Grape of the Week

Pinot Noir Rose - 2014 - FORT BERENS - Lillooet, BC 

Summer keeps giving, so I'll bring you another delicious summer wine. This Pinot Noir rose is great on the patio, at the beach, park, home alone on a Monday, paired with maybe with some pork or grilled veggies. Rose's are usually always served chilled


Fort Berens is the first winery in Lillooet, BC. Which is a couple hours north of Whistler on Hwy 99 on your way to Cache Creek. It lies in the rain shadow of the Coast Mt's and has a very arid dry climate. A rugged but beautiful little junction of ranges, rivers and valleys. The vines were planted in 2009 and they hit full production in 2014. I have tasted their full range of wines and they are starting to show their potential. We picked up this Rose, their Riesling, and the 23 Camels Red blend, (55% Cab Franc / 45% Merlot) all delicious. A great location with a great patio. Worth a stop if you're in the neighborhood, or a nice way to break up a long drive.

This wine had a nice nose of strawberry cream with some freshly picked wild raspberries on top, but was dry, crisp, and refreshing on the palate. Made with 100% Pinot Noir from their estate with 48hrs of skin contact to give it that rich salmon colour.

I find this a suiting send off for my vacation as I will be starting it in Pinot Noir country; the famous Willamette Valley in Oregon. More on that when I return....

Happy sipping, and thanks for reading.


Available at the winery and:

Swirl Wine Stores in Yaletown & South Surrey; as well as other private liquor stores throughout BC.


Fort Berens vineyards and patio in Lillooet.

Grape of the Week

Chenin Blanc

It's been a long hot summer and it has been awesome, but for wine drinkers who usually stick to their usual fare, you may be looking for something new. If you only drink red and you're stubborn then you can stop reading here.....

Chenin Blanc is a white grape with it's traditional home in the Loire Valley in France but has now found a new home in the coastal region of South Africa. It is one of the most versatile grapes around and can produce dry light fresh wines, dry complex age worthy sought after wines, some of the longest lived sweet wines in the world and even some nice bubbly.

This grape will give you a mouth watering acidic wine with honey, floral notes and fruit aromas that can range from citrus, to stone fruits and into tropical with most of the wines being dry. Vouvray from France, which is always Chenin, will even take on a distinct aroma of wet wool as it ages. It doesn't necessarily taste like you're chewing on a wet sweater when you're drinking it, but does lead to some complex flavours. Other French Chenin wines would be Savennieres that can have a smokey element to them, and Coteaux du Layon which are noble rot infected sweet wines; both worth trying if you ever stumble upon them.

In South Africa, Chenin is know as "Steen", and it is their most widely planted grape. This gives us lot's of nice patio / beach wines for under $15 and can provide nice value. California grows a lot of Chenin in the Central Valley for cheap bland bulk wines. The Okanagan in BC also has had some success with Chenin; the 2 that come to mind are Inniskillin and Quails Gate; and as I just found out Road 13 has an award wining sparkling version, well there you go, I'm learning too!

I had the Inniskillin last week and it was delicious. It had the usual honey notes and some nice tropical fruit; a dry crisp wine that's rather quite refreshing in this summer heat. Patio, or no patio go explore; pretend you're in South Africa, it's really really hot, your parched, you need a drink, reach out for some, (raspy voice) Chenin blanc....

                

                                                    


Thanks for reading, Happy sipping!





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Gamay Noir

Gamay Noir


This week I bring you the red grape Gamay Noir; a great summer red that could also be considered the poor man's Pinot. Gamay is a french grape with it's traditional home in the Beaujolais region. Most Gamay you will find will be a Beaujolais, but there are some nice examples here in BC. It is pale in colur like a Pinot with flavours of strawberry, cherry, and raspberry.

There are 4 different styles/qualifications of Beaujolais. The most common is Beaujolais; these can be found in most Liquor stores, and are usually under $15. Great easy drinking wine that can benefit from being served slightly chilled. Beaujolais is meant to be drunk young and is going to be a light, fruity dry wine with light tannin. Beaujolais usually goes through a process called Carbonic Maceration. Initially the grapes are not crushed and the whole clusters are put into vats filled with carbon dioxide to have the juice start it's fermentation inside the grape. This will give flavours of cherry, bubblegum, banana, and sometimes cinnamon spice.

If you like what you taste with a simple Beaujolais; you could try a Beaujolais Villages. These are from the better sites on the hills north of the village and a few dollars more. There are 39 in total and will tend to have a bit more character and depth. Some of the grapes will see some oak.

The 10 best villages are labeled Beaujolais crus, and will usually be labeled with the village name like Moulin-a-vent, Fleurie, Morgon, or Brouilly. Actually, as I write this I am sipping on a 2013 Brouilly that I found on sale for under $20. These cru wines will usually see some oak ageing and be vinified traditionally, and some can see some bottle age.

The last style is Beaujolais Nouveau, this is released on the third Thursday of November after the harvest and meant to be drunk right away. It gives a fresh fruity example of what the later wines may taste like.

