a certain number of points in six key categories:
Appearance – 5 points
Appropriate colour, clarity, brilliance vs. off colours, cloudiness or dullness
Aroma – 25 points
Intensity, complexity, many detectable and appropriate aromas vs. little or no aromas, off smells
Taste – 25 points
Several flavours detected, well-balanced sweetness, tannins, acidity, oak vs. few flavours, lack of balance (overly sweet, acidic, bitter, oaky, tannic)
Body – 15 points
Excellent texture and weight feel in the mouth vs. too little structure, too weighty.
Finish – 15 points
Flavours linger, smooth and rich or clean and crisp aftertaste (depending on the wine) vs. taste and flavours end abruptly, little or no aftertaste.
Overall Impression – 15 points
Is the wine multi-layered as opposed to one-dimensional? Is it pleasant to drink? Does it have that wow factor?

Appearance gets the least amount of points as it has lesser importance is there is very little room for error. Any form of cloudiness is undesirable and will likely indicate a wine with flaws in other areas. However, unfiltered wines should not be penalized for sediment or wine diamonds – but the should be otherwise clear. As for colour, reds tend to fade and lighten in hue as they age, while whites deepen and darken and should be assessed accordingly. A young red wine that has brown or brick tones has likely prematurely aged, for example. A wine may lose a point or two if they are exceedingly light in colour when they should be more concentrated, but otherwise unflawed. Appearance is perhaps most important when it comes to sparkling wines, where the mousse and bubble size is assessed.

Aroma and taste are the two most important considerations in wine assessment and thus are awarded the most points. Consideration in these categories is given to the variety and blend as well as production practices as certain characteristics can expected from certain grapes and winemaking styles. I.e. aromas reminiscent of “cat’s pee” is considered desirable in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but would not be highly sought after in Pinot Noir. Wines that have more complexity in aromas and flavours tend to be superior. Balance is key in taste particularly where residual sugar, oak use and tannin structure are concerned. For example, Icewine may have pack a punch on the sweetness scale, but high levels of acidity temper the impact of the residual making these wines appear far less sweet than one would imagine. Meanwhile, oak-aged wines suffer if woody, smoky characteristics overpower the fruit flavours.

Body and finish each receive 15 points and again assessment will vary depending on the variety/varieties and styles. Certain Chardonnays can have a creamy, almost round texture not unlike milk. Some wines intended for aging may have a slightly drying finish from the tannins that should not be penalized unless overdone. A lingering finish is desirable in all wines, but more so with fuller bodied reds. Highly alcoholic wines can burn on the finish, which can be unpleasant if overdone.

Overall impression is the most subjective of the six categories but provides me the opportunity to award wines up to 15 points depending on whether they seem to have all the ingredients but are still lacking something or have bring the wow factor to the glass.

Now when the are all added up, what do the numbers mean?

95-100 Set the bar.
90-94 Outstanding, superior character and style.
80-89 Good to very good.
70-79 Average, may have minor flaws.
60-69 Drinkable, but not recommended.
50-59 Undrinkable, not recommended.

I would appreciate your feedback on whether this new critiquing system works for you as I am willing to tweak it further. Send me your comments and any suggestions.

Nk’Mp 2005 Merlot
Appearance: Brillant cherry red colour and good clarity
Aromas: Black currants, dried cherries, vanilla, chocolate, cloves, herbs.
Smells: Dark berries, cocoa, leather, roasted vegetables, herbs, spice.
Body and Finish: Good mid-palate weight, above average length, moderately tannic, slightly alcoholic and peppery
Overall Impression: An earthy rather than fruit-forward merlot with a bit of a bite. Good value.
Would I Buy It? Yes, to pair with a juicy, medium-rare steak. No, to drink on its own. Maybe, to cellar
Cellaring Potential: Age 2-5 years
Score: 88/100
Price: $20
Availability: BC LDB, VQA shops, private retailers

Quinta Ferreira 2005 Merlot
Appearance: Deep concentrated cherry/berry hues
Aromas: Cherries, violets, chocolate, vanilla, cloves, cinnamon
Flavours: Spiced cherries, chocolate, vanilla, pepper
Body and Finish: Luscious and velvety, weighty mouthfeel, fine tannins leave a lingering smooth finish.
Overall Impression: A real treat of a wine. Deliciously fruity and concentrated with a balanced use of oak that is easy to drink now.
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Age 2-5 years
Score: 89/100
Price: $25
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Van Westen 2006 Viognier
Appearance: Pale golden hues, bright clarity
Aromas: Peaches, melons, pineapple, honey, orange blossoms, lemon, allspice
Flavours: Pineapple, peaches, pears, citrus, honey, mineral
Body and Finish: Sweet tasting on the entry, but there’s a pleasing mineral and citrus tang that cleanses and lingers.
Overall Impression: A lovely, well-balanced, fruit-driven wine with loads of character.
Would I Buy It? Absolutely
Cellaring Potential: Drink it now
Score: 90/100
Price: $25
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Creature Comforts

2008-09-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

What is it with the wine world and its obsession with the animal kingdom? It seems every time I turn around there’s another bottle with a critter on the label – kangaroos, emus, goats and hippopotamuses, just to name a few.

Virtually every region around the world has a raft of these wines and in B.C. we are equal opportunists. Here you’ll find labels decorated with baying coyotes; angelic canines; barrel-rolling rodents and endangered birds; and even, hooved herbivores native to Africa.

Browsing the wine aisle at your the liquor store isn’t just shopping, it’s a trip to the zoo.

Many of the wineries are named for a particular animal and thus their use on the label is obvious. That African herbivore depicts Antelope Ridge winery in Oliver, while that endangered bird belongs to Burrowing Owl.

Other name brands have a more subtle association with beasts on their bottles. For example, Australia’s phenomenally successful Yellow Tail line features a bounding golden-hued wallaby. The French Fat Bastard series is graced with a portly hippo. Locally, Howling Bluff in Naramata is depicted by that baying coyote I mentioned earlier. And those barrel-rolling mice belong to Church and State’s Church Mouse line.

Other brands don’t provide any obvious clues as to why a creature was trotted out for their label. No, for that you have to dig a little deeper. Take for example, the curious winged and haloed dog on the bottles of See Ya Later Ranch wines. It actually depicts the beloved canines of Maj. Hugh Fraser, the first inhabitant of the ranch-turned-vineyard where the dogs are now buried.

Why wineries choose to market their products with an animal sometimes has a great story behind it like See Ya Later Ranch or is perfectly random. It may be that the creatures are commonly found in the area such as in cases of Blue Heron Winery in Pitt Meadows, Black Widow Winery in Naramata or Quails’ Gate in Westbank.

It gets harder to figure out the story behind the brand when the beasts are not considered to be native such as with Antelope Ridge – although there is an indigenous plant called Antelope Brush – or Elephant Island Winery, which is located neither on an island nor in an area where elephants roam.

Actually, there is logic behind the madness of the latter’s name. When the Naramata property was acquired by the family’s matriarch, “Grandmother Catherine,” her husband “Grandfather Poppy” dubbed it a “white elephant.” Later, Grandfather Poppy began referring to the property as Grandmother Catherine’s “eye-land.”

Whatever the reasons for putting them there, having a pig, a penguin, a panda or any other beast on your bottle gives you a marketing edge.

That’s because sales of new wines with an animal theme outperform all other new table wines by more than two to one, according to the marketing information company ACNielsen.

"While placing a critter on a label doesn't guarantee success, it is important that winemakers realize that there is a segment of consumers who don't want to have to take wine too seriously," said Danny Brager, a vice president with ACNielsen.

"Not only are they (consumers) willing to have fun with wine, they may just feel 'good' about an animal label presentation."

Brager attributed this trend to Yellow Tail, which he said "was a spectacular success."

"And I think it taught the industry a lesson: You don't need to get bogged down into the details of wine pretension or snootiness to be a success, if you have the right product."

But with the stable of beastly beverages growing, it may not be enough to slap the image of a bird on a label and be done with it. Vintners are having to be a bit more creative with the theme to keep their edge.

For example, Les Grands Chais de France, a company responsible for a fifth of French wine exports, has a product range with each bottle containing cartoon images of a different farmyard animal; indicating to consumers what meat they should drink the wine with.

In a variation of the theme, a South African winery opened under the name Goats do Roam, which is a critter spin on the fabulously high-brow wine region, Côtes du Rhône.

Meanwhile, in B.C., Burrowing Owl does more than just feature the creature that dwells in the nearby desert landscape. It has taken a conservation stance by helping to raise awareness of the area’s fragile eco-system and by donating proceeds collected toward the preservation and reintroduction of this little bird.

And See Ya Later Ranch holds a dog-friendly, family-fun day at the winery each year during the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, raising funds for the SPCA – Maj. Fraser was actually the first president of the Penticton branch.

Wine Notes

95-100 Sets the bar.
90-94 Outstanding, has wow factor.
80-89 Good to very good.
70-79 Average, may have minor flaws.
60-69 Drinkable, but not recommended.
00-59 Undrinkable.

Burrowing Owl 2005 Meritage
Appearance: Rich, black inky colour
Aromas: Cassis, coffee, dark vanilla, earth, chocolate, plum, pepper, clove and leather
Flavours: Smoky, cassis, pepper, olive, vanilla, mocha, cloves and coffee
Body and Finish: Warm, silky entry with good weight on the palate, dry, slightly hot but extended finish
Overall Impression: Well made, stylish and balanced wine that needs a couple years to soften up.
Would I Buy It? Yes, to cellar
Cellaring Potential: Age 2-8 years
Score: 90/100
Price: $45
Availability: Direct from winery, private retailers

Church and State 2005 Church Mouse Merlot
Appearance: Brilliant ruby red colour
Aromas: Black cherry, plums, vanilla, chocolate, herbal, leather, spice
Flavours: Sour cherry, mocha, herbal, pepper, vanilla and earth
Body and Finish: Medium weight and texture, fine tannins, slightly hot but long finish.
Overall Impression: Packs a wallop for this price point, good choice for a hearty spaghetti and meat sauce dinner
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drinkable now, age up to 4 years
Score: 88/100
Price: $20
Availability: BC LDB, VQA shops, private retailers

See Ya Later Ranch 2006 Jimmy My Pal
Appearance: Straw colour with golden hues
Aromas: Apple, honey, vanilla, citrus rind, touch of butter
Flavours: Baked apple, lemon, apple skin, vanilla, orange peel
Body and Finish: Slightly sweet entry with a bit of roundness on the mid-palate, clean finish, average length
Overall Impression: This blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris has some oak aging, but it is simple, clean and straightforward. Great value though
Would I Buy It? At this price point? Yes, to drink ice-cold on the patio
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 86/100
Price: $15
Availability: BC LDB, VQA shops, private retailers

Is Taste Trainable?

2008-09-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

Five years ago, almost to the day, a familiar name from days long past popped up in my email inbox. It was from an old college buddy who “googled” me during a sudden quest to reconnect with some forgotten pals.

His web search uncovered my connection with all things wine and he gushed about his own recent, but enthusiastic foray into the vinous world. He asked me to recommend some wines, without revealing what styles he preferred.

“Hmmm, let me guess,” I replied, “You’re into big, full-bodied Australian Shirazes.”

“My god, that’s amazing,” he exclaimed. “How did you know?”

Lucky guess. Well, actually, not so lucky. I took a cue from the fact that the majority of new wine enthusiasts at that time were cutting their teeth on these bottles and were seduced by their affordability and bold, easy-drinking properties. I know my audience.

