Bloom BC 2009: Celebrating BC Wines

Bloom BC is always one of our favourite BC wine events because it’s a quick opportunity to sample what’s new and fresh in the province. And this year was no exception with some old friends as well as new faces – 50 wineries in all participating.

For whites we gravitated primarily to the Pinot Gris on offer from virtually every vineyard, and the varietal Frank has long suggested could become BC’s signature grape. One surprise was the Rocky Creek Winery ($17.90) from Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island. Good minerality and well structured, we agreed this one is a contender for picnic season staples. But it was Hester Creek’s Pinot Gris that garnered top marks among all of the Pinot Gris offering with its great aromatics and fruity taste, and ended up with Frank’s Two-Star, Go Buy It Now rating.

Then we tried their Trebbiano… and realized winemaker Robert Summers had made this the hands down winner of the day. At $18.99 it’s full-bodied and smooth. “Give up all your preconceived notions of Italy being the only solid Trebbiano producer,” Frank said just as Leo (one of the regulars) arrived on the scene. They both kept it in their glass for a long time. According to rumour, Hester Creek’s original vines were illegally imported as vine cuttings for Christmas wreaths, but however it arrived from Italy, it’s a deliciously good thing it did. Only downside is that it’s going to be tough to find – extremely limited production and even more limited distribution.

Naturally, a stop for some Riesling from Tantalus Vineyards was also in order. The 2008 was, as anticipated, wonderfully full, crisp, and practically begging for a seafood salad. For fun, Jane Hatch had also brought some of the Old Vines 2007 that I’d tried several months ago at a blind tasting. This one lingered in the glass almost as long as the Trebbiano. Made in the traditional style, it’s a dead ringer for a German Riesling, totally delicious, and at $29.90 worth stocking to see how it ages.

We zipped through a few of the reds before leaving with a final stop back at Hester Creek for their Reserve Cabernet Franc 2005 ($27.99) – another winner with none of the stemmy greenness neither of us particularly care for.

All in all, the day was another reason to celebrate BC’s finest.

WHERE TO FIND THEM:

Hester Creek’s Trebbiano is available in limited supply from Liberty Wines in Vancouver. Neither of us have seen it anywhere else, so if you do, please drop us a note.

Although we haven’t actively searched, the only place Rocky Creek Winery’s Pinot Gris seems to appear is Bellevue Wines in West Vancouver where we also found a very few of the Tantalus Old Vine Riesling – their 2008 Reisling is readily available in most VQA stores.

The Great Champagne Quandary: An Afternoon with Pol Roger

Do we really need a celebration to have Champagne? Why is it that typically there has to be a wedding, birthday, or New Years to pop open a bottle of bubbly? Champagne pairs well with food, so why not open a bottle simply while prepping dinner?

Somehow, though, most people feel as if they need some rational to reach for a bottle of bubbly.

Mind you there have been some who could find excuses easily. Coco Chanel is said to have only drunk Champagne on two occasions – when she was in love or when she was not. Churchill started his day with Pol Roger – a bottle a day just to get things going. Someone, I’m not sure who, said you needed Champagne as much in defeat as in victory.

Last week, I decided that being a sunny Sunday afternoon was reason enough to have a bottle of Champagne. But not just any bottle, the day merited a great bottle of bubbles.

Surprisingly, I experienced a nagging sense that I was being decadent or doing something over the top. There were, after all, accomplishments and achievements over the last few months that I hadn’t yet taken time to acknowledge or celebrate. To hell with it, it was Sunday afternoon and I was alive and well – that was reason enough.

Now all that was over with, the question became what to have? Something with just a little edge – a Blanc de Blanc with a little power to it. I considered the two bottles of Salon but they need a little age. I’m also still using the notion that they are investments to justify the inclusion in the cellar.

Since there were no other bottles of Champagne in the wine fridge or in the rack, it was off to the liquor store. On the way, I still had to fight off that annoying sense of needing a reason.

After exploring the latest new arrivals at the liquor store, I found a bottle of Pol Roger vintage Blanc de Blanc – a 1999. All the grapes from this cuvee are from grand cru vineyards in the Cotes de Blancs. All the bottles have undergone hand remuage. The 1999 vintage was warm, and the rain came at the right time. Good vintage, good grapes, good producer. This was just what I was looking for. By the time I got home, the nagging went away.

The bottle went into the ice bucket immediately, and after what seemed to be a suitable interval to show some decorum, the bottle was opened.

The bubbles were very fine and persistent to the eye, a wonderful light gold colour. The nose was at first toast and almonds, then after a few moments floral notes started coming to the forefront with a secondary note of iodine or seashore if you prefer. All good so far, in fact the nose was quite wonderful.

On the palate the acidity was well balanced by the 10.5 grams of residual sugar. The palate as well started out toasty, but not as yeasty as I’d expected. The floral got a little more specific and became all violets. The bubbles remained persistent in the glass. The finish was long, and it had a nice edge right till the end of the bottle. Seafood – oysters especially – would be a good food match.

And there’s no question that being Sunday afternoon was reason enough to have this excellent Blanc de Blanc.

Retail was $88 at the LCB, but this Champagne seems to be available for around $80 on the net.

Susan’s Note: Personally, I’ve always thought of Coco as having had a remarkably astute attitude to life in addition to exquisite taste.

I’ve heard Frank’s quote of uncertain origin – in victory, you deserve Champagne, in defeat, you need it – attributed to Winston Church but more often to Napoleon. Who knows, perhaps it was a grand case of plagiarism. Regardless, it’s got a charm, wit, and wisdom that I like.

However, one of my favourite quotes is from the grand lady of Champagne herself – Lily Bollinger. When asked when she drank Champagne, her famous reply was:

I only drink Champagne when I’m happy… and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – I unless I’m thirsty.

So now it’s the Monday of a long weekend – sounds like an excellent reason for another bottle of good bubbles.

Cacique: Costa Rican Adventures and Vodkas

April 16th had finally arrived, and my sister and I were winging our way off on our annual vacation. These tropical jaunts are strictly a girls only event and typically involve some really tough, daily decisions – whether to suntan on the beach or beside the pool, are we having afternoon cocktails and appies on the patio or the open air lounge, and, of course, which wine to drink with dinner. Yes, it’s often difficult, but someone has to accept these challenges.

This year, Anita and I chose Costa Rica, a place neither of us have visited before. So get set for the first of several installments about our culinary adventures in South America.

My one goal for this trip had been to be ensconced at the Flamingo Beach Resort’s swim up bar( seen below) with Piña Colada in hand no more than 30 minutes after arrival at the hotel. In the end, though, I only had one Piña Colada the entire trip because that first evening I discovered Cacique, the locally produced, clear spirit that Costa Rica has claimed as its national drink.

Made from cane sugar – of which there is a whole lot growing everywhere – Cacique is sometimes called the Tico Vodka (Tico referring to all things Costa Rican). Over the course of the week, we tried it straight up, on ice, and in Pura Vidas – a delicious tropical cocktail made from crushed lime, OJ, Cacique, and just enough Grenadine to give it a lovely pinky-red colour. Miguel, one of our bartenders (shown left) was always delighted to pour another version or demonstrate the technique of crushing limes to make the flavour just so.

Ultimately, though, we decided Cacique is best served on the rocks perhaps with a twist of lime. It has an uncluttered, refreshing taste, and with a 35% alcohol content, it’s a little lighter than most comparable spirits so it’s easy to drink.


Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to get anywhere except Costa Rica. We both spent some considerable amount of time after getting back home and only came up with one possibility. Actually, as an American, Anita has one possibility: as a Canadian, I appear to have none because they don’t ship here. Check out the Guaro website and let us know if you figure it out.

At the duty free on the way home, I picked up a bottle of VSOP Hennessy and one $6 bottle of Cacique. Anita went all out, snagging two bottles of Tico Vodka. In retrospect, perhaps she made the better choice. Guess we’ll just have to head back to Costa Rica when our supplies run out.

Of Siegerrebe, Cribbage, and Norsemen

Frank and I often talk about how sometimes a wine just tastes better because of where you are and who you’re with. It’s one of those marvelous, magical qualities of wine that continue to defy description. You won’t see it in a tasting note, because it’s even more ephemeral than the illusive terroir – but we’re both true believers in its reality.

Case in point was a recent bottle of 2007 Gray Monk Siegerrebe. The occasion was a cribbage contest with one of my favourite opponents. Phil’s wit is totally off-the-wall and endlessly entertaining, so these contests are always laughter filled. Plus we have a long-standing tradition of opening a bottle of wine – usually one that’s a bit out of the ordinary – and then simply playing till it’s empty. Although he claims to know virtually nothing about wine, Phil’s palate is actually quite good. Unfortunately for me, so is his luck with cards.

We pour the first two glasses and cut the deck. I lose – horribly. “That’s got a rather peachy nose doesn’t it?” Phil says. Since he’s not of the demographic who use the word peachy as an expression of enjoyment or approval, I take him literally and decide I’d better investigate the contents of my glass more closely as the content of my hand could in no way be described as peachy.

Yup, peach and apricot with some pear – I’m thinking it might work well with the apple-pear, blue cheese, and balsamic vinegar reduction salad I have in mind for dinner. We swirl, sip, and agree there’s lots of fruit going on. It also feels thick and I can taste it all the way from front to back of my tongue. “I’m not sure why, but I keep thinking grass,” Phil says as he pegs a couple more points.

After several more hands, I still don’t get the grass, but I do get just a hint of lavender. And somewhere in my mind is an echo of floral “stuff.” Okay, maybe – just maybe, you understand – I’m actually concentrating more on the 16-point hand I’ve just been dealt than on the experience of the wine.

“Hmmm. This really has a lingering finish,” Phil says turning up the Jack of Spades for two more points. “Guess that would be a deadbeat Norseman, right?”

Somehow I manage not to spit out my mouthful of wine.

“And I’ve got that damned, lazy Viking right in my sights,” Phil continues, not missing a beat as he lays down a seven giving him “31 for two” and moves confidently to within four points of the “Finish” line.

Sure, I’ve only had a couple of decent hands for the entire round. But I’m only 15 behind and… I count first. Since the wine is really starting to open pleasantly, I pause to inhale – the apricot notes are really coming out now. No, honest, I’m not taunting my opponent – well not much. Phil pegs three more points and is starting to look pretty chuff. Until I put down my last card – the one that gives away the fact I have a double run for eight points plus a 15-8 count in fifteens – and the realization dawns that with his single point for last card, Phil may be poised right next to the Norseman but I’m going to get to snuggle up to him first.

On this occasion, we play another two rounds ending up with two losses for me before we upend the bottle.

Was the wine outstanding? Not really. It was pleasant enough – a great patio sipper or something to take on a summer picnic. For $17 it was pretty good value and would go well with Thai or other spicy foods thanks to its 10.8% alcohol and fruity sweetness.

Was it a memorable wine? Definitely. But it was made so because it was blended liberally with good company, abundant laughter, and friendly competition. I tried another bottle, alone, several days later and although still pleasing enough, it wasn’t nearly as much to write home about.

Jancis Robinson doesn’t seem to be much of a Siegerrebe fan. “A modern German vine crossing grown, like certain giant vegetables, purely by exhibitionists… so rich and oppressively flavoured it’s usually a chore to drink,” she says in The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oz Clarke doesn’t even mention the grape in his Encyclopedia of Grapes or Grapes and Wines.

Still, Siegerrebe is one wine I will always think of fondly because it recalls a time and place. But next time, revenge will be mine. I’m going to get to the Norseman first every time!

1982 Vignaveja: An Elegant Old Vintage

Old wines are always something of a mystery. Case in point, the bottle of 1982 Vignaveja we’re about to uncork. What is going to happen when I open this vintage? Will it be dead, oxidized, or will it be a wonderful old bottle full of life still?

This particular bottle is actually Susan’s – a semi bribe and pay back for some editing she did for me at very last minute. The “fee” was two older bottles of wine from my cellar preferable at least one of them a Gaja that she’s always wanted to try. However, she very graciously decided to share this bottle with me. Wonderful woman.

There where problems from the start. A very long cork that really didn’t want to allow itself to be removed from the bottle where it had rested for quite sometime – almost 27 years to be exact. With a lot of work, we finally managed to remove the cork although in many pieces – many, many very small pieces.

As we decanted the wine – surprisingly there was just a little sediment in the bottom of the bottle – a wonderful smell of fruit and leather filled the room. The color was a deep dark red, also very surprising. But would it hold up? Sometimes with older wines, I’ve had them die as soon as soon as they get hit with air.


The colour, too, was amazing for its age – a deep red with a brick red rim and no hints of orange or brown at all. How long would the color last?

Mentally, I was trying to do a WSET tasting note – impossible. Each sip, every glass changed by the minute. The first glass started out as dried roses, dark cherry, and vanilla. Half way through, a little bit of smoky notes made an appearance. The second glass became all about leather and tar, truffles and forest floor. There where still some tannins, but with the corners rounded off, then pure silk. The acidity was present all the way through. Very long finish, quite amazingly long, in fact. The third and final glass started out all truffles, mushrooms, saddle leather, and earth. Then suddenly, with an ounce or so left in the glass, it died and became all sherry notes and acid.

Still, there’s no question this was an amazing wine – Nebbiolo (seen left) again showing remarkably well for its age. Apparently it originally sold for less than $30 although I could find very little about this vintage on the web. Wine Spectator rated the 1983 at 94 points. If any one has any information on this wine, we’d love to hear about it.

Susan’s Note:

Okay, sure I’ll often do Frank’s editing for free but this one was a bit “extreme” – half an hour to take care of some promotional material that should have been at least a four hour job – so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to snag the Gaja I’ve had my eye on for over a year. Success at last.

But I have to confess that somehow this wine would have been much diminished if drunk solo. Just like the older Barolo that will likely be the cost of his next extreme edit.

Kiwi Chocolate Time

Okay, we confess. We have an apology to make to all our faithful subscribers. Even though we posted on the correct day, cyber-gremlins ran amok to delay our critically timed info about the new Kiwi sensation: Pinot Chocolat. So you probably received our last post in your inbox a day late.

Still, you have to hand it to Kim and Erica Crawford owners of Kim Crawford Wines who had what it takes to pull off this worldwide event straight-faced with the same casual elegance and class you’ll find in their wines. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did – although we can’t quite figure out why they weren’t sending samples as well. Maybe the Easter Bunny got them all.

PS: The video is worth watching on any April day (or any day of the year for that matter). If you’re trying to find it, you now have to go to http://www.kimcrawfordwines.co.nz/pinotchocolat/video.html. It was only up front and center on their website for April 1st. But then you knew that didn’t you?

Wine Meets Chocolate: Taste Sensation of the Year

Where on earth has almost a year gone. We’ve both been away and busier than ever. But thought we'd start getting back in touch with everyone by passing along something fun to get your day going. Hot off the wire!

The French use it to seduce, the English for comfort. Mexicans revel in its healing properties, and the Aztecs thought it more precious than gold. Just in time for Easter, trust the Kiwis to successfully combine chocolate and wine – a decadent marriage of quality and taste.

“We are very excited about this new varietal,” says Erica Crawford, co-founder of Kim Crawford Wines, via a news release. “The 09 Pinot Chocolat is unique and another world first for New Zealand.”

Apparently developed under a shroud of secrecy using only the finest Ghana cocoa beans, it took eight gooey months of testing before the essence of chocolate from cocoa beans could be extracted at the right acidity to successfully infuse with the pinot grapes.

“There was some controversy in the beginning,” Erica admits. “Although it tastes delicious, many stalwarts in the Kim Crawford Wines team wanted to veto the idea as they felt it would mar the integrity of the brand. However, in the interests of starting something new, we decided to emulate our forefathers who brought the first vines to this country. We threw caution to the wind and jumped in.”

Once poured, the difference between the colour of Pinot Chocolate and Pinot Noir is subtle. The wine retains the walnut plum of the red grape but, when held up to the light, you can see just a hint of russet. Consistency is a little more viscous but it appears to hang nicely on the glass with the weight adding an air of decadence.

Kim Crawford Wines has timed the release for Easter and is working on a limited edition, Easter-egg style foil wrapped packaging for the first 1,000 bottles. The remainder will look much like the rest of Kim Crawford wines, except for the quirky new foil lid.

Kim Crawford Wines indicates there are plans to add to the Vino Chocolat range with seasonal flavours: Sauvignon Blanc Chocolat with a distinctive winter white colour, Suisse Chardonnay for a clever balance of sweet and buttery notes, and an indulgent Merlot Lait Chocolat.

For a sneak preview go to: www.kimcrawfordwines.co.nz/pinotchocolat

Wine, Romantic Encounters, and WSET

I think Frank is having an affair. He mutters her name constantly – sometimes lovingly, sometimes not so much so. Her picture appears in books on the coffee table, on the dashboard in the truck, even pinned on the bathroom mirror with some unintelligible scribbles and notations below it. I know he sometimes even takes her to bed.

Like all relationships, there is a definite up and down cycle to his infatuation with this woman. As his WSET exam gets closer he finds her more frustrating. At other times, he finds her charming, witty, and distinctly sexy. But he relies on her totally and without reservation. “I just can’t be without her,” he’ll sometimes confess.

I suspect that if Frank ever actually met her face to face and in person, he would give her the traditional European greeting – three kisses on alternating cheeks – right, left, right. He might even hug her.

Tonight Frank writes the vinticulture portion of his WSET Diploma exam. Perhaps when he’s done and the marks are tallied, he will close the Oxford Companion to Wine and Jancis Robinson will be forgotten for a short while. Perhaps. At least until it’s time for the next exam.

The Chianti Challenge: Three Decades of Frescobaldi

Anyone who’s read Blanc de Noir for long knows we’re both huge fans of Italian wines. There’s just something about the diversity, quality, and sheer fun factor of Italian wines – whether it’s a casual summer patio sipper or a robust vintage to accompany a big, festive dinner or one of the meditative Amarones that are still way up there on our list of favourites.

So when BC Wine Appreciation Society decided to add a couple of Italian wines to an educational tasting scheduled just prior to the 2008 Playhouse International Wine Festival – the theme country for this year’s festival was, after all, Italy – Frank and our illustrious BCWAS leader, Tim Ellison, decided to add a twist to the event. How about putting up a couple of Italian wines with the usual BC vintages? Frank, however, took the concept one step farther.

Here’s the deal. From BC: three sparklers, four Pinot Grigios, two Pinot Noirs, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Merlot. From Italy: three Chiantis – just three and all from Frescobaldi, one of Italy’s most respected winemakers (multi-generations shown above).

Here’s the catch. The Chiantis were bottled in 2004, 1982, and 1975. No, it’s not a typo. The last two came from the collection of Italian wines Frank recently acquired – one of those fantastic opportunities that come about from being in the right place and the right time and having way more patience than most when it comes to negotiating.

Alas, on the night of the event, Frank was sick with flu, but you can bet eyes went wide as people realized what he’d sent.

The 2004 was, pretty much as expected, dark purple with lots of fruit and tannins that were more “in your face” than makes for a good sipping wine unless you’re eating. But truth is, few people spent much time with that particular wine since they were all eager to try the two older offerings.

Immediately apparent was the change in colour – now tawny with a much larger rim than the 2004. Controversy was plentiful and several people found neither one was “quite my thing” as one member put it in an attempt to be diplomatic. The level of oxidization, especially in the 1975, caused raised eyebrows among half the folks there. It was virtually unanimous that the ’82 needs to be drunk now and the ’75 is clearly a bit past its prime – although not a soul suggested it should be tossed.

However wide ranging the evening’s opinions were, one thing we all did agree on. These are wines made with love and benefit from patience.

Frank’s Tasting Notes:

Castello di Nipozzano Riserva 1982
This wine has aged well, probably because it is a Riserva. After more than a quarter of a century there’s still lots of fruit left – black cherry and dark fruits with a note of white truffles in the background. The tannins have smoothed right out so they are now a little silky, and the finish is fairly long. This wine shows just how well age can improve a Chianti. Alcohol 12.5%. All the bottles for both these wines are numbered – I have 10 left, all around 84,960 series out of 293,600 bottles produced in 1982.

Castello di Nipozzano Chianti Rufina 1975
Sadly just a little past its prime but still drinkable as the acidity has helped this one hold up. Wide orange rim, brick red colour. Truffles leave sherry undertones. This vintage has shown a lot of bottle variation – the fruit showed up a little more in this one than the first one we tried. Alcohol 12.7%. The last bottle I have left is number 74324 of 80,000 bottles produced.

Spanish Garnacha: A Steal of a Deal

I keep bumping into the guy. First in the Bordeaux section, a couple of minutes later we’re both cruising through the Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand. I head for Piedmont, and there he is – again. We smile at each other over Cognac, one of those “okay, this is either too weird or too funny” sort of smiles. But it’s not till we simultaneously hit Spain that we actually strike up a conversation.

Clearly, this man has a fairly upscale taste in wines. Not that I was actually checking out his purchases… much. I guess I just “happened” to notice some of the bottles. Since he obviously likes all the same wine regions Frank and I do, I wanted to see if he chose anything we hadn’t tried. Not much under $40 will find its way to his table. So when I see him piling bottles of $9.95 Castillo de Monseran Garnacha from Spain into the now groaning basket, I can’t help myself – I have to ask.

“One of the best deals going,” he tells me. Then he actually winks at me – it’s a cute wink too. “Just don’t tell too many people about it – all the more for us.” A good natured laugh and he’s gone. What the heck, at the price, if it’s awful, I figure it will pour down the drain more easily than some of the pricier stuff that’s been know to suffer the same fate. I snag a bottle.

A couple of days later I’ve got a spicy chicken stir fry on the go, a quiet evening with just my book ahead, and uh-oh – no Riesling to go with dinner. In fact, there’s nothing that seems to go with the food. I manage to catch Frank just before he goes into his meeting. “Am I absolutely crazy or do you think the Garnacha might work?”

Initially Frank’s not impressed, but after some deliberation, we decide it will probably be a more or less acceptable though not stellar pairing. With 12.5% alcohol, it’s at least not going to totally burn out the taste buds when it hits the chili spices on the chicken. I cross my fingers, open the bottle, and hope for the best. The kitchen sink is within arms reach.

The initial nose is surprising. Exotic spices – cloves, allspice, cinnamon. There’s a whisper of anise and leather too, kind of like John Wayne strolling through the kitchen chewing on a licorice Twist. Later coffee and cocoa appear introducing a not unpleasant grittiness like riding through the desert.

