Keeping an eye on the shelves as new vintages came out; I started collecting some back to back vintages of some great BC wines. We had 14 people come out for this tasting and we all learned a little something about how a wine can age and how differences in weather can influence that year's grapes. The top wine of the night was definitely the Pinotage's from The View, taking 10 votes for favourite wine between the 2 of them. Due to a couple of cancellations I had to adjust the flight and decided to start with a delicious bubbly as a palate cleanser.
Sperling Vineyards - Sparkling Brut Reserve 2010 - $46.99 - Swirl Wine Store
This stunning Champagne style bubbly from Sperling is made with Pinot Noir(70%) and Chardonnay(30%) and spent 3 years ageing on it's lees (dead yeast cells) to add depth and complexity. Notes of yeasty fresh bread, some almond biscotti, and a little citrus. Dry with a fine mousse a great mouth-feel and long lasting finish.
For all the following pairs everyone had 2 glasses and we tasted the wines blind.
Arrowleaf - Riesling - Lake Country, BC - $17.99 - Swirl Wine Store
This Riesling comes from the Ritchie Vineyard, located on Okanagan Lake just north of Kelowna and is always good value. It is technically a off-dry wine, but with such high acidity it is perceived as dry.
2015 - Slightly more intense nose of pineapple and apricot, with a hint of rubber garden hose with a subtle smooth palate. **2 votes Favorite wine
2016 - More depth to the same flavours of apricot and pineapple with a bit of ginger and a wee bit of wooliness. Majority preferred this one of the pair, but was no ones fav.
Moon Curser - Afraid of the Dark - Osoyoos, BC - $22.99 - Swirl Wine Store
This white blend from Moon Curser is made in the french northern Rhone style. These will be medium bodied food friendly wines with no oak aging or lees stirring. Can be drank fresh now or cellared for a few years.2015 - (Viognier 43%, Roussanne 40%, Marsanne 17%) Dry medium body with nectarine, some sliced almond, honeysuckle, and hint of candied ginger. This was my favorite white of the night.
2016 - (Viognier 45%, Roussanne 40%, Marsanne 15%) Subtle but fresher aromas of apricot, nectarine, almonds with an underlying floral note. The majority preferred this fresher version of the pair.
Haywire - Pinot Noir Secrest Mountain Vineyard - Oliver, BC - $25.99 - Swirl Wine Store
These single vineyard Pinot's are fermented with native yeasts and then aged for 11 months in concrete tanks to try and preserve the grapes purest expression.
2014 - Lighter in colour, with some cherry, blackcurrant, a little herb or savoriness, better balanced and slightly smoother. Majority preferred this one of the pair. *1 vote Favorite wine
2015 - More fruit, fresher cherry, hint of strawberry jam, some minerality, a little hotter (more alcohol) not quite as balanced as the 2014.
Adega on 45th - Malbec - Osoyoos, BC - $23.99 - Swirl Wine Store Adega on 45th parallel uses all estate fruit and french oak for this Malbec. Not a huge flavour difference from year to year and a little short in the finish. An extra year in bottle seemed to be the the difference maker on this pairing
2013 - A bit savoury, cherry, mint, subtle vanilla, high acidity, with slightly softer smoother tannin's. The majority preferred this one, as it had a bit more depth to the flavours. *1 vote Favorite wine
2014 - Cherry, currant, forest floor, baking spice, a bit fresher, but not as well balanced.
The View - Pinotage Reserve - Kelowna, BC - $29.99 - Swirl Wine Store
The View has adopted Pinotage as their signature grape and they have found a good fit across their range including a fresh bubbly, and a white Pinotage! Pinotage is actually a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut created in 1925 in South Africa and is rarely seen outside of it's home country.2014 - More subtle cherry, red berry, some spice, well balanced with integrated tannins absolutely delicious and drinking really well. This was the winning wine of the night and ******6 votes for Favorite wine
2015 - Cherry, spice, baked caramel, some smoke, hint of earthy coffee, definitely a little juicier due to the hotter vintage ****4 votes for Favorite wine
Arrowleaf - Zweigelt - Lake Country, BC - $20.99 - Swirl Wine Store Arrowleaf is one of a small group in BC growing the Zweigelt grape. It is a crossing of Blaufränkisch & St.Laurent and has become Austria's signature red grape since being developed there in 1922.
2014 - Herbaceous, green pepper, slate, good acidity, medium bodied really well balanced in the mouth. The majority preferred this one of the pair. *1 vote Favorite wine
2015 - A bit fruitier, Bramble berry, thorn bush, bumble berry pie, with some clove spice and vanilla on the palate
**All current vintages of these wines are available at Swirl Wine Store in Yaletown.