After revealing my powers of deduction, I explained that if he pursued his interest in wine, his tastes would become more sophisticated. I predicted that in five years time, he’d be asking me for recommendations on Pinot Noirs.

But now I’m not so sure.

As a fledgling wine enthusiast, I was always assured by the experts that my palate was trainable. They said that it was natural to start out liking certain wines and detesting others, but that over time – and after many, many bottles – I would very likely begin to revere what had turned me off up about some wines. Like oysters, scotch and Cuban cigars – the more challenging aspects of wine were believed to be “acquired taste.”

I’ve repeated this same theory in my classes and my columns, soothing harried beginners who are inclined to spit out their first sip of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. But new research is suggesting that taste isn’t necessarily as acquirable as we thought it to be.

Now I have always argued that taste is subjective – even at the risk of rendering myself and my wine recommendations redundant. But I have always believed that this subjectivity was rooted in personal preference.

Yet according to Tim Hanni, a California wine consultant and researcher, wine consumers will often have physiological differences in their tongues that will cause the same wines to taste different to each of them, regardless of their level of knowledge.

For example, at a tasting last month in Washington, DC, he presented 11 wines to two individuals with similar vinous experience. Tom Natan, a DC-based importer and retailer, identified a full-bodied, fruity Tuscan red as his favourite wine in the group. Adam Manson, a wine bar owner, hated it.

To Natan, the wine was big, juicy and luscious. Manson thought the same wine’s characteristics were overwhelming, even bitter.

After watching them taste and examining their tongues, Hanni determined that Natan was a “tolerant” taster – having fewer taste buds overall, which helped explain his preference for ripe, concentrated wines. Manso was dubbed a “sensitive” taster, with more taste buds and thus liked more balanced wines without strong tannins or high alcohol.

One might think that having more taste buds would be desirable in an enthusiast or a critic, the opposite is actually true, as they’ll intensive the bad components as well as the good, such as the bitterness in tannins.

Hanni can’t scrutinize everyone’s tongue to determine what kind of taster they are, so he developed a computerized palate assessment tool based on his research. It is called the Budometer and asks consumers a series of questions. Depending on the answers, they can be classified as a Tolerant, Sensitive, Hyper-Sensitive or Sweet taster. You can try the online version at http://www.budometer.com/.

I thought the name alone was absurd and questions simplistic – asking testers things like if they take cream in their coffee and prefer pale or dark beer. Turns out I’m a “tolerant” taster – meaning I like intense wines with plenty of oak and power. That doesn’t surprise me in the least, but the assessment isn’t terribly scientific, in my opinion.

Yet, Hanni’s work is being taken with real seriousness, warranting section front articles in the Washington Post and San Fransisco Chronicle, plus furious discussion in wine forums and chat rooms.

On Wine Spectator’s popular discussion forum – where posters routinely discuss things like Bordeaux futures and wines rated 90 or higher by Robert Parker – regular blogger “Indybob” was the first to weigh in on the subject. “In using this logic, it makes sense why I don't ‘get’ Pinot Noir at all.” A “sensitive” taster, he covets wines that are rich, smooth and well-balanced – attributes not often associated with Pinots, particularly youthful ones.

While “Ozarks21” shared my skepticism on the accuracy of the test, he concurred it had merit. “I think there may be something to this. I took the overly simplified budometer test and it aligned about where I am. It explains my love of ‘over-oaked’ wines, my difficulty in finding whites I am crazy about, and why I don't get rose. I would like to see this further refined and a large number of wines cataloged based on this criteria.”

“I tested out as hyper-sensitive,” replied Purple Teeth. “The test appears to have at least some validity, as it nailed my wine preferences.”

Those that would appeal to Purple Teeth are delicately balanced wines with finesse and reasonably lower alcohol, such a unoaked Chardonnay, dry or off-dry Rieslings, lighter Italian and Spanish reds.

For the most part, though, the people who remarked on the test were enthusiasts already comfortable and secure in their knowledge of wine and found the Budometer an “amusing novelty” at best. Where they thought it might be useful is for beginners who have difficulty trusting their own palates and tend to rely on the recommendations of others – particularly writers and critics.

Some thought it might also serve as a marketing tool aimed at wine drinkers who have a low tolerance for high intensity wines.

“I was thinking this could be to wine what hot, medium and mild is to salsa. Not really telling me what grapes I like, but a type of intensity gauge,” suggested Spo. “I moan and cry about bitter wines all the time. I would love to see bottles with a little sticker that says ‘sensitive taster approved.’

“No matter how much you know, there will always be a bottle out there you know nothing about,” he added.

Which is precisely why people like Hanni and writers like myself keep trying to make it easier on you.

Wine Notes

95-100 Sets the bar.
90-94 Outstanding, has wow factor.
80-89 Good to very good.
70-79 Average, may have minor flaws.
60-69 Drinkable, but not recommended.
00-59 Undrinkable.

CedarCreek 2007 Dry Riesling
Appearance: Pale golden colour with crystal clarity
Aromas: Green apple, mineral, mango, peach, honey
Flavours: Orange, green apple, mineral, tropical fruits, peach
Body and Finish: Crisp but luscious fruit bomb of an entry, nice acidity on the mid-palate with an extended lemony finish.
Overall Impression: Delicious, racy Riesling for those who love all those aromatics but want a drier package
Would I Buy It? Definitely.
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 90/100
Price: $18.10
Availability: BCLDB, VQA shops, private retailers

Joie 2007 Rose
Appearance: Brilliant salmon hue with twinkling light reflection
Aromas: Strawberry extract, cranberry, citrus peel, rhubarb, mineral
Flavours: Bright berries, sour cherry, pink grapefruit, mineral, citrus
Body and Finish: Slightly off-dry entry is at once crisp on the palate with lovely fruit extraction, racy, palate cleansing finish.
Overall Impression: This blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris is drier than roses of previous years, but there’s plenty of fruit and fresh acidity to be a patio pleaser all summer long
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 89/100
Price: $18.90
Availability: Restaurants, private retailers

Van Westen 2005 Voluptuous
Appearance: Inky rich black cherry colour – no murkiness
Aromas: Blackberry, plum, blueberry, chocolate, black pepper, tobacco, herbaceous
Flavours: Ripe black fruits, mocha, pepper, herbaceous, spice
Body and Finish: Dark and luscious on the entry with some dustiness on the palate and grippy tannins. Extended, slightly hot finish.
Overall Impression: A blend of 67 per cent Merlot with the balance Cabernet Franc, it’s a big youthful wine with loads of potential.
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Keep your paws off it for at least two years
Score: 89/100
Price: $30
Availability: Restaurants, private retailers

Wine On Demand

2008-09-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

While shopping for new appliances for our kitchen renovation, I was seduced by the new built-in coffeemakers on the market. They are sleek and stylish, designed to blend into your cabinetry without taking up valuable real estate on your countertop. They can be plumbed in with water and hold a generous amount of beans or pods, promising a fresh, hot cup of coffee, espresso or cappuccino in seconds at the press of a button.

Coffee preparation has always been a bit of a bone of contention in our household, often culminating in a lively game of “paper, rocks, scissors” to determine who will be forced out of the warm bed to make the morning’s life-giving pot. Granted, the machine we currently have came equipped with a timer, so just 45 seconds of prep in the p.m., and we’d be blissfully roused by the delicious aroma of coffee percolating in the a.m. Whether we are shamefully lazy or simply forgetful, we rarely do it and thus the ritual morning stand-off.

The built-in coffee system seemed the perfect way to resolve the impasse, dispensing coffee on demand, without the fuss. But at $2,500-plus for even the most basic unit, we decided to stick to our current system and suck it up. At the time I thought a system that dispenses wine might be worth the investment.

Careful what you wish for. A couple months later, I stopped into The Rotten Grape wine bar in Kelowna and was immediately drawn to a new machine that does just that. It’s a sort of fancy wine-on-tap system called the Enomatic, from which servings of wine from eight bottles are available at the push of a button.

I have seen wine-dispensing systems in the past, but this one – the gadgety name aside – is ingenious. It prevents spoilage by oxidation of open bottles by automatically filling the airspace above the liquid with an inert gas, such as argon or nitrogen. The company claims wines can be kept as fresh as the day they were opened for up to three weeks. The volume amounts of each serving can be pre-set – The Rotten Grape offers them in one-, two- and five-ounce measures – and the spouts are automatically cleaned after each pour. There are also climate-control and serving temperature options.

What’s more, the system can run on a “smart card” which restaurant customers can pre-load with a certain dollar amount and then use at their leisure on a self-serve basis. For me, this is one of the Enomatic’s strongest selling features.

First of all, when we go out as a couple, or as a group, we typically order wine by the bottle because options are far superior. What this usually means is someone has to compromise. While by-the-glass selections are getting better in many higher-end restaurants, I don’t relish the idea of drinking a $10-$15 glass of wine from a bottle that was open a day or two before, sometimes earlier. Most wines have a very short shelf life and while the changes may be subtle, perhaps undetectable, in many instances, you can bet that wine will not be nearly as good on Thursday as it was when it was opened on Tuesday.

The Enomatic also gives restaurants the option of serving samples of wines that would be out of reach for most consumers price-wise if available only by the bottle. For example, The Rotten Grape charges $2 to $7 an ounce for its Enomatic selections, depending on the wine. While that might seem like a lot, its an affordable way to try wines like the St. Francis Winery 1998 Nun’s Canyon Merlot from Sonoma, which is a $100-plus per bottle,

The system also enables consumers to better select wine pairings for each dish, rather than having to drink the same wine throughout the meal, regardless of whether you have seafood as an appetizer and game meat as the main course.

I like the self-serve option of the Enomatic – it’s sleek and state-of-the-art and everyone gets a kick out of pushing buttons and observing cool devices spin and whir as they work. But what I think is best about the system is the kind of automated self-control it gives consumers. By pre-loading your smart card upon arrival, you can set your dollar limit to better suit your budget, eliminating that “sticker shock” when the tab arrives at the end of the night. And perhaps because it was such a unique experience, I observed those customers taking advantage of the system really savouring what was in their glass, rather than gulping it down like it was the first bit of liquid to cross their palates in months.

The Rotten Grape was the first B.C. establishment to install the system – there are about 100 in place across the country. But at $16,000 for the eight-bottle unit (there are models much larger than that), it may take a while for the concept to catch on. Partner Rita Myers admitted it was a substantial investment, but the way it has caught on with customers, she expects it to pay for itself within the year. The system is advantageous in many ways. Restaurateurs can rotate higher-end bottles much faster. There’s little risk of loss due to spoilage and waste due to spillage and pouring too much product, as the measurements are exact.

Enomatic is also trying to tap into the home market by enticing wine enthusiasts to consider a system for their private cellars. Collectors, in particular, wouldn’t need to struggle with opening up prized wines and having to drink them all in one sitting.

For me, it would solve the problem I face of having to open several bottles at once for the multiple tastings I do for my work.