And it worked with the chicken too – as expected, not stellar, but not half bad. There was a complementary nature to the spices and just enough of fruitiness in the meat’s marinade to work with the wine. Alas, Tenderland Meats on Granville Island where I buy it aren’t parting with the secrets of all the seasonings they use, but they did confirm there’s allspice, cilantro, and sweet green chili peppers. I’m betting there might be a hint of papaya in there somewhere too.

Hopefully, one day I’ll run into the gentleman with the cute wink. I’d like to tell him he was right, this wine is a steal of a deal. And I wonder if he knows it also goes fabulously well with the chocolate Hedgehog from Purdy’s Chocolates that I had after dinner – that pairing is almost stellar. Sorry, Frank, I guess it slipped my mind to tell you about the Hedgehog.

The Wine: Castillo de Monseran Garnacha 2006 ($9.95) - if you find their website, please let us know because we couldn't
The Food: Chicken Chili Stir Fry from Tenderland Meats
The Chocolate: Hedgehogs from Purdy’s Chocolates
The Scoop: One of the best under $10 values going

Harry McWatters: BC Wines Visionary

After four decades in the wine industry, Harry McWatters, the spirited, fun-loving, and sometimes outspoken president of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland, British Columbia, is stepping down.

Harry’s accomplishments are legendary. He helped found the British Columbia Wine Institute, Wines of Canada, VQA Canada, the BC Wine Information Society, and the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. In 2003, he was a recipient of the Order of British Columbia and is considered instrumental in propelling British Columbia’s wine industry onto the global stage.

But even more important, Harry is known and loved for his tireless commitment and enthusiasm. To be in a room with Harry, is to be instantly caught up in a contagious passion for all things wine-oriented. His wit is razor sharp, his smile impossible to resist, and few can match the sheer depth of his knowledge.

But there’s clearly no slowing down on Harry’s immediate horizon. Effective May 1st, 2008 – the day after he officially steps down as president of Sumac Ridge – Harry intends to begin work establishing The Okanagan Wine Academy, an educational program offering in-depth wine educational programs primarily to consumers. In addition to providing consulting services, he will also continue on as president of the Black Sage Vineyard.

And he’s going to finally be able to devote some time to completing his cookbook, Wine Country Cooking, British Columbia, a project he says “has been talked about and gathering dust for several years.” He smiles with that characteristic twinkle in his eyes. “This is by no means retirement, but an opportunity to find new reasons to get out of bed in the morning and shift gears, as I plan to remain active in the future growth of this great industry.”

Like everyone who has ever had the privilege of meeting this incredible man, we wish Harry every success and look forward to seeing what shifting gears will bring. We’ll also be first in line to try out some of his Wine Country Cooking recipes.

(Photo taken at the BC Wine Appreciation Society's Christmas party where Harry poured some of his Steller’s Jay Brut.)

Romance with 2002 Zinfandels

Okay, it was actually a few days before Valentine’s. But clearly our uncharacteristically small group of Vancouver American Wine Society members who had gathered to compare a horizontal flight of ten 2002 Zinfandels were jumping into the spirit of romance.

Here they come in the order we tasted, and although it would be fun, we can take no credit for the final “heartfelt” evaluations of the ten offerings – each was delivered from an appointed, if sometimes reluctant, spokesperson at a different table.

Wine #1: Paso Robles Westside from Peachy Canyon Winery
Thin, weak, and presenting surprisingly little fruit either on the nose or the palate. This wine is like a ghostly and somewhat disappointing lover. Neat tasting room though as seen at the right.

Wine #2: Alexander Valley Todd Brothers Ranch from Dashe Cellars
Made with 4% Petit Syrah, the general consensus was that this wine was approaching – or perhaps even past – its prime. Tannins were still a bit coarse, and there was definite sediment. This wine was ranked as a dark and sultry, if a bit over the top lover.

Wine #3: Sonoma Valley Rhinefarm Vineyard from Gundlach Bundschu Winery
Softer and with a better balance than the previous one, most people agreed this wine showed coffee, chocolate, and mint overtones. The finish was longer, smoother like a well-oiled lover – apparently appealing as this wine was ranked Number One of the evening.

Wine #4: Amador County Grandpere from Renwood Winery
Made from old vines though from a newer winery (shown right), this wine was deemed somewhat austere. Oak on the nose but light in fruit, this wine – according to the table’s spokesperson – would not be finding its way onto her table nor into her bedroom even on Valentine’s Day.

Wine #5: Dry Creek Valley from Chateau Souverain
Not offensive, merely flat and faded from time with not enough fruit remaining to be worth mentioning. This wine is one lover who simply doesn’t deliver – even after midnight.

Wine #6: Dry Creek Valley from Foppiano Vineyards
Although we knew this vineyard specializes in “affordable,” this vintage was rather like stuffing your face full of penny candy in the general store. A fickle lover – even on a one night stand, first he thought he loved her, then he didn’t, then he did.

Wine #7: Napa Valley from Napa Wine Company
Like a chameleon, this wine exhibited the most dramatic amount of change of any poured this evening and garnered second favourite in the process. On the palate cedar, tobacco, and barnyard. In bed, an almost schizoid lover – but definitely one you’d happily suggest a roll in the hay with.

Wine #8: Napa Valley Old Vines from Fife Vineyards
Simple and somewhat nondescript but still comfortable, this wine is from old vines. Good for mindless quaffing on an open-air patio. A lover wearing nothing but flannel pajamas.

Wine #9: Napa Valley from Ravenswood Winery
Although this wine didn’t open as much as many of us had expected, it was “no wimpy wine.” Brawny and well structured, a few people found a hint of cream soda. This one is a somewhat reticent lover but definitely well built lover – perhaps even a redhead. (Note: these guys have a really fun website and a terrific sense of humour. Here’s an excerpt: At Ravenswood, there’s no pinkie raising, Brie eating, wine spitting wimpiness. Oh no. At the home of No Wimpy Wines, you’ll get to taste mind blowing zinfandel, witty conversation with our behind-the-bar staff and, if you so choose, private or group tours of the winery aka Zinfomania Central.)

Wine #10: Napa Valley from Rutherford Ranch
Controversy swirled around this wine as it became clear there was an almost unbelievable amount of bottle variation between each of the three that were poured. Some felt theirs was corked, others said “no, it’s just the style.” Was it a Madame wearing pancake make up and a feather boa or a great lover who hadn’t showered for a week? Few could agree.

Ponderings on Points, Amarones, and Arias

I have been traveling back and forth across the country for the last two weeks and have been working long days for months. In between flights and endless delays in airport waiting lounges, I try to make study time for my WSET exam coming up all too soon in a few days. After a grueling, four-city tour, tonight I feel justified in picking something special to celebrate a clean desk and being home. A bottle of Amarone is definitely appropriate. The bottle I decide on is an Amarone Negar 1961. Yes the vintage is right, 1961.

It was a great year for Italian wine in 1961 – rain and sun in perfect balance. John Kennedy was president of the USA. The Berlin Wall was under construction. Maria Callas was 38 and at the height of her career. Sophia Loren was starring in El Cid, and I was all of nine years old.

The label is a little worn and torn. The fill level looks promising – still mid neck – although there is a little sediment. The cork seems to be okay – solid and removes easily without crumbling. Should I decant and risk adding too much air? I pour a glass to see what has happened to this 40-something wine.

The color is amazing – dark red, with a little orange and brick red on the rim. The nose is equally remarkable – still lots of fruit left on the nose, black cherry with truffle, and a little sherry oxidization odors in the background. A few swirls of the glass and the oxidative aromas disappear.

The taste and finish on this wine is surprising, still full of black cherry, truffles, and forest floor with a finish that lasts for minutes. The tannins are like silk, and there are not enough descriptors to describe the mouth feel and full body. The acidity must be holding this wine together.

Now, there is a caveat to this story. We both love Amarone, so there is a built in basis here. But points and ratings have no relevance to this wine. It is, quite simply, a great wine. It is like the Callas aria playing on the stereo – powerful yet filled with grace and finesse. It is an Amarone at its heights. Yes, 1961 was a good vintage year for Italian wines. I am going to lay down some bottles for the future.

SUSAN'S NOTE:

This Amarone is a perfect example of why Frank and I both hate the point system. Is this a 98 or only a 97 point wine? After all, how do you define the difference of a single point? Or has this venerable liquid actually achieved the enviable position of 100 points despite its initial hint of oxidation? It is only two additional points after all.

And if we were to rate it as a 98, would that make it comparable to the 2004 Cabernet Blend IX Estate from that received a 98 point nod from Robert Parker? Hmmm, let’s see. A three-year old blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot from Napa Valley versus an Italian Amarone with almost half a century of love, care, and passion in its provenance. Somehow, the comparison just doesn’t work – although I suppose one day, some scientist, somewhere in the world, will come up with a formula that proves you can actually make a meaningful comparison between apples and snow peas.

(Photos of Maria Callas and Sophia Loren are both dated 1960, only a year before this wine was produced.)

Celebrating the New Year with Sparkling Wines

New Year’s and bubbles always seem to go together perfectly, and this season was no exception. So with a lazy Saturday between Christmas and New Year Eve, it was hardly a surprise to find sparkling wines featured at every in-house tasting on our re-stocking the liquor cabinet route. How could we refuse?

We’re both fans of Spanish Cavas for their ability to combine great taste with solid pricing, and the Lavit Brut Rosado we sampled first was no exception. Light strawberry in colour, this sparkler was summer in a glass – raspberries, strawberries, and just a hint of peach. Even though it was slightly over chilled for this tasting we instantly agreed it would be one to that would help solve the “what actually goes with turkey dinner” dilemma. Good for pre-dinner sipping too.

The Sigura Viudas Brut Reserva that was next up is pretty much one of our standard stocker for its flexible nature and crisp taste. It’s also, according to Ian Farmiloe, the International Cellars rep pouring, BC’s largest selling Cava. Good for parties – especially potluck where anything is likely to show up. “So, is this one, like – you know – real champagne?” To his credit, Ian managed to keep a semi-serious expression on his face as he explained the intricacies of the Champagne region to the rather portly lady wearing a combination of tartan plaid, plenty of zestful holiday bling, and sturdy black walking boots. We weren’t quite so diplomatic and had to suddenly develop an interest in the Italian wine section several rows over.

However, we did pop back for the Reserva Heredad. Perfect for when we want a bit more of a treat for less than $35, this Grand Reserve Cava has plenty of lemon-lime acidity and always makes a reliable, refreshing pour.

For a complete change of pace, we also checked out two offerings from Gray Monk’s Odyssey series. Even our Scottish wanna-be would probably have hesitated to inquire about the authenticity of this “Champagne.” Neither of us got the yeasty nose that we would have expected after being left for 16 months on the yeast, although there was plenty of big time buttery texture from the Chardonnay. We settled for this one as an
aperitif. The Rosé Brut had pleasing strawberry notes but didn’t hit either one of us as a “rush out and buy” item. At $27 each, we took a pass on both these BC wines and headed back for a few more of the Cavas… with just a short detour through Champagne for some of “the real stuff.”


THE WINES:

Lavit Brut Rosado
Winery: Sigura Viudas
Grapes: 80% Trepat, 10% Monastrell, 10% Garnacha
Price: $17

Brut Reserva
Winery: Sigura Viudas
Grapes: 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada, 15% Xarel-lo
Price: $16

Reserva Heredad
Winery: Sigura Viudas
Grapes: 67% Macabeo, 33% Parellada
Price: $32

Odyssey White Brut
Winery: Gray Monk
Grapes: Riesling and Chardonnay
Price: $27

Odyssey Rosé Brut
Winery: Gray Monk
Grapes: Gamay Noir, Pinot Meunier
Price: $27

Christmas at the BC Wine Appreciation Society

The mood was festive, as it always is, at the BCWAS Christmas party and tasting. Plenty of sparkles and bling were in evidence as our usual gang of suspects gathered to check out a selection of Christmas offerings from around the province.

Naturally, there was sparkling wine to start the evening – Steller’s Jay from Sumac Ridge and as you can see at the right, owner Harry McWatters himself was pouring. Wonderfully yeasty and a perfect complement to the freshly shucked oysters that were part of the smorgasbord of delectable nibbles. And Frank said he was going to be late… snicker. So of course, I just had to check that particular pairing again on my own.

During the course of the evening the food seemed endless and conversations delightfully varied – wandering from the newest VQA stores in everyone’s ’hood to the emerging trend of creating strata housing developments amid the vines of established wineries to which grape varietals are best suited to BC and how that varies between the Okanagan and Vancouver Islands. But always, we came back to the main event – the wines themselves. Picking a favourite was, as expect, a tough call, but by the time Frank got there, it seemed pretty much narrowed down to two.

From one of our favourite Gulf Island Wineries, Morning Bay, Keith (shown below with Francis, BCWAS' financial wizard) and Barbara had brought an unannounced bottle of their new release Bianco. Crisp and clean, with medium plus intensity of citrus with a hint of floral on the nose, Frank’s eyes took on that glint of appreciation when we went back to this one, and he was soon deep in conversation with Keith about the four strains of yeast used – one for each of the grapes that make up this summer sipper blend: Schonberger, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and a touch of Riesling. All are vinified separately with the Riesling adding just a touch of orchard fruit. Made in a bone dry, Alsace style, Frank’s first thought was oysters or shellfish – especially if you can’t find a Muscadet. At that point I didn’t have the heart to tell him about the earlier nibblies he’d missed.

A highlight of the evening, one that had attracted a huge amount of anticipation was the 2004 Nota Bene from Black Hills. Considered something of a cult wine among BC wine fans, this Bordeaux blend (43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc) is filled with black fruit plus a hint of cherry with cedar and pencil shavings. We agreed it was well balanced with fine-grained tannins.

Unfortunately, if you’re thinking of nipping down to the store to grab a bottle or two, think again. This wine sells out year after year – unless you’re on their list, you likely won’t find any unless you can snag a bottle at a local restaurant or visit their Okanagan winery for yourself. Admittedly it was quite delicious. Still, at $35 seemed a bit pricy and in many ways remains an example of one of the biggest issues many (both of us included) believe the BC wine industry in general needs to consider carefully as it continues its evolution onto the world stage – how to be competitive in an increasingly savvy, discriminating marketplace.

PS: Happy Birthday to Leah. Thanks for pouring on your special day and you did a great job with the candle on your cupcake.

Wine in the Digital Age: Cyber Surfing Nightmares

I’ve just spent a few hours researching some wines Susan and I are tasting next week. Well, attempting to research would more appropriately describe this exercise in frustration. I’m still astonished how many winery websites are hard to find, poorly laid out, and then give little or no information. Sometimes I dig through page after page after page and finally discover a two-line tasting note – how exciting.

To all you wineries, if you think this amount of information will have wines flying off the shelves, think again. First of all, by the time most consumers are looking up a wine on the Internet they’ve already tasted it, so they’re after more detail than “black cherries and leather.” And could you include just a few words on your different vintages? Your 2001 tasting notes are getting a little dated. Besides, I’m sure your 2006 will taste different – different weather, different harvest conditions, different wine.

How about a little technical information? French Oak or American Oak for example. A few lines covering pH, harvest dates, Brix at harvest, and residual sugar would be nice. Wine geeks will love you and talk up your wines – free promotion.

I’d also think you would have your labels available for download – after all, your design person’s already done the graphics in digital format, so just get a copy. Buyers could then print the label and take it to their favorite store as a reminder of what they’re looking for. Wine reviewers would be able add a label to their review or blog – more free promotion. People could share copies with their friends and family: look at this great wine I just found. Even more free promotion.

People viewing your site aren’t usually there to read all about the owners and how wonderful they are – at least not at first. Surprise – top of most people’s hit list are the wines themselves. What grape varieties? What quantities in your Bordeaux style blend? Can we have a little story on the style of wines you are trying to produce? Who is the winemaker and what’s their philosophy, experience, and technique. What does your winery look like – a picture or two might be nice especially for the folks buying your wine who live across the country.

Oh, and some way of getting a hold of you would be nice – an email address or phone number would be cool. How can you except to answer questions – like “where do I buy your wines?” Or maybe you just like seeing your wines sitting in the warehouse.

None of this actually takes that much effort. Really, it doesn’t. All you need to do is spend a little time and money on your website to make it stand out among the rest. If you want to see what I mean, here are links to a couple of websites that get it right.

Arrow Leaf Cellars in BC’s Okanagan has a site that’s easy to negotiate and includes a contact list, newsletter, pictures of the vineyard, and a great tech sheet. There’s even info on screw caps with a link to the New Zealand Screwcap Wine Seal Initiative – just in case you haven’t been converted yet.

Down under, Peter Lehmann Wines has another fantastic site – history, descriptions of the area, info about the winemakers and the wines. After spending time on the site, you want to buy rush out to the store and buy a bottle or two.

And to the winery in Australia who will not put info on their web site because it is too “techie,” it’s time to get with the Digital Age. You say you’d rather have people come to the cellar door to get info than surf the Net. Yeah, right. I’ll just hop on a plane from Canada right away. Lots of luck selling wines in our local market and no reviews from this quarter.

SUSAN'S NOTE:

I confess, I have a severe love/hate relationship with the web. I admire Frank’s ability to search through layers and layers until he comes up with some nugget of information, but I certainly don’t share it. No results after a couple of Google searches and I’m on to something else. And sites that give me no contact information put me into orbit – Frank usually doesn’t even bother telling me about them any more because then he has to listen to my usually loud, always colourful verbal tirades.

However, one interesting thing did come out of his visit to the “We don’t believe in an Internet presence” Aussie site. Our debate on whether the owner was simply stupid or was being blatantly arrogant was lively, thoroughly entertaining, and will certainly keep them at the top of our “Do Not Visit or Buy From” list for a long, long time. FYI: arrogant won hands down.

Note: Photos show the Arrow Leaf Cellars' vineyards and porch area. Wine bottles show Arrow Leaf's Zweigelt and Peter Lehmann's Semillon. Enjoy.

A Taste of Argentina: Two Wines from Patagonia

This was originally going to be one of those quick and dirty reviews. Two Argentinean wines, a snack provided by Chef Tim (that would be Tim Ellison, one of our favourite local sommeliers and co-founder of the BC Wine Appreciation Society), followed by a fast dash through the Cambie Liquor store to stock up on a few winter staples like Cognac and Champagne. Oh well, things change.

Uncharacteristically for a Saturday, there was plenty of parking – must be something to do with the snow. Vancouver + Snow = Mass Panic.

Tim and I do our usual three-kiss-on-the-cheek greeting – that’s right cheek to right cheek, left to left, and right to right in case you’ve ever wondered. The beef he’s carving with Melissa Popp from Hills Foods smells wonderful and the Chimichurri Sauce looks even better. Both wines on offer are from Bodega del Fin del Mundo from Patagonia, Argentinean – Southern most White and Southern most Red. Hmmm. White and Red. That tells me a lot, but what the heck.

Turns out our white is a 60/40 Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay blend. Surprisingly crisp with a pleasing length to the finish – not huge but pleasing. Today, however, this wine seemed just a bit too citrus without food – or maybe I’m just cantankerous from the snow. Still, at the price point of $12.95, this is one worth stocking for when you need a sipper with light nibblies. I’m already thinking summer sailing and it’s only December.

The red is 70/15/15 Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Once again priced at $12.95, this is one good value. A hint of tobacco and a nice, round mouth feel. I was surprised I liked it as much as I did. And it went fabulously well with the beef – although I had to check that particular pairing twice just to be sure. Tim and Melissa Popp from Hills Foods were happy to provide a photo op for the results of their combined cooking talents.

Tasting Aftermath at the Computer

Arriving home, I thought it would be fun to find out more about a winery located – literally – at the end of the world. One thing lead to another – like good surfing usually does. I spent, let’s just say “a while,” including a browse about through the Hills Foods site (who generously provided today’s beef) – some great recipes and cool organic meat products. But here’s the summary about the wines.

Bodega del Fin del Mundo was founded in 1999 when the owners planted vines on a deserted plot of land in Patagonia, Argentina. First problem – no water. From the pictures on the website, there’s not only no water, there isn’t much of anything here – think bleak, windswept, and desolated. Twenty kilometers of irrigation canal with computerized pumping system later, there was water, but now each plant needed its own windbreak to protect it from the gales that swept across the land on a seemingly daily basis. These folks clearly have plenty of the stubborn gene.

In 2002, their first vinification produced 30,000 bottles and netted a silver medal for Malbec. The owners began constructing a new, contemporary winery so they could move out of the small warehouse they’d been using to date. By 2004 were winning gold and silver medals at the Brussels Wine Expo and the Mondial du Pinot Noir in Switzerland, and their list of medals gets longer every year.

Also interesting, Bodega del Fin del Mundo continues to consider itself an experimental vineyard and is researching the viability of grape varieties seldom associated with Argentina – Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Aspirant Boushet, and Viognier.

And here’s a bonus, Tim even shared his recipe for his Chimichurri Sauce. Check it out. Thanks Tim!


TIM'S ARGENTINEAN CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

A light oil and vinegar sauce with chopped parsley, cilantro, and garlic. Use as a garnish on your favourite cut of grilled beef. Makes 1 cup and would be wicked with fish and chicken too.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil
1/4 cup red wine or sherry vinegar
1 med white onion, minced
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp oregano, fresh, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper, coarse grind
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Method:
Whisk together oil and vinegar in non-reactive bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients and combine thoroughly.
Season with salt to taste.
Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to allow flavours to develop.
Serve as a garnish with all types of grilled meats and fish.
Will keep covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Chateau Petrogasm: Visual Wine Tasting Notes

Over the weekend we revisited a site we discovered in the summer. Based on the classic premise of a picture being worth a thousand words – yes, we know it’s a cliché, but it’s still valid – Chateau Petrogasm uses images to convey both the experience of drinking and the impression of a wine. Some are concrete – crème brule for a Montrachet or a moldy strawberry for an Eschzeaux. After all, if a wine smells overbearingly like honeydew, then we must trust that honeydew will stain one’s imagination and thus the image.

Some stretch the imagination – ocean waves crashing against the coast for a Taittinger Champagne or a sultry brunette for the Sicilian 2005 Tenuta di Trinoro (yes, the contrast between the image from the ’40s and ’60s created some interesting debate).

