Wine Tasting - Sausage & Syrah

Since my wife would be visiting from her year abroad in China; I let her decide on the theme for my last wine tasting. Having heard about a similar event I worked at Swirl wine in Yaletown she choose Sausage & Syrah. For those who aren't sure, Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape variety. Syrah is the traditional french name and Shiraz is what they call it in Australia. If you see Shiraz labeled on a wine not from Australia it usually means they are making it in that riper style.

We had 14 people come out for this great line up paired with some sausages from the local butcher. We started with a delicious sparkling Shiraz to cleanse the palate and then we tasted the wines blind in pairs of similar origin.




1. MCGUIGAN - BLACK LABEL SPARKLING SHIRAZ - Australia - $17.49 - Everything Wine               

There are several red bubbly wines that you will see throughout the wine world but the most common are the classic Italian Lambrusco, and Sparkling Shiraz from Australia. These can be served chilled from breakfast until later into the evening. This one was dry and refreshing with notes of blackberries, plum, and chocolate covered cherries.

For many in the group this was their first experience with Sparkling Shiraz and became 3 peoples favorite wine of the night.




PAIRING #1:

The first pair of wines hailed from Chile where you can find some amazing value across the board. I choose these 2 wines as they were from the same Producer and region but of different price/quality.

2. LEYDA - RESERVE SYRAH - 2015 - Chile - $14.49 - BC Liquor

This is a reliable value Syrah from the cool Leyda Valley with dark fruit, coffee, a hint of meaty salami, some spice, and good acidity with a decent finish.

3. LEYDA - SINGLE VINEYARD CANELO SYRAH - 2015 - Chile - $23.99 - BC Liquor

This one definitely had more complexity and depth to the flavour. Mint cherry, a bit meatier, more spice, good length, high acidity. This was the undisputed favourite of this pair and was 1 persons favorite wine of the night. 

PAIRING #2

The next pair came from Australia and I choose 2 different regions to highlight Aussie Shiraz. Mclaren Vale and Barrossa are the most well known and probably make the best Shiraz's


4. SHIRAZ - WILLIAM HARDY MCLAREN VALE 2014 - Australia - $17.99 - BC Liquor

This wine was not showing the best and was a little flat in flavour.  It had hints of black fruit, spicy chocolate and toasted vanilla. Not a good example of  what McLaren Vale has to offer as a region.

5. PETER LEHMANN - SHIRAZ - THE BARROSSAN 2015 - Australia - $21.99 - BC Liquor

This wine was the preferred one of the pair and has nice complexities for this entry level Barrossa Shiraz. Notes of floral, black raspberry, mocha, and hints of nutmeg. Nice nuanced complexities that could still develop for a few years in bottle. 

PAIRING #3

The third pair comes from the Rhone Valley in France where they definitely make some of the best most sought after Syrahs in the world. Both these wines would be considered entry level for their respected categories. 

6. ARDECHE SYRAH - SAINT DESIRAT 2015 - France - $12.49 - BC Liquor

This easy drinking table wine is good value, but lacks the depth of flavour a few more dollars may bring. Red fruit, a little savory, with a hint of spice. A nice wine but doesn't hold up to the better tiers.

7. FERRATION PERE & FILS- CROZES HERMITAGE LA MATINIERE 2014 - France - $36.99 - Kits Wine Cellar

Crozes-Hermitage is largest region in the Rhone and considered entry level for Hermitage which usually start at over $80 a bottle. Anything under $35 is usually a little bland. This one was a great find and showed red fruit, backed caramel, forest floor, a nice savoriness, ultra smooth in the mouth, and really well balanced. This was the favorite of the pair and the winner of the night being 9 peoples favorite wine. 

PAIRING #4

With this pairing I wanted to highlight one of the most common blends you will see with Syrah made famous by the premium region Cote-Rotie. Here they can add up to 20% of the white grape Viognier to their Syrah adding freshness and textural elegance. Unfortunately for me these wines start at $100 a bottle so I picked up a couple of new world examples at similiar price points.