Four-bottle “consumer-friendly” units, sans the smart card software, are available for about $4,000. And while that’s still a big chunk of change, it makes a lot more sense to me than the fancy, schmancy coffee system that was the apple of my eye a few months ago. For more information: http://www.enomatic.ca/

Wine Notes

Pentâge 2005 Merlot
Appearance: Black cherry, ruby hues with fat legsAromas: Sweet Bing cherry, plum, black tea, cedar and mocha
Flavours: Cherry, plum, coffee, dusty chocolate, earth, spice
Body and Finish: Luscious entry with good mid-palate weight, firm tannins and a dry, lingering finish
Overall Impression: An elegant Old-World style of wine with solid structure for aging. Good value
Cellaring Potential: Best left for a couple years, cellar up to eight
Would I Buy It?: Yes
Score: 89
Price: $25
Availability: Winery, private retailers

Mission Hill 2006 S.L.C. Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon
Appearance: Straw tones with golden highlights
Aromas: Pineapple, orange peel, lime, lemon oil, grassy notes with floral, mineral hints
Flavours: Tropical fruit, spice, citrus peel, lemon-lime
Body and Finish: Ripe, rich entry with a weighty mid-palate and lean citrusy finish.
Overall Impression: A rich, but elegant wine with well-balanced intensity and acidity
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Would I Buy It?: Once in a while
Score: 88
Price: $30
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers, BC LDBs

Lake Breeze 2007 Gewurztraminer
Appearance: Crystal clear with pale straw hues
Aromas: Peach, apricot, rosewater, mineral, citrus
Flavours: Bright tree fruit, spice, mineral, lemon-lime
Body and Finish: Sweet entry with nice fruit intensity, clean finish.
Overall Impression: A fruit-forward but well balanced wine ideal when nicely chilled
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Would I Buy It?: Yes
Score: 88
Price: $19
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

If I Had a Million Dollars....

2008-08-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

If you had $5,000 to start a wine cellar, what would you buy?

This may seem like a pie in the sky question – much like the oft asked “what would you do if you won the lottery?” But readers thinking of starting a cellar frequently seek my suggestions on what wines they should stock.

Personally, I’ve never had the good fortune to have five grand in my jeans to spend on a wine shopping spree. But I know of people who have made such deliberate investments in a quest to build a cellar from scratch. One such individual was Robin Mines, a fellow wine critic from Vancouver, who more than an decade ago sunk that amount in a wine collection in a concerted effort to become serious about the subject and educate her palate.

That might seem like a lot of cash to, well, liquidate, but at today’s prices you might be surprised at how stark your racks still look when the money’s spent. A 750 ml bottle of decent Bordeaux will set you back easily $200 – $600-plus is not unheard of – while Italian Barolos range $50-$100.

Do the math. If you spend an average of $30-$50 a bottle – which is modest when you factor in the big guns – you’ll only end up with 100-166 wines. Thus I don’t recommend you simply grab a shopping cart at the local liquor store and fill it willy-nilly, as tempting as that may be.

It would be prudent first to do a little soul searching and researching. First, think about the main purpose you want your cellar to serve. Do you want to buy wines as a investment? Are you planning to age them for extended periods? Or do you simply want a stash of everyday drinkers so you don’t have to make frequent trips to the liquor store?

One blogger on the Wine Spectator online discussion forum asked for wine buying suggestions for long-term cellaring with an eye to spending upwards of $2,500. After fielding recommendations in favour of first-growth Bordeaux and chewy Chateauneuf du Papes, the poster declared that he was not prepared to pay more than $50 for a bottle and that he preferred sweet wines to “leathery, magic marker, tobacco, or nasty flavors.”

A fellow forum member suggested he hadn’t done his homework. “Your description of what kind of wine you like seems at odds with the point of long-term cellaring. Most people buy long-aging wines for cellaring purposes in order to eventually obtain complex and nuanced wines, often with leather, tobacco, earth, graphite, and other such flavors. If you like ripe, lush, fruit-forward wines (and that's perfectly fine if that's what you prefer), there is neither much need nor desirability to cellar wines. For the most part, you're best off buying wines like that within the year or two of when you intend to open them.”

Indeed, not all wine improves with age, a myth I’ve been trying to bust for years.

If this is your first cellar and you are what can be described as a fledgling aficionado then an “all-purpose” collection is your best approach. Suppose your initial target is 100 bottles – then a good breakdown would be 50 red, 30 white and 20 being a mixed lot of rosés, sparklers and other specialty wines (desserts, sherries, ports, maderias etc..). Within this collection, one quarter should be everyday quaffing wines of low to moderate value, another quarter should be ready-to-drink wines of higher quality and value and one half should be a mixed bag of assorted value wines of various age-ability.

On the Wine Spectator forum, one man offered this very sage advice: “Spend your money gradually by buying a wide range of wines from different regions, different grapes, in different styles. Most of your buying at first should be good value wines in the $10-30 range, most of which should be capable of being opened and enjoyed young. Don't try to skip ahead into buying expensive wines and/or wines which you'll need to hold for many years before opening, or you'll end up spending your money on a small number of bottles to stare at for years instead of on trying lots of good wines and learning what you like and don't like (and keeping in mind that what you like and don't like will change significantly over the years).”

If you don’t know what you are doing, don’t leap into the wine-as-an-investment gig or you may end up with substantial losses. It’s a high-stakes game because wine is not only tradable commodity, it’s a perishable food item and most “investment wines” are already outrageously pricey.

When choosing what wines to buy, set goals in the following areas:
* By region, wine category, varietal, color, wine type, quality level and score
* By aging period
* Cost
* Favorite years to target (birth years, anniversaries, etc.)?

Here are some tips on buying wines for your cellar:

Develop a good relationship with one or two local wine retailers and government store product consultants – Besides providing advice and recommendations, if they get to know you they will often contact you when great products come in. Although you will want to pay government store prices wherever possible, some of the rarer, most desirable and unique wines aren’t carried in the provincial liquor stores, thus private retailers are invaluable. A B.C. VQA wine shop is also a good resource and make sure you are on the mailing lists of your favourite local wineries.

Taste before you buy – Learn to trust your own palate and don’t always rely on critic ratings for your wine investments. Be open to experimentation. Don’t just keep buying those tried and true favourites.

Pace your purchases - Your taste preferences will change over time so if you’ve squirreled away a wine nest egg, don't try to spend it all in six months. While you may be tempted to backfill your new cellar with mature vintages and to give it a “full” look you can get hosed. Ideally, you should buy new releases annually and lay them down.

Perform quarterly inventories - While you may scoff at the idea that you might forget a wine, it happens and bottles will sometimes surpass their prime unnoticed and be undrinkable. Also these quarterly check-ups will alert you to areas in which you may be getting low or high – such as having too few white moderately priced drinking wines and too many high end cellar dwellers – so you can adjust your buying habits to suit your consumption rates.

Target cellar size - How much do you consume annually? How much do you entertain? Consider your budget constraints and your current age.

Plan storage requirements - Whether you're installing a home cellar, cave, refrigeration unit, or expect to store your wine at a professional storage facility, figure it out before you invest thousands of dollars in wine. There's no point creating a wine collection if you're can’t store it properly.

Consider insurance - If you amass a collection worth tens of thousands of dollars, the last thing you want is to lose it all in a fire or burglary and not be compensated for it. Many basic homeowners’ policies, however, don’t provide coverage for wine collections of high value so you will want to check with your insurance broker for details of your policy or to acquire additional coverage.

Wine Notes

Noble Ridge Meritage 2004 (0) ***1/2
Heavily weighted on the Merlot with a kick of Cabernet Sauvignon, this two-grape blend has heady aromas of plum, black cherry, vanilla bean with black pepper and savoury notes. Plush on the palate with tangy black fruit flavours, hint of menthol and a slightly hot and peppery finish. $25
Remarks: Still needs a bit of age, but silky texture and loads of dark fruit make it one worthwhile for the cellar
Cellaring Recommendation: Drink now with food, cellar up to four years
Where to Find It: VQA shops or order direct from winery

Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2006 (0) ****
Aromas of baked apple, honey, spice with leesy and oily notes. Flavours of pear, apple, honey, spice and a creamy, fat, sweet, nutty texture in the mouth. Quite yummy. $25
Remarks: One of the bigger, creamier B.C. chards with. Appealing to those who like fat, juicy wines a touch on the sweet side.
Cellaring Recommendation: Drink now to retain maximum freshness
Where to Find It: VQA shops and government liquor stores

Burrowing Owl Syrah 2005 (0) ***1/2
A robust Syrah with aromas of roasted coffee bean, vanilla, black cherry, plum, licorice, sage and a touch of leather, earth and herbaceous notes. Silky, supple on the palate with smoky, black cherry, coffee, vanilla and mocha. Spicy dry finish. $38
Remarks: Has all the chewy, earthy, bold character you want in a Syrah.
Cellaring Recommendation: Drink now to 2011
Where to Find It: Winery wineshop, private retailers, restaurants.

20 Under $20

2008-08-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

Arrowleaf 2007 Bacchus $14 (Lake Country)
Peach, rose petals, pink grapefruit and lemon-lime aromas followed by flavours of green apple, lemon rind, grapefruit, spice and mineral. Crisp entry and a clean finish with a lingering acidity, this is the quintessential summer sipper ideal served well chilled on hot days.

Calona 2005 Artist Series Cab Merlot $15 (Kelowna)
A Friday-night quaffer of wine with bright cherry aromas, toasty oak character and hints of cloves and vanilla. Soft and fruit-forward – goes down easy.

CedarCreek 2007 Ehrenfelser $18.10 (Kelowna)
A delightful bouquet of honeysuckle, peach and pink grapefruit that also shines through on the palate. Refreshing sipper with nice racy acidity on the finish. Flavours of fresh peach and grapefruit and just enough residual sugar for balance.

Domaine de Chaberton 2006 Canoe North Bluff Red $13 (Fraser Valley)
Aromas and flavours of black cherries, stewed plums and pepper spice. Medium body, sweet entry and simple finish. A Merlot that is nice for the price, definitely a crowd pleaser and a terrific little barbecue wine.

Ganton and Larson 2006 Ogopogo’s Lair Pinot Grigio $17 (Oliver)
A bouquet filled with tropical fruit, apricot, floral and fresh citrus acidity. Some tree and tropical fruit flavours with fresh acidity on the palate and a racy finish. A delightful everyday sipper.

Gehringer Brothers 2006 Cuvée Noir $13.10 (Oliver)
Baked black cherry, chocolate, smoked meat, black pepper aromas with a medium body texture, soft mid palate and flavours of dark berry, cocoa, spice and a slightly hot alcoholic finish. But it’s priced right for group gulping.

Golden Mile Cellars 2006 Road 13 White $17 (Oliver)
Citrus rind, spicy, mineral, peach and ginger aromas. Crisp, dry entry with viscosity on the palate and a zesty finish. A multi-layered value white for those who crave something different.

Gray Monk 2006 Siegerrebe $16.50 (Lake Country)
Aromas of floral, spice, pink grapefruit, orange, peach. Fresh entry with lovely off-dry acidity and a racy finish. Flavours of peach, honey, grapefruit, orange, spice.
Easy sipper that should be served well chilled.

Hester Creek 2006 Cabernet Merlot $16 (Oliver)
Aromas of cherry, blackberry and pepper and a touch of sweet oak. This is an uncomplicated sipper with ripe cherry, blackberry flavour and soft tannins. A great choice for barbecues and pizza.

Jackson-Triggs 2004 Proprietor’s Reserve Meritage $19.99 (Oliver)
One of the top rated value wines in the country featuring a full bouquet of cassis, violets, chocolate, spice and toasty oak. On the palate is luscious dark fruits, cocoa, spice, toast, vanilla and moderate tannins.

Joie 2007 Rose $18.90 (Naramata)
Lively strawberry extract and bing cherry aromas with some honeysuckle, rose and peach notes. Lively on the entry with loads of fresh strawberry and cherry flavours and a racy clean finish.

Nk’Mip 2005 Merlot $19.99 (Osoyoos)
An earthy Merlot with luscious black fruits, spice, toasty oak notes. On the palate there is considerable weight, good fruit extraction, spice and a bit of a tannic bite on the finish. A winner with a juicy steak. Cellar for future smooth sipping.