Dr Debs, who we discovered runs an intriguing blog focusing on wines under $20 (that would be $20 in the States unfortunately), notes “visiting Chateau Petrogasm has become my preferred morning brain exercise. It beats Sudoku, no question. It gets the old synapses firing better than caffeine. And it’s the only wine review site that can put forward a reasonable claim that philosophers from Plato to Wittgenstein (were they still living) would vote for it in the American Wine Blog Awards.”

While we were both originally equally entranced, some of the later entries seem to be getting “out there” simply for the sake of being “out there.” Still, it’s a fun cruise around – especially on a snowy, winter afternoon like we had today. Be sure to check through the archives for some of the images that initially captured our attention.

Port and Chocolate Extravaganza

Decadence arrived in a new form at the Liberty Wine Merchants 16th Annual Port and Chocolate Extravaganza. Over 40 ports interspersed with sherries and dessert wines plus one of the tastiest food groups ever – chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

Following tradition, this delicious event was a fundraiser for Amateur Sports BC and brought together an eclectic selection of fortified wines and chocolate – oh yeah, I already mentioned the chocolate… right.

We quickly agreed there was no way we were going to be able to sample everything on offer, so a two-point plan of attack emerged – different and high end. Our first official “Oh Wow” was a 1987 Vintage Kopke. Luxuriously smoky and sinfully smooth, this port instantly conjured images of bespeckled gentlemen in brocade morning coats pausing between pages of the morning paper for a sip of coffee and a puff on their cigar. There was even a long, fat cigar reclining with elegant abandon on the table – just in case you missed the tobacco on the nose.

We tried some of the Penfold’s Grandfather Fine Old Liqueur Tawny and Peter Lehman’s The King – no wonder the Aussies call these ports “The Stickies.” The King, with its big time fruity nose and strawberry notes, practically begged to be paired with cheesecake – a dessert that sadly made no appearance here. Oh well, just have to settle for a Grand Marnier chocolate truffle.

Next up was a Barolo Chinato Cocchi from Piedmont, Italy. Frank’s eyes immediately got that “Oh my god” glint to them indicating something spectacular. “Now that’s a noseful! You won’t believe how much is going on here.” No kidding. Made from an eclectic selection of herbs including quinine bark, rhubarb, and gentian, this is like nothing either of us have smelled – or tasted.

I was just attempting to sort out whether the undertone was cardamom or fennel when Frank disappeared – simply vanished into the crowd. A couple of minutes later, he reemerged with a large chunk of dark chocolate in hand. Now you have to appreciate Frank doesn’t have quite the same relationship with chocolate I do – so this in itself was unusual. When he took a second bite, I was shocked. “This is the best chocolate pairing ever,” he announced. “Try it.” And he was right. The combination of exotic spiciness in the Cocchi and the rich, semi-sweet chocolate from Mink Chocolates was sensual and seductive – a perfect, if totally unexpected pairing and without question The Find of the Evening.

We probably sampled close to three dozen wines before sugar overload kicked, but fortunately for us, we paused for one final taste just before heading out the door – a Riesling Icewine from Chateau de Charmes. Named Wine of the Year at the 2006 Ontario Wine Awards, this is the one to refer to if someone wants to experience the full-on, buxom nose of petrol in a Riesling. A great balance between ripe fruit, texture, and acidity made this a close runner up for favourite of the evening.

THE WINES:
Kopke: Vintage1987
Portugal ($66.99)

Penfold: Grandfather Fine Old Liqueur Tawny
Australia ($84.99)

Peter Lehman: The King
Australia

Barolo Chinato Cocchi
Italy ($50.99)

Chateau de Charmes: Riesling Icewine
Ontario, Canada ($65.00 – 375ml)

THE CHOCOLATES:
Mink Chocolates
Teas Me Truffles

We’re Back with New Releases from BC's Morning Bay Vineyard

We know, it’s been a long time. Thanks to everyone for your patience as we went through a period of vanishing off the radar. Here comes the first of many events we’re going to be spending the next while getting our readers caught up on.

Last week was the Vancouver launch of Morning Bay’s new releases – including four wines made from 100% estate grapes grown on their seven-acre vineyard on Pender Island. Owners Keith Watt and Barbara Reid (shown left)have been producing wines since 2002, but until the 2006 release they relied on grapes from the southern Okanagan Valley. “Wines from the Gulf Islands are lighter with more acidity and are hugely aromatic,” Keith says noting consumers are only now coming to realize just how well these wines pair well with food.

First up was the 2006 Estate Bianco ($16.99) a blend of 50% Schonberger, 22.5% Gewürztraminer, 22.5% Pinot Gris, and 5% Riesling. “Clean and coyly off-dry” is how Keith likes to describe this crisp, thirst quencher. Pleasing aromatics and a satisfying mouth feel, but this is one I’d like to have tried with food – I’m sure Frank would have come up with some interesting combinations.

The 2006 Estate Gewürztraminer Riesling ($20.99) was my hands down favourite of the afternoon. Granny Smith apples, a hint of peach, and that lovely petrol undertone – this one is a winner. With only 75 cases made, I made sure to snag a couple of bottles. Good thing too, because a few days later it proved, as expected, to be a perfect match with the spice Thai chicken stir fry that was one of those “oh no, what on earth have we got in the house” impromptu dinners.

Sassy and a bit cheeky, the 2006 Estate Pinot Gris ($22.99) hinted at carmel and coffee spread on a toasty baguette and served on a sunny day by a dashingly good looking Italian waiter – especially somewhere on a Mediterranean piazza. Would probably make a great Christmas turkey dinner wine, but with only 35 cases made, you’ll have a tough time finding it.

The 2006 Estate Chiaretto ($16.99) was the afternoon’s only disappointment. After surreptitiously polling a few of the other people gathered, the consensus was this 100% Pinot Noir rose seemed to have trouble deciding whether it wanted to be red or white and was too thin to work well with food.

We moved to red with the 2004 Merlot ($31.99) made from grapes out of southwest Osoyoos. On the nose, this wine immediately took me back to childhood when I could horrify my mother by climbing the plum tree in our backyard and stuffing myself with the sweet, juicy fruit. A delicious, lingering pepper finish at the back of the mouth.

And finally, Keith shared some of the 2004 Reserve Merlot ($37.99) that recently garnered Morning Bay their first Bronze Award at the 2007 Canadian Wine Awards – a competition where this year no Gold was awarded. Our group was unanimous this wine had softer, more integrated tannins with a hint of chocolate added to the pepper for a pleasing, and lengthy finish.

Are BC Wines Going to the Dogs?

You bet they are – for the fifth year in a row. Sure we are being a bit tongue-in-cheek here, but this is still one heck of a fun idea. On September 29, from noon to 6:00 pm, See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls will host the fifth annual Dog Days of Summer afternoon bash. This by donation event in support of the Penticton Chapter of the BC SPCA has now become a favourite family-friendly highlight of the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival.

Over the years, more than 1,000 dogs have brought their owners to this celebration of the See Ya Later Ranch’s quirky history and unleashing of the winery’s newest vintages – all now bottled under screw cap. No dog of your own? No problem say the folks at See Ya Later Ranch. Despite your disadvantaged status, you’re still welcome to raise a glass of 2006 Riesling or Gewürztraminer – two of the just released wines featured at this year’s Dog Days of Summer – in salute of your own favourite four-footed companion.

Above, winemaker Dave Carson poses with one of the See Ya Later spaniels.

FYI:

In 2003, the winery released a series of wines under the See Ya Later Ranch label in honour of Major Hugh Fraser, one of the ranch’s first inhabitants. A confirmed dog lover, the Major gave his pets free-range of his ranch and house so, in keeping with his philosophy of making the property a dog-friendly place, the new wine labels featured a small, white, flying angel dog and the winery grounds have been outfitted with a Barking Lot where dogs can romp and play in the shade while their humans tour the winery.

Muscadet Meets European Flats or They Took My Oysters

I went down to our local seafood supplier on the weekend to pick up some oysters to take to a backyard party. For the first time in months, they had European Flats in stock. European flats are my favorites (Susan’s as well), and there were only a few left. Threw a dozen or so in a bag pronto before anyone else could grab them and made a call to Susan to say there was a few left – hopefully to save my butt for not sharing. A quick trip to my favorite wine shop to pick up a bottle of Chateau Chasseloir Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie – the perfect match for just about every type of oyster but especially good with European flats. So far so good.

This being a potluck, the hostess and host were wondering what I’d brought. Needless to say, since they’d never had these before, they got the first couple I shucked. Naturally, they also had to try the wine I’d brought with the oysters. There was some discussion about what a wonderful match the oysters and wine made.

Another couple were listening – two more oysters vanished. Now you have to appreciate European flats are like potato chips – you can’t just have one. It simply doesn’t work. So now there are four people eating oysters and drinking wine. Next thing I know, there are six gathered around the table where I’m shucking. I look down and there a two oysters left. That’s it, two left for me out of a dozen. The bottle of wine has one glass left – maybe. Total elapsed time – less than fifteen minutes.

Okay, one of the things I was counting on is that there usually aren’t a lot of people who eat raw oysters, so I’d probably have most of them for myself. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Went back the next day to get some more but there were none left. Nothing, nada, zip. Susan will probably think this is justice served.

Susan’s Note:

Yup. I’m trying to hide the snigger – but not too hard. What more need I say?

The Details You Need To Know:

The Wine: Chateau Chasseloir Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie. Lots of lemon and lemon peel with a tangy, mineral finish. Perfect raw oyster wine. Available in Vancouver at Marquis Wine Cellar for $19.95.

The Oysters: European Flats (ostera edulis) also known as Belons or French Plates. Slight copper color, sweet with a slight copper finish, with just a touch of brine. Somewhat rare in North America. When they’re available, we usually find them at The Lobsterman on Granville Island.

For a great reference book on everything to do with oysters check out The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook published by Ten Speed Press that we reviewed in June. Available in Vancouver at Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks or through Amazon.com.

Sipping Riesling with Johannes Selbach

I’m still on the quest for one of the Toro wines from Frank’s Spanish Wine Educators course. Nothing at the BC Liquor Store, nothing at the two private wine stores located geographically closest to home. By the time I snag a scarcer-than-Toro-wine parking spot outside the Kitsilano Wine Cellar – one of my favourite though slightly farther away private wine shops – I’ve become what diplomatic friends call “focused.” The less diplomatic ones tend to use the term “obsessed.”

“It’s a great day for tasting Rieslings,” says a cheery woman with suspiciously frizzy, red hair and a glass already in hand. Like there’s a bad day for Riesling? It takes a second to register that I’ve apparently stumbled on an unexpected in-house tasting. Okay, time for a detour from the Toro especially since, according to my chatty, beaming companion, the vineyard owner himself, Johannes Selbach – “such a lovely, daaarling man” – is pouring. Hey, serendipity is good.

All four wines are from the Selbach-Oster winery in Germany’s Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region – one of the world’s prime Riesling areas. Selbach-Oster has been growing grapes there since the 1600s and Riesling is the only wine they produce. Frank’s going to be really choked he missed out on this one.

Halbtrocken Riesling 2005 (1-Litre)
A popular restaurant offering in Germany, this wine gives plenty of slate on the nose. Dry, firm, and “crunchy” as Johannes describes it. Good acidity but certainly not overpowering – great to have on hand for when guests show up unexpectedly. Solid value at $27.99

Zeltinger Himmelreigh QBA Riesling 2001
A bit fruitier and rounder, this wine presents more petrol on the nose and more sweetness on the palate. I attempt, without success, to find the hint of fizz Johannes experiences but we soon settle for simply agreeing this is a pleasing, comfortable wine – especially at the price point of $17.99.

Bernkaestler Kabinett Riesling 2005
Big mouth feel ensures this wine would pair well with a diverse selection of foods – pastas, tomato and vinaigrette salad, and paella. Easy to see why, at $22.99, this is Selbach-Oster’s most popular wine.

Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spatlese 2003
“A big step up” Johannes says as he pours the last wine. No kidding. Immediately presenting the nose-tickling petrol fragrance that’s synonymous with classic Riesling, this old vine beauty is well balanced, rich, and complex. Peaches dance at the back of the tongue like kids playing in an orchard where fruit laden branches dip low to the ground. Thanks to the hot 2003 summer, there’s a mouth-cleansing acidity that would pair well with a broad range of foods… or simply with the delights of good company. Definitely one to stock at $39.99.

Epilogue: Kitsilano Wine Cellar does indeed have some of the elusive Toro wines – two in fact. Two bottles of the 2003 Vetus are already tucked away for the next barbeque, but they are sharing shelf space with a couple of newly discovered whites from Selbach-Oster. Like the woman said, it really was a great day to savour some Rieslings.

Crazy for Spanish Wines: Tempranillo Meets Toro

We have both been busy lately – a little too busy actually and, regretfully, not much of it to do with wine. The wine shelves are almost bare, dirty laundry piling up, and unanswered emails clogging our inboxes.

However, somewhere in the blur that has been this summer, I did manage to attend – survive might be a more accurate description – an intensive weekend seminar with Pancho Campo (left) and Javier Arana (right) from the Wine Academy of Spain. This was one jam-packed weekend of learning more about Spanish wines. Trust me, there is nothing quite like tasting a big, bold Rioja red at nine o’clock on a Saturday morning. Susan would have been in heaven.

The classes ran an exhausting eight hours a day over Saturday and Sunday. During the two days we learned about the climate, topography, history, food, and culture of Spanish wine regions – all 20-plus of them. We tasted more than 45 wines including a couple of big, fat reds from Toro, one of Spain’s lesser-known regions. Made from Tempranillo (that here the Spaniards call Tinta de Toro), these wines are huge and tannic and cry out for roast pig on a spit.

On Monday, we subjected ourselves to a multiple-choice exam and a blind tasting exam – six wines, five questions on each wine. The multiple-choice questions were difficult, but the blind tasting… well excruciating is probably a slight understatement. Several of the 23 participants are working sommeliers already, one woman teaches the entry level WSET training, others have years of experience in the wine industry – all agreed this was the toughest course they’d ever taken.

I passed and am now an official Spanish Wine Educator. But one thing I learned, I’m definitely going to have to drink more Spanish reds.


SUSAN'S NOTE:

Shell-shocked is how I’d best describe Frank on Saturday evening after the first eight hours. He was up at 5:00 am the next two mornings to follow the time honoured tradition of cramming – every book on Spanish wines off the shelves and open.

I still haven’t quite found an accurate descriptor for how he appeared after emerging from the exam, but he was positively vibrating. For several days, he’d just shake his head and look a bit – well, stunned is what comes to mind – every time he poured a glass of red wine and stared into its depths. He was convinced he’d failed the blind tastings miserably.

About a week later, we were at a wine event where we ran into four of five of the participants from the class. Now you have to appreciate, Frank is extremely diplomatic, so it took a few minutes of conversation before he actually asked the first woman how she thought she’d done on the blind tasting – this was, after all, a well respected local sommelier and wine rep with many years of experience. She flashed a devil-may-care smile, threw her hands up in the air, and announced “I blew it – totally, absolutely, completely blew it.” She proceeded to list off the mistakes she’d made. As we walked toward the next table, Frank raised his eyebrows ever-so-slightly and mutter “humph” – that was it, just “humph.”

By the time we’d talked to two more people who had apparently also made significant numbers of wrong calls, Frank was looking much more chuff. The “humph” was replaced with “well, I’ll be damned.” In the end, though we’re still waiting for the actual certificate, the Academy sent an email to say he’d passed with a significantly above average mark on the theory and a solidly above average one on the tasting. Okay, so if he doesn’t boast, I’ll just have to do it for him. But you can be sure I’ll be reminding him frequently that to fill the lack in his education, we need to raise a few more glasses filled with Spanish reds – especially those big, fat, tannic Toros that we’re still trying to track down.

FYI: The seminar was a joint effort between the Society Of Wine Educators and the Wine Academy of Spain and was offered in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver. If you missed it, we’ve heard it will soon be offered on the East Coast.

Voga Italia: Hooked on the Italian Wine Marketing Machine

Most of my friends can tell when I’m really bored. I pace, I punctuate my conversation with gestures that are even more flamboyant and sweeping than usual, and I go window-shopping. Okay, okay, frequently I go a bit beyond just window-shopping – I don’t mind admitting it’s probably a “girl thing.”

But still, a product has to capture my attention before I’ll actually part with cold, hard cash. So with Frank away on a particularly intense business trip to St Louis, the wine display of Voga at Mark Anthony’s, one of our local private liquor stores, unexpectedly came up with just the ticket.

At first I thought it was a case of mistaken identity. In my mind, the neatly stacked bottles of Pinot Grigio resembled nothing as much as bottles of aftershave on steroids. Was I simply even more bored than I suspected? No, they really did remind me of some sort of mega flask of perfumed liquid for splashing on sundry body parts.

I’d already found the two Pinot Noirs and the Tyrrell’s Verdelho I’d come in to buy, so what was another bottle in the grand scheme of things – especially at a price point of under $15. If it was all simply marketing drama, I’d chuck it with no regrets.

At home, I was surprised to discover more fragrance in my glass than I’d expected – even in its current significantly over-chilled state. Floral with some interesting background notes of grapefruit, there was also an elusive quality that made me think of sitting on a Mediterranean stone wall in the cool of evening. Frank would have been able to say whether it was flint or mineral or something totally different, but at that point in a long day, the image simply brought me a ridiculous amount of enjoyment from what I’d expected to be, at best, a cheap-and-cheerful patio sipper.

Now curiosity took over. I checked out the website. Sex and the City move over – this marketing machine is cranked up into high gear. Flashing images of slinky women interspersed with a few muscular male torsos, it’s clear someone is engaging in a superb advertising strategy, and one that persuaded me to opt in.

Would I buy this wine again? You bet. Would I buy it often? Probably not. But then again, it was a fun experiment, and for scientific accuracy an experiment should always be repeated – at least once.

Chablis, Romance, and Just Plain Fun: Weekend Wine Quizzes

The weather’s hot, the wine’s cool, and these two sites were just so much tongue-in-cheek fun we couldn’t resist. Sure, this is pure indulgence, but hey, sometimes we all need to just sit back and have a good laugh. And if the Chablis videos don’t get you doing exactly that, you definitely need to pour yourself a couple more glasses.

CHABLIS: THE FRENCH CHIC

Test out your Chablis-savvy nature – from trendy to sophisticated. ’Fess up about how you’ll handle the waiter who spills the bisque on your lap or whether you’ll spill the beans when your best friend needs a shoulder to cry on, and this quick quiz will fill you in on your FC-quotient.

But it’s the three videos we found most fun. Sassy, silly, and guaranteed to bring a smile, we got the second and third installment through frogsmoke.com. Watch out for the blond’s backhand.

DATE NIGHT… UNCORKED

Last month it was Soif de Coeur – find your soul mate by revealing the secret number under the label. This month, we discovered a kind of cyber-cross between horoscope, wine guru, and psychic. Apparently if you’re willing to share your preference of ideal date scenario and comfort with a wine list – along with a couple of minor details like age and personality type – you’ll get a personalized synopsis telling you how to “make understanding, buying, and drinking” wine more fun. Like we need an excuse? Still, this is just one of those cute ways to spend a few minutes.

New Standards for BC’s Wine Industry

Although there’s been little fanfare, British Columbia’s wine industry has a new set of standards and regulations. Thanks to a provincial law passed on July 18, 2007, and named the Wines of Marked Quality Regulation, these new standards come under the umbrella of the BC Wine Authority (BCWA) which will implement the newly enacted regulations and recommend future changes.

The BC Wine Authority regulations will require all wineries to be registered and meet a core set of standards for both winemaking and labeling. The mandatory level of Wines of Marked Quality does not, however, include VQA certification which will continue to be an optional program.

Previously, the BC wine industry was governed by the Wine Act that legally created the VQA standard which the BC Wine Institute has overseen since 1990. “The BC Wine Institute and its winery members are extremely proud of how the VQA program evolved and believe these standards have driven the positive, quality-directed growth of our industry,” says Scott Fraser, BC Wine Institute chair. “We believe moving standards into a separate organization – an organization independent of the wineries themselves and one that has enforcement powers – will strengthen the standards’ credibility even more and will overall serve consumers’ interests better.”

“Many of the best minds in the BC wine industry have been working tirelessly to establish the Wine Authority,” says Shaun Everest, marketing manager at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards (vineyards at harvest time shown above). With so many players involved, it was a long and difficult process. Now that the BC Wine Authority is officially in the picture, everyone can get on with what they do best… which is continue to make our fabulous BC wines.”

FYI: There are over 130 wineries in British Columbia – almost double the number from just six years ago – and over 410 grape growers. The BC wine industry employs more than 3,000 full- and part-time workers, and by sales, is Canada’s number one producer of premium wine grapes.

Domaine des Corbillieres 2005 Touraine Sauvignon: Mint Mysteries

We’re having a bit of a conundrum with this wine. Actually it’s becoming more than just a bit of a conundrum – it’s an out and out mystery. About a month ago we discovered the 2005 Touraine Sauvignon at White and Gold: An Afternoon with Wines of the Loire Valley, a summer tasting organized by Liberty Wine Merchants.

It was an instant hit – not just with the two of us but with almost everyone in attendance – because of its subtle yet distinct mint undertone. Yes, at first we questioned whether our palates were playing tricks, but everyone in the room had the same reaction. Mint, definitely. Very unusual, deliciously refreshing.

A week later we bought half a case.

Frank had the first bottle the next evening. No mint. Nada. A pleasant enough Sauvignon Blanc, but where was the mint that had captured our attention? A couple of days later, I took a second bottle to a patio party. I neglected to mention the mint to my fellow party goers, just asked if anyone could taste something unusual. Nope, just a nice, pleasant wine. No mint.

It was beginning to sound like a classic case of bottle variation. The big question now becoming: was it the bottle at the tasting or the ones we bought that have the variation? Two to one against the tasting – a bit of a disappointment because we really did like the unique flavour.

A call to Drew at Liberty got us no closer to a possible solution. He remembered the wine as being grassy and herbaceous – pretty much like you’d expect it to be – but no mint. Still we could certainly exchange the wine if we weren’t happy with it. Okay, we’d think about that option.


We’d almost decided to take Drew up on his exchange offer when one of Frank’s co-workers and an always looking for something new in the wine world person phoned to thank him for the bottle of wine he’d passed along. She loved the minty taste – hadn’t actually believed him when he told her about it. Uh-oh, we’re back to two for two for the mint.