8. YALUMBA - TRIANGLE BLOCK SHIRAZ / VIOGNIER 2013 - Australia - $28.49 - Everything Wine

This is a nice example from Australia with notes of pine, red fruits, leather, and med acidity, a bit restrained. On the palate red fruit, hint of menthol, and white pepper with a smooth mouth feel. Half the group preferred this one as the bit of smoke put them off the BC version.

9.HESTER CREEK - SYRAH / VIOGNIER - Okanagan - $29.99 -  Kits Wine Cellar

This award winning BC version has 15% Viognier included in order to put it on the label. It had ripe raspberry, smoke, dried pepper salami, and toasted cherry vanilla. Really nice mouth feel with velvety tannins. This was 2 peoples favourite on the night,

PAIRING #5

The last pair of the night was a couple of my go to BC Syrah's; one from the Osoyoos in the Okanagan and one from near Cawston in the Similkameen Valley. BC makes some great Syrah's in a variety of styles depending on if the grapes are grown in the northern or southern areas. 

10. SIREN'S CALL - SYRAH -  Similkameen - $33.99 - Swirl Wine Store

Siren's Call are made out of the BC Wine Studio in Okanagan Falls. The grapes for this wine ares sourced from the Similkameen Valley. It has notes of smoke, ripe raspberry, some spicy black pepper, fresh tobacco and a little hotter in alcohol. This was 2 peoples favortie wine of the night.

11. LUNESSENCE - WINEMAKERS CUT SYRAH - Okanagan - $33.99 - Swirl Wine Store

Lunessence has created their Winemakers Cut series similar to a Directors Cut of a movie. This wonderful Syrah had notes of cranberry, ripe plum, smokey bacon, a nice herbaciousness, and a hint of minerality. A nice terroir driven wine that is well balanced with nice crisp acidity and fine integrated tannin. This was the preferred of the pair and 4 peoples favorite wine of the night. 

Comment below if you try any of these wines or let me know what your favorite Syrah/Shiraz is!

Happy sipping!

Devon Villard on Vivino

Wine Tasting - BC Vintage Variation

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.

September Tasting - BC Terroir - Okanagan vs. Similkameen

This was a tasting I wanted to do for awhile even though the original idea had nothing to do with the Similkameen Valley. It started with the 2 single vineyard Intersection Merlot's from Oliver, but made more sense going with 2 separate regions. The Similkameen Valley is drier with colder winters than the Okanagan with varying soil types. The Okanagan soils tend to be heavier in the north with clay and limestone, while the south is dominated by deep sand and some well drained gravel along the Golden Mile. Overall on the night the group preferred the Okanagan wines in each pairing.                                             





Tantalus - Riesling - Okanagan Valley - 2016 -  $22.99 - Swirl Wine Store

This is Tantalus's entry level Riesling but is still a Gold medal winner at this years national Wine Awards and a great benchmark. It is slightly off-dry but so well balanced you hardly notice during it's long finish. Very pale in colour, with citrus, pear, apple, and a bit of stone. On the palate, lime skin, tangerine, minerality, with mouth watering high acidity, delicious all around.     

Fav = ***


Orofino - Hendsbee Vineyard Riesling - Simlkameen 2015 - $20.99 - Swirl Wine Store


Similkameen valley gives a nice minerality to wines, especially Riesling, and Orovino makes 3 of them in their great lineup. This single vineyard version is the driest of the bunch and has the structure to hold up for aging. It was more subtle, not as fruit forward as the Tantalus, more of a restraint old world style. It had nice lime nice notes with lot's of wet stone minerality, and just a hint of little residual sugar and crisp high acidity.







Deep Roots - Gamay 2016 - Okanagan Valley - $26.99 - Swirl Wine Store


BC makes great Gamay and with this wine I could Gamay All Day! Deep Roots on the Naramata bench makes some delicious wines and this is always a go to. On the nose strawberry, black cherry, vanilla, some earthiness, and a bit of spice. The palate brings red fruits, hint of smokiness, a lingering spice. Dry with soft tannin, good acidity, a bit juicy with a lingering finish.   