Quails’ Gate 2006 Chardonnay $19 (Kelowna)
Honeyed apple, citrus and a touch of toast and butter on the nose. Lovely roundness on the palate with good weight without being overdone. Clean finish with good length. This a quaffable well-balanced Chard at a great price.

Recline Ridge 2006 Kerner $12 (Salmon Arm)
Waxy apple skin, lemon, lime, green peach and floral notes. The entry is crisp and the mid-palate is bright and racy with flavours of citrus, mineral, lemon-lime, apple skin. A superb value worthy of stocking up for ongoing patio/hot tub sipping – can’t go wrong

Red Rooster 2007 Riesling $16 (Naramata)

Pear, mineral, floral, apple, tangerine and lemon aromas followed by flavours of green apple, candied lemon, mineral, grapefruit, lemon zest. Slightly sweet and luscious entry with crisp mid-palate, racy finish.

Sandhill 2006 Pinot Blanc $17 (Kelowna)
Aromas of pineapple, melon, lemon-lime, pear and a touch of spice and oak. Bright acidity on the palate balanced by luscious flavours of tropical fruit, citrus and a clean, racy finish.

Sumac Ridge 2006 Private Reserve Chardonnay $19.95 (Summerland)
One of the few truly buttery wines left in the Okanagan – ideal for those who like that bold style. Features sweet tropical fruit, pear, vanilla, buttered toast and sweet spice.

Therapy 2006 Pink Freud $18 (Naramata)
A lively wine that is also a conversation starter with its name and packaging. This shiraz/merlot/pinot noir blend offers up citrus and berry notes and a hint of spice. Clean, zesty finish.

Thornhaven 2007 Gewurztraminer $17 (Summerland)
Lovely sweet entry with lively acidity on the mid-palate and a fresh, snappy finish. Candied lemony fruit flavours, lychee, grapefruit and rose petal character. They set the bar for Gewurz in the valley.

Tinhorn Creek 2004 Cabernet Franc $18 (Oliver)
Aromas of spice, toasted nuts, blackberry, roasted vegetables and black pepper. Ripe fruit flavours on the palate with toasty oak and roasted nuts plus some dark vanilla and a spicy pepper finish. Good length.

A Wine By Any Other Name....

2008-08-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

You say toe-meh-toe and I say toe-MA-toe.

You say Pinot Grigio and I say Pinot Gris...so?

When it comes to grapes and wine, I get a lot of queries about varieties that are bottled under slightly different names. The two aforementioned are a case in point. And let’s not forget que Syrah, Shiraz.

People are always asking me to explain the difference between them and I’m tempted to reply, “not a darn thing.” But that would be an oversimplification.

Let’s start with the Pinots. The Gris is what the French call the grape, Grigio is the Italian version. In theory, the terms also refer to two different winemaking styles.

In France, particularly the Alsatian region, the wine from this variety is known for being peachy, floral, perfumy and full-flavoured, with some winemakers opting for oak contact making it even more robust. The Italian version is far more austere and often described as being lean, racy, fresh and lemony crisp, largely due to the fact that winemakers there tend to pick the grapes earlier so they aren’t as ripe. Oak use is rare.

As one writer put it: “The theory is that one’s fat and one’s skinny, like a kind of Laurel and Hardy duo of wine.”

Now for the Syrah/Shiraz conundrum. The former is again French, typically grown in the Rhône Valley, while the other is Australian, the name stemming from the belief that the grape's origin is the town of Shiraz in Iran.

Again there are contrasts in the winemaking styles. The French like their Syrahs earthy and spicy, while in Australia – where the grape is a true workhorse – vintners lean toward big, full-bodied, fruity styles.

That all seems basic enough, but where the concepts get truly tricky is when the Pinot Gris/Grigio or Syrah/Shiraz in question is neither French, Italian nor Australian.

Indeed, these two grapes are gaining popularity in wine regions in all corners of the globe, not the least of which is in British Columbia. It likely hasn’t escaped your notice that B.C. vintners haven’t adopted one name for each of the varieties. Indeed, there’s a plethora of locally-produced Gris, Grigio, Syrah and Shiraz on the market. In fact, some wineries even use all four names.

One would think if you picked up a bottle of, say, Okanagan Pinot Gris, you might expect the fat, French version. But that isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, several wineries are producing Pinot Gris that is more like the Italian version. And example of this is the Blasted Church 2006 “Pinot Gris” which exhibits fresh, citrus, mineral and apple skin characteristics – delicious, but not at all like the Alsatian style. Then there’s the 2006 Gris from Red Rooster, which critic Anthony Gismondi described as a “clean fresh citrus flavoured styled gris that tastes more grigio-like this year.”

On the flip side is the 2006 “Pinot Grigio” from Noble Ridge, which can hardly be described as lean and dry. With some oak contact and some residual sugar is has fat, tropical fruit aromas and flavours and quite a lot of leesy character.

You’ll have better luck with Shiraz/Syrah in terms of name equaling style. Syrah actually is the most commonly used term by vintners growing this variety, which has cropped up in droves in recent years. Only a handful wineries have adopted Shiraz on their labels, including, not surprisingly, La Frenz, which is owned and operated by a pair of Aussie transplants, Jeff and Niva Martin. But here’s the kicker, the one made by Jeff Martin, the winemaker, “is not a jammy Australian Shiraz,” says critic John Schreiner. And neither is it French-like. It is instead, according to Schreiner, “one that expresses the cool-climate terroir of the Okanagan’s Naramata Bench.”

The B.C. versions are invariably compared to the “originals” – the Mission Hill 2005 Shiraz was described by Gismondi as “true to its Oz-like styling,” while he pegged its 2004 Syrah as “a more Euro style.” But the sudden success of this variety locally (practically unheard of in the 1990s with only one producer, it is now the fifth most widely planted red grape in B.C.) is owed to its own emerging styles. Schreiner says Okanagan Syrah in general has “classic peppery notes,” and Naramata Bench-grown Syrah in particular is known for its “sensuous elegance.”

B.C.-made Syrah/Shiraz is certainly being judged favourably on its own merits. In the last two years, wines made with this variety took three of the 10 coveted Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence. And in 2006, the wine world was turned on its ear at the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Competition in London when it was announced that the Rosemount trophy for World’s Best Shiraz was going not to an Australia winery, but to a British Columbia one. Jackson Triggs Okanagan made history by taking home this haughty prize for its 2004 Proprietor’s Grand Reserve Shiraz.

Not bad for a wine critics argued could not be made in B.C.

Wine Notes

95-100 Sets the bar.
90-94 Outstanding, has wow factor.
80-89 Good to very good.
70-79 Average, may have minor flaws.
60-69 Drinkable, but not recommended.
00-59 Undrinkable.

Mission Hill 2004 S.L.C. Syrah
Appearance: Intensely dark cherry red colour with brilliant undertones
Aromas: Black cherry, smoke, pepper, licorice, roasted bell pepper, mocha, leather
Flavours: Black cherry, plum, cocoa, peppery spice, licorice and herbs
Body and Finish: Silky entry on the palate, medium weight, moderately tannic and tight on the finish. Good length
Overall Impression: A spicy but elegant wine that should improve with age.
Would I Buy It? Yes, to cellar
Cellaring Potential: Age 2-8 years
Score: 88/100
Price: $40
Availability: BC LDB, VQA shops, private retailers

La Frenz 2005 Shiraz
Appearance: Deep, black cherry colour
Aromas: Earthy, cherry, plum, pepper, a bit of smoke and meatyness
Flavours: Spicy, plum, blueberries, cherries, sweet oak
Body and Finish: Elegant and silky texture, medium weight, supple tannins and elongated finish
Overall Impression: Beautifully executed wine that is both delicious and good value.
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Age 2-6 years
Score: 91/100
Price: $29
Availability: Sold out. Future vintages direct from winery.

Blasted Church 2006 Pinot Gris
Appearance: Crystal pale straw colour with a slightly green tinge
Aromas: Citrus, green apple skin, mineral, touch of peach, lemon
Flavours: Fresh apple, peach, lemon, citrus rind, mineral
Body and Finish: Clean, fresh entry, medium to light body, citrusy finish. Good length
Overall Impression: A racy, clean fruit forward effort. Nicely refreshing.
Would I Buy It? Yes, to sip on the patio or match with simple summer salads and white fish
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 87/100
Price: $20
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

The ABC Conundrum

2008-08-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

It amazes me when consumers are driven to buy or snub a particular product based on the preferences or whims of a fictional character.

Wine enthusiasts swooned over Pinot Noir when cynical imbiber Miles sang its praises in the wine-soaked black comedy Sideways. Meanwhile, the movie had the opposite effect on another varietal in an infamous scene outside a restaurant when Miles declared, “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any @#$%& Merlot!” That led to a significant cooling in the marketplace toward that wine.

Hollywood’s vinous tentacles were far reaching, even affecting local sales of these products. The interest in B.C. produced Pinot Noir was piqued and local makers who have focused on this challenging variety were finally rewarded for their efforts.

Fortunately, the insatiable thirst for B.C. wine in general balanced out the negative press for Merlot, which is the most planted grape in the province. But elsewhere in the world, sales of the wine truly suffered.

Now it seems Hollywood has done it again and this time the victim is Chardonnay.

Renowned British wine writer Oz Clarke sounded the alarm last week following the release of statistics demonstrating slumping sales of the white wine. He blamed it on the “Bridget Jones effect.”

“Chardonnay has made some of the world’s greatest wines. Everyone appreciated it – until Bridget Jones,” said Clarke.

After yet another dismal attempt at finding love, the hapless heroine goes back to her “miserable bedsit,” said Clarke, and writes in her diary, “I’ve failed again, I’ve poured an enormous glass of Chardonnay and I’m going to put my head in the oven.”

“Until Bridget Jones, Chardonnay was really sexy,” said Clarke. “After, people said, ‘God, not in my bar.’”

Personally, I think Clarke is seriously behind the times. Bridget Jones was a phenomenon for about a decade, appearing first as the lead character in Helen Fieldings’ books, then as a weekly column in the UK newspaper, The Independent, and finally as two blockbuster Hollywood flicks, Bridget Jones’ Diary, and, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. But her run ended in 2005. Surely it couldn’t have taken this long to have an impact. The influence of Sideways, released in 2004, was almost immediate.

Seems I’m not the only one who thinks so. British wine expert Christopher Piper attributed the most recent sales slump to the tail end of the “ABC” – Anything But Chardonnay – backlash, a consumer boycott of all the over-oaked and unremarkable Chards in the marketplace.

He said consumers are now starting to come around and that the white wine is no longer uncool to drink. I agree.

On the local front, Chardonnay is the second most planted grape in the province, ironically. And while I have heard the ABC term bandied about, for the most part it has come from individuals who never embraced Chardonnay in the first place.

Like Merlot, there is a disproportionate amount of mediocre Chardonnay in the marketplace. The bulk and lower-end versions tend to flabby, flat and cloying without the cleansing acidity needed to give this fruit-bomb of a variety its balance. Adding to the problem has been the heavy-handed use of oak, resulting in wines that were little more than a mouthful of sweet butter.

Being touted as the “red wine lover’s white” didn’t help matters either. After all, if you prefer red, why bother with a white wanna-be?

But there are a lot of reasons to love Chardonnay. It’s tremendously versatile with its wide range of styles. It is the one white grape that winemakers can truly sink their teeth into, as it can be taken in various directions in the cellar.

There are the unoaked, crisp, lean, mineral versions in the style of world-famous Chablis. There are the unoaked, super ripe, perfumey, tropical fruit-forward wines common in New World regions. There are the understated oaked and refined versions in the Burgundian style. There are the super oaked, buttery and full-bodied wines attributed to Australia, California and Chile. And there are the sparkling versions in the style of Champagne.