Three bottles remain from our initial purchase. The good news is we know there can’t be a tie – and Drew definitely won’t be getting our bottles of this wine back. This is one mystery that’s proving far too much fun to give up on yet.

THE DETAILS YOU NEED:
- The wine: Domaine des Corbillieres 2005 Touraine Sauvignon
- The grape: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
- The price: $19.99
- Available at Liberty Wine Merchants and BC Liquor Stores
- The Domaine des Corbillieres estate encompasses 23 hectares: 13 hectares of Touraine Blanc Sauvignon, eight hectares of Touraine Rouge (Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cot, and Cabernet Franc), one hectare of Touraine Rosé (Pineau D'Aunis), and one hectare of Crémant de Loire (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir)
- The picture above left was taken in 1923 and is of Fabel Barbou and his wife, great grandfather to Dominique Barbou who, with his wife Véronique, now runs Domaine des Corbillieres.

Forchini’s 2004 Zinfandel Proprietor’s Reserve: Zin-fully Delicious

Frank’s back from his road trip and it was an undisputed success. In fact, he’s still raving about the wineries, the people, and the climate. Now I just need to get him to apply fingers to keyboard… not that I’m hinting you understand.

Meanwhile, though, there’s one story that already has a sequel, hopefully the first of many – that’s many stories about the trip and many sequels to this particular story.

The winery was Forchini Vineyards (their Petit Verdot vines shown left). Frank had stumbled on it by accident while he was looking for a spot to take pictures of the Dry Creek Valley. This particular winery is located at the top of the steepest driveway, so naturally that was where he pointed the truck. When he arrived at the peak, he spotted a father and son hanging out – well, not just hanging out. Jim and Michael were actually watching their power meter run backwards. Seems they’d just installed solar panels and were now feeding power back into California’s power grid.

At first they were a trifle suspicious. Later Michael confided he and his dad had been trying to figure out whether this guy at the end of their drive was a grower hoping to sell them grapes. It was a theme that would be repeated often – apparently the combination of truck, Daytons, and jeans spells “Grower” to most vineyard owners.

But they soon warmed up when Frank explained he was working toward his WSET Diploma and genuinely only wanted to snap a few photos of the valley. One thing led to another – again, a recurring theme of the trip. Jim left early, but seemingly in no time, Frank and Michael were ensconced on the patio sipping wines under the adoring gaze of two golden labs made famous on the pages of Wine Dogs: The Original Winery Dog Book.

Now you have to appreciate that Frank tasted hundreds of wine during his all too brief, five-day sojourn. But the Forchini 2004 Zinfandel Proprietor’s Reserve was one of the wines he chose to fulfill his meager allotment of two bottles – the maximum the Canadian government will allow you to bring back after even an extended visit outside the country without paying almost 150% in duties and taxes.

One, the Potter’s Viognier, never made it home. He drank it – yes, the whole bottle – enroute. But the Forchini 2004 Zinfandel Proprietor’s Reserve did arrive safe and sound in Vancouver. And he’s been telling me about it ever since he put it on the wine rack – not like any Zin I’ve ever tried, it’s going to change the way I think of Zins, I’ll love this one.

Finally I couldn’t stand it, I called his bluff. Open the bottle and let me taste for myself.

Thing is, it was no bluff. This is one amazing wine and truly is unlike any other Zinfandel we’ve ever tasted. The aromatics are lush – bordering on contemplative – and filled with spice plus something that seems elusively like licorice but isn’t. Over the evening, the spices intensified but never overwhelmed.

There’s no disappointment on the palate either. Tons of big, bold berry with an undertone of spice and still that unknown licorice or perhaps anise. Frank got just a hint of vanilla too – most likely from the 35% new American oak – but I was too infatuated to really care about the oak. This was, quite simply, everything he’d said and more.

Definitely created in a traditional Italian style, the finish is long, lingering, and smooth. As Frank put it, you can swish it around in your mouth all you like and you won’t get any tannins or harshness. It covers the entire tongue from front to back with no hot spots anywhere. Yet surprisingly, this wine packs 15.2% alcohol – very uncharacteristically, Frank was off by 2% pegging it at 13%.

As we were savouring the last glass, Frank finally confessed. “I’m really glad this was as good as I remember it being. I’ve been talking it up to you for so long now I was starting to wonder if it was actually more to do with the time and the place – you know, the dogs flopped out in the tasting room, the sunshine, the conversation. But it really is just as wonderful as I remembered.” And although this wine is sold out far in advance, sometime in the future we agreed a return visit with Jim and Michael is now high up on our “must make time for” list.


THE DETAILS YOU NEED:
- The Wine: 2004 Zinfandel Proprietor’s Reserve
- Cost: $25.00 (US)
- The Forchini Vineyard produces a total of only 3,000 cases of wine per year. They own 24 acres along the Russian River and 67 acres in Dry Creek.
- Only 350 cases of the 2004 Zinfandel Proprietor’s Reserve were produced. This vintage is made from 100 year old, dry farmed vines grown on the eastern Dry Creek Valley benchland.
- The Forchini wine labels are portraits painted by the Italian artist Caravaggio. Born in 1571,Caravaggio lived a controversial, passionate life and was renown for his impressionistic work with its still life realism and dramatic contrasts between light and dark.

White and Gold: An Afternoon with Wines of the Loire Valley

Sunday afternoon and what better place to be than a wine tasting? This one had particularly caught our attention with the vintages on offer – all from the Loire Valley, all whites. With nary a red in sight, we figured this would be close to Frank’s idea of heaven – especially with the vintages on offer.

We couldn’t quite place the address, but set off regardless never suspecting that tucked away in the basement of a classically subdued, black building in a somewhat nondescript Vancouver neighbourhood, Liberty Wine Merchants would have a traditional, cellar-style tasting room. It was just the first surprise of the afternoon.

Following the tradition of an afternoon garden party, we were greeted by a glass of Moncontour n/v Touraine Tete de Cuvee Brut. A blend of 95% Chenin Blanc and 5% Chardonnay, this sparkler offered good acidity, a traditionally yeasty nose, and the crisp Chenin flavour. At $24.99, we agreed this is a pleasant wine and a good value.

Next up was a Coing de Saint Fiarce 2005 Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie that immediately garnered the first star of our evolving Frank’s Rating System – that’s one star for good enough to stock, two stars for a wine that will definitely become a regular, and two stars with a “B” for rush out and buy this wine right now! Frank immediately said lime apple with a touch of iodine. I passed on the apple component. But we both agreed this is one to stock and a perfect match with seafood. At $23.99, it will also likely replace our current standard Muscadet for everyday sipping.

We felt the Chesnanie 2005 Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie that came next was, while still pleasant and typical of a Muscadet, was overall less balanced than the previous wine – especially as the price point was identical. With the slight briny background taste, it would be worth trying with salty oysters – in other words, we’ll probably have to be heading down to Granville Island for a visit to The Lobster Man, our favourite oyster supplier.

However, our eyes popped with the first swirl of the Domaine des Corbillieres 2005 Touraine Sauvignon that was next. Mint – no question about it. Subtle yet distinct, this wine actually has a note of mint. By far the most unusual wine of the afternoon, this one ranked the coveted two stars with a “B” designation. A steal at $19.99.

We were disappointed by the Valery Renaudat 2003 Quincy that followed. Little nose and dull on the palate. At $34.99, we’ll stick with a Sancerre or Pouilly. Turns out there is also no information on the web – at least none we could find.

A Tinel Blondelet 2005 Sancerre la Croix Canat was next, and our taste buds were soon revived. Bright, crisp, and flinty, this one is a good example of Sancerre. Absolutely cries out for goat cheese. Frank also detected a hint of gooseberry and fresh cut grass. $34.99.

The following Tinel Blondelet 2005 Pouilly Fume had a disappointing lack of aromatics and was not at all what we’d consider typical of a Pouilly. At the same price point, the Sancerre was a far better value.

When we got home, we discovered neither of us had any notes at all on the Baumard 2004 Vin de Pays Jardin de la France La Caleche that came next. Well, not quite, but suffice it to say we simply didn’t like this wine. $19.99.

The Chamboureau 2002 Savennieres was a typical Chenin Blanc, although at $34.99 neither of us could decide whether we actually liked it. No web information was forthcoming on a search later.

We didn’t linger much over the Hureau 2003 Saumur that was next up. Pleasant enough but at $37.99 not stellar value. We moved forward in the line up quickly.

Next was the afternoon’s second two star wine – a Champalou 2003 Vouvray Cuvee de Fondraux. Great aromatics with plenty of tropical fruits, there was still enough acidity to balance the sugar nicely. Great value at $33.99.

The Baumard 2003 Savennieres Trie Speciale that followed left a somewhat bitter after taste. We both gave this one a shrug and moved on – especially at a $49.99 price point.

The final wine of our French Garden Party was a Champalou 2003 Vouvray Cuvee Moelleuse. Rich with the aromas and texture of noble rot, this was another two star favourite. Full bodied and rich, it was the perfect wine to end with – we were both still enjoying the long, lingering finish many minutes later. Same price as the previous wine but with a whole lot more personality and attitude. Two stars with a B to Buy!

Climate Change: or Dad, Maybe We Shouldn’t Sell the Ranch Just Yet

Dad, I don’t know what you’ve heard about global warming, but it looks like we might be making a mistake selling the ranch. I know cattle prices are down and all, but apparently a rock ranch might have some value about now.

There was some big study done on Climate Change, and the BC government is thinking BC can grow grapes somewhere besides the Okanagan. And they’re spending money – big money – to find out where. Fifty grand, Dad, and another forty grand from the feds – all you gotta do is plant a few grapes to see which ones survive.

Those orchard guys sure picked up on this wine thing early. Did you know they’re getting a hundred thousand dollars an acre for grapes? Sure beats a couple of grand for grazing land.

Just think, no more dealing with cattle – all we’d have to handle are busloads of tourists lining up to taste our wine. Yeah, I guess the cattle prods might still have some use after all. And how’s this? We could change the barn into one of those rustic tasting room. Yup, you can charge ’em for the tasting. Those Yanks been doing it for years – never give away anything for free.

Maybe we can hire us that cute waitress from the bar to work the tasting room. No, I don’t think she needs to know anything about wine. Hey, I could be one of those wine geeks selling hundred dollar bottles of wine. Yes, Dad, people really do spend a hundred bucks on one bottle – sometimes even more.

No, I have NOT been drinking too much this morning. When it gets too hot for California to grow all those Napa Cabs, someone’s going to have to do it. And if it gets cold, we can just make ice-wine. No, it’s a tad more complicated than just adding ice cubes. You gotta let the grapes freeze right on the vine. Remember all those veggies we lost years back? Hell, no problem now. Might have a problem getting the boys off the horses and teaching them how to prune the vines – but oh well.

I checked it out, and there’s even some place in France that’s got just about as much rock as we do – Shaaa-toe-nuff de something. We can hire us one of those French guys to show us how to make wine with lots of points. You know points – up to a hundred. Nah, I haven’t a clue what the difference between 92 and 93 points would be either. But the more points you get, the more money you get – and we want to be selling our stuff for big bucks.

Yeah, Dad, it probably is a good thing they don’t give points to Scotch, and beer might still drive the price up. Anyway, let’s keep an eye on this. Hell, maybe we’ll finally be able to get rid of them snowshoes too.

****

Okay, we're being even more cheeky than usual, but here are a few serious Global Warming links worth checking out.

http://scienceline.org/2007/06/29/environment_sergo_globalwarming_wines
http://www.decanter.com/news/106498.html?aff=rss#
http://www.winebusiness.com/news/dailynewsarticle.cfm?dataId=48559
http://www.thewineacademy.com/web/eng/noticia01.php?id=175 (Pancho Campo from the Spanish Wine Academy has a long-standing interest in the global warming phenomenon. In fact, Pancho's thesis, which he will present to the Institute of Masters of Wine in order to become the first Spanish Master of Wine, centres around the impacts of climate change.)
http://www.thewineacademy.com/web/eng/eventos.php (The second INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE & WINE will analyse what is climate change and its impact on the wine industry. Leading world experts will gather in Barcelona for two days to conduct seminars, lectures, and discussion forums on the impact and repercussions climate change is having on the wine industry in the most important wine producing regions of the world.)
http://www.climatecrisis.net
http://www.wineanorak.com/global%20warming.htm

An Evening with Tinhorn Creek Wines

It was the final event of the BCWAS season and one of our favourite BC winemakers was the speaker. We can always count on Tinhorn Creek’s Sandra Oldfield to inspire lively discussion and offer intriguing insights into the BC wine industry. Tonight was no exception.



But this time, Sandra had a special treat in store for us – a vertical flight of Oldfield’s Collection Merlot – five vintages from 2001 to 2004. Now in case you’re questioning the math of five vintages and only four years, here’s the twist. Two of our glasses actually contained the same wine, from the same barrel, bottled within an hour of each other. The difference? One was under cork, the other under Stelvin. Oh yes, and one wasn’t actually pure Merlot – it had a small amount of other varietals added.

That was it, the entire sum of information we were given. Go to folks. Sip away, and do your best to figure out which year was which and what two wines were the same. Within minutes, the room was buzzing with speculation.

A single sniff and Frank pegged the fifth wine as the one under cork. Across the table Leo was, quite uncharacteristically, smirking – just a wee bit. Under some “friendly pressure” from the rest of us, he finally ‘fessed up. Frank’s nose was accurate – the last wine in the flight was definitely the one under cork. He knew for sure because, as one of our dedicated volunteers, he’d poured it. However, that was the extent of our secret edge on the rest of the crowd.

So now to match the fifth Merlot with its screw capped barrel mate? Most of us agreed the first in the flight was an odd man out. Different nose entirely with a hint of white pepper. The second was leather and a bit of barnyard or straw but seemed younger than the first wine and not a pair with number five.

It was the third wine where conversation at our table began really heating up. Frank and a couple of others thought this was the bottle we were looking for. But when we hit number four, a few of us suggested this might be “the one.” Back and forth, we sniffed, swirled, and peered into the glasses comparing rims, depth of colour, and clarity, but by the time Sandra called a halt, our group was still undecided – like every other table apparently.

In a show of hands, each wine on the table got at least some votes as the wine that was from the same barrel as wine number five which Sandra finally told us was the single vintage under cork.

And the final results? Wines four and five were the pair – a 2001Merlot and the first in Canada ever to be bottled under Stelvin, even though it was only 10% of the vintage to receive this treatment. Wine three was the 2002, wine two the 2003. The first wine we tasted was the 2004 with 2% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Franc accounting for it’s unique flavour among the rest.

A long time fan of Stelvin, Sandra admitted she had chosen the biggest, toughest red for Tinhorn’s initial experiments with red under an alternative to cork because “if we could make it work with the Merlot, everything else would seem so easy.” She did, however, confess to having one, growing problem with Stelvin closures. It seems her two-year-old has already figured out how to open them, thus necessitating a lock for the wine cellar back home.

FYI: here are the whites we sampled earlier in the evening before the Great Merlot Challenge began.

Gewurztraminer 2006: $15.99
Produced from grapes picked on the Golden Mile (buds shown left), this wine exhibited the classic floral Gewurztraminer nose and was slightly off-dry thanks to its 1% residual sugar. Great patio sipper on its own or would go with Thai and Indian foods – like this should come as a surprise with a Gewurtz? One to stock for when friends drop by or it’s just time to quit for the day and kick back. (Note: this Gewurztraminer was recently awarded Gold at the Taster Guild International Wine Judging in Michigan and Silver at the Pacific Rim International Wine Competition in Orange County, California.)

Pinot Gris 2006: $15.99
This is Tinhorn Creek’s first vintage of Pinot Gris that was partially fermented in stainless steel (40%) rather than neutral oak barrels. We both felt this wine lacked the structure we’d expected. However, it would have been worthwhile to see what happened over time as the wine opened up in the glass.

Chardonnay 2005: $17.99
Making its debut right here at our BCWAS event, this wine was 29% fermented in new French oak barrels – rather than the 20% Tinhorn normally uses – with the balance in stainless steel. Not overpoweringly oaky, but since I’m just not a fan of any oak in my Chardonnay at all, I’d probably take a pass in the liquor store. Still, it exhibits the buttery texture you’d expect and would be good with all kinds of summer picnic fare.

Oldfield’s Collection 2Bench 2005: $23.00
This was a fun and just plain yummy wine. Made from 47% Semillon, 24% Chardonnay, 24% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Gewurztraminer, it was the evening’s only wine not from all estate-grown grapes – the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc were brought in from Oliver. Eventually, Sandra wants this to evolve into a five-varietal wine that includes 10% Viognier picked from six, select rows in the vineyard. Green apple on the nose but with a lovely floral Gewurztraminer undertone. Crisp and elegantly austere, this wine, according to Sandra herself is “absolutely meant to be served with food.”

Photo top: Tinhorn Creek's winery.
Photo middle: Sandra holding a 2001 Merlot that was the first in Canada to be bottled under screw cap.

The Secret Life of Grenache

It’s one of the world’s most planted grapes but tough to find unblended in a wine bottle. Jancis Robinson describes it as “noted for brawn rather than beauty” in her classic reference book Vines, Grapes, & Wines. A quote from a reader of What To Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page says Grenache resembles “Pinot Noir but kicked up a notch.”

Oz Clarke, in his Encyclopedia of Grapes, suggests Grenache is “the wild, wild woman of wine, the sex on wheels and devil take the hindmost, the don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He adds that when the Aussies gave this often underrated grape their “sexy, lush, fruit-first, high-alcohol treatment, one more irresistible, irrepressible party animal was born.”

Since party animals can be fun, for this month’s Great Grape Day, we chose a bottle of 2003 Old Bush Vine Grenache from Pirramimma in South Australia’s McLaren Vale (barrel room shown below).

The winery tasting notes let us know this vintage has “aromas of plums, cherries, violets and chocolate. These characters follow through to a complex palate that is long, rounded and flavoursome.” Okay, cherry for sure – but this is a bowl of cherries sprinkled liberally with rich, warm pepper that lingers long at the back of the tongue.

We agreed this is a wine that cries out for protein, and when we added some cold roast beef to the mix, we were rewarded with a deepening of texture and richness. Parmesan cheese was three blocks away at the local deli – a trek we didn’t feel like making – but it would probably also have been a good match. And though a Texas barbeque was even more geographically distant, we agreed a grilled steak or, better yet, lamb would be perfect with this wine.

As the evening progressed, the wine opened nicely, smoothing from a “really needs food” wine into the realm of “maybe we could sip this just because.” Still, this was one of the rare occasions when we saved part of the bottle for another evening – maybe we’re both simply still too enamored with the contemplative nature of a good Amarone or Spanish Tempranillo.

THE DETAILS:
- 2003 Old Bush Vine Grenache from Pirramimma
- Bought at Liberty Wine Merchants in Vancouver
- Cost: $31.95
- Alcohol: 14%
- One and a half years in new American oak
- Bottled under Stelvin closure

THE TRIVIA:
- Grenache (also known as Garnacha) is believed to have originated in Spain before migrating to France and, later, the new worlds of America and Australia
- Grenache is typically blended with other varietals and is one of the major components in Chateauneuf-du-Pape
- According to Tom Stevenson’s Wine Report 2006, Grenache is the third most planted red grape in the world

Chateau Pesquié: A Trio of Rhone Valley Wines

Viva the entrepreneurial spirit! Cambie Street, one of our main traffic arteries here in Vancouver, is almost closed due to construction, but that hasn’t deterred Firefly Fine Wines and Ales from opening their sassy, new liquor store. Good selection, knowledgeable staff, and a delightfully cheeky sense of humour – to date we’ve never seen a store that groups its wines into sections with names like Spicy, Crisp, and Black Teeth (the biggest, fattest, in-your-face reds in the store).

On a whim, Friday seems like a good day to check out their latest tasting: three wines from Chateau Pesquié, a family-run vineyard that operates on the principles of sustainable agriculture in the southern Rhone Valley, France.

Sujinder Juneja, from Freehouse Wine and Spirits, is pouring. First up is a 2005 Le Viognier (100% Viognier). He and I instantly agree this wine is elegant and classic with an almost austere freshness and pleasing minerality. We both suspect it may be similar to the Condrieu wines Frank is so enamored with, but since this was a spur of the moment stop for me, Frank is unfortunately not here. Still, at $29.80, I’ll pick up a bottle to see what he thinks.

Next is a 2004 Les Terrasses: 30% Syrah, 70% Grenache. Black fruits, cherry, and a hint of leather, this one is rich, full-bodied, and will be even better for the folks who arrive later after it’s had time to open up more. “Most people are shocked by the price,” Sujinder tells me. At $19.35, I am too – another bottle to take home hits the counter.

Last, we have the just released 2004 Artemia made from 70% Syrah (60 year old vines) and 30% Grenache (80 year old vines) hand picked from specific rows within the vineyard. This is the first vintage of this wine, and it’s an instant hit – especially with a couple of the Firefly staff who’ve just joined us. The consensus is that Artemia is lushly powerful fruit with a pleasing hint of chocolate on the nose, well balanced, and should age well. Tannins are soft, and the 15.5% alcohol isn’t overpowering. At $60, however, this one will have to stay in the store for another day.

And finally, just for fun, here’s an intriguing website Sujinder passed on: www.rhonegang.com. Three progressive winemakers clearly having a great deal of fun as they join forces to promote their wines.

1996 Prado Enea from Bodegas Muga

Sometimes we figure we just need a treat – no special occasion, just a treat for the sake of it. One such evening a couple of weeks ago, we popped the cork on a bottle of 1996 Prado Enea from Bodegas Muga.

“Massive fruit, subtlety, maturity, complexity, and elegance” was the descriptor in John Radford’s classic book The Wines of Rioja. Massive fruit indeed. The aroma was like jumping feet first into an ocean of dark, luscious berries without a life preserver – but then, who’d want one when you’re surrounded by this much heady fragrance?

“The notes from the winemaker said ‘medium depth’,” Frank volunteered, naturally having already done the research. “So why do I want to say: oh go on, learn to toot your own horn?”

We soon discovered this wine stands up to even the ISO glasses. Chocolate and a subtle note of leather began to emerge as the evening wore on, but it was the contemplative nature we perhaps enjoyed most – feeling the heart and soul of the winemaker and the soil.