Fav = ****




Mt. Boucherie - Gamay 2016 - Similkameen Valley - $19.99 - Swirl Wine Store

Mt Boucherie is located in West Kelowna and own/manage some of the oldest vines in BC This Gamay comes from their vineyards in the Similkameen and had smoked black cherry, cranberry, cedar, a bit spicy with red fruits on the palate, good acidity with very little tannin.







Corcelettes - Pinot Noir 2016 - Similkameen Valley - $23.99 - Swirl Wine Store

Corcelettes is a small Old World meets new World winery with Swiss roots in Kermeos. This is their 2016 fresh 'nouveau' style Pinot , and they also have a 2015 Reserve Pinot from the best part of the vineyard. This one had subtle dusty cherry, plum, vanilla; on the palate red fruits, just hint of smoke, some earthiness, high acidity, and a nice little spice.







Stoneboat - Pinot Noir 2104 - Okanagan Valley - $24.99 - Swirl Wine Store

Stoneboat gets their name from the wooden sled called a "Stoneboat" used to clear the river rocks from their rocky calcareous soils in the Pinot vineyards. This wine was a double gold medal winner in this years All Canadian Wine Awards. It has sour cherry, over ripe strawberry, green tea and a hint of floral. Nice red fruits on the palate with soft velvety tannin, a hint of minerality, really well balanced and could age for a few more years. 

Fav = *****



Clos du Soleil - Syrah 2014 - Similkameen Valley - $26.99 - Swirl Wine Store


Clos du Soleil is a minimal intervention terrior driven winery and neighbors of Colcelettes above. This 2014 Syrah was a first for the winery. It spent a month in an open fermenter before a further 16 months in french oak (12% new). The wine is a rich dark purple with jammy bumble berry, a pepper spiciness, a hint of cola and underlying herbaciousness , The palate brought plum, blackberry, and vanilla coke with a hint of a medicinal quality. 

Fav = ******



Bench 1775 - Syrah - Okanagan Valley - $27.99 - Swirl Wine Store

Bench 1775 is a beautiful winery up on the Naramata Bench, but the grapes for this Syrah were sourced from their vineyards in Osoyoos. On the nose it showed smokey new oak, black cherry, blackberry, rosemary, and some barnyard with white pepper spiciness. It is a bit more smooth fruity and than the Clos du Soleil. On the palate it is well balanced with soft smooth tannins; black fruits, old leather, and a hint of cedar but no smoke or barnyard showing through.   Fav = **





The last pair of wines was a trick as both were from the Okanagan and both were Merlot even though my wine club hates Merlot. These 2 wines are identical in almost every aspect except for the soil they are grown in. For the first 3 years Intersection just made one Merlot than in 2012 they discovered a fine line down the middle of the vineyard where the soils changed. This prompted them to make 2 single vineyard Melots highlighting the soil and handling them identically. Both wines were treated to 28 days of fermentation followed by ageing in tight-grained French oak, 30% new.


Intersection - Unfiltered Merlot Silica - $29.99 - Swirl Wine Store


The Silica comes from a plot of dry silicate sand and turned out to be the favorite wine of the night. It showed cherry, raspberry, cedar, and a hint of leather. On the palate it was smooth while dancing on your tongue, really well balanced with red/black fruit, some spice, and a bit better balanced than the Alluvia

Top group pick of the night!





Intersection - Unfiltered Merlot Alluvia - $29.99 - Swirl Wine Store


The Alluvia comes from the remnants of an ancient creek with alluvial gravel which will retain water better than the Silica sands.  This wine was subtle on fruit, with herbaceousness, some blackberry, under-ripe plum, and a bit of cocoa. Higher tannin, same acidity on the palate with peppery rich blackberries and some earthiness with nice textured mouth-feel.






Thanks for reading, happy sipping!

Devon Villard on Vivino

Wine Tasting - Red wine & Chill

August was HOT, so in the middle of the 2nd heat wave I had a tasting for red wines you can chill. It turned out to be a busy weekend for the wine club so we had a bit of a smaller flight. It was a fun tasting and a great learning moment for some seeing how the wines change as they warm up. So change it up once in awhile and try a red slightly chilled on the patio or with a nice BBQ. Everyone except me picked the Italian Barbera as their top pick; I had to go with the delicious Sancerre.