In British Columbia, you can find examples of all five distinct styles and many more in between. Thus somebody who claims to not like Chardonnay has clearly not explored the options available.

All appeal to me in someway or another, whether it be for pairing with certain foods or for sipping on their own poolside or fireside. But my preferences lean toward the understated oak variety – wines that have complexity and age-ability with toasty, buttery qualities, ripe fruit and acidity all in perfect harmony.

At virtually every mass tasting I attend, one of the goals I set is to find one or two stellar Chardonnays to add to my drinking repertoire. I am rarely disappointed.

Taste Test

95-100 Sets the bar.
90-94 Outstanding, has wow factor.
80-89 Good to very good.
70-79 Average, may have minor flaws.
60-69 Drinkable, but not recommended.
00-59 Undrinkable.

Mission Hill 2006 S.L.C. Chardonnay

Appearance: Brilliant golden colour, fat legs
Aromas: Apricot preserves, pear, green apple skin, orange, golden apple, hazelnut, butter, some floral notes
Flavours: Apricot, orange peel, apple skin, nuts, butter, lemon oil.

Body and Finish: Well balanced on the palate with roundness and acidity, clean, extended finish.

Overall Impression: Rich, delicious but not over the top, this winemaker knows his way around Chardonnay.

Cellaring Potential: Drink now and through 2010

Would I Buy It?: Yes, for special occasions or for a treat

Score: 89
Price: $29.99

Availability: BC LDBs, VQA shops, private retailers

Jackson-Triggs 2006 Sunrock Chardonnay

Appearance: Luminous gold colour

Aromas: Baked apple, pineapple, hazelnut, honey, lemon, lees, butter, vanilla

Flavours: Baked yellow tree fruits, bright tropical fruit, nectarine, lemon oil, vanilla.

Body and Finish: Ripe, round and sweet entry, oily palate with some citrus on the finish for balance.

Overall Impression: Ideal for those who like a rich Chardonnay without a lot of acid.

Cellaring Potential: Drink now to retain its freshness

Would I Buy It?: Once or twice

Score: 87

Price: $25.99

Availability: BC LDBs, VQA shops, private retailers

Red Rooster 2007 Reserve Chardonnay

Appearance: Lustrous pale gold colour

Aromas: Vanilla, lemon, clove, pineapple, baked yellow fruit, faint toast and butter

Flavours: Golden apple, tropical fruit, citrus, vanilla, lemon.

Body and Finish: Ripe entry, medium body on the palate, refreshing finished with good length

Overall Impression: A well-balanced fruit-forward version that is highly quaffable

Cellaring Potential: Best young and fresh

Would I Buy It?: Occasionally

Score: 88

Price: $21.99

Availability: BC LDBs, VQA shops, private retailers

Wine Q&A: Cleaning Stemware

2008-08-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Q: How do you care for Riedel stemware? I bought eight glasses a month ago and have already broken two. On both, the stems snapped off while I was hand drying them. This is frustrating because they were expensive. But I love the look and feel of Riedels.
- Suzanne

A: I feel your pain. Several years ago I purchased a set of 10 top-of-the-line Riedels of various shapes and sizes at a time when I didn’t have much money. I justified it by telling myself it was an investment in my livelihood, much like a mechanic must acquire tools for his trade. One of the very first times I used a glass, it slipped out of my hands and began its tragic descent to the slate floor below. It was like watching it in slow motion and I braced myself for the inevitable carnage. But the glass didn’t shatter – it bounced! Upon inspection there was nary a crack or mark on it. But that’s where my luck ran out. Not a single glass from that set survives today.

Riedel glasses are beautiful, classic and their shapes and the thinness of the crystal are what make drinking out of them such a pleasure. Wines just seem to taste better when served in this stemware. But they are terribly fragile and need extra special care – even the lower-end lines. For everyday use, I suggest looking to an alternative brand– ones that have the classic shapes and styles of Riedel, but are sturdier, even dishwasher safe. Glassware retailers have a lot of options.

To care for your glasses, wash them individually by cupping them in your hand by the base of the bowl – never grip them by the stem. Rinse them first several times with hot water only – that should be sufficient to remove the wine if you haven’t let the glasses sit too long. Add a drop or two of detergent if you must and rinse the same way. Avoid sticking your hand in the bowl. To remove lipstick stains, use a damp paper towel with a little detergent and gently wipe. Air dry the glasses rather than hand drying them, preferably by setting them upside down on a rack that allows for complete air circulation. Once dry, store in their original boxes, if possible, or upright in a cupboard away from other glasses and dishes.

Q: Friends of ours from Saskatchewan are coming to visit in August and we plan to take them on a wine tour. They expect to purchase at least a case of wine. But since wine is no longer allowed on planes as carry-on, they want to know the best way of shipping home.
- Katherine

A: This is a tricky one. Legally, you are prohibited from shipping wine across provincial borders. That’s not to say people don’t do it. Actually, several wineries do it on the Q.T. Check out the order forms posted on the websites of some of the mid-to-larger sized wineries. They often include this wording: “Due to customs and duty regulations we cannot ship across international borders.” They don’t come right out and say they will ship across Canada, but the forms often contain a drop-down menu that includes the other provinces. Thus, if your friends plan to purchase wines from only one or two places, having the wineries do the shipping may be an option.

However, if they plan on collecting bottles from numerous vintners, they’ll have to arrange the shipping themselves and this is a gamble as courier services may refuse to do it and it’s pretty hard to disguise a box of wine.
Their best bet is to package the wine up as best they can to prevent breakage and have it loaded as cargo on their flights. Technically, you aren’t allowed to transport liquor across provincial lines either, but it isn’t well policed and I’ve done it numerous times without problems. One word of caution: fuel costs are compelling airlines to crack down and you may get dinged for extra baggage charges.

Pocket-Friendly B.C. Wines

2008-08-15T09:44:00.001-07:00

By Julianna Hayes

When it comes to wine, what do you consider good “value?”

Is it a wine that is beautifully crafted and priced within the range of products of similar style? Or does good value equal cheap? For most people, the latter is the obvious answer and yet the expectations of superior quality are taken for granted.

There’s no question that wine prices around the world have been creeping up as of late and the under $10 bottles are dwindling in rapid fashion. Fair enough, everything is more expensive these days – wine hasn’t come close to increasing in cost at the rate of gas and real estate in B.C.

Nonetheless, wine enthusiasts desire a bargain and write me frequently to complain about the inflating costs of local products. Indeed, bottles in the $30 to $50 range are not uncommon and hardly appropriate for everyday quaffing.

But I take exception to the argument that there are no “value” wines in B.C., even when the definition of cheap is applied. And to prove my point, I spent some time shopping for and sipping local vintages in the under $15 category – and there were plenty, I might add.

In fact, the B.C. LDB has 64 such products listed and that doesn’t include the bulk plonk churned out by the bucketful by the commercial arms of some local operations. And I counted 70-plus wines in this range at a Kelowna VQA shop. If you are willing to pay just a buck more, there are dozens of others.

Ok, so you are unlikely find much Okanagan Syrah or fine Pinot Noirs for under $15, but there are some perfectly quaffable red blends and lovely German aromatics that are debit-card friendly. Here is just a small selection of great value B.C. wines:

Wine Notes

95-100 Sets the bar.
90-94 Outstanding, has wow factor.
80-89 Good to very good.
70-79 Average, may have minor flaws.
60-69 Drinkable, but not recommended.
00-59 Undrinkable.

WHITES

Recline Ridge 2006 Kerner (Shuswap)
Appearance: Clear pale straw hue with a slight green tinge
Aromas: Waxy apple skin, lemon, lime, green peach, floral
Flavours: Citrus, mineral, lemon-lime, apple skin
Body and Finish: Crisp acidity on entry, bright and racy on the palate, clean and fresh on the finish
Overall Impression: A superb value worthy of stocking up for ongoing patio/hot tub sipping – can’t go wrong
Would I Buy It? Yes
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 86/100
Price: $12
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Recline Ridge 2006 Optima (Shuswap)
Appearance: Brilliant yellowy straw hue
Aromas: Peach, apricot nectar, honey, orange blossoms, perfume
Flavours: Peach juice, honey, mineral, nectarine
Body and Finish: Sweet entry, mouthfilling, nice acidity on the finish
Overall Impression: This is a wow wine at this price – with loads of flavour and nice acidity for balance. Might be a touch sweet for some, but superb. Serve well chilled
Would I Buy It? Absolutely
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 86/100
Price: $13.60
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Domaine de Chaberton 2006 Canoe North Bluff White (Fraser Valley)
Appearance: A green to yellowy tinge with some effervescence
Aromas: Grassy, green apple skin, fresh lime, pear
Flavours: Green apple, lemon-lime, mineral, green pear, tender grass
Body and Finish: Loads of crisp acidity with mineral palate and a clean, extended finish
Overall Impression: Not a crowd pleaser, but ideal for those seeking racy acidity, mineral character at an affordable price
Would I Buy It? Yes, to pair with crisp summer salads or to cook with
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 82/100
Price: $12
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Arrowleaf 2007 Bacchus (Okanagan Centre)
Appearance: Clear pale straw colour
Aromas: Peach, rose petals, pink grapefruit, lemon-lime
Flavours: Green apple, lemon rind, grapefruit, spice, mineral
Body and Finish: Crisp entry, lovely racy acidity on the palate, clean finish with a lingering acidity
Overall Impression: The quintessential summer sipper ideal served well chilled on hot days
Would I Buy It? Definitely
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 86/100
Price: $14
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Calona Artist Series 2007 Sovereign Opal (Kelowna)
Appearance: Clear, almost watery colour
Aromas: Spice, floral, slightly soapy, tropical fruit, apple, dill weed
Flavours: Apple, pear, citrus rind, spice, herbal and mineral.
Body and Finish: Slightly sweet but fresh entry, light body, clean light finish
Overall Impression: A simple but refreshing summer sipper.
Would I Buy It? Yes, to sip well chilled on the deck
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 84/100
Price: $14
Availability: BC LDB, VQA shops, private retailers

Ganton and Larson 2006 Birch Canoe Pinot Blanc (Oliver)
Appearance: Clear, pale straw colour
Aromas: Pear, grapefruit, honey, floral, mineral
Flavours: Honeyed pear, citrus rind, apple skin, mineral
Body and Finish: Slightly rounded on the palate, a bit oily in texture, clean finish
Overall Impression: Easy to drink, simple PB style, nicely affordable.
Would I Buy It? Once or twice
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Score: 84/100
Price: $14.95
Availability: BC LDB, VQA shops, private retailers