At one point, Frank brought out two Amarone/Burgundy glasses just because. His eyes went wide as he sniffed. “Oh god, if you thought this was in your face berry, it’s slap your cheek berry out of these ones.” Still, we agreed it was also a bit sloppy on the tongue and went back to our Riedel Tempranillo stemware.

No question, this is a wine to linger over. It needs conversation more than food but goes well with either. One to remember.

THE DETAILS:
- Prado Enea Gran Reserva 1996
- 80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano
- Aged for 12 months in wooden vats, 36 months in oak barrels, and at least 36 months in bottle
- This bottle cost $63 and was found at our local BC Liquor Store

THE TRIVIA:
- Bodegas Muga employs four full-time coopers to repair and rebuild their 18,000-litre tinas as well as to look after the bodega’s casks
- All wines are in oak – this wine producer uses no stainless steel, fiberglass, or concrete tanks
- The bodega was founded in 1932 when most people were sitting back waiting for the next upturn in Spain’s economy

Jackson-Triggs Wines Help Support Canadian Olympic Team

When we discover a chance to drink wine and support a good cause at the same time, it’s a foregone conclusion that we’ll be heading to the liquor store. And here’s one we just had to pass along.

Making a debut on the July long weekend (Saturday, June 30) are two commemorative wines from Jackson-Triggs. Named Esprit to capture both the French and English connotations of the word ‘spirit,’ Jackson-Triggs hopes these wines will also symbolize the dedication, passion, and artistry of that venerable tradition, the Olympic Games.

Launching with a Merlot and a Chardonnay, Esprit is the result of a partnership between Jackson-Triggs and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). Every bottle sports a stylish label as well as the Vancouver 2010 emblem. And on June 30, some of Canada’s top Olympic hopefuls will be on hand to autograph bottles and hand out limited edition collector pins.

At $12.95, we expect these wines to be a solid deal, but the really cool part is that a portion of the proceeds from each bottle will be donated to help support the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and our Canadian Olympic Team in 2010. Besides, the labels look neat as well.

Special signings occur at the following BC Liquor Stores:
Park Royal Store, West Vancouver, from noon to 3:00pm
Cambie Store, Vancouver, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Fort Street Store, Victoria, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Orchard Park Store, Kelowna, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Pine Centre Store, Prince George, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Indian Summers, Spice, and Mangalore

Jodi Rogers, our illustrious wizard of special events at the Cambie Liquor store, has been poking fun at us of late. “You guys are just all about wine, aren’t you?” she said to me when I bumped into her a few weeks ago. “You never come to any of our other tastings – it’s just wine for you two.” We laughed as she looked pointedly at my shopping basket brimming over with bottles of Rioja, Riesling, Douro, and a couple of the Gruner Vetliners we’ve both fallen hopelessly in love with.

So this weekend, with Frank not yet back from his pre-holiday business trip, I figured I’d roust myself out of this apparent complaisance and made tracks to the 41st and Cambie LCB store to check out Jodi’s Indian Summer Cocktail event. I had no idea what an Indian Summer Cocktail actually is other than it is not made with wine. Turns out it was the most delicious decision I made all weekend.

A delightful ruby red, this sipper was created at Watermark on Kits Beach – a local restaurant with great food, spectacular ocean views, and an innovative outlook on fine cuisine and cocktails. It’s made from equal parts Mangalore Liquor, aloe juice, and cranberry juice, and even in plastic glasses it looks quite wonderful.

Mangalore liquor, I discovered, is an unexpected, spicy blend of pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom. It danced across my palate and then took up residence with a long, lingering finish. This is a cocktail that would definitely take a star role when paired with hot Indian or Thai food – hardly surprising since this drink is one of southwest India’s most popular. Mind you, the four chocolate bonbons that accompanied this tasting would officially qualify as a yummy pairing – not that I have a chocolate fetish… well not much.

“And try adding just a splash of vodka,” suggested Watermark’s junior bar manager Brian Davies (shown right along with assistant David Simes who were both happy to pose so I had photographic evidence that sometimes Frank and I really aren’t “just about wine”). A bottle of Mangalore is $39.95, a bargain when you consider that with a 40% alcohol content, you’re likely not going to use more than one ounce per drink.

PS: Jodi, you would have been proud – this trip, I really did walked out of the store with something other than wine in my basket.

Cruising West Coast Wine Country Sideways

I am tired, grouchy, and as one of my crew said, “man, you need a holiday so bad.” Okay, so his grammar’s not the greatest, but when my entire crew – and Susan as well – seem to be conspiring to convince me I need some time off, I take note.

I have to admit, it’s been a few years since I took a real vacation. True, I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately – but all of it business. When you travel on business, every airport and hotel room look pretty much the same.

So what to do and where to go when it’s just for fun? My crew came up with the suggestion of a road trip and wine tour. “You know, like those two guys in Sideways.” Road trip it is then.

The plan is to have no plan – no set itinerary, nowhere I have to be on a given date or time. In a few days – after yet another business trip – I’ll pack my bags and head south with California my ultimate, if somewhat vague, destination. Along the way, I’ll be stopping in Washington and Oregon, exploring their wineries and tasting rooms as fancy guides me. I might even take a balloon ride to get an aerial view of the Oregon vineyards.

My work in the movie business revolves around planning – often to the minute, always to meticulous detail – for days on end. This holiday my only planning has been to download a few maps and general information about the various regions and to buy a new digital camera. If you’ve got any suggestions or stories about favourite wineries and restaurants along the way, I’d love to hear them. I’ll be posting intermittently along the way and will be back home sometime later in the month… or maybe not.

Photos from Tyee Winery in Oregon.

Susan’s Note:

Here are some of the links Frank found plus a few extra and some neat info gleaned from the various websites mentioned.

Oregon Wine Quick Facts:
- Oregon ranks second in number of wineries in the US and third in wine production.
- In less than 30 years, Oregon increased from 5 to over 300 wineries and from 35 acres under vines to over 13,400.
- Sales of Oregon wine has increased 1,200% since 1989.
- 40 different types of wine grapes arehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif grown in Oregon.

Washington Wine Quick Facts:
- Washington is ranked second largest premium wine producer in the United States.
- More than 460 wineries grow over 20 grape varietals. Leading red varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese. Leading white varietals: Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Viognier.
- Ratio of red to white: 57% red / 43% white

http://www.washingtonwine.org
http://www.oregonwine.org
(No there is no www.californiawine.org – we checked)
http://www.winesoforegon.com
http://wine.appellationamerica.com
http://www.wineroad.com (info on the Russian River Valley)
http://www.winecountrygetaways.com
http://www.northwest-wine.com

Love and Wine: A Thirst for Romance?

The classic fairy tale of discovering a message in a bottle just took a new turn – a pretty weird one.

Here’s the premise. You’re lonely and looking for romance. Grab yourself a bottle of Soif de Coeur wine – the blue label for guys, pink for girls (give me strength) – in your choice of red (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon), rosé (Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot), or white (Sauvignon, which presumably means Sauvignon Blanc but we’re not promising that).

Pour yourself a glass – a big one, because what you’re really trying to do isn’t to sip some vino, it’s to find the secret code printed on the back of the label. Dick Tracy get out the decoder ring – quick! Once you have the special code, you register online and get matched up with the person of the opposite gender who is presumably also sitting at home, alone, lonely, and bored – not to mention feeling a bit lightheaded.

Apparently the wine costs a mere three Euros – cheap to find your soul mate but you might still have more success with a pumpkin and a glass slipper.

PS: Decanter.com reports 350,000 bottles of Soif de Coeur wine have been sold to participating supermarkets since the product’s soft launch on March 21st,2007, and that the site claims 90 visitors per day with ten per day registering and three meetings per day resulting.

Book Review: The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook

Oyster lovers rejoice. There is a new book on the market that you should rush out to buy. Not next week, not even tomorrow – go and buy this book right now.

Written by Jairemaire Pomo, The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook is a delightful romp through the world of oysters in general and Hog Island’s offerings in particular. Jairemaire has succeeded admirably in capturing the passion, enchantment, and mystic that have surround oysters throughout history. It’s an easy read that will probably make you laugh out loud at times.

The crowd is well-heeled, elegant, and mannered – that is until they spy the Hog Island Oyster bar. Women approach with flirtatious and seductive body language that suggests they’re going after a Calvin Klein underwear model. Men stand at the corners and surreptitiously snatch oysters from the ice. (Jairemaire’s description of a tony wine and food event in the Napa Valley)

But make no mistake, this 168-page volume is packed with information. From step-by-step instructions on safely shucking oysters with flair to a concise overview of the varieties, history, and even how to order oysters in a restaurant, once you’ve finished The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook, you’ll be in oyster heaven.

Only one cautionary note. If, like both of us, you’re already an oyster aficionado, you will definitely be heading to your nearest supplier. There are 40 recipes for oysters – both raw and cooked. Oysters with cucumber, lime, and sake; oysters with lemon ice and caviar; oyster and shrimp gumbo; poached oysters with crème fraiche and caviar – okay, so we enjoy caviar almost as much as oysters. This is a problem?

What You Need to Know
Title: The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook: A Guide to Choosing and Savoring Oysters, with 40 Recipes
Author: Jairemaire Pomo, also known as the self-appointed Empress of Oysters
Published: 2007 by Ten Speed Press
ISBN: 58008-735-3
Cost: $24.95 (Cdn)
Available in Vancouver, BC, at Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks and other fine bookshops

Think Pink: Rosé Wine Tasting Aids Breast Cancer Research

It’s not often we get the chance to taste wine and support cancer research at the same time. I’ve lost almost half my family to cancer, Frank’s lost several friends. So when we saw one of Vancouver’s premier restaurants was hosting a four-course, “Think Pink” Rosé wine and food pairing dinner throughout the month of May, there was more than the usual motivation to check it out.

Le Gavroche is located near Stanley Park in a restored, West End heritage home. Owner Manuel Ferreira says the concept for the fundraiser ($5 from every Think Pink dinner is donated to the BC Cancer Foundation in support of breast cancer research and awareness) began when his best friend died of breast cancer. “Most people are aware of issues of breast cancer as it relates to women. But it’s still not well known that one in every hundred men is also afflicted.”

Jurgen Gothe, CBC radio host, wine and food authority, and himself a cancer survivor as well as close friend of Manuel, finally asked the question: why aren’t we going to the people who have been there, the survivors? “Jurgen acknowledges cancer is a private issue,” Manuel says. “But he has told me many times that if people ask, he will go to any length to enhance public awareness.”

The result is the first of what Manuel anticipates will become an annual tradition at Le Gavroche – a pairing of “pink” wines with inspired culinary creations. From an oenophile’s point of view, his decision is not only a bold departure from tradition but a challenge few would be willing to risk. Eliminating both red and white wines effectively removes more than 95% of possible pairings – and virtually all “classic” matches. Add in the unfortunately still lingering public perception of Rosé wines as sweet, cloying, cheap plonk, and it’s astonishing anyone would even attempt it. To pull it off with aplomb is a credit to Manuel’s expertise and tenacity.

We arrived almost a quarter of an hour early with no expectations. I confess, our waiter immediately charmed me when, in response to my question about whether the restaurant was at one time call “Lily le Puce,” replied without hesitation “Well, yes it was – but now I know you’re a little older than the thirty that I thought you were.” Never underestimate the power of flattery.

The regular menu was enticing but we concentrated on the special “Power of Pink” insert – we were, after all, here on a mission of discovery.

Appies was the only course where we made different choices – but hey, appies are meant to be shared in any case. My preference was the fresh Dungeness Crab with grapefruit, watermelon relish, and fennel coulis. Frank picked scallops with carrot ginger flan and truffle vinaigrette. The wine was Chateau Silex Rosé – our waiter was delighted to bring the bottle to our table so we could see for ourselves. Made from Syrah and Grenache with a touch of Cinsault, it was crisp, refreshing, dry, and a comfortable pairing with both dishes. Later, we discovered this Rhone Valley wine is one of four newcomers to the appellation and aptly considered a rising star of amazing value.

For the second course, we chose the Assorted Proscuitto Plate over the Belgium Endive and Stilton with Port dressing. Later we laughed as we admitted to each other that we were both heavily influenced by wanting to try the 2005 Dourthe N1 Rosé it was paired with rather than the Joie Rosé we’ve enjoyed on a number of previous occasions. Made from 100% Cabernet, this wine had the nose of penny candy and strawberries I associate with picnics at the beach in summer. It worked well with the lighter Proscuittos, but we felt it couldn’t quite stand up to the saltier, darker versions. Still, it was once again, a very comfortable match and one it would be hard to find fault with.

It was at this point that I succumbed to my journalistic nature – I needed pen and paper. My request for a copy of the menu and a pen was met with a flicker of almost instantly concealed curiosity. Attempting to be semi-discreet, I jotted a few notes and tucked the paper under the bread basket.

Our main course was wild salmon with cauliflower, asparagus, and pesto vinaigrette. Thankfully, no one seemed to care – or even notice – when I snapped a photograph of the artful presentation. The paired wine was bone dry, had a subtle hint of earthy truffles, and was one of those “Ohhhh, this is so good” matches. It was definitely not the St Hubertus listed on the menu. Frank pegged it as similar to a Chateauneuf-du Pape – meaning it could be a combination of up to 13 different grape varietals. We didn’t bother to speculate on which ones. “Is this really a BC wine?” I asked our waiter the next time he passed by.

“Mais non, it izz Frrrrancais.” Okay, so I’m indulging in a bit of fantasy about his accent. But he soon produced the bottle of Pere Anselme Vin de Pay DOC (we never could find any information on the web about this wine), along with a second glass each, to prove his point that this was, indeed, a French wine. Yes, it is a Chateauneuf-du Pape wine and yes, he would be more than happy to bring us the correct menu insert – he couldn’t imagine how such an error could have occurred. This time, though, he gave my pen a long, pointed stare.

Now I’ll admit that sometimes my attention span could be improved, but when the second pink sheet appeared beside my wine glass I knew I wasn’t suffering a memory lapse. Our first wine had most definitely not been the Yellow Tail Rosé listed – not only did it not taste like it, but we had already seen the bottle. And the reason neither of us had ordered the Duck Breast and Confit with Pear Madeira Sauce for our main course was because the Yellow Tail Shiraz-Grenache it was paired with just didn’t appeal.

Still, as we sipped our final wine of the evening, Moet & Chandon Brut Rosé Champagne (a seductive, yeasty blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier) impeccably paired with Lichi Li Crème Brulee, we agreed the evening had been a stellar example of thinking outside the box – or perhaps more appropriately, outside the bottle. The first two pairings were solid, the second two were exceptional – utterly remarkable after having restricted themselves to something less than 5% of the normal wines to chose from.

Although we’re sure we tried the patience and curiosity of the wait staff with our barrage of wine geek questions, note taking, and requests for clarification about the wine listings, they were unfailingly attentive. We’re also well aware we were probably the only patrons that night who were there specifically to sample the diversity Rosé wines have to offer.

The evening’s greatest strength was having an opportunity to compare four vastly different Rosés, its sole weakness was the confusion surrounding what was on the menu as opposed to what was in the glass. Knowing we contributed in some very small way to improving the hope of a cure for cancer was a bonus.

Unusual Wines of South America: Signature Varietals of Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay

Yaletown is one of those Vancouver neighbourhoods that actually live up to the term “fun and funky.” Cobblestone streets, chi-chi loft-style condominiums in what were once old warehouses, boutiques, galleries, plus an eclectic mix of what can only be described as “characters.” All in all, a perfect setting for a night sipping some of the more unusual wines from the South World.

The event was the monthly (well, more or less monthly) tasting put on by our eclectic group of South World Wine Society enthusiasts. We met at the LK Dining Lounge, a trendy Latin American restaurant one patron described as “deliciously drool-inducing.” Paul Watson, our illustrious cellar master, had obviously taken great delight in pouring wines that ranged from difficult to impossible to find plus a few varietals almost no one in the room had heard of.

The reception wine was Pascual Toso Brut N/V from Argentina. A crisp, dry blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, this sparkler is a deal at about $16. Made in the traditional style, it’s got the great yeasty nose we both enjoy. Yes, we’re both thinking oysters – again. What can we say, some things never change.

The two other whites of the evening were a 2006 Bouchon Sauvignon Blanc (Chile) and a 2006 Norton Torrontes (Argentina). All at our table agreed the Sauvignon Blanc had good acidity and went well with the Tomato-Basil and Green Olive Tapenade Bruchetta that was the evening’s first culinary creation from Chef Travis Williams. More in the South African style, there’s no hint of the cat’s pee or gooseberry of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc here.

But it was the Torrontes that seemed to hit everyone’s nose and palate with a delightful “Ahhh.” Floral and perfumey, hints of apricot or for some the whole Okanagan fruit stand, most of us kept coming back to this glass just to inhale the aromas some more. Several said it reminded them of a Viognier, for others it was Gewurztraminer, and there was a brief rumbling about Riesling as well. According to Oz Clarke’s Encyclopedia of Grapes, Torrontes “can be positively heady and beautifully refreshing.” He does caution, however, he’s never found one that ages well beyond two years and suggests it’s better to drink within a year. So this is a problem with a wine this much fun?

Next up was our only Pinot Noir of the night, the 2005 EQ from Matetic (Chile). Organically grown (vineyards shown below) and with a typical nose, this was the evening’s overall winner in the popularity contest but evoked more than a couple of gasps around our table when we learned the price was $45. The consensus was “overall nice wine – but not at the price.”

For many years mistaken to be Merlot, our 2003 Vina Leydo Carmenere Reserve (Chile) had the classic green pepper taste of this varietal – in spades. Definitely a food wine, it was still surprisingly smooth. Oz Clarke notes the grape “dislikes irrigation or rain between winter and harvest time, and water at this time exacerbates the green pepper flavour” which he adds needs to “be kept under control.”

Making a debut as the first Uruguayan wine the society has ever poured, the 2004 Pisano Tannat got mixed reviews. We agreed it was a wine that cried out to be served with red meats, although the comment was also made “I keep waiting for it to do something definitive and it just isn’t.” Tannat represents a third of Uruguay’s wine production.

Our final three wine were all Malbecs – one blended with Bonarda, two 100%. The winner at our table, and overall the second most popular wine of the evening, was the 2005 Vinas de Balbo Malbec/Bonarda, a 30/70 blend unfortunately not available locally. We agreed that, just like a good Beaujolais, this is an almost quintessential picnic wine – bring on the cold cuts, finger food, and a red checkered blanket. Not surprisingly, the particularly excellent Cordero Costrada a la Hierba (grilled, herb-crusted lamb chop, cilantro chimichurri) simply packed too much flavour punch to balance this wine, but the Camaron (coconut-crusted prawn, sweet red chile dip) worked admirably.

To end the evening, we sampled a Dona Paula 2002 Malbec Seleccion de Bodega (Argentina) and a Morande 1999 Malbec (Chile). Both were full and delicious on the nose, both were quite yummy with Chef Travis’ Brocheta di Lomo Adobado (beef tenderloin skewer, three-chile salsa) and the lamb. And here’s some cool stuff we discovered later. According to The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson, while Argentina has more than 27,000 acres of Malbec under vine, the Australians “have no great respect for their Malbec and have been uprooting it systematically until the early 1990s.”

Although we had trouble locating a few of these wines on the web, we did find a good resource for listings of Argentinean vineyards at www.argentinewines.com/bodegas/bodegas.asp.

British Columbia’s Gulf Islands Make VQA News

There’s a new appellation in British Columbia. Well, okay, it’s not really that new – two years old actually. But it arrived with so little fanfare, many people are still not aware of its existence. Even Appellations America only recently learned of the new designation that it says currently encompasses just over 100 acres.

The Gulf Islands now officially join the Okanagan Valley, Fraser Valley, Similkameem Valley, and Vancouver Island to become British Columbia’s fifth VQA Appellation of Origin. According to Harry McWatter, founder of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in the Okanagan and an acknowledged BC wine industry leader, one reason for the designation was a response to the fact some Gulf Island wineries did not want to be simply lumped in with Vancouver Island.

Keith Watt, owner of Morning Bay Vineyard on Pender Island is reported to be delighted with the new appellation. “I believe the wines of the Gulf Islands have their own unique character, different from Vancouver Island wines and Fraser Valley wines. The ocean breezes, the soils, and the long, cool Mediterranean climate interact to create wines I believe will meet with great customer interest,” he said in an interview with Appellations America.

First to incorporate the new designation on their bottles was Saturna Island Family Estate Winery with their 2005 Pinot Noir. Since then, Salt Spring Vineyard (shown above left during harvest)have followed suit. For now, these remain the only two out of a growing number of wineries located on the Gulf Islands to be members of this appellation, but it will definitely be interesting to watch how many additional wineries come on board over the coming months.

According to the BC Wine Institute, the body that oversees the VQA program in British Columbia (Ontario also has a VQA designation):

The mild climate of the Strait of Georgia is very conducive to grape growing although scarcity of water and extreme aridity in summer present challenges. Like the Okanagan and Fraser Valleys, the Gulf Islands region had a well-established fruit-growing and market gardening tradition in the late 1800s.

Vineyards and wineries now are found on many Gulf Islands including Salt Spring, Pender, Saturna, Quadra, and Bowen with varietals planted included Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Chardonnay.

Protect Your Brain: Drink More Champagne

If you’re looking for an excuse to drink more bubbly – like we really need one? – here’s some great news from the good folks at University of Reading in England and the Università Degli Studi di Cagliari in Monserrato, Italy. Seems if you’re a regular sipper, you’re actually helping your brain protect itself against injuries and neurological disorders like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. You may even be reducing the effects of aging.

According to a recent collaborative study that was published in the April 18th issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (and reported by Wine Spectator Online), it’s all thanks to a preponderance of plant-derived antioxidants – polyphenols if you want to be technically accurate. And Champagne is packed with them. In fact, mice that were “pretreated with Champagne wine extracts” showed a “significant protection against neurotoxicity” commonly found in stroke victims.

Although the authors of the study discovered the actual amounts of polyphenols found in Champagne vary greatly from “variety, vintage, and a wide range of environmental factors,” they did note these compounds all possess anti-inflammatory properties that help regulate brain cells’ reaction when injured and can also act as cellular-level mops ready to whisk away certain harmful chemicals found in the body. Terroir with attitude!