Several BC wineries have adopted Gamay and some years it does quite well due to it's early ripening. Most are under $20 and may be a good substitute for a lighter Pinot Noir. Try out Mt Boucherie's, Oak Bay, or for an oaked version Desert Hills.

So if your looking for something new to try, or looking for a fun summer red that is refreshing on a hot day. Give a Beaujolais or a Gamay Noir a try.

Enjoy, and as always thanks for reading!

                    

10 Beaujolais Cru Villages:

Saint-Amour  /  Julienas  /  Chenas  /  Moulin-a-Vent  / Fleurie

Chiroubles  /  Morgon  /  Regnie  /  Brouilly  /  Cote de Brouilly

                          

Medoc - 2005

Wine of the Week

Chateau Labadie - Medoc - 2005

Wine Time!

This Canada Day I found a real gem. I was at Everything Wine in North Vancouver, and doing my usual quick run into the store (45-60 min). In the Bordeaux section of France I found this 2005 Medoc from Chateau Labadie for around $32. I usually don't spend that much on a Wednesday wine, but a ten year old wine from Bordeaux for just over $30 is a hard find, I'm in!

First a Bordeaux primer as it can be quite confusing. Bordeaux is primarily split into 2 regions split by the Girande River. The Left Bank, which tends to be Cab Sauv based, and the Right Bank, which tends to be Merlot based. Almost all Bordeaux wines are blends and are some of the most prestigious, expensive and sought after wines in the world.There are 13 grapes permitted by law but the most common are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and sometimes Malbec and Carmenere for the reds. For the whites you will see Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle.

Left Bank main Appellations:                            Right Bank main Appellations:
      Medoc & Graves                                                 Saint-Emilion & Pomerol 
     
Within these appellations lie many Chateau's that have all been ranked according to their quality level. The original classification system was implemented in 1855 on the request of Napoleon while prepping for the world's fair (except Saint-Emillion is classified separate). Most of it hasn't changed since then. I could go on all day about the differences in the classifications, and nuances between each region, but that is for another time.

2005 was a great Vintage for Medoc, was the best of the decade until 2009, so these wines are just starting to drink well now and are usually priced a lot higher. This producers vineyards are planted with 42% Merlot, 51% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Split between clay limestone soils, and well draining gravel soils. This wine is also a Cru Bougeois classified wine; which any Medoc Chateau can submit a wine for review. The wine has to be submitted each and every year to get this higher quality labeling term.

This Chateau Labadie had nice aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, with some slightly toasted dried herbs with a hint of spice. The colour was well into the garnet spectrum showing age with some nice earthy tobacco notes and a long mouth watering finish.

If you are looking to treat yourself to a nice bottle,or want to see what an entry level Bordeaux wine tastes like; this is a good place to start. Since this is labeled Medoc AC all the grapes had to come from the Medoc region. You can find some cheaper general Bordeaux wines. These will simply be labeled Bordeaux AC, or Bordeaux Superieur AC and can come from anywhere in Bordeaux. These wines tend to be thin without much complexity and are Merlot dominated. The Superieur wines will have a slightly higher alcohol level.


.....more on Bordeaux some other day, thanks again for reading!

Devon

Re-entering society

I'm Back!

Wine Exam - Complete 
   WSET - Advanced - 15 week course - Complete

I am back amongst the living;  my Advanced WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) is complete. It was an intense 15 week journey through the history, geography, soils, climate, and of course the different grapes of the world. This was a way more intense then the Level 2 I did in the fall. During the 15 weeks we tasted over $5000 in wine and spirits, and it really was a great adventure for my nose and palate.

The exam was 3 sections; a blind tasting of a white and red wine, 50 multiple choice, and several pages of written short answer questions. You do the blind taste first and you have 30 mins to do complete tasting notes for both wines, about a page each. The white was a 2013 New Zealand Sauvignon  Blanc, and the red was a 2004 Spanish Grand Reserve Rioja. Both showed really well and were a treat to taste.

I won't get the exam results for 8-10 weeks; as it is off to England to be marked but the governing body. I didn't do as well as I wanted because of a lot of questions were about fortified wines like Sherry, Port, and Madeira; which are not my strong point, or much to my liking. I do believe I have passed, and can start considering the next step.

First up, I can start drinking BC wine again. It isn't well know on the international scale, so no need to study it for the exam. The last couple of months I have only been drinking classic wines from the world's classic wine regions. It is nice to just sit and enjoy a glass again with out fretting over the characteristics and what soil it may have been planted on.

 I look forward to sharing some of these wines and more that I will be enjoying this summer, so stay tuned for future posts. Thanks for reading!

Devon

Okanagan Wine weekend

Wine of the Week

May 24 - Okanagan Wine Trip

This week I am here to talk about my recent weekend wine tasting trip to the Okanagan. This was the usual camp on Okanagan lake, wine taste for a few hours starting in late morning, and finish with a fatigued palate with some beer by the lake. I took the Friday off to beat the usually mass migration away from the city, and didn't hit as many wineries; as I am supposed to be drinking old world classic wines for my current course.