REDS

Domaine de Chaberton 2006 Canoe North Bluff Red (Fraser Valley)
Appearance: Deep berry hues
Aromas: Black cherries, stewed plums, pepper spice
Flavours: Cooked black fruits, spice, pepper
Body and Finish: Medium body, sweet entry and simple finish
Overall Impression: A Merlot that is nice for the price, definitely a crowd pleaser and a terrific little barbecue wine.
Would I Buy It? Yes, for pocket-friendly group gulping
Cellaring Potential: Drink now, cellar up to two years
Score: 84/100
Price: $13
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Domaine de Chaberton 2006 Cuvée Rouge (Fraser Valley)
Appearance: Deep black cherry colour
Aromas: Plum, prune, cooked black fruit, smoked meat, roasted bell pepper, earth, black pepper Flavours: Smoke, cooked black cherry, bell pepper, herbal, black pepper,
Body and Finish: Racy, peppery palate with medium weight and spicy finish
Overall Impression: Not a wine for everyone, but will appeal to those who like earthy, peppery wines – should be opened and allowed to breath
Would I Buy It? Maybe to pair with pepper steak or to cook with.
Cellaring Potential: Drink now, cellar for a couple years
Score: 82/100
Price: $11.50
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Gehringer Brothers 2006 Cuvée Noir (Oliver)
Appearance: Dark ruby hue
Aromas: Baked black cherry, chocolate, smoked meat, black pepper
Flavours: Dark berry, chocolate, pepper spice, alcohol
Body and Finish: Medium body, soft mid palate, slightly hot alcoholic finish
Overall Impression: A decent everyday wine that will please those who like a bit of alcohol bite in their reds.
Would I Buy It? Yes, for group gatherings
Cellaring Potential: Drink now, cellar up to two years
Score: 83/100
Price: $13.10
Availability: BC LDB, VQA shops, private retailers

Other options to consider:

Arrowleaf Red Feather $14
Bounty Cellar Semillon $14.90
Calona Artist Series Pinot Noir $14
CedarCreek Classic Pinot Blanc $14.95
Gehringer Brothers Ehrenfelser Dry $14
Gray Monk Latitude 50 Rose $14
Inniskillin Reserve Pinot Blanc $14
Jackson Triggs PR Dry Riesling $14
Okanagan Vineyards Cab/Merlot $12
Peller Estate HSER Pinot Gris $12.50
Ganton Larsen Prospect Winery Sauvignon Blanc $14.99
Red Rooster Bantam $13.90
St. Hubertus Pinot Blanc $14
Sumac Ridge Rose $13
Thornhaven Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay $14.90

Taste Test - August 14, 2008

2008-08-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Golden Mile 2006 Black Arts Pinot Noir (Oliver)
Appearance: Brilliant ruby tone

Aromas: Sour cherry, rhubarb, chocolate, leather, smoke, spice, menthol, earth
Flavours: Cherry, spice, leather, tobacco, smoky fruit

Body and Finish: Bright fruit entry, silky on the palate, dry elongated finish
Overall Impression: An elegant earthy wine made with loads of finesse. Well made. A finalist in the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellent in British Columbia Wine
Cellaring Potential: Cellar for at least another two years
Would I Buy It?: Yes, but it’s pricey

Score: 89

Price: $35

Availability: Winery, private retailers

Inniskillin 2005 Discover Series Zinfandel (Oliver)

Appearance: Dark red colour with ruby hues

Aromas: Bing cherry, blackberry, jam, chocolate, perfume, coffee, toast, earth
Flavours: Black cherry jam, pepper, licorice, vanilla, spice, chocolate, toast

Body and Finish: Luscious entry, round full palate, slightly tart, long finish
Overall Impression: Super ripe and luscious, full bodied wine. Well made. A finalist in the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellent in British Columbia Wine
Cellaring Potential: Drink now and for up to five years
Would I Buy It?: Yes

Score: 89

Price: $30

Availability: Winery, private retailers, sometimes at VQA shops

Hillside 2007 Gewurztraminer (Naramata)
Appearance: Pale straw with golden hues

Aromas: Rose petals, lychee, apple, peach, grapefruit and floral spicy notes

Flavours: Peach, apple, pear, grapefruit, citrus and spice

Body and Finish: Sweet fruit entry, bright and luscious on the palate, racy finish
Overall Impression: Very aromatic, bright Okanagan-style.

Quite delicious. A finalist in the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellent in British Columbia Wine

Cellaring Potential: Drink now

Would I Buy It?: Yes

Score: 90

Price: $18

Availability: Winery, VQA shops, private retailers

Cherry Point 2007 Siegerrebe (Vancouver)
This is the quintessential summertime quaffer from Vancouver Islands with a fresh lemony nose full of grassy, mineral character. Lovely white peach, orange peel, almond aromas and flavour. Serve chilled with fresh shucked oysters or steamed fillet of sole.
Price N/A (Availability at winery only)

Therapy Vineyards 2006 Chardonnay (Naramata)
Buttered toast, vanilla, baked apple and smoky oak upfront, this is a big complex style for those who enjoy an oaky Chardonnay. Elegant entry with apple, toast, but not over the top buttery.
$25 (Sold out most places, might be available in some private stores)

Sumac Ridge Black Sage Vineyard Meritage (White) (Summerland)
Another big winner typically with judges and consumers, this blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc is the biggest in B.C. with buttery popcorn, lemon oil, pear, apple, melon. Big, slightly oily palate with good fruit expression some lemony acidity. Not a summer sipper though.
$25 (Available at VQA shops, private retailers, BC LDB)

Arrowleaf Cellars 2007 Pinot Gris (Okanagan Centre)
Lovely nectarine, spice, apple, pear nose with floral and lemony notes. Light and fresh fruit-forward entry with apple, melon, pear and lemony flavours, some mineral character and a juicy freshness on the finish.

$16.85 (Available at VQA shops, private retailers or direct from the winery)

See Ya Later Ranch 2007 Riesling (Okanagan Falls)
Crisp green apple, lemon, floral notes on the nose. Fresh entry on the palate with green apple, mineral, spice, and lemon. Good racy acidity on the finish. A lovely patio sipper good for fresh, light hot weather fare. Come under screw cap too!
$17 (Available at VQA shops, private retailers, BC LDB)

Noble Ridge 2006 Pinot Noir (Okanagan Falls)
Brilliant red colour with Sour cherry, plum, pepper, vanilla, earthy notes on the nose. Bright, fresh entry with pronounced fruit flavours of cherry, plum, accented by spice and earthy character. Some dryness on the palate that should soften up in time.
$26 (Available through the winery, VQA shops, private retailers)

Nk’Mip Cellar 2005 Qwam Qwmt Merlot (Osoyoos)
Big aromas of blackberry jam, toast, spice, smoky notes and dark floral bouquet. There is a distinct savoury, earthy character of olives and coffee beans as well. Luscious berry and savoury flavours finishing off with supple tannins. A superb effort.
$25 (Available at some VQA shops, private retailers)

Inniskillin 2005 Discovery Series Malbec (Oliver)
A complex nose of blueberry, black cherry, hints of smoke, anise spice and mocha. Features an elegant entry of ripe red fruits, but with some savoury flavours and a touch of dryness. Has a peppery kick on the finish.
$30 (Available through the winery or private retailers)

Poplar Grove 2005 Cabernet Franc (Naramata)
Lush fruit aromas of raspberry torte, black cherry, pepper and crush violet petals. Dark fruit, menthol, savoury flavours and none of the bell pepper character that turns people off. Supple tannins and a nice hit of pepper on the finish. Elegant.
$40 (Available through the winery)

Granite Creek 2006 Ehrenfelser Icewine (Shuswap)
Luscious tropical fruit aromas of mango and pineapple with some fresh peach and honey. Fat golden fruit flavours with honey and a nice nectarine acidity on the finish. Lovely and delicious without being cloying.
$40 (Available at VQA shops, private retailers)

Lighten Up Under the Sun

2008-08-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I pulled a bottle of red wine from my tiny cellar in anticipation of a visit from a friend who doesn’t care to drink white.

My collection, while not in a climate-controlled space, is located in a much cooler section of our house. And despite our lack of air-conditioning and daily highs that well surpassed the 30-degree mark, the wine was at a palatable temperature when I retrieved it. My friend, however, arrived two hours late while the wine sat on my kitchen counter. By the time I poured our glasses, I could swear steam was rising from the contents.

I don’t often drink red in the summertime. When I do, I typically opt for fresh, light, simple styles that can be chilled slightly before drinking. I’m not above dumping ice-cubes and chunks of fruit in a glass of low-end red and turning it into a patio-friendly sangria. My preference, though, is for crisp, dry whites and rosés that don’t leave me feeling as parched on the inside as I do on the outside under the blistering Okanagan sun.

For years, I’ve been trying to convince people that reds – particularly the chewy, full-bodied, high alcohol styles many prefer – do not a summer drink make. But most present-day enthusiasts have cut their teeth on these big, bold wines thus making their palate numb to the relatively subtle, light and simple nuances of whites.

There has been a subtle shift, however, and more people seem to be embracing whites and, in particular rosés – finding pleasure in their refreshment, not just on hot summer days, but year round.

When it comes to hot-weather sipping, I like to keep the wines light and simple and the reason for that is I also like my beverages extra frosty. It’s not unusual for me to sink my bottles in a cooler or bucket of ice until their contents are so frigid, you can see your breath when you drink them.

The caveat with that is the colder the wine, the harder it is to smell and taste. Many of the wines more subtle and delicate components will be impossible to detect. Overchilling an expensive Chardonnay or Bordeaux-style blend with loads of complexity would be a waste.

Here are some summertime dos and don’t:

* Do select wines that are young, fruit-forward wines with loads of acidity. I prefer them dry or slightly off-dry and look for ones with lemony, tree or tropical fruit and some mineral characteristics.

* Don’t choose anything with age or oak and described as oily, soft, round or buttery.

* Do buy wines made from the previous vintage, such as 2007 Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Ehrenfelser, Bacchus, Gewurztraminer, Siegerrebe, Ortega and Riesling. They’ll be fresher with more acidity.

* Don’t buy wines with high alcohol…anything with more than 13 or 14 per cent is too much in the heat.

* Do opt for a dry rosé or a crisp sparkling wine – both offer great versatility with food pairing – steer clear of the white Zins, however.

* Don’t refrain from buying reds altogether. In fact, now is a good time to buy them and stock your cellar. Many will be ready by the time you’re taste for them returns, whereas a lot of the reds available in the fall will be new releases and thus too youthful to drink.

* Do buy wines under screw cap. You can’t deny their convenience for opening and re-sealing, and if you’re keeping them on ice, there will be less risk of water seeping into the bottle.

* Don’t leave wine in your car for anything length of time. Plan your shopping trip so they are the last thing you purchase before heading home, otherwise they’ll get cooked in the heat. Be especially cautious with sparkling wines. If you must delay going home or are doing a wine tour, pack a cooler with ice or refrigerated packs.

Vineyard Dinners Hollywood-Style

2008-08-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago I watched a tedious TV movie that perpetuated the glamorous stereotype of the winery business. It was the story of a wealthy Italian winemaking family whose endless and tiresome dramas I’ve long thankfully forgotten.

What did stay with me were the visually stunning scenes when everyone from the patriarch of the family to some winery hand’s third cousin twice removed gathered around a mile-long table set up in the vineyard during harvest and feasted heartedly and drank liberally as the sun set brilliantly behind them.

It was a romantic and appealing, if not entirely honest, depiction of winery life. In truth, most proprietors have neither the means, nor the time – particularly during harvest – to put on such a spread. But at my impressionable age at the time, I bought it all and fully expected that such displays would greet me at any winery to which I paid a visit. You can imagine my disappointment.

While wineries today are answering to the call for alfresco dining with superb facilities and cooking staff, it’s been hard to shake the vision of a long, single table around which a group gathers to celebrate food and wine – gifts the earth provides. It commands a greater respect and connection with the land.

Last week, I got the opportunity to have such an experience – perhaps not as elaborate as the Hollywood version, but one that far exceeded my expectations nonetheless.

During the summer months, Joy Road Catering and God’s Mountain Estate Bed & Breakfast host two series of alfresco vineyard dinners where guests convene around one large table overlooking Skaha Lake and nosh on freshly prepared foods beautifully paired with wines.