Now least you think Champagne is only about enhancing the performance of your little grey cells, check out Les Vertus Therapeutiques du Champagne (Therapeutic Virtues of Champagne) by Francois Bonal, Dr Tran Ky, and Dr Francois Drouard. This trio of experts suggest champagne aids digestion, its acidity cuts through fatty foods making it good for the stomach, it is easy digestibility and an ideal post-surgery foodstuff, it doesn’t give you a hangover or headache, it reduces fever and morning sickness, and Champagne is even claimed to have cured cholera in China in 1909. All this and Champagne gases are good for the respiratory system but don’t contribute to other socially unacceptable gases. Now does life get very much better than this?

PS: We tried and tried to locate the actual report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. So far we’re in an auto-responder loop with their customer service desk. If we find it, we’ll pass along the link. If anyone out there gets it before we do, please let us know.

Bloom: The BC VQA Spring Releases

The sun shone, the mood was festive, the setting a combination of traditional elegance and West Coast eclectic. All in all, a perfect way to celebrate Bloom, the annual release of BC VQA wines.

And so, on May 15th, we found ourselves at the Fish House restaurant in Vancouver’s famous Stanley Park sampling the newest vintages of old favourites and checking out some new releases from more than 30 of BC’s wineries.

Not surprisingly, whites dominated the tasting – this has, after all, always been BC’s greatest strength. Less common varietals included Ehrenfesler, Kerner, Pinot Auxerrois, Siegerrebe, and Sovereign Opal. An unexpected treat was Peller Estates’ Trinity Private Reserve Icewine – a silky, amber blend of Vidal, Riesling, and Ehrenfelser that was subtly reminiscent of the Noble One Botrytis Semillon from De Bortoli we enjoyed for last month’s Great Grape Days tasting.

However, we were both surprised by the number of Pinot Gris wines that made an appearance here. From the “crisp lime in a glass” flavour of Red Rooster Winery on the Naramata Bench to the smooth minerality and richness of Burrowing Owl’s very limited edition (I tried to purchase two bottles the next day only to discover both stores I visited had a strict one bottle limit), this was the grape we courted most – almost to the exclusion of other offerings. And while we both agreed it lacked depth, for sheer fun and whimsy we had to laugh as we sampled Freudian Sip, a blend of Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer (one day, I really will remember how to spell it without double checking) plus 20% Kerner from Therapy Vineyards. Although we didn't have time to sample, some of their other wines carry equally enchanting names: Pink Freud, Super Ego. This is one winery with a saucy sense of humour for sure.

Somehow, we still can’t quite figure out how, we missed the Stellar’s Jay Brut sparkling wine from Sumac Ridge – a wine we often serve with fresh oysters after a day spent wandering Granville Island – although we did make sure to snag a glass of the crisp but less yeasty Cipes Brut (shown )from Summerhill Pyramid Winery that was the reception wine. Guess we’ll just have to make up for our by a weekend visit to our nearest VQA wine store. Life should always be so tough.


QUICK FACTS:

VQA stands for Vintners Quality Alliance, a designation that ensures grapes are 100% BC grown.

According to the BC Wine Institute, tourist visits to BC wineries more than tripled between 2002 and 2004.

More than 60 different grape varieties are grown in BC.

BC has more than 6,000 acres under vine and generates almost $150 million in annual sales.

There are five official wine growing regions in the province: Okanagan, Similkameen, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and the Gulf Islands.

Keeping the Faith of Terroir

I have the faith. I believe in terroir.

What prompted this public assertion? A couple of days ago I was reading a posting by Alder Yarrow from Vinography commenting on an recent article about terroir that had been published in T Style magazine (New York Times. The premise: does terroir exist? And can it be proven, or do we just have to accept it does not till the scientists say it does?

I have tasted enough dirt to know that the soil on one side of a field is not the same as on the opposite side. It feels different, often does not even smell the same. Plants that grow in different parts of a field or vineyard don’t look the same or grow to a similar size. If you don’t believe me, just watch horses in a meadow – they will always pick one area for grazing first – only when that is used up will they move to another. They know the difference – even if they can’t define it as terroir.

Travel down a country road or hike along a trail and you will see terrior: cottonwood and willow by marshy areas, mountain pine and hemlock at higher altitudes replacing the cedar trees of the Pacific Northwest. Watch a farmer baling hay – if you smell the grass as it is being cut, one end will be different than the other. Try picking some sweet corn fresh off the plant. Some will simply taste better – same seed, same field, same weather, different flavour. This is terrior.

I have tasted wines made from a single crop and then fermented in identical barrels using the same yeasts. The only difference is that one barrel uses grapes from one row and a second from another row. They taste different. Terroir. A field worker can tell you the difference between vines growing only a few feet apart. Burgundy has been doing this for hundreds of years, so who am I to argue?

Terrior is everywhere. Some wine growing regions simply haven’t been in existence long enough to discover their unique terrior, the essential “someplace” that they are. It will come with time. Like me, Alder is a firm believer in terroir although he suggests he does not know where the meeting hall for the Church of Terrior is. I believe this particular church has no meeting hall, just many generations of vignerons working the vineyard and wine lovers looking for the unique “someplace” found in their glass.

I will maintain my faith in terrior because I have seen it, felt it, tasted it. For me, it exists every time I open a bottle.

Susan’s note:

Although we’ve talked about terroir before, I couldn’t help checking into this particular discussion a little further.

The original NY Times article by Harold McGee and Daniel Patterson notes: “if you ask a hundred people about the meaning of terroir, they’ll give you a hundred definitions, which can be as literal as tasting limestone or as metaphorical as a feeling.” After reading only a little further, I was left with the uncomfortable impression they feel this is negative, a quality that somehow belittles wines in general.

Think about it. If you were asked to describe your favourite vacation spot, would you be likely to include metaphor and a touch of whimsy? Of course. I defy anyone to say they wouldn’t.

When I describe my recent Caribbean holiday with my sister, I don’t discuss the average temperature in January versus May nor the percentage of salt in the water nor the statistical probability of encountering a hurricane on a given day. I talk of the feel of the ocean breeze ruffling my hair, our delight at discovering the Southern Cross twinkling in the night sky above our sail boat, the camaraderie Anita and I shared with Captain David (an old friend) and Claudia, his new lady love. This too is terroir.

Yes, I am also, and always will be, a believer.

PS: Here are a couple of other terroir sites worth checking out:

http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/terroir/ (yet another take on the whole issue of terroir by Eric Asimov of NY Times)

http://www.terroir-france.com/theclub/meaning.htm (interesting info on French wines in general as well)

And yes, that's my sis jumping overboard with our fearless captain in pursuit of viewing the beauty of topic fish and even the occasional shark - no kidding.

Tropical Wait Staff: Adventures in Caribbean Wine Drinking

My sister and I are just back from our annual Girls Only Vacation. Hot Caribbean sunshine, long sandy beaches, and – shall we say – a few challenges when it comes to wines and spirits. Tonight is our last night before heading home, and we are at a St Thomas hotel adjacent to the airport.

Last year, to the consternation of a beaming Trinidadian bartender at this same hotel, I attempted to order a pre-dinner Scotch neat. Simple enough I thought. However, our jovial Uncle Jemima simply could comprehend the idea of Scotch without something to go with it. Anything – water, ice, soda, just something. Eventually, to the amusement of two fellow Canadians who had evidently gone through the same ritual several times before, I did manage to convince him that Scotch can be savoured all on its own.

This year, there is a smiling young man with the whisper of a French accent who tells me the white wine is Chardonnay, then looks at me blankly when I inquire where it is from and whether it is heavily oaked. He thinks – perhaps – it is Chilean, from the Walnut Crescent vineyard? It is more question than statement. He shifts uncomfortable from one leg to the other, pen hovering, embarrassment obvious. Yes, yes, it is actually Walnut Crest… he thinks.

A fleeting look of panic flashes across his face when I ask, as gently as possible, what the red wine might be. It is a Mare-Low. Somehow he manages to make the word into three syllables. He hurries to assure me it is from the same vineyard clearly hoping this information will be sufficient to quell further interrogation. The thought flashes through my mind that in a beret and army fatigues he could be a poster boy for freedom fighters anywhere in the world – lean, trim, with a clean-shaven innocence, he is bordering on handsome but missing that je ne sais quoi mystic to be a runway model.

I order the Chardonnay, not so much because I prefer it to the red, but because it seems to fit the mood of a tropical afternoon. The "Caesar Salads" we both order are Virgin Island originals – slightly limp butter lettuce, Mozzarella cheese, and a dressing that tastes more closely related to blue cheese than garlic. The croutons are soggy. But the wine works better than the Mare-Low would have – whether it was two or three syllables. Like Frank, I could write a tasting note on the wine but why? It was pleasant enough in this place, at this time. And it is a vintage now imprinted on my memory more permanently than any ink on paper.

(Photo taken on the beach at St John, US Virgin Islands)

BC Wines are Blooming

Good news for BC wine drinkers – according to the latest BC Wine Institute crop survey, the 2006 grape harvest is up 40% over the short crop year of 2005 and 22% over 2004 which is deemed to be a more typical year.

Even better, industry experts say the 2006 vintages taste better too. “I’ve been making wines since 1972, and both the quality and quantity of the 2006 crop were fantastic,” says George Heiss, proprietor Gray Monk Estate Winery in the northern Okanagan. “The flavours of our whites are much more pronounced than either the 2004 or 2005 vintages.”

Kim Pullen, proprietor of Church & State Winery on Vancouver Island notes their 2006 Pinot Noir did particularly well despite early than normal rains. And in the Similkameen Valley, Ann Heinecke, winemaker for Crowsnest Vineyards (winery store shown below) adds that while their grape output remained relatively unchanged from 2004, the quality of the Crowsnest crop was “perfect with whites exhibiting intense flavours.”

Senka Tennant, winemaker for Black Hills Winery on the Black Sage Bench in the Southern Okanagan, however, believes 2006 was “a red year. The late grapes – like Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc – really benefited from last year’s growing season.” He adds that 2006 was the best Cab year Black Hills Winery has enjoyed to date.

FYI for all you trivia buffs. According the Wine Institute’s crop survey increases in yield, quality, and evolving consumer tastes have produced some shuffling in the pecking order of the 2006 Top Ten grape varieties. Merlot and Chardonnay grapes continue to hold the Number One and Two spots respectively for tons harvested since 1999. However, since 2005 Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir have moved into 3rd, 4th and 5th place from their original 4th, 7th and 6th spots. The rising popularity of the Pinots has displaced Cabernet Sauvignon to 6th place, leaving Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc to round out list of top ten varietals for 2006.

Ode To Terrior and Tasting Notes

I hate tasting notes. Okay, maybe that’s too harsh. I dislike tasting notes – intensely.

Actually, I’ve written hundreds of tasting notes. I’ve written them on restaurant coasters, on the back of business cards, on program guides, and on god only knows what else. I have also spent many evenings in class writing tasting notes and have committed to memory the WSET systematic approach – I’m sure I can now write a note so anyone who has taken the WSET program would be able to pick out the wine I’m describing.

And I read other people’s tasting notes. Books on evaluating wine fill my bookshelves – lots of pages and hundreds, more likely thousands of hours of reading. I peruse glossy wine magazines, newspapers, and the Internet although many of those entries make me want to cry – bad grammar and a total lack of information. I’ve discovered Wine Spectator even has a game: match the wine with the tasting note plus a silly tasting note generator – fun for a while but the novelty wears off soon.

The problem with most tasting notes is that they don’t actually tell you anything. They don’t put the wine in any context. Is it typical of its type or region? Is it a wine for sipping or one that needs food to be enjoyed more fully? And is there something horribly wrong with saying whether you actually liked it or not?

Most tasting notes are all very politically and technically correct. You put the wine in a glass – preferably the same ISO glass every time so you have a benchmark for comparison. You go through the list for whatever system you use, dutifully comparing what’s in your glass against a series of standards. At the end of the exercise, you allocated points or stars or say it is – or isn’t – technically correct.

Sure, what you’ve just written will remind you, at a later date, whether the vintage you just had tastes like black pepper and blackberries, whether it has some sweet vanilla overtones, or perhaps the zing of lime. But when you get right down to it, most of your efforts have basically been useless.

Where in all these notes is the soul of the wine, the “Ahhhh” that is a truly outstanding wine? Where in these notes is the terroir, the art of the winemaker, the joy and pleasure?

Give me some indication of how the wine affected you. Did you love it or hate it? Was it perfect for sitting on the front porch on a sunny afternoon? Would you buy it for your wife or for yourself? Is this a wine you would take to Mom’s for dinner?

The notes I write for myself tend to descriptors and adjectives that aren’t techno or politically correct. They are about the people I had the wine with, the food or the music that went with a particular bottle of wine. My favorite Amarone I describe as “Sophia Loren dressed in silk and eating black cherries.” Another I describe as “Callas hitting a perfect high C in a Rossini opera.”

Emile Peynaud, writing in his book The Taste of Wine, is able to put techno and art together. He talks of how Bordeaux tasters describe their wines with references to their mistresses, while those from Burgundy use analogies about their wives. Alas, this style of comparison is no longer seen as “correct” although his techno notes still set a benchmark in the wine world.

Most of the wines I drink for pleasure are ones that come from a special “someplace” or are made by small wineries. I guess I am looking for the art of the winemaker. Maybe one day I will find a way to put that in a tasting note.

Cooperative Sips? Well, Maybe...

And ranking right up there in the Top Ten of All Time Silliness here come My Other Half Wine Glasses – also know as cooperative wine glasses. As shown, this matched pair is connected via tubing at the bottom – which, by the law of gravity, means liquid always flows down to the lowest glass. Presents a few dilemmas while sipping for sure, but is just so ridiculous we thought we’d pass it on.

Responding to the apparently looming question “And how will this definitely non-Riedel stemware affect the romance of sipping wine on a hot date?” (clearly something the couple shown below are not exactly on just at this moment)from the site we found, among others, these comments:

Camaro02 says: Okay, that means that when I go out on a date with a short girl, she will get hammered. So if I do not want my date getting hammered I have to find a tall girl. If anyone knows of any tall, geek-loving girls in the Chicagoland area please let me know. I will supply the wine and dinner.

BayTraveler responds: If you fill both glasses and someone lifts their glass the other glass over flows. You won't be able to put more into both glasses than one glass would hold unless you both drink at the same time. Tall chicks are over rated. Go short - there's much to be said for micro-dates.

And here are words of wisdom from Watersketch: This is why real geeks always bring binder clips to a date, just in case...

Check it out for yourself at http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/cooperative-wine-glasses-make-sure-you-dont-get-drunk-solo-254600.php

Dusty, Earthy, and Delicious: An Evening of South Africa Reds

April 25th marked a night of tasting premium South African reds with our local chapter of the South World Wine Society. As usual, it was a gregarious group with a diverse range of opinions and no hesitation sharing them. Here’s a short review of the wines we sipped in the order we sampled.

2002 Mulderbosch Steen Op Hout, Stellenbosch
The evening began with a bit of a mystery as we attempted to identify the grape variety of our reception wine. Frank and another young man we later learned is also going through WSET training got it almost immediately – Chenin Blanc (for those who know, clearly identified on the label by its Afrikaans name of Steen). Although, I’ll boast on Frank’s behalf because he figured that one blind – unlike me, he hadn’t gone back to check out label. An overtone of burnt matches and a bit bitter at the back of the mouth, this is the first South African Chenin Blanc to have contact with oak.

2001 Walker Bay Pinot Noir, Hamilton Russell Vineyards
Descriptors from our assembled company included mineral, slate, just plain beautiful, and “a haunting perfume like night on the plains of Africa.” Typical old world style, this was Frank’s favourite of the evening, my second favourite. Denise, who claims to “really dislike Pinot Noirs,” said it turned into her top choice but only after she began pairing it with food.

2003 Reserve Cape Blend Simonsig Frans Malan, Stellenbosch
A blend of 45% each Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon rounded out with 10% Merlot. Designed as an attempt to create the definitive “Cape Blend” (which must, by law, include Pinotage) this wine prompted a true love/hate relationship. Most people loved it big time chatting happily about the spicy notes and rich vanilla. But those who didn’t like it, really didn’t – and were extremely vocal about it. Consensus was it needs food – as one woman said: give me laaamb, baaaah. (Photo of the dusty plains and mauve sunsets above courtesy of Simonsig)

2001 Rosendal, Stellenbosch
Not just organic but biodynamic we agreed this is what the British would call a “correct wine.” Dusty like the African desert, earthy, and with the bakery nose that comes from using only naturally occurring yeasts, Paul, our cellar master described this wine as “a convivial evening with good food and friends” – apparently perfectly aligned with the winemakers philosophy of getting right down to drinking and enjoying a wine rather than talking about it too much. (Rosendal barrels in the field shown left. Photo courtesy of the winery.)

2003 Saxenburg Cabernet Sauvignon Private Collection, Stellenbosch
Stalky green pepper and barnyard earned this wine the title of being “a young, angry teenager waiting to make a statement.” This is a winemaker who used to divide his time between France and South Africa, but now chooses to concentrate his talents only in the latter.

2002 Ruste en Vrede Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch
Literally translated as “far enough,” this Ruste en Vrede Cab is the only South African wine to place in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines four times – although this particular vintage is not considered one of their stellar ones. Controversy raged as to whether it was leather or barnyard. In the end, opinion seemed split 50/50, but all agreed this is perfect for nights when the planned activities are throwing a steak or two on the barbie and watching mindless TV – like that would be hard to find on the tube these days?

2004 Syrah Glen Carlou, Paarl
Smooth, voluptuous, alluring, with perfect balance and tannic integration, this Syrah was named Wine of the Year in the 2006 John Platter South African Wine Guide – long acknowledged as the definitive authority on South African wines. “It’s really great, but it’s a bitch to find,” someone let us know from the far end of the room. But at an approximate cost of $30, it’s also one I’m betting a whole bunch of us will rush out to snap up whatever few remaining bottles we can find. Words of wisdom from cellar master Paul: This is the wine you pull out on the first date.
FYI: In the annual Platter Guide competition, wines are first tasted sighted. Subsequently, all five-star wines are tasted blind to determine the ultimate winner.

2003 Shiraz Radford Dale, Stellenbosch
This Shiraz could hang out with the Aussies undetected – hardly a surprise when you realize the winemaker harkens from Barossa. More about international style rather than terroir, we agreed this wine is designed to appeal to the North American palate. There were brief rumours this is the wine you open now you’re half way through the first date and have moved into the living room. Most, however, said it was the one to sip as you’re sitting around with “the gang” after work and telling jokes about your boss.

2002 Syrah Boekenhoutskloof Estate, Franschboek
Coffee, chocolate, and all those yummy flavours come together to create a slightly restrained but full wine that’s surprisingly different from its 2001 younger sister which was actually made from grapes grown closer to the Indian Ocean. (Note: this winery doesn’t appear to have an individual website but they are listed if you follow the link above.)

1996 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Klein Constantia
Amber poetry on the nose, it took us both a while to actually take a sip of this one as we savoured the distinctive aroma of Noble Rot. After great anticipation, however, we both felt let down when it hit the palate – a little flat and bordering on harsh – especially disappointing since only four or five vintages have been produced.

A Chip Off the Old Barrel

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about barrels lately – varying amounts of toast, using radar to plot flavor profiles, and technical specs from various cooperages. Okay, so it’s part of my WSET training, but it also reinforces some interesting – or more accurately startling – information.

For example, the oaked Chardonnay you have in your hand may actually have never seen the inside of a cask. That Napa Cabernet Sauvignon for 60 bucks? Quite possibly nada
in the barrel department but high in the oak chips or staves.

So here’s how it works. To fake the flavour, there’s a selection of oak chips (now does the image at the right really make you want to run out and buy a wine that's been sitting on these - go on, be honest), oak powder, oak inner staves, or something called oak extract – chips, dust powder, (shown left) from one supplier. And let’s not forget Quertain Effervescent Tablets and Liquid Oak Tannin.

Sound like a drugstore rather than a winery? Well how about this? The April 2007 issue of Wines and Vines Magazine is all about oak alternatives. One advertisement boldly asks, “Is it barrels or alternatives? Only the winemaker will know for sure.”

So do you really know how the oak flavor got into your wine? Can you tell if the oak is from barrels or a bag of chips?

Wines and Vines did a taste test of wines made using alternatives – mostly barrel staves – and found that “only the most highly trained palates will be able to taste the difference between barrel only and oak adjuncts.”

Funny thing, though, the Italians have banned oak chips and the French are just waiting for legislation to pass banning them – this is contrary to new EU laws that do allow use of chips and other oak adjuncts. Do they know something we don’t?

My research into barrels may never be useful in a practical sense. After all, Robert Parker gave a Napa Cab Franc (Larkin 2004) made with staves 92 points and called it one of the finest Napa Cab Francs made. Perhaps the question is not so much who is using Liquid Oak or what they charge for it. Perhaps it’s more about whether there is a difference between industrial wines and artisan wines. If you can’t tell the difference, does it really matter?

Let me draw a comparison. Think about buying a bag of vanilla cookies from a company that spits out millions per day off an assembly line. They’re a bit hard and dry, but you know it’s a vanilla cookie. True the fake vanilla leaves a residual, slightly off taste in your mouth, but hey the bag was cheap – like a $10 vintage of almost any wine.

Now think about the little mom and pop bakery just down the street. You bite into one of their softy, gooey, delicacies hot off a baking sheet. I don’t need to describe the fragrance, the texture, and the richness of the genuine vanilla. Do you care this single cookie cost almost the same as the bag of its mass produced distant cousins? Doubtful.

There’s definitely a place for assembly line products – cars, computers, video games. Wine just isn’t one of them.


Barrel photos courtesy of Haut Brion

Developing Terroir: BC Wines Come of Age

Big, bold, and daring or crisp, delicate, and sophisticated. Whatever your preference in wines, BC’s burgeoning wine industry now boasts some of the finest. “BC is clearly developing its own, unique persona,” says Tim Ellison, co-founder of the BC Wine Appreciation Society and long-time sommelier. “As we become more connected to the many individual terroirs and as our vines age to produce grapes with more complexity, we are creating a truly identifiable BC style.”

Award Wining Vintages

“We are no longer trying to mimic other parts of the world,” adds Mike Smith, owner of Recline Ridge Winery(shown left). “Thus our wines show well on the world stage.”

Judges agree, and BC wines are now receiving an ongoing stream of accolades from international, domestic, and local competitions. In one that shook the wine world, last year Jackson-Triggs Estate Wines became the first North American winery to win the prestigious Rosemount Estate Trophy for best Shiraz/Syrah at the London International Wine and Spirits Competition beating out competitors from such Shiraz/Syrah heavy weights as Australia and South Africa with their Okanagan Estate Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Shiraz 2004.

