I had picked 2 Rosé's an orange wine, a white wine made with red grapes, and 4 grapes most had never heard of. I had requests for both rose and whites and felt this was a good way to go about it transitioning through different styles and introducing new grapes.
1. Galil Mountain - Rosé 2015 - Israel - $15.99 (BC Liquor) - 3 votes
This is a kosher wine made up of a blend of 67% Sangiovese, 17% Pinot Noir, 9% Grenache, 9% Barbera. Made by the bleeding off (Saignee) method where some of the juice from their red wine is drained and fermented separately into a rosé. A nice medium salmon colour with notes of strawberries and cream accompanied by a floral and slight mineral note. Dry, med body and easy drinking, nice patio sipper.
2. Miraval - Provence Rosé 2015 - France - $28.99 (BC Liquor) - 2 votes
Miraval is the Chateau owned by Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie, and made by the famous wine family, Perrin. It is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Rolle. It is a very light pink in colour and the aromas and palate are both light and delicate. On the nose you get melon, peach and some earthiness. The palate has some citrus, strawberry and a nice minerality. There's a subtle finesse to the wine that would make it a good pairing with brunch. It is a nice wine but I do feel you can find a nicer Provence rose for less money.
3. Niche Wine Co. - Pinot Noir Blanc 2015 - BC - $19.99 (Swirl Wine) - 4 votes - Tied Top Pick
This is a white wine made with red grapes. The juice is pressed and drained off of the red skins immediately, so they can't transfer colour to the wine. The result is a light peachy orange colour. The 2015 vintage was one of the hottest on record for the Okanagan so this wine has a bit more sweetness to it than previous vintages making this an off-dry wine. On the nose you get some strawberry, baked apple/peach, with a hint of floral. The palate has some citrus and stone fruits with a hint of ginger.
4. Sage Hills - Rhymes with Orange - BC - $29.99 (Swirl Wine) - 1 vote
As the name suggests this is an orange wine mage with Pinot Gris; rose in style but made with white grapes instead of red grapes. Most white wines don't get any skin contact after pressing; if you do allow skin contact you can get orange wines. This wine had 5 days of skin contact to give it the rich medium orange hues. This wine had notes of smoke, soft gouda, savoriness, and some stewed strawberries. Good complexity and length, but most were put off by the smoke on the nose. It opened up as the night went on, I liked it and would pair it with something smoked to compliment it.
5. Boutari Mantinia - Moschofilero 2015 - Greece - $16.99 (BC Liquor)Moschofilero (moh-skoh-FEE-leh-roh) is a greek grape primaily grown in the Mantinia region. It provides nice dry white wines with good acidity usually with citrus, melon, and a floral note. These are refreshing summer wines. Unfortunately our bottle was corked! Meaning the cork was infected by a bacteria that will taint the wine. it is usually in a 1 out of every 15-20 bottles. It gives the wine aromas of damp cardboard. it is not bad for you, but can make the wine unpleasant.
6. Luzada Val Do Salnes - Rias Baixas - Spain - $15.99 (BC Liquor) - 4 votes - Tied Top Pick
Rias Baixas is my favourite Spanish white. It is made with the Albarino grape and always offers crisp mouth watering acidity some floral and mineral notes as well as citrus and some stone fruits. This wine offers good value for Canada as it is hard to find under $25 here, but can be easily be bought for $5 in Spain. This wine had some lemon, apple, some floral with a nice minerality on the palate.
7. Tahbilk - Marsanne 2013 - Australia - $18.49 (BC Liquor) - 3 votes
The Marsanne grape has it's home in the northern Rhone valley in France, but usually plays a role in a blend along with Roussanne. This was one of my favorites of the night and I usually try to seek out and buy Marsanne's as single variety wines. This one had notes of green apple, lemon, sliced almonds, and a hint of honey. It was medium bodied and could maybe substitute for an unoaked chardonnay.
8. Domaine Wachau Terraces - Gruner Veltliner 2015- Austria - $15.99 (BC Liquor) - 1 vote
Gruner Veltiner is Austria's signature white gape that usually makes crisp aromatic white wines. A Usual Gruner will have lemon. grapefruit, a green/vegetative hint, and a typical white pepper note. This is a good entry level wine hints all the notes with citrus, grapefruit, green pepper, and some minerality on the palate.
9. Bordertown - Gruner Veltliner 2015 - BC - $22.99 (Swirl Wine) - 4 votes - Tied Top Pick
I paired one of BC's only Gruner's with the Austrian version to see how it would hold up. Bordertown is in Osoyoos so the wine will probably have a more stone fruits than the cooler climate Austrian. It was the preferred one amongst the group. It had notes of ripe lemon, pineapple, a hint of floral and minerality. The palate brings along balanced acidity and delicate peach and apricot flavours. They did pair nice beside each other to show differences in style & climate.