Like the scene in the movie, there is something enchanting, yet down to earth, about this type of open-air communal dining. And though virtually all the guests at the dinner I attended were strangers, it encouraged a comfortable intimacy that no typical restaurant can hope to achieve. No awkward silences, no tedious small talk – just a group of people who loved and appreciated food, wine and their surroundings, which inspired an easy flow of conversation.

Of course, Mother Nature’s hand had something to do with that. Despite, a rocky start to the spring/summer of 2008, we were greeted that evening with a balmy clime and brilliant sunshine reflecting off a glass-flat lake below. You couldn’t ask for a prettier sunset behind the hills on the Westside of the lake. It might have been a very different experience had Mother Nature chosen to be her more temperamental self.

And what can I say about the setting? Perched high above the valley on sandy cliffs, the views are panoramic, stretching unparalleled distances on a clear day over vineyard, lake and communities below.
The B&B itself is something altogether different – part Spanish hacienda retreat, part museum with, how one individual put it, a “labyrinth” of rooms. Indeed, you would enter one and not know where you might end up, as it was a seemingly endless maze.

And though the places boosts no televisions or radios in the place – which is fairly isolated – there is no shortage of things with which to entertain yourself. In fact, you could spent a week alone studying all the unusual antiques and objects owner Sarah Allen has amassed and jammed into the place. And Allen admits to having plenty more she has yet to unpack…after five years on the property.
All this helped lend itself to the conversation, as did the various guests at the table. On of my dinner mates was a gentleman visiting from Bowen Island, who works for a large hotel chain and has had much opportunity to travel to eclectic places. He regaled us with stories of his trips to Dubai where he was privy to the extravagant lifestyles of the ridiculously wealthy.

But it was the food and the wine that stole the show. The evening I attended was the first of the Winemaker’s Culinary Series, held every Thursday through September 4. Each week, Joy Road chefs Dana Ewart and Cameron Smith prepare a four-course menu to suit the wines of a particular Okanagan winery – in this case, Naramata’s Poplar Grove.

Their menu was full of seasonal and regional ingredients, such as the English pea soup, for which Ewart spent hours earlier in the day shelling fresh pods. It tasted of pure springtime and was ideal with the Poplar Grove 2007 Pinot Blanc with its fresh grassy, gooseberry aromas and flavours.

That wine was also stunning with the fresh bread and Amelia olive oil from Umbria, Italy, served for dipping. The oil’s earthy, herbal flavours are a departure from what people have become accustomed to in supermarket brands, but it’s price of $25 for a litre makes it surprisingly affordable.

The second course was an antipasto featuring regional goodies such as Oyama salamis, Poplar Grove tiger blue cheese with local dried pears, wild arugula with roasted peppers and a tasty slow-cooked pork rillet (which has a pureed-like spreadable texture) handmade by Smith. The wine chosen to pair with that was 2005 Syrah which picked up on the spicy, herbaceous notes on the platter.

Charcoal grilled guinea fowl-legs with roasted garlic and baby Zeebroff potatoes made up the third coarse, served alongside lemon pepper grilled radicchio and a broccoli and pine nut salad with a surprising anchovy and Marjoram sauce. The dish was decidedly savoury and beautifully matched with the Poplar Grove 2004 Merlot. Winemaker Ian Sutherland commented that grapes will often pick up flavours from things growing around it and in the case of this Merlot, it gathered savoury characteristics from nearby sagebrush.

Sutherland added that people need not pre-occupy themselves with finding the perfect pair for wine and food every time.

“Sometimes it doesn’t have to be a marriage, sometimes it can be just a date.”
Vineyard dinners are held every Sunday and Thursday starting at 6:30 p.m. Advance booking is a must. For the full schedule, reservations and contact information, visit: http://www.joyroadcatering.com/

Winners of the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence in B.C. Wine

2008-08-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

Sumac Ridge 2004 Steller’s Brut
Displaying a fine mousse with long lasting bubbles and a slightly peachy hue. This sparkling wine offers up a crisp nose, aromas of apples, yeasty notes and mineral. Nice, clean effervescence on the palate with loads of crisp acidity on the finish. Very refreshing. $27 (Availability: VQA shops, BC LDB, private retailers)

Calona Vineyards 2007 Artist Series Chardonnay
This unoaked version features apple, pear, orange peel, lemon oil, honeydew melon characteristics. Nice crisp acidity on the palate with tropical fruit, apple and melon flavours with a lemony finish. Not a fruit bomb, just a well-balanced, quaffable style at an awesome price. $13.99 (Availability: VQA shops, BC LDB, private retailers)

Wild Goose 2007 Autumn Gold
A delightful blend that includes Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer, it features baked apple, rose petal, apricot and spicy notes. Bright and fresh fruit character on the palate with some mineral and lime on the finish. A top of the line patio wine. $18.95 (Availability: VQA shops, private retailers, winery direct)

Wild Goose 2007 Pinot Gris
Lovely aromas of nectarine, peach, honey, mineral spice and a touch of ginger greet you from the glass. It features a crisp entry with loads of lemon-lime, peach and spice on the palate. And has a refreshing spritz-like acidity on the finish. Delightful. $18.95 (Availability: VQA shops, private retailers, winery direct)

Stoneboat Vineyards 2006 Pinot Noir
Nice complexity on the nose with bright fruit aromas of Bing cherry, strawberry and a touch of rhubarb accented by tobacco, vanilla, white pepper and a bit of smoke. upple mouthfeel with bright fruit flavours, pepper and good length on the finish. Quite elegant and affordable. $21.90 (Availability: winery direct, private retailers)

Golden Mile Cellars 2006 Black Arts Syrah
More savoury than fruity, this wine has aromas of sausage meat, earth, poultry spice, cocoa, pepper and some brambleberry, black cherry, coffee bean and menthol. The complexity continues of the palate with a weighty mouthfeel, moderate tannins and extended length with some pepperyness. $34.99 (Availability: select VQA shops, private retailers)

Blasted Church 2006 Syrah
Perfumy aromas of blueberry, plum, violets, blackberry jam, pie crust, vanilla and spice. Luscious on the plate with black fruit flavours, lots of elegance and a smooth, round and slightly spicy finish. Tannins are moderate, but mellow enough for current drinking. Yummy. $26.90 (Availability: select VQA shops, private retailers)

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate 2005 Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Shiraz
Both fruity and savoury, this bold version is smoky, meaty, peppery with complex black fruit aromas, some soya and cedar. Big dark fruit entry with a good deal of peppery character on the palate, although well balanced. Needs a bit time in the bottle to bring out its suppleness, but worth the effort. (Availability: select VQA shops, private retailers)

Red Rooster Winery 2006 Malbec
Complex nose of crushed violets, plum, blueberry, leather, pepper spice, smoky oak, vanilla. A big, weighty mouth feel with good fruit concentration, toasty oak, coffee bean, earth and moderate to firm tannins. Needs some aging but a fantastic effort that bodes well for this variety in the valley. $22.99 (Availability: Winery only - may be sold out)

Sandhill Wines 2006 Cabernet Franc
Peppery, herbaceous aromas with black cherry, black currant, bruised violets, cedar, tobacco and dark vanilla. Silky entry with black fruit flavours, cedar, vanilla, smoke and herbal characteristics. Superb effort and a great price. $19.99 (Availability: VQA shops, BC LDB, private retailers)

Taste Test - August 11, 2008

2008-08-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

95-100 Sets the bar.
90-94 Outstanding, has wow factor.
80-89 Good to very good.
70-79 Average, may have minor flaws.
60-69 Drinkable, but not recommended.
00-59 Undrinkable.

See Ya Later Ranch 2006 Chardonnay (Okanagan Falls)
Appearance: Lemon yellow, viscous
Aromas: Apple, citrus, honey, lemon oil, pineapple, light toast, nuttiness
Flavours: Bright tropical fruit, apple, nuttiness, butter, citrus peel
Body and Finish: Ripe, slightly sweet entry with mouthfilling weight and nice acidity on the finish.
Overall Impression: A perennial favourite among judges and consumers alike. Awesome value
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Would I Buy It?: Once in a while
Score: 90
Price: $20
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers, BC LDBs

Burrowing Owl 2005 Merlot (Oliver)
Appearance: Black cherry with ruby hues
Aromas: Quite herbaceous with pepper, menthol, cherry, blackberry, smoke and spice
Flavours: Black cherry, herbal, earthy, black peppery, tobacco, spice
Body and Finish: Supple entry with a weighty mid-palate, dry and slightly hot on the finish, yet elegant
Overall Impression: For those who like an earthy, smoky, herbaceous wine with some finesse but not a fruit bomb
Cellaring Potential: Best in a couple to three years
Would I Buy It?: Yes
Score: 89
Price: $30
Availability: Sold out, but the 2006 vintage is now available

Mission Hill 2006 Reserve Riesling Icewine (Kelowna)
Appearance: Golden brilliant tones
Aromas: Concentrated nose of honey, baked apple, fresh peach, candied citrus peel
Flavours: Luscious honeyed peach, baked apple, lemon oil, candied citrus peel, spice
Body and Finish: Very luscious and mouthfilling with loads of fruit, lovely viscosity, but balanced acidity
Overall Impression: Beautifully done
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Would I Buy It?: Once in a while
Score: 91
Price: $60
Availability: Winery, BC LDBs, VQA Shops, Private Retailers

Pentâge 2005 Merlot (Penticton)
Appearance: Black cherry, ruby hues with fat legs
Aromas: Sweet Bing cherry, plum, black tea, cedar and mocha
Flavours: Cherry, plum, coffee, dusty chocolate, earth, spice
Body and Finish: Luscious entry with good mid-palate weight, firm tannins and a dry, lingering finish
Overall Impression: An elegant Old-World style of wine with solid structure for aging. Good value
Cellaring Potential: Best left for a couple years, cellar up to eight
Would I Buy It?: Yes
Score: 89
Price: $25
Availability: Winery, private retailers

Mission Hill 2006 S.L.C. Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon (Kelowna)
Appearance: Straw tones with golden highlights
Aromas: Pineapple, orange peel, lime, lemon oil, grassy notes with floral, mineral hints
Flavours: Tropical fruit, spice, citrus peel, lemon-lime
Body and Finish: Ripe, rich entry with a weighty mid-palate and lean citrusy finish.
Overall Impression: A rich, but elegant wine with well-balanced intensity and acidity
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Would I Buy It?: Once in a while
Score: 88
Price: $30
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers, BC LDBs

Lake Breeze 2007 Gewurztraminer (Naramata)
Appearance: Crystal clear with pale straw hues
Aromas: Peach, apricot, rosewater, mineral, citrus
Flavours: Bright tree fruit, spice, mineral, lemon-lime
Body and Finish: Sweet entry with nice fruit intensity, clean finish.
Overall Impression: A fruit-forward but well balanced wine ideal when nicely chilled
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Would I Buy It?: Yes
Score: 88
Price: $19
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Lake Breeze 2006 Seven Poplars Chardonnay (Naramata)
Appearance: Straw tones with golden highlights
Aromas: Peach, floral, honey, nutty, citrus peel
Flavours: Tropical fruit, spice, butterscotch, peach, citrus
Body and Finish: Smooth luscious and slightly sweet on the entry, with juicy, buttery texture on the palate, clean long finish.
Overall Impression: A fat, fruit-forward style with loads of finesse. Lovely to drink
Cellaring Potential: Drink now
Would I Buy It?: Yes
Score: 90
Price: $23
Availability: VQA shops, private retailers

Wines for Climate Change

2008-08-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

I've been asked a dozen times how I spent my $100 “Climate Action Dividend.” Most of these queries were preceded with a do-gooder pitch by various charitable organizations wanting my money.