The Wines We Love to Sip

BC consumers are clearly passionate and loyal, so much so that according to the BC Wine Institute who regulates the VQA program, more than 80% of the VQA wines produced in British Columbia remain here.

“British Columbians have a very sophisticated palate, but they are also willing to be adventurous,” says communications manager Lisa Cameron. Although names like Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir are still at the top of the list of BC-grown grapes in terms of production, you’ll also find many other intriguing varieties to tantalize your taste buds. Ehrenfelser, Foch, Kerner, Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe, Sovereign Opal, and Zweigelt are just a few of the lesser known varietals gaining a steady following of loyal sippers. Hazel Manser, who with her husband Jack, (shown right) owns Larch Hills Winery, says they are also now produce three organic wines – Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and a Pinot Gris.

Climatic Opportunities

With global warming an increasing concern in many commercial sectors, a surprising number of industry watchers are cautiously optimistic the wine industry might actually benefit from climactic changes. In fact, Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell recently suggested the wine industry could expand by 50% thanks to warmer weather making it feasible to grow grapes in new areas. “Ten years ago,” he points out, “no one would have guessed we could grow Shiraz grapes in the Okanagan – now it produces some of the best in the world.”

“We are already seeing it happen in Europe,” says Gary Kennedy, one of four owners at the family-run Granite Creek Estate Wines. “Grapes that used to grow well in France are now being grown in England. In 20 years, we may see wines that were grown in Oliver being grown here in Salmon Arm – and we may see new wineries opening up farther north up the valley.” (Lush and juicy, some of the Granite Creek grapes are show above.)

But Gary stresses he believes it will be a long time the public’s appetite outstrips production. “Shortage of good land is one of the industry’s challenges,” he says. “That’s one of the reasons we opened the winery – to preserve and expand viable farmland. I believe we can stand a lot more wineries in this province before any of us suffer any pressure from over production.”

Looking for more information on BC wines? Here are two resources worth bookmarking on your web browser:
BC Wine Institute: www.winebc.com
Okanagan Wine Festival:www.owfs.com


This article was first published in BC Wine & Golf Magazine (April, 2007)

Semillon: Plain Jane or Belle of the Ball

Tonight’s wine tasting gives new meaning to the word “contrast.” On the table are two wines from Down Under: a Parri Estate and a Noble One Botrytis Semillon from De Bortoli. Both wines are 2004 vintages, both are 100% Semillon, and that’s about where the similarity ends.

First up is the Parri Estate (shown at the right with a magnificent gum tree in the foreground).

According to the Parri website, this wine has citrus, gooseberry, and grass aromas. One whiff is all it takes to get the citrus. One sip and Frank face contorts into that lip-puckering expression usually reserved for the big, fat, tannic-laden Shiraz wines I’m so fond of. “High acidity – yup, we’ve got that.” He grabs the bottle to read the label. “Well structured, the palate is driven with whips and chains and wooden sticks by fresh citrus.”

I’m still trying to figure out why it reminds me of Riesling, so it takes a minute before I catch his ever so slightly embellished commentary regarding the whips and chains. “But that said,” Frank carries on still absolutely deadpan, “it would be a great wine paired with the right foods – like those tiger prawns with chili sauce at Joe Forte’s or a seafood salad.”

Following our usual tradition, the next thirty minutes are consumed with cross checking all possible references we can find among the ever-expanding library of reference books. (Although we do take a few minutes to check out the photos of hand picking grapes at the Parri Estates - shown at the left)

“In most of the vineyards Semillon sits around sullenly like an overweight schoolgirl, showing awkward fatness or just plain dullness in the wine it produces. In odd places though, as if under the spell of a fairy godmother, it can be transformed into a raving beauty,” says Jancis Robinson in Vines, Grapes, and Wines.

According to Oz Clark in his classic Oz Clark’s Encyclopedia of Grapes, Semillon is “a grape that doesn’t like to do it the normal way. It will grow just about anywhere and reckless produce gigantic crops of grapes that taste of …? er, nothing really.” He adds that winemaker Michael Hill Smith succinctly describes the flavour of unoaked Hunter Valley Semillon as “battery acid.”

However, we also discover that in Argentina, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are frequently blended and sold under the guise of being Riesling. Ah ha! I feel vindicated. Apparently the combination of 50% wild yeast with 50% Alsace yeast contributes to the Riesling illusion in this particular wine.

We agree the Parri Estate Semillon is a wine that begs for food. Perhaps buttery, fatty oysters which, alas, are not to be found at this hour of the evening. We try it with prosciutto (a good match) and a slice of parmesan (disaster – don’t even think about trying this combination).

This wine should also come with a big warning label: Do Not Serve Too Cold! As it warmed, the nose became more complex, the taste less overwhelmingly acidic. The finish is definitely longish on the mid-palate, but this is not high on our list of sipping wines. And the slight fizz that seemed to last for the entire hour we spent with it was somewhat distracting although we believe it was more a quirk of the wine than an actual fault.

As Frank pops the cork – yes, that’s real cork – on the De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon, we both suppress a sigh of anticipation. “I just love noble rot wines,” he says as fragrances of apricot, nectarine, and peaches float out of the bottle filling our nostrils.

We don’t talk much for about 15 minutes – this is simply too delicious to interrupt with words. Frank’s descriptor is finally “an angular schoolmarm who’s been softened up with Botrytis.” I prefer to think of it as “a Chippendale in a bow tie and nothing else.” And if both are both sexist descriptions – who cares? Certainly we don’t.

We spend a few minutes attempting to find the perfect musical pairing – Etta James doesn’t work, nor does Edith Piaf. Ray Charles and Diana Krall’s duet, You Don’t Know Me, is close. Eventually, we settle on Nat King Cole.

The finish is still lingering on our palates after an hour as the word “heavenly” comes to mind. The contrast between this and our previous selection is astonishing. I would have never batted an eye if Frank had simply poured and told me it was a French Sauterne. Luscious, rich, full, the sugar lingers on the lips but not on the palate.

Later, with a bit of investigation, we find out that the vintage filling our glasses has accumulating over 320 Gold Medals, 98 Trophies, and 95 International Awards including being named a three-time winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition for Best Botrytis Wine. No question this is one Semillon that definitely qualifies as a ravishing beauty under the spell of a fairy godmother.

A Tale of Two Margauxs

The other day I was at a supplier’s shop to pick out some materials for a movie I have coming up. To my surprise, Corrine, the young lady who meticulously keeps track of the accounts, asked how my wine classes were going – which led quite naturally to a conversation about wines in general. Suddenly Corrine looked at her boss and me. “So what’s the oldest bottle of wine either of you had ever had?”

In unison, we both replied: Chateaux Margaux 1953. At first Corrine had an issue with the fact we’d actually drunk a wine older than she is – like I said, she’s young. But when she realized we’d both mentioned the same wine, she wanted to know our stories.

Being a gentleman, I felt it only proper to let Margot, my supplier, tell her story first.

This particular bottle, she explained, was a birthday present – the vintage year meant to be approximately the same as the her own. Her boyfriend of the time was working out of town, and she was meeting up with him to celebrate her birthday.

Apparently said boyfriend, realizing he’d forgotten her birthday, went into panic mode. What to get as an appropriate birthday present and how to have it flown to an isolate spot on the ice fields of Jasper? He made many, many calls on radiophone trying to secure a gift. Finally, he talked to a friend in the restaurant business who suggested the wine – brilliant. A Chateaux Margaux for a Lady Margot.

But how to get a bottle of wine across a province, down some logging roads to a remote helicopter pad, and then to a camp in the middle of nowhere in the 12 hours before Margot arrived? After bribing the transportation coordinator, several office assistants, and a few others – at a cost of great favours to be rendered in the future – the wine was on it way. The boyfriend’s ass was saved.

Little did either of them suspect Margot was unknowingly going to become the courier for her own gift – she also worked in the film industry and often handled time sensitive deliveries of one sort or another. All her boyfriend knew or cared about was that the wine, the lady, and a box containing some gear were on the road heading for Jasper.

Everything arrived safe and sound, but the ground crew informed Margot her boyfriend was still working on top of a mountain on the ice fields. Would she like the helicopter to fly her up the mountain so she could drop off this very important box of gear personally? With a little gentle “persuasion” from the office staff and transportation people, it seems the production company was under the impression this box of gear was critically needed in order for them to finish this project.

Margot still remembered the wine and celebrating her birthday under a clear, blue sky on a snowy mountaintop. She said there were no corkscrews, so they opened the bottle with a screwdriver and drank Chateaux Margaux out of thermos mugs while watching wild mountain peaks stretch unending into the distance.

At this point, I told everyone I couldn’t possibly top Margot’s story and would tell mine another time. I had pulled the cork with a piece of climbing gear, and we drank it out of plastic cups not thermos mugs. The weather was cloudy and a storm front was on its way. But this had been her story, so who I am to argue? I remember the wine was elegant, refined but not too much more about it. The lady was a wild gypsy, clearly contrasting the wine in her own, wonderful way.

Photos taken on location during filming of Wings of Courage. Frank takes a spin behind the wheel then relaxes in anticipation of the first sip - nectar no matter what you're drinking it out of.


www.chateau-margaux.com

Calling All Centenarians: The Wine Century Club

If you’ve been sipping Assyrtiko, Ehrenfelser, Xarel-lo, or Zweigelt lately, chances are you’re eligible for membership in the Wine Century Club. Now more than two years old, this obviously fun-loving group of wine enthusiasts was founded by Deborah and Steve De Long in the spirit of adventurous wine drinkers everywhere. Now I ask you, do the people at the Second Anniversary Dinner Celebration shown here not look they are having big time fun?

Requirements are simple: you must have tasted at least 100 different varietals. For us, it’s been a competition to see who can find the most obscure, unknown grapes. Frank puts it down as being an invaluable addition to his WSET training; I’m just contrary and like to go against the grain. We have no idea who’s ahead in ferreting out new vintages at this point – but last week we both took great delight in submitting our membership applications. And yes, we’ve tried all four of the above wines.

According to the Wine Century’s website, the “big six” are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. Let’s face it though, when you get right down to it, isn’t every wine considered ordinary or typical in some part of the world – which, as the club website points out, makes trying “uncommon” wines all the more fun since “you can be transported to a faraway place with just a sip!" Or, as Jennifer shows in the photo from the Wine Century's First Anniversary Dinner at the right, with a sabre and a bottle of champagne.

We have no idea what to expect when we receive our official membership certificates, but you can be sure we’ll keep you posted. And whether you’re as obsessive about discovering new varietals as we are or not, the club’s website is a delightful romp through the world of unusual wines and unexpected taste sensations. Just be aware that though the application works on an honor system, the fine print notes: “Should you lie, may the wrath of Bacchus curse your palate.”

Check it out for yourself at www.winecentury.com. You can also download the application form and begin your own explorations. Cheers.

Wolf Blass Changes Your Outlook on Picnics

Listen up all you folks who think the move from cork to Stelven is horrific. Here’s a new one to ponder. How about plastic wine bottles? Yup, that’s plastic – just like a bottle of 7-Up or Pepsi. So call me a hypocrite. Like Frank, I’m a big time advocate of Stelven closures over cork. But plastic wine bottles? Some things just aren’t done.

The event was a tasting at our local liquor store. And yes, it was the press release announcing Wolf Blass would be rolling out their 2004 Bilyara Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Bilyara Reserve Chardonnay in “environmentally friendly PET containers” that attracted my attention. Actually, it attracted my ire. Drink wine from the same, ugly container I pour my OJ out of? No way. I want beauty with my wine.

I arrived at the tasting gunning for bear – or more accurately, gunning for Wolf. The fragrance of roast lamb from behind the demonstration kitchen appeased me momentarily – the folks at LCB usually like to further entice people with food. I still couldn’t see those ugly wine containers, but there were a couple of bottles sporting the distinctive Wolf Blass label sitting on a display table with a particularly charming young man apparently eager to pour for me standing behind. Twist my arm.

I reach for the Chardonnay just as a voice behind me says: “Think you could get away with this with a regular wine bottle?” I turn just in time to see a woman grab a wine bottle from the Wolf Blass display, and with great aplomb, hurl it to the floor. I’m not sure if my eyes went as wide as the young couple’s who were standing in front of her did.

But the anticipated sound of shattering glass never happened. The young man behind the table was suppressing a laugh. I picked up the bottle he’d just poured from – plastic. I’d been had.

And the wines? The Chardonnay was surprisingly pleasant – a bit too much oak for my taste, but not the overpowering wood bomb I’d anticipated. And it went superbly with the halibut appie created by Kristopher Barnholden, executive chef at the Stanley Park Pavilion (shown above with his assistant Chris and Susan in between). The Cab was overall disappointing – lacking in body but not bad as an afternoon sipper for when you want a patio red. And it did complement the lamb shown here that was our second tasty treat from Chef Kris.

After a lengthy discussion with my jovial, gentleman pourer, we agreed it was probably grossly unfair to either wine to attempt making a true assessment out of the mini plastic (what else?), disposable wine glasses used at these events. He stressed the concept that a plastic bottle would allow you to chill the wine faster while carefully sidestepping my question that surely the reverse would also hold true – they would also come back to room temperature faster. And although I could never quite get him to say he actually liked plastic bottles, we did have a meeting of minds that this alternative might be great for picnics or hiking due to its much lighter weight.

Bonus, these bottles also save you about a dollar per bottle over the same wine in glass. But wine from a plastic bottle? This is going to take me a while.

Note: When I asked Frank for his thoughts on vintage PET bottles, there was an uncharacteristic silence that stretched out for a long moment. “Well, what do you think?” I asked again. He mumbled something that sounded remarkably like “too weird – not even going to comment on that one” and just walked away. Guess we’ll still be hauling glass for our summer picnics – which is quite okay with me.

More info of interest:
The lightweight PET bottle holds the same amount of wine as a standard 750ml wine bottle, yet it is designed to be 33 percent shorter for easier storage in a refrigerator, cooler or cupboard. It is fully recyclable and weighs just 54 grams prior to filling, offering an immediate 85 percent reduction in packaging weight. With the reduction in weight, more wine can be transported per load than with glass bottles, so the net environmental benefit from the reduction of fuels used in shipping and trucking is significant.

FYI: Here’s the Wicipedia definition of PET bottles.
Polyethylene terephthalate (aka PET) is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family that is produced by the chemical industry and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber.

Wine Quote of the Day April 13, 2007

Okay, so we have no idea who Hannu is - other than that we believe he's Finnish - but this was fun.

If you can't put the bottle in a safe place under your chair, you are either in too fine company or you've fallen off your chair just to meet your bottle on an equal level.

Hannu

Perfect Pairings: Amarone Intentions

I’ve been feeling under a bit pressure over the last few days. An astonishing number of people have been inquiring how our lady did with the Amarone pairing – the pairing being herself with the wine.

So far, I’ve resisted recounting the tale of how it all worked out because what you, our readers, probably don’t realize is that I would really like to live a little longer. By not sharing this info, the lady in question will not kill me or attempt to remove body parts I have been accustomed to having. However, she is currently off on holidays and will not likely be reading the blog for a few days. So I’ll take a chance and share what information I have – as long as you all promise not to tell her I let the story out.

When we last left her, she had in her possession not one but two bottles of Amarone to help fuel some serious amorous intentions. A semi-unsuspecting gentleman was coming over for dinner. He probably thought it was going to be a nice relaxing evening. Poor soul. Knowing the lady’s state of mind, the chances of him getting out of there before dawn were somewhat less than nil. Little did even I know he wasn’t going to be getting out of there for a few days.

Now you need to appreciate that the wine and the woman both have a whole lot of character and style. This was probably one of my better pairings, though usually I am thinking about pairing food with wine. Still, isn’t this is really what wine is all about? To find the perfect match, to share special moments, to mark a time and place and people coming together? Happy holidays guys. And I didn’t tell anyone anything – not really.

Jet Li's Dream Wine Accessory?

You should have known better. The house party wasn’t exactly a wine lover’s haven, but you brought a bottle of your favourite Sancerre just because you felt like sipping something that didn’t remind you of either purple-tinged vinegar or pancake syrup mixed with some type of unidentifiable vegetal matter. You went to pour your first refill and discovered… an empty bottle.

Here’s a wine accessory you can brandish around that just might solve the problem – the brass knuckle corkscrew. No, we’re not kidding. This nifty what-do-you-get-the-geek-with-everything gizmo was so weird we just had to laugh.

Merlot meets the Mob. Or visualize this scenario from one reader. “What, you don’t like red wine? Have you seen my corkscrew? Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Who thinks up this stuff?

Canadian Taxation Woes

There’s a move afoot to tax wines made from 100% Canadian grapes, and the Canadian Vintners Association (CVA) isn’t impressed – neither are we.

The European Union (EU), the world’s largest producer and exporter of wine, accounts for 50% of the Canadian market and its wine-producers are supported by over $2.3 billion in annual subsidies – support Canadian wineries currently don’t enjoy for either domestic or export production.However, the EU is considering WTO action against Canada over a small excise duty exemption that applies to only 5% of Canadian producers’ sales – an exemption currently also granted to domestic producers in the United States and Australia.

Above: watering the vines at Burrowing Owl, one of Canada's many award winning wineries.

Why the EU appears to be singling out Canadian producers and leaving both US and Aussie producers alone is anyone’s guess. But CVA president Dan Paszkowski believes many of Canada’s smaller wineries need this excise measure to help level the competitive playing field, so he’s launched a new website where Canadian wine lovers can log on and support the domestic wine industry. You can check it out for yourself at www.supportcanadianwines.com.

FYI:

The Canadian Vintners Association (CVA) and its predecessor, the Canadian Wine Institute (CWI), has a mission statement: “To encourage the growth and development of a vibrant, competitive, and economically viable Canadian wine industry through focused leadership.” Some of the ways they achieve this include:

- Initiating development of the first Canadian national quality standard for wine in 1996.
- Advocating labelling regulations that are fully transparent and informative for the consumer, while being commercially acceptable to the wine industry.
- Participating in wine and health symposia and providing financial support for research
- Coordinating an annual export strategy for Canadian wine that has successfully obtained over $2 million dollars in export funding from the federal government over the past few years.
- Initiated and reached agreement with Germany and Austria on an International Icewine Standard that played a fundamental role in enhancing Canada’s terms of access to the European Union.

The CVA also awards scholarships at the following post-secondary institutions:
Brock University
Niagara College Foundation
Okanagan University College
University of British Columbia
University of Guelph

www.canadianvintners.com

Celebrating British Columbia's Wine Industry

If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you probably already know both Frank and I are big time fans of the BC Wine Appreciation Society (BCWAS). Now more than 140 members strong, BCWAS brings together a diverse, vibrantly eclectic mix of wine aficionados, wine newbies, and unabashed wine geeks – yes, that would be the crowd who can intelligently discuss residual sugar and malolactic fermentation numbers with Frank.

But no matter what the event, laughter and camaraderie are always the true “main course” – no stuffiness allowed here. It is certainly the first organization either of us have ever belonged to where a member actually had the chutzpah to suggest “we’re all about enjoying wine so let’s adjourn, sip some wine, and socialize so we can really get down to business” at an AGM. The motion was passed unanimously, and within less than a quarter of an hour we had committed volunteers on board for membership coordinator, events coordinator, and newsletter editor.

Over the past two years, word is spreading. At our event last month (shown above), we were privileged to taste several wines that remain completely unavailable to the general public or even many exclusive local restaurants. But don’t take our word for it, check out the BC Wine Appreciation Society for yourself at www.bcwas.com, and when you visit in person, be sure to come over and say hi – we’d love to meet you.

Here’s an introduction to one of the founding members of one of the best wine associations going.

****

Getting to Know Tim Ellison
Originally published in the April 2006 BCWAS newsletter

He’s dynamic, bubbling with enthusiasm, and unfailingly generous with both his time and his knowledge. Teaching a wine appreciation class dressed in a traditional Japanese obi doesn’t faze him in the slightest. Nor, it seems, does most anything else. He considers himself a hospitality enthusiast although he’s been a chef, the proprietor of his own restaurant, and is currently a much sought after instructor at the Art Institute. Who else could it be but our own Tim Ellison.

Known for his devilishly quick wit and flamboyant charm – don’t you just love a man with the élan to make a pink and orange striped shirt look outright fantastic – Tim, along with Francis Dorsemaine, was one of the founding members of the BC Wine Appreciation and remains an avid supporter of our British Columbia wine industry. Check out any of Vancouver’s wine events, and you’ll likely find him there expanding his already extensive knowledge. After all, it’s tough work but someone has to do it.

Although he’d long been fascinated with the relationship between food and wine, Tim’s journey into “the wild and wonderful world of wines” didn’t truly begin until 1988. “I was on a road trip through Oregon’s Wette Valley. It had been an exceptional year for winemaking in 1985, so the shelves were packed with all these great wines. It really piqued my interest, to the point I started reading and visiting the wineries just to educate myself.”

In no time Tim was hooked. But it was more than a decade before he took formal training. “I waited forever because I was actually afraid of failure,” he admits. “The thought of doing a blind taste testing was downright scary.”

Eventually, though, he signed up for the first level of the International Sommeliers Guild certification, ultimately graduating from the program in 2003. “It was like a light went on,” he says, adding that the biggest surprise was just how much influence the winery and winemaking techniques has on what ends up in the bottle. “The mystification was gone, no more misconceptions because now it was all based on fact.” Now also enrolled in the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) diploma program, Tim has his sights set firmly on gaining the prestigious Master of Wine designation.

Last fall, Tim made yet another career shift when he took on the responsibility of teaching full-time at the Art Institute. “It’s such a privilege to be able to contribute to people’s success, to help them avoid the mistakes I did and get there sooner,” he says. “When I read about them in the newspaper or visit them in their own restaurant… there’s no feeling to compare.” He laughs. “Actually, my students typically end up teaching me almost as much as I teach them because they have such a variety of backgrounds and experiences – I just don’t usually tell them that.”

Tim offers this advice for anyone interested in a wine career. “Just go for it. Don’t think about the expense, don’t be afraid of blind taste testings. You absolutely don’t need to be intimidated. Pursue the passion and you will get there.”

Wine Quote of the Day April 14, 2007

Here's one we came across the other day that really sums up a great attitude to life.

