BC Albarino Tasting

Albarino one of Spain's gifts to the white wine world and one of my favorite white grapes. Albarino is not very common outside of Spain and Portugal, but is now starting to pop up in the USA, Uruguay, and now BC. I was happy to see a couple of wineries experimenting with this refreshing and delicious grape.

Albarino is a fresh neutral grape that pairs well with seafood and vegetarian dishes. Originally from the northwest corner of Spain and made famous by the Rías Baixas region. These wines can be expensive in Canada and there are few around. (Spain everywhere $5.00!) Discovering two Albarino's in BC after indulging in Spain was a sign I couldn't ignore so I convinced myself into a fall trip to the Okanagan. I have always enjoyed the wines from Stag's Hollow, and was excited to try Terra Vista's full flight of white wines. I blind tasted the the two BC Albarino's up against one from Spain to see how they would compare.



Terra Vista Vineyards- Albarino - BC - 2015 - $24.90

This wine is their second vintage and has so much potential, as does their blend of Albarino and Verdejo called "Fandango". The fruit comes from the Naramata Bench and the wine won gold at the 2016 National Wine Awards.

The nose had notes of citrus, white peach, some melon with a hint of floral and wet rocks. Dry with the high crisp mouth watering acidity bringing citrus, fall flowers and a textured minerality on the palate. It had the highest acidity and alcohol but was really well balanced and was the favorite at dinner later that evening.




Stag's Hollow - Albarino 2015 - $20.25

Stag's Hallow has 30% aged in 2nd fill French oak barrels adding some depth to the flavours; with the majority aged in stainless steel. The fruit came from Okanagan Falls and this was their first release of Albarino.

This wine had lemon, green apples, apricot, a slight floral note with a little toasted coconut. On the palate it is dry, med body, with high acidity, but a little hot, with nice flavours of lemon, minerality, and a few toasted vanilla oak notes.





Abellio - Rias Baixas - Albarino - 2015 - $21.00

Rias Baixas wines range greatly in quality and this comes in as a entry level for the few available to us here in Canada. This would pair well with lighter seafood or a fresh salad lunch. It is dry with crisp acidity, with a deeper colour than the two BC wines, and just a touch of salinity to it.

This wine had notes of lemon, pear, some green herbaceousness and a subtle floral note. On the palate there was some refreshing lemon rind with peach and a nice minerality.




After the tasting my preferred wine was the one from Terra Vista as it was showing the freshest with the most complexity. I have one more bottle left of the Terra Vista that I want to taste with a premium Rias Baixas and perhaps one from Uruguay. As for the Stag's Hollow, I've cracked my second bottle and when tasted by itself it is a very lovely wine. But beside the other two the slight oak tended to mask the soft nuances of the variety. That being said, it paired well with our smoked cheese risotto and salmon last week and I would buy again. I recommend seeking both these BC wines out as they are a nice treat away from your everyday whites.


Thank for reading, and happy sipping!

Wine Tasting - Poor mans Value vs. Premium

For the last tasting I decided to try and do a poor mans value versus premium; which meant the average price of the 11 bottles came to  just over $20 after tax. We tasted them blind 2 at a time with each pairing being the same grape and mostly from the same region. Unfortunately the 2010 Rioja I bought was corked (TCA), so last minute I had to swap in a couple of Merlot's I had in the wine fridge. It was an informative tasting and a good blind exercise for all levels of palates.






1. CHENIN BLANC - CLOOF BUSH VINES 2016 - $8.99 BC Liquor

First pairing was a couple of Chenin Blancs to cleanse the palate. This Chenin Blanc from South Africa is from bush vines and is amazing value at $9. It has nice fresh acidity with notes of citrus and tropical fruits. A lot of the group preferred this wine over the french counterpart. In general there is really good value in S. Africa and this is one of a few wines I can recommend under $10.

2. VOUVRAY - DOMAINE DE VAUGONDY 2012 - $19.99 BC Liquor

The high end S. Africa Chenin I was looking for was sold out, so I swapped it out with the famous french Chenin. Vouvray is Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France and at $20 this is one of the cheaper entry level ones you can find. These can be long lived wines that develop great complexities as they age. This one has subtle notes of pear, green apple, and some citrus; followed up with a hint of wet wool. This is a telltale sign of Vouvray that not all people like. So if you smell wet wool in your glass it is not a fault; there is a good chance it's a Vouvray; If you smell wet dog it's a fault!