But this “windfall” is part of the provincial government’s new green agenda and while the powers that be can’t dictate how you use it, the rebate was intended to help you take a step toward a lower carbon lifestyle. The government even set up a website called Smart Choices BC which offered suggestions on how to spend the money in an environmentally sustainable way, from buying energy-efficient light bulbs and installing low-flow shower heads to shopping locally for produce.

I liked that idea – which is why I blew the whole wad on B.C. wine.

For years, particularly in the last decade, Canadian wines have struggled for global recognition. In fact, just last week, I saw a news story about an alliance of B.C. and Ontario wineries, known as the “Eh Team,” which is trying to get their wines on restaurant lists around the world.

But the Canadian industry’s dismal beginnings with the likes of Fuddle Duck and Hot Goose and its relatively small size have caused it to be overlooked, even dismissed at times. Thus it has come to depend heavily on domestic sales to stay afloat. Famed wine critic Jancis Robinson said as much in an article she penned for the London Financial Times. “Canada doesn’t make anything like enough wine to supply their own market, let alone export in any meaningful quantity.”

Indeed, producers of Yellow Tail, one of Australia’s largest export brands, likely spill more wine in the making of it than we produce in this whole country. Robinson’s article, while she praised many of the Canadian products she tasted as being “world-class wines by any point of view,” was on the whole scathing, mainly toward the industry’s size, its minimal international presence and the seemingly overblown pride we Canucks have in our domestic product.

But given the current climate, local producers find themselves in a rather enviable position – a veritable win-win situation loaded with irony.

First of all, global warming is heating up B.C. vineyards and extending the growing season allowing vintners to plant varieties not previous thought to thrive here. Cases in point are Zinfandel, Malbec and Syrah. Plus an adoring domestic marketplace means most B.C.-produced bottles don’t make it beyond the borders of Canada’s two most westerly provinces.

Meanwhile, other winemaking regions are feeling the heat, literally. I received a press release on the subject of climate change from the makers of Yellow Tail, which acknowledged that areas previously too cold to produce wine, such as England, are now “sprouting vineyards left and right.”

“That’s great for them, but warmer regions like Australia may face threats due to climate change, like rising alcohol levels in its wine and irrigation problems.”

In the same release, Yellow Tail producers insist they are working on doing their part to reduce carbon emissions and reverse the effects of global warming. They insisted that since they ship their wine by sea to North America drinking their products is a carbon-wise option.

“For the eco-friendly consumer, Yellow Tail is not only the enjoyable and economical wine choice, but also one of the greenest…the wine is packed efficiently into containers, wrapped in an insulating blanket, trucked from Yenda (in New South Wales, Australia) to a port, and loaded onto a container ship. The Pacific journey takes about 33 days to Los Angeles. From there the container is loaded on a train or truck and sent to Chicago.”

Uh-huh. Let me mull that one over a glass of Pinot Noir from an Okanagan winery five kilometres from my door.

Yellowtail’s PR campaign might seem ludicrous at first glance, but it’s a pitch being looked at by many overseas wineries that depend heavily on exporting to the lucrative North American market. A growing number of green consumers who consider miles traveled when selecting a bottle could spell problems for those producers with virtually no domestic market to speak of – like Yellowtail.

Yellowtail’s position is backed by a paper called, Red, White and “Green”: The Cost of Carbon in the Global Wine Trade, written by Dr. Tyler Colman, who produces a wildly popular wine blog called Dr. Vino.

Colman and his colleague came up with a “green line” for purchasing wine in the U.S., which cuts through the mid-west. “For points to the west of that line, it is more carbon efficient to consume wine trucked from California. To the east of that line, it’s more efficient to consume the same sized bottle of wine from Bordeaux, which has had benefited from the efficiencies of container shipping, followed by a shorter truck trip.”

This “green line” starts in middle Ohio and kind of zigzags it’s way south, making it impossible to predict on which side you may fall as a Canadian. But bloggers on Colman’s site and other wine discussion boards said that consumers should look to regional producers if it’s a lower carbon footprint is what they’re after.

Amen.

While B.C. wineries might have some work to do in the eco-friendly department on their own turfs, those who choose to sip domestic juice can at least feel good about the fact their bottles didn’t spend a month in transit to get to their table.

Wine Q&A: What's Best with Salmon?

2008-08-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

Q: My husband went fishing off the coast and caught a rather large salmon, so we are hosting a dinner party and intend to cook it up on the barbecue for our guests. What wines should we serve with it?
Debra

A: With salmon, you can certainly shelve the old “white with fish” formula. Depending on how it is prepared, it offers a great deal of versatility when it comes to pairing the dish with wine. The richness of the meat and its texture isn’t easily overwhelmed like the more delicate flesh of many white fish. If you poach it and serve it with a butter sauce, it will go beautifully with a rich, buttery Chardonnay. But a crisp, lean, lemony sparkling wine will work equally as well, as it will cleanse the fat from your palate.

Grilling the salmon will intensify the flavours and carmelize the flesh, adding further complexity. Thus it will be complimented by a light- to medium-bodied red wine, such as a Pinot Noir or Gamay. If you use a rich glaze on the fish – such as one that is balsamic-vinegar based – a fuller bodied red is an option.

In the height of summer, especially if you are dining alfresco, a dry rosé is one of your best bets for grilled salmon. You’ll enjoy the intensity of flavour you get from red, while having the refreshment of chilled white. Plus the acidity in the rosé will be a natural palate cleanser. Stay away from rosés on the sweeter side. Among my favourite local choices are the rosés from Dunham and Froese, St. Hubertus and Gray Monk’s Rotberger.

Wine Q&A: The Price is Right?

2008-08-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

Q: An article you wrote recently suggested that the Okanagan grape crop may not be as good this year as in past years because of the weather in the spring. Does that mean we can expect prices to go down? I find B.C. wines rather expensive.
Patrick

A: I’ll refrain from wading too far into the debate about local wine prices as everyone seems to have a different idea of what is considered affordable and what is expensive. It is true that the average cost of a bottle of locally-produced wine has climbed notably in recent years, but then so has the cost of land on which the grapes are grown, labour, transportation and tax levies. Then there’s the issue of supply and demand – our unquenchable thirst for regional wines has driven up their value. Enough said.

I can’t see wine prices coming down – not for the reason you imply, anyway. First of all let me clarify something – poor weather won’t necessarily translate into a poor crop. Experienced, talented vintners have ways to compensate for climate challenges. For example, they can thin the grape crop – in some cases by as much as half – to encourage ripening.

If consumers were to see any significant fall out from a challenging growing season, it’s most likely going to be the overall supply of local wines. If they are forced to thin the crop, it will mean less yields and lower volume. Some wineries refrain from releasing top-end wines from difficult growing seasons, adding to their exclusivity and perhaps having the opposite effect you hope and actually driving up the price.

Look at what happened with this year’s cherry crop. April’s record-breaking cold (and snow) during a crucial period in that fruit’s growing cycle meant availability was down, but prices were up.

Field Feasting

2008-08-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

By Julianna Hayes
Diane McQuarie and Paul Wilson have found a most unusual way to do some sightseeing this summer.

The Dallas, Texas, couple are something of “food groupies.” They are following a caravan traveling to local farms across North America and celebrating regional cuisine. Called Outstanding in the Field, the highlights of this culinary road tour – which made a stop in the Okanagan August 4th – are dinners served at a huge communal table set in an open field.

“We saw something about it on television and thought it would be a great way to travel to beautiful places and have good food,” said Wilson, who marveled at the view of Okanagan Lake from Little Creek Gardens, located on Kelowna’s Westside, near Fintry.

So far the couple have sampled the regional foods of Marin County and the Bay areas of California, Seattle, Vancouver and the Okanagan. Upcoming stops include New York City, Washington, DC, and their home state of Texas. In all, they will have attended eight dinners once the tour is complete.

Wilson said he and his wife would have never have considered visiting the Okanagan had it not been for Outstanding in the Field. And though they were only here for about 48 hours, they intend to return.

It was the first visit to the valley as well for Outstanding’s founder Jim Denevan, who said he was pleasantly surprised by what greeted him here. “It 's amazing. I can see why people talk about this area,” said Denevan, who compared it to Lake Geneva, Switzerland.

Denevan was a chef in Santa Cruz, California, when he started the Outstanding in the Field program in 1999. He said there is often a disconnect between consumers, people who work in food hospitality, and those who supply what we eat.

In a cookbook he published this year and inspired by the program, Denevan wrote: “We buy fruit, vegetables, meats, fish, and grains; then we bring this bounty home, cook it, and eat it, in many cases without any idea where it grew or was born, whi it was cared for, what it was fed, or by what means it was harvested or slaughtered. Above all, we are utterly ignorant of the people responsible for every step on our food’s path…”

Denevan told the Okanagan guests that Outstanding in the Field is “on a mission to find the places where regional agriculture thrives and the people who know the story of those places share their stories so agriculture can be accessed and appreciated.”

At each location, Denevan sets up a large alfresco dinner table in a produce farm, ranch, dairy, vineyard or even a community garden and assembles various local growers, food producers, chefs and winemakers to prepare and present their regional, seasonal fare. The hosts of the property conduct a tour of their facilities, before guests sit down for a leisurely meal of the freshest ingredients imaginable. Each supplier is invited to share his or her stories and talk about their products as the food is served.

On this trip, Dale Ziech and Donna Denison of Little Creek Greens of West Kelowna explained how they acquired the property from Denison’s great aunt and uncle and set about converting the heavily forested land into a small produce farm. They began growing gourmet certified organic salad greens under contract for local restaurants, for which they have a comfortable niche, but are probably most famous for their Little Creek salad dressings, which have garnered a substantial local cult following.

Ofri Baromar of Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan described how some of the 20 different cheeses they produce are made from goats raised on hers and her husband’s small farm in Kelowna’s Mission area. Using pasteurized and raw milk and various aging processes, all the cheeses are organic and made free of preservatives or additives and with little use of machinery. To them it is important that goats are raised without the use of hormones and are treated with care and respect in excellent living conditions.

Some of the highlights of the Okanagan menu included “Misty” goat cheese from Carmelis and Similkameen Apiary honeycomb and toasted local hazelnuts on a bed of Little Creek salad greens; fresh water rainbow trout from Enderby with local fennel and Little Creek tomatoes; and grilled lamb from North Okanagan Game Meats with local oregano, baby carrots, eggplant and baby zucchini. One of the biggest hits of the meal was Carmelis’ indulgently creamy goat milk gelato served with fresh berries and cherries. The food was paired with wines from CedarCreek Estate Winery.

Although, Denevan still cooks at some of the dinners, most times he engages local chefs for the meals. In the case of the Okanagan, Cameron Smith and Dana Ewert of Joy Road Catering in Naramata did all the prep and presentation.

In its 10th season, Outstanding in the Field has served up more than 100 alfresco dinners, all but two of them attended by Denevan. He travels to each region with a small entourage in a 1953 Flxible bus of “intermittent” reliability. In fact, the bus didn’t make it to Vancouver and the Okanagan, staying behind in Seattle for the necessary maintenance for its upcoming trip across the U.S.

Denevan said the table for 60 at the Okanagan gathering was the smallest since the program started – it’s been known to seat as many as 175 guests. Still, dressed in white linens and mismatched dishes (guests are encouraged to bring their own plates) and stretched across a tree-lined bench overlooking the lake, it was an impressive sight nonetheless.

Denevan said he expected the table to grow in years to come, indicating his intention to return to the valley. He added the abundance and accessibility to regional fare here was among the most extraordinary he’s seen.

For more information on the program, visit http://www.outstandinginthefield.com/