BOUCHARD AINE & FILS- BEAUJOLAIS 2016 - France - $13.49 - BC liquor

Beaujolais is always made from Gamay Noir and are fresh fruity and easy drinking, one of my go to's for beach and patio. To me it always tastes a better chilled and is really refreshing. This one was light with strawberries & cream, some fresh cherries and a hint of minerality. Light in body, low tannin, med acidity easy drinker.

MAISON DES BULLIATS - REGNIE CRU BEAUJOLAIS 2015 - France - $19.99 - BC Liquor

There are 13 Cru's in Beaugolais that have been identified as the best sites. This entry level Regine see's some oak and is a bigger richer wine than it's simple younger brother above. The Cru Beaujolais make great dinner companions served chilled or a regualr temperature. This one showed blackcurrent, blackberry, and some earthy vanilla . Med + body, med acidity, black fruits, and some subtle oak notes on the palate.

CARMEN WAVE SERIES - PINOT NOIR LEYDA VALLEY 2014- Chile - $11.49 - BC Liquor

There is really no such thing as value Pinot Noir, but this offering from Chile comes close. With ripe red fruits, prune, and some vanilla earthiness. Red fruits, hint of vanilla, a bit of smokiness on the palate.

GITTON LES ROMAINS - SANCERRE ROUGE - 2013 - France - $32.99

Most Sancerre is white made from Sauvigon Blanc, and the little red made is rare, light and made from Pinot Noir. It can't compete with Burgundy but when you can find them are more budget friendly. This one had subtle cinnamon spice, cherry, wild strawberries, minerality with a bit of earthiness, red fruits and wet rocks on the palate. 

FONTANAFREDDA BRICCOTONDO - BARBERA PIEMONTE 2015 - Italy - $16.99 BC Liquor 

Barbera is one of my go to value Italian wines. It originates from the Piemonte region in the North East corner of the country and is the third most planted red variety. The value ones are light and fruity, and the best ones see oak and can age. This one had dusty sour cherries, cedar, spicy earthiness, and a bit of tomato leaf.

SAUMUR LES EPINATS - CAVE DE SAUMUR 2015 - France - $19.99

Samur is a region in the Loire Valley of France where the whites are made from Chenin Blanc and the reds are made with Cab Franc. They really good value for French Cab Franc, it is light, fresh and delicious chilled. This entry level version had light hints of plum, green pepper, black currant, and a nice underlying balsamic note

Happy Sipping and comment below if you've tried any of these wines.

Devon Villard on Vivino

Wine Century Club - Intro tasting

There are over 10,000 grape varieties being made into wine around the world right now; some of them 1000's of years old, and some quite new. I have always been interested in finding new varieties and wanted a way to track them. That's when I stumbled across The Wine Century Club. A free "club" you can join if you have tasted over 100 different varieties. You download the PDF, fill it out, email it in, and in 1-2 months you get a certificate :) I am currently at 160 varieties tasted and was able to tick off a few new ones after this tasting.

To introduce people to the Century Club I based my tasting on introducing new grapes with a fun flight of 10 wines from 6 different countries.





1. JIDVEI SEC - FETEASCA ALBA - Romania - 2015 - $12.49 - BCL

This was a nice refreshing palate cleansing Romanian wine from their popular Feteasca Alba grape. There was some citrus, lime leafs, and fresh cut hay. Dry with crisp fresh acidity, a great palate cleanser and sunny patio sipper.

2. BOUTARI - MOSCHOFILERO - Greece - 2016 - $16.99 - BCL

Greece hides some amazing and unique wines and Moschofilero is one of the two main white grapes. (The other being Assyrtiko) It makes wines high in acid and perfumed like a Gwertz  in varying degrees of sweetness. This one is dry with typical notes of grapefruit, lime and some nice orange blossom notes on the nose and palate. 

3. UMANI RONCHI - CASAL DI SERRA - VERDICCHIO CLASSICO SUPERIORE- Italy - 2015 - $17.99 - BCL

There are over 1000 different varieties currently used for wine production in Italy and would take a couple lifetimes to learn