Excellent wine generates enthusiasm. And whatever you do with enthusiasm is generally successful.

Philippe de Rothschild in conversation, 1980

The World's Most Useless Wine Accessory?

And now for something completely different. I think I have discovered the world’s most useless, utterly pointless wine accessory – the Champagne Parachute.

Here’s the premise. When you fire the cork out of a bottle of sparkling wine, the parachute enables you to follow its trajectory and find it.

The entire underlying idea here is just plain faulty, wrong – so wrong I can’t even find the right adjectives to express how bad this is. The thought of firing a cork out of the bottle – which will cause the wine to froth out and wasting one of life’s basic food groups – leaves me at a complete loss. Why anyone would do this, I can’t imagine. Morally it has to be wrong. I suspect it’s dangerous as well.

The correct way to open champagne without hurting anyone or damaging the champagne is really quite simple. Remove the foil and cage, hold the cork down with your thumb, and twist the bottle – not the cork, the bottle. Counter-intuitive I know but no one loses an eye, windows don’t get broken. You’ll get a gentle, sensual pop, no wine wasted by fizzing all over you or the floor, and better yet, the bubbles actually last longer. Trust me, Susan and I have run repeated tests to ensure the accuracy of this statement.

If anyone finds an accessory more useless than the Champagne Parachute, do let us know. We’ve put a link to the website for this device just to show it really does exist.

For now, I’m going to ignore a suggestion that if we were to have cork-shooting contests to see who could shake the bottle the hardest, this device would aid in judging the distance. Some people just need a little work.

www.iwantoneofthose.com/champagne-parachute/index.html

Note: Dom Perignon is the Benedictine monk credited with inventing champagne. We hope he really did have as much fun as it appears in the saucy illustration above and can only imagine what might have happened if someone really did find the cork that night.

To Screw or Not to Screw: A Matter of Geography?

Controversy continues to rage about closures – and this year’s Playhouse WineFestival was no exception. Cork is king says the old world, stelven is stellar says the new.

Speaking at “The Iberian Criterion” seminar, Cristiano van Zeller, owner of Douro’s Quita do Vale, got right to the point when a participant put the thorny question to the entire panel: what about stelven closures? While others squirmed uncomfortably and avoided eye contact, Cristiano spoke out in clear, ringing tone. “I’ll use cork. I’ll pay for the bottles returned because I believe cork is better – for the wine and for the environment.”

Now there’s no question this is a man with a sense of humour to go along with his extensive wine knowledge. Earlier, he’d explained the reason one of his wines is named Ecclesiastical Sin is because they are still, centuries later, trying to uncover the link between the Abbot of the monastery that once owned the vineyard and a lady of somewhat dubious repute named Dona Maria.

He’d also described his response when a journalist, intrigued by the concept of pressing grapes by foot, had once asked: but how do you get rid of the hair of the legs? “Simple, you just go ptoot, ptoot, ptoot.” His imitation was spirited and his grin irresistible. But when it came to closures, there was no room for debate. Cork is king in Cristiano’s vineyards.

Fast forward to the following evening at a lively tasting of Aussie Shirazes entitled Regional Heroes. “I don’t want any more of those filthy rotten corks,” said Bruce Tyrrell principal of Tyrrell Wines. A ripple of spontaneous applause went through the room.

From the back, the outspoken and much loved Aussie Master of Wines, Michael Hill Smith quickly forestalled another question. “And if you define romance in your life by the pop of a cork, you really need to get a life.” More applause, this time punctuated by a few cheers.

An interesting side note: this was also the only tasting we attended with a senior lady wine principal in evidence – Vicki Arnold, general manager of Glaetzer Heartland Wines shown here with Grant Tilbrook, Ben Glaetzer, and Scott Collett (left to right – we know you know which one Vicki is).

One final anecdote in the spirit of cultural exchange – a little known definition among gourmets from Down Under. Moderator Mark Davidson maintained an absolutely straight face as he informed the gathered group that it was on a visit to the Margaret River wine district he learned the local definition of a seven-course Australian dinner: that would be a six-pack and a meat pie.

Seriously, this was our favourite of all the wine tasting. More than a superb opportunity to experience the true breath of Australia’s most famous grape, it was gave us insight into the life philosophy of Australian winemakers. It’s true – every one of them present could legitimately be classified as “a character.” Good natured banter is clearly as much a part of the heritage of these wines as the grapes themselves. Descriptors included such scientific gems as “yummy” or “bloody delicious.”

And while debate over cork versus stelven will likely remain as hot as the Aussie sun far into the future, one panelist finally asked an even more burning question. “What’s the difference between a winemaker and god?” The answer is simple. God doesn’t think he’s a winemaker.

Photos at the top of the page courtesy of Heartland Wines.

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

We’ve done it. We’ve survived the 29th Annual Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. Three delicious days of swirling, sniffing, sipping, and savouring. We’ve made some new friends, re-connected with several old ones, and, as is the tradition of this annual extravaganza, discovered an astonishing number of new wines and wine knowledge. The theme this year was wines from Down Under with the grape varietal focus being Riesling. Here's a brief overview with more detail to follow.

Hands down the best value we found were the selection of sit down, formal tastings – an opportunity to compare as many as 14 wines related by grape varietal, country, or producer. Top of our list was “Aussie Shiraz: Regional Heroes” – an eye-opening comparison of Shiraz wines from every region of Australia. The diversity left us breathless. And good news for Frank, these were a long, long way from the fat, in your face tannic bombs most often associated with Aussie Shiraz.Smooth, delicious, and boasting a long, long finish several he freely admitted would challenge the most sophisticated WSET hopeful to differenciate from a Cote Rotie.

We were far from the only festival-goers who agreed the International Tasting Room, while utterly spectacular in its breadth – 1,550 wines from 17 countries including more than 200 from Australia – was also overwhelming. We usually pick varietal as our method of attack for large venue tastings – typically concentrating on two whites followed by a couple of reds. It took about two minutes for us to recognize this was not going to happen when confronted with thousands of square feet of displays.

Ultimately, we settled on pursuing wines we either hadn’t seen or felt were unlikely to find elsewhere. Skalani from Boutari, a blend of Kotsifali and Syrah that’s coming soon to BC and Visanto, a blend of Assyrtiko and Aidani – both proving the point that this wine producer is about far more than cheap pizza wines.

Naousa has always been the Boutaris’spiritual and commercial center. The dining room at Dining Room at their Naousa Winery is a popular spot to experience this viticultural heritage.

Four Chateau Musar wines from Lebanon – the winemaker, a crusty white haired gent who definitively qualifies as a “character,” was not about to let anyone sample out of the order he felt best. And RPF Tannat from Pisano, the sole representative of Uruguay’s wine industry.

We tried Super Tuscans while people cued up for sparkling wines with a more aggressive marketing campaign behind them, and sipped a Maison M Chapoutier Viognier that was poetry in a glass – we both made a toast to the forward thinking vintners who said “No!” when this grape was nearing extinction.

In all, for any wine lover, the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is still one to mark on your calendar. For info on next year’s event, check out www.playhousewinefest.com.

Ramblings Around Riesling

It’s the second day of the Playhouse Wine Festival here in Vancouver. Four days of wine tastings, seminars, and chatting with other people in the wine industry. Now only one year shy of its third decade anniversary, this year’s annual extravaganza features 1,550 wines from 180 wineries in 17 countries. It’s going to be a totally delicious, decadent challenge to keep up.

We’re just back from a Riesling tasting – Riesling being the featured grape for the 2007 Festival. More complete notes will follow later, but here are a couple of decidedly non-vintage, though utterly intriguing, stories you probably won’t hear often.

A spontaneous round of applause went to the speaker from Maximin Grunhauser for his enchanting, almost whimsical account of the business challenges faced by medieval monks who originally planted the estate in 966AD. At that time, each monk was given a daily allowance of wine as a form of “payment” for their work in the vineyard. Considered a fair price, each brother was entitled to three litres of wine a day. Only one full meal, but three litres of wine – 21st Century diet divas take note, there are wonderful things to be said about the nutritional values of wine.

Then came a couple of years of bad harvest. Since large amounts of the monastery’s production often remained at home, the abbot of the day decided to reduce the allotment to a mere two litres per day. Monks began falling ill, languishing in their cells, and failing to attend prayers or mass. In despair, the abbot called in a physician who is reputed to have said, “Abbot, you may be a man of God, but you are not a man of business. You have to fill the cask or it will rot and the stomachs of the monk are no longer full, thus they are ailing from rotten stomachs.” The abbot in his wisdom, immediately increased the daily allowance back to three litres in order it should not rot the brothers' insides, and soon the monks were, once again, filling the church with their prayers and their voices raised in song. Yes, god works in mysterious ways.

While most wine aficionados know Wolf, founder of the acclaimed Wolf Blass Winery, was born in East Germany, worked in the European wine industry for 13 years before immigrating to Australia’s Barossa Valley in 1961, and has long been considered a leader among the new generation of Australian winemakers, here’s lesser known peek at the face behind the label. According Scott (who’s last name we unfortunately both missed) tonight’s presenter from the winery, if you were to ask Wolf to name his three greatest passions in life, the answer would be: fast women, slow racehorses, and great Riesling. Okay, so we don’t get the slow race horses either, but we can certainly agree on the last comment.

The taste of the Rieslings from France through Germany and Austria, across to North America, and right on over the ocean to the Land of Oz is still lingering on our taste buds. Here’s to the King of Grapes.

Oz Meet Mosel Mogel

Wait a minute. A Down Under winemaker showing off a bottle of German Riesling and a Mosel Mogul with big, fat Aussie Cab in hand? In the gregarious spirit of Old World meets New, award-winning winemakers Stuart Blackwell (left) and Ernst Loosen (right) swap bottles to give us journalistic types a stellar photo op.

The event was an LCB tasting of Dr L Riesling from Dr Loosen Vineyards and two offerings from Australia’s Barossa – Gamekeeper’s Reserve and Faith Shiraz by St Hallett Wines. Food and laughter flowed freely, and it was soon apparent the two are actually good chums – or should that be mates?

Most of us began with the Dr L Riesling, a delicate and fruity example of why many wine aficionados consider this grape a much under-rated King of the Vines. Ernst punctuated his commentary with witty, often charmingly irreverent anecdotes about the history of Mosel wines, the intervention of the Catholic Church in winemaking during the Middle Ages, and how, on a recent sales trip to India, people were astonished to learn there are just 500 residents in the village by his vineyard – “why, that’s how many we have in our corner yard.”

Starting with a cheery “G’day,” Stuart took us on a quick tour of the vineyard courtesy of PowerPoint. Because Barossa has never been plagued by Phylloxera, many of the local vines boast pedigrees going back more than a century. To prove it,Stuart produced a shot of a 126-year-old-vine with a “really big, beautiful butt” that's still producing enviable quantities of grapes year after year. Whoa – that’s one big mama of a vine.

The Gamekeeper’s Reserve – a blend of Shiraz, Grenache, and just a touch of Touriga Nacional for a hint of rose petals – is a steal at $14. Sure it’s a perfect pizza wine, but all agreed it had plenty of robustness to carry off a heartier barbeque pairing as well. Still, my favourite of the three had to be the Faith Shiraz – okay, so Frank could have predicted that. It slid across my tongue, rich and creamy, lingering like a satin bathrobe on a model’s shoulders. And yes, if Frank can ever get the lipstick off the Riedel, there’s now a bottle in the wine cellar for a second, at home sampling.

PS: A big Thank You! goes to Jodi Rogers, product knowledge and event coordinator from the Cambie Street LCB store, for allowing us to use her cheeky photo of Stuart Blackwell and Ernst Loosen.

www.sthallett.com.au
www.drloosen.com

Riedel and Lipstick or Unlucky Pairings

Remember the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you made a really bad choice in life? Something you knew, as you where doing it, would all go bad?

To my deep regret, after lots of pleading and begging, I let the young gentlemen from our last post borrow a pair of Riedel glasses to aid in his anticipated romantic liaison. Bad move – really, really bad move on my part. Just how bad it was going to get, I had no idea. But I had that sinking feeling as I agreed to lend them out.

Sunday morning I got a phone call asking where he could buy some of these wonderful glasses – he hadn’t been able to find any quite the same thing at the nearby dollar store. Having at that point only downed one cup of coffee and it still being rather early in the day, I didn’t pick up on the subtle messages being sent. I gave him the names of a few shops where he could find said glasses. Before I could ask him how the wine pairing with the object of his amorous desire went, the phone went dead.

Half way through my second cup of coffee, a voice mail arrived. Something was wrong with the glasses. I knew it would all become frighteningly self-evident soon. I was thinking of all the evil, nasty jobs I could give this guy when he next came onto my crew as a movie greensman. Digging ditches in a filthy, smelly swamp was the first thought that came to mind. I’ll forego mentioning some of the ones that came later.

A few hours later, the phone rang. Would I be home for a while? The young man wanted to return my wine glasses and two-stage corkscrew. All my evil thoughts dissipated. How little I knew.

He arrived carrying a Riedel box containing a brand new glass. I took one glance at the other glass and my worst fears were realized. Bright red lipstick – the brightest red lipstick I’ve ever seen. Now I know lipstick on crystal is hard to remove without using some form of nasty cleaning stuff, but this lipstick must be part Crazy Glue. It will just not come off.

His wallet – as he showed me – was empty. He’d already cashed in his beer cans, gathered up all his spare change, and borrowed some money from his mom to avoid the wrath he knew was coming his way. After beating on his head and shoulders for a while, he agreed another glass would becoming my way soon – not in the next ten minutes like I wanted, but by the end of the week. My visions of sending him into swamps became more focused.

Please, if there is any one who can tell me how to get the lipstick off, I would be grateful. If it involves a dishwasher, I’m out of luck as I am the dishwasher here. Meanwhile the red-rimmed glass sits on the counter.

Susan’s Note:

Okay, so is this where I get to say “I told you so”? No, of course not! When Frank announced he was going to actually loan out prized glasses, I merely made a mild mannered comment. “Oh, it rather surprises me that you’d agree.” What self-control – on my part, not his. He is, after all, the one who agreed.

Now you have to understand Frank’s hatred of lipstick is… intense. Lipstick of any colour has been know to send him into a tirade usually prefaced by something along the lines of “Don’t they know it’s whale blubber they’re putting on my glasses?” Red lipstick? You get the picture.

For now, I’ll content myself to surreptitiously smiling every time I see the red-rimmed glass perched regally on the counter. Mind you, I do have a interior designer friend who is well known for her love of using everyday objects to create unique, artsy accent pieces like lampshades or sculptured plant pots or picture frames. Perhaps I’ll pop by with some old lipstick tubes. After all, Frank’s birthday is just around the corner.

Riedel is found at www.riedel.com

Romance and Wine or Lucky Pairings

Spring must be lurking around the corner, hidden away in the rainy Vancouver weather. For our friends in Toronto, the daffodils are up and the magnolias are starting to bloom – ignore the rain comment.

It is Friday and I’ve already received a couple of interesting phone calls for help with food and wine pairing. Perhaps I should say hopeful pairings of another sort.

First, a young gentleman in his early twenties who works with me occasionally called with, what for him, was an unusual request. “I need the name of a French wine – preferably with a cork and some sort of castle on it.” Before I could get over the idea that I may have finally weaned him off of his Molson’s, hundreds of bottles that could work for him were already flashing through my mind. I needed more information.

Apparently he was having a young lady over for dinner. Ah ha, the motives quickly became more apparent. His budget – $20 or $30 max but the wine had to be really good. The young lady in question must be quite something. “Okay, why a castle on the bottle, and why does it have to have a cork? And does the young lady like red or white wine?”

“Red or white? Oh shit. I’ll get back to you.” Click.

I was still processing that information as the phone rang again. Busy morning. This call was from a very interesting woman friend in her late forties. “I’m having someone over for dinner. I need to have a really good wine.”

“What food are you pairing with?” A simple question, or so I thought.

“I want a wine for pairing with me. I’m not worried about the food.”

Right. Now I had the facts straight, I suggested an Amarone and – knowing of her extensive music selection – some smoky jazz from Billie Holiday or Dinah Washington. Yes, I assured her, two bottles would be enough. In fact, I was pretty confident that in her current frame of mind two bottles would be more than enough.

Within minutes, the phone rang again. The young man was back on the phone. “My sister says she likes a white wine – one from New Zealand she thinks.” All right, the object of his affections is probably drinking New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Taking a step up, Chateau Sancerre sprang to mind. Same grape but it does have a castle on the label and a cork.

I asked him why the castle and the cork? “I want to look cool, and nothing out of a box like other guys. By the way, can I borrow a corkscrew and a couple of those nice glasses you have?” The idea of my Riedel glasses leaving the house with this guy in charge of them for a few days did not sit well at all. The corkscrew – maybe. The glasses – no way. After all, you can only do so much to aid in the cause of love and romance.

Required Reading

My bank account, the wine cellar, and I sat down this afternoon and took a long look at the required and suggested reading lists for my WSET Diploma and CSW from the Society of Wine Educators. I plan to write the CSW at the Wine Educators conference in Monterey this June and have just started working on my WSET Diploma.

After much crosschecking and taking inventory of books already in my possession, the bank account went into total shock. Its color went from black to red, and its positive frame of mind suddenly turned rather negative.

Of course, then the wine cellar had to be informed that its addictive preference for Premier Crus Chablis, Amarone, Gaja, and Hugel Rieslings is about to be put in check. It didn’t want to hear about Yellow Tail at all. When informed there would be no more Veuve Clicquot, its temperature went from 48 degrees to 80 in about five seconds. “There are other sparking wines made in France,” I mentioned, which somewhat pacified the wine cellar as long as we could agree they would all be method classique and not something out of a tank. “Asti is made in the cuvee close method,” I told it. Since the cellar has not been taking any wine courses, it seemed fine with that.

On a slightly more serious note, though, we will be doing reviews on some of the books required for the various certifications, and our crack designer, Karin, will be putting this info up on the blog along with where to get them. I’d love to hear from any students about what books you found most beneficial and any others you discovered that aren’t on these lists. A favourite of mine is Jamie Goode’s The Science of Wine. Also, if you find some useful websites, feel free to send them along.

As I take another look at the reading list for the Masters of Wine, I try not to let either the bank account or the wine cellar see how lengthy it actually is. I ever get that far, I think I’ll have to marry someone who owns a bookshop.

WSET: http://www.wset.co.uk
Society Of Wine Educators: http://wine.gurus.com
Court Of Master Sommeliers: http://www.mastersommeliers.org/syllabus/certified
International Sommelier Guild: https://www.internationalsommelier.com
Masters Of Wine: http://www.masters-of-wine.org/reading.aspx

Canadian Wines, VQA, and Other Dark Secrets

There is a dark little secret hiding on Canadian wine labels. It lurks, often in camouflage, waiting for the unwary. In most cases, no one ever notices. Another con perpetuated.

But let’s start at the beginning. In Canada, some wines are known as VQA wines – Vintners Quality Alliance. Theses wines are easily identified by a neck label or by boldly printed letters on the label. They are from either Ontario or British Columbia, and each province administers this program independently.

Ontario rules say a VQA wine must be made from 100% grapes grown in Ontario. Much like Germany, there are rules on minimum sugar levels at harvest for each variety, a restriction that is important for quality especially in a cool weather wine region. Each wine is blind tasted by a panel who determine whether or not the wine demonstrates sufficient varietal character and approve the label. If the board is not satisfied, they can refuse to grant VQA status.

The VQA designation is an appellation system as well. The label can say Ontario Wine or have one of the 12 Ontario regions listed. (Note: Ice wine from Ontario has some different rules but we’ll explore those at a later date.) So far so good, right? In Ontario, the label has to state winery, area, grape variety – hybrids are permitted here – producer, and alcohol content. No secrets here.

With five wine regions and over 140 wineries, the province of British Columbia has almost the same rules but it is voluntary to belong to the VQA. In this province, VQA must be made from 95% BC grapes, and if the bottle says “Estate” on the label, 95% of the grapes must come from the vineyard listed. So far so good, still all above board. Buy a VQA wine and you’re buying a Canadian wine.

Now sometimes you’ll see a bottle of Canadian wine without the VQA label. Many very small producers don’t belong to the VQA program. Since they sell out their entire product every year, they aren’t concerned with having the VQA label and all the government paper work and hassle that goes with it. They simply list the wine region and grape variety on the label, and that’s what’s in the bottle. Once again, not a problem. You know what you’re buying.

So here’s where things get shady. There’s one more designation you’ll find on Canadian wine labels: Cellared in Canada. So if it’s cellared in Canada, it’s a Canadian wine right?

Sorry, wrong. That’s the dirty little secret being perpetuated on an unsuspecting public. Cellared in Canada wines could have very few Canadian-grown grapes in the bottle. In fact, they could have none at all. The only thing you know for sure is that the wine you’re holding in your hand was actually put into the bottle somewhere in Canada. The contents could be Aussie bulk wine, sell offs from southern France, tankers of grapes shipped up from Washington State or California. No wonder some Canadian Cabs taste like they’ve been grown in warm climates. That Merlot, if it is all Merlot, could come from anywhere – literally – in the world.

Even more astonishing, the various liquor control boards willingly contribute to this confusion by placing Cellared in Canada wines on the same shelves as VQA wines. In the three BC government liquor stores we checked, the aisles marked as VQA wines had more Cellared in Canada wines than VQA – by a factor of about three to one. To see what you are actually buying, you have to read the very, very small print. One producer even stooped to the tactic of embossing the miniscule font in a shiny, reflective gold material – unless you were actively looking for it, the Cellared in Canada notation simply looked like part of the graphic design.

Could it be that the government is more concerned with selling big companies wines – wines that clearly dominate on the shelves – than in helping the Canadian wine industry? We’ve talked to many small wineries who can’t get shelf space because their production is considered too small. Come on, LCB and LCBO. Stop misleading the consumer with your placement of Cellared in Canada wines. Try taking some of the conglomerate wines off the shelf and make way for a few of the outstanding Canadian wines this country produces. If we want an Aussie Shiraz or a Napa Valley Cab, we’ll walk to the appropriate aisle.

***

Here are two final bits of information to get you thinking.
Both BC and Ontario sell more Cellared in Canada wines than VQA.
Air Canada, our national airline, serves Cellared in Canada wines on their flights.

Wine Quote of the Day for March 20, 2007

Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it.

Unknown