3. SHIRAZ - SMALL GULLY MR BLACK'S LITTLE BOOK 2013 - $18.99 BC Liquor

Next pairing was a couple of Shiraz from South Australia and most of the group called this one as the higher priced of the two; as it showed more depth and complexity with the aromas and flavours. Australia makes amazing Shiraz wines but they can come in all quality levels and pair with a variety of foods. This wine had notes of black currant, blueberry, sour cherry, cedar, and a hint of minty licorice. Well balanced with good acidity and a decent length on the finish. 

4. SHIRAZ - HENRY'S DRIVE MORSE CODE PADTHAWAY - 2015 - $13.99 BC Liquor

This Shiraz was definitely lacking the depth and concentration of the wine above, and it was a little light in colour for a Shiraz. It had notes of juicy ripe blackberry and cherry with hint of spicy forest floor that was short in the mouth. This wine was also lacking in acidity making it seem a little flabby on the palate. Australian Shiraz is one category I will go a few dollars more to ensure some quality and avoid cheap juicy generic blends.

5. CABERNET SAUVIGNON - SAN PEDRO GATO NEGRO 2016 - $7.99 BC Liquor

The next pairing was a couple of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon's. Chile in general has really good value right now and can make some nice quality wines. This $8 wine was definitely hitting above it's belt with well balanced notes of cherry, red berries and some vanilla. It is dry with soft tannin's and has a smooth easy drinking style which made it the preferred wine to half of the group.

6. CABERNET SAUVIGNON - INTRIGA MAIPO 2012 - $26.99 BC Liquor

This Cab Sauv has a splash of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot and seemed to be a little high in alcohol that made it stand out a bit. This wine will drink well in a few years and a little age may help to balance the wine out a some more. This wine was big and bold bringing notes of herbs, black currant, red fruits with some nice oak spice and hints toasted cedar. 

7. DOURO - VINCENTE FARIA ANIMUS 2014 - $13.99 BC Liquor

This pairing was for a couple of Portuguese Douro reds. Historically they have only been known for the production of Port, but they also make some delicious table reds from the same indigenous grape varieties. The are mostly blends but can provide some great value for fully bodied complex reds. This wine had some dusty red fruit, plum, cedar box, leather, and a nice savoury forest floor note. Dry with fine tannin's and good value for this entry level Douro wine. Again about half the group preferred this wine over the much bigger wine below.

8. DOURO - Quinto da Romaneira - 2009 - $29.99 BC Liquor

2009 was a good vintage that produced some big bold reds. This wine shows some finesse that has developed some great nuanced complexities and has a few more years left in it. This wine shows beautiful notes of ripe raspberry, blackberry, some spicy sweet vanilla, and is a bigger fuller bodied more complex wine then the one above. I love Douro reds and this was my favourite of the night.

9. Forbidden Fruit - Earth Series Merlot - 2014 - $26.00 Winery price

This was my last minute pairing thrown together with a couple of wines from the wine fridge so we didn't have to drink corked wine. Merlot tends to be a hard sell for most of the people in my wine club, so any chance to sneak one in there is is fun for me. This wine is blended from both Okanagan and Similkameen valley fruit and is smooth and well balanced. It offered up notes of plum, red cherry fruit, with a little vanilla and chocolate. On the palate it had red fruit, mocha, and some cedar. It was dry and had a great mouth feel with more complexities coming out as it opened up. 

10. Christian Moueix - Bordeaux - Merlot 2009 - $19.99 BC Liquor

This wine had been in my fridge for years as a little (forgotten) experiment. 2009 was an excellent Bordeaux vintage and one of the best in the last few decades. A $20 generic Bordeaux is definitely not made to be aged, but it was there, so let's see how it did. Paired against a much younger and fresher Merlot this wine came up flat and dull. It is definitely past it's prime and didn't have much to offer in the way of flavours or aromas. Very faint old red fruit and a bit of dusty attic,  not much on the nose or in the glass. It was a easy call for everyone on picking their favourite as the Forbidden Fruit Merlot was drinking quite well.

11. VALDEPENAS GRAN RESERVA - ANCIANO AGED 7 YEARS - 2007 - $12.99 BC Liquor

This is the wine  was going to pair against the the 2010 Rioja that was corked and decided to just throw it in as a mystery bottle to see if people could guess it's price range. This wine is incredible value for a 10 year old wine and still had more going on then the dull $20 Bordeaux. This wine had notes of red berries, cedar spice, with a little sandalwood and vanilla rounding out the finish. The group's price estimates ranged from $12-$20

All and all it was a great tasting. I think everyone learned a little bit more about what the kinds of wine they like and what the difference in a few dollars can make on taste and quality.

Looking forward to the next tasting!