I decided to start my tasting weekend by going a little out of my way into downtown Kelowna to go to Sandhill Estates. I have enjoyed their wines but never made it to their tasting room. It is a large, beautiful and modern building; and their staff were knowledgeable about their great wines.The whites were fresh and crisp, but I really enjoyed their two Italian greats Sangiovese and Barbera. They also have some great red blends, and I found most of their wines quite nice. Ended up leaving with their Barbera and the newly released untasted Petit Verdot.

After a beautiful night enjoying either taking pictures on the beach or sitting by the campfire; I got up early enough for my day off and headed to Osoyoos. As always when I go that far south my day starts at Moon Curser. This is by far my favorite winery and they have one of the most diverse grape selections. If anyone needs to get me a gift..., wink wink, nudge nudge. Unfortunately a lot of their wine was sold out, and the next vintage is not released yet. I did get to sample their Touriga Nacional, a Portuguese grape mainly used for Port production, and it was most wonderful mmyum..... I left with a a bottle of their dry Rose "Nothing to Declare"; which is made with Syrah grapes from bleeding off some juice from their red wine vats. I also bought their highly regarded 50% Tannat & 50% Syrah blend, "Dead of the Night" for a special night, and "Border Vines" their Bordeaux style blend, for our cat sitter.

My next stop was Young & Wyse near the border. I was not a fan of their reds as they seemed to be a little off, maybe with a bit of Brett undertones. The whites were bright a floral, and I bought the fruity and floral Viognier, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris blend "Amber".

Before going home a took a detour looking for Vinegar Works which is no longer in business, and is now a B&B; ....so I ended up at Dirty Laundry Winery. That is always a fun free tasting and they had 9-10 wines open. Good atmosphere and good vistas too. It was then back to the campsite to study my wine books instead of bottles, and drink some beer.

After freak heavy rain storm that destroyed my pop tent Saturday night. I left camp early to go to Timmies for breakfast. My stove was way to wet to start, and I had no where dry to go. After breakfast I meandered my way to the Naramata Bench to check out two new to me wineries. First up was Serendipity. The wine was being poured by the owner/winemaker and she spoke with such passion and enthusiasm you could taste her dedication in the glass. Both reds and whites were delicious and I wish I could of brought more home. I did leave with her dry Alsatian style Rose which is a blend of her 5 red grapes, and the nice full body oaked Pinot Noir. Definitely worth the visit. Next up was Deep Roots; 4th generational Naramata fruit growers. Again the whole line up was well made and delicious. I bought their un-oaked Chardonnay and their Gamay Noir, but the Malbec and Syrah were a close contest as well for purchase. Both wineries I would visit again.

Great quick solo trip camping and tasting wine!

 

Petit Verdot

Wine of the Week

Petit Verdot

Sorry for the gap in posts. My time has been engulfed in my level #3 wine course; .....way more intense then I had anticipated.

So tonight I am taking a break to tell you about Petit Verdot; which is one of my favourite wines when you can find them as a single variety. It is a french grape that calls Bordeaux home. Although it rarely ever gets more than 10% of the blend, and usually less than 5%.

It is a dark think skinned grape that ripens even later than Cab Sauv. When it does ripen fully it produces a rich concentrated full body tannic wine. It usually produces wines that have dark fruit flavours, earthy notes, and some exotic spice. It has done well down it the warmer temperatures regions of Australia where it can ripen fully. Several producers in the new world will grow small percentages for their Meritage blends (Meritage - are Bordeaux style blends, made outside of Bordeaux). There are also a few wineries in the Okanagan also growing this little gem.

Moon Curser in Osoyoos is one of my favorites; and I liked the Pirramimma's Petit Verdot from Australia. It is best if you decant it at least 1-2 hours before drinking to let it open up a bit, and release it's flavours. If you don't have a decanter; pour it into a ceramic mixing bowl, and funnel it back into your bottle when you are ready!

So if in your travels you come across a single variety Petit Verdot; I would suggest to explore something new.

                                                

Spicy Dessert Wine

Wine of the Week - Bonus

The Flame - SILVER SAGE  -2013 - Okanagan, BC 
Winery Price- $24.99

Last week my friend Wayne brought me a wine to try from his favourite winery in the Okanagan, Silver Sage. This is no ordinary wine; the first thing that tipped my off was the large chilly pepper inside the bottle. This is a late harvest sweet dessert wine; meaning the grapes are picked later than normal so the sugars concentrate in the grapes. These are usually served chilled and is made from 100% Gewürztraminer , and I would recommend it for this hot little number. The sweetness and high acidity helps cut through the heat

I will give you the same advice Wayne gave me, "You have to have a least 3 sips"
On the nose you get ripe apricots and fuzzy peaches, with a hint of something interesting, perhaps the hot pepper spice.

On the first sip in the mouth you get the same sweet fruity flavours,  and is quite refreshing, then you swallow,

....OH GOD DAMN, too hot in the Hot Tub.

Second sip, nice, fruity, and pleasant well balanced good acidity, then you swallow, ....wait for it, WOW TOO HOT, makes me sweat.

Finally the third sip, not as much fruit since your taste buds are seared and cringing in pain, but you do get more complex spicy hot pepper flavours, ...the swallow, not so bad, I can live with this, 4th sip, 5th sip, 6th sip.....

Try it if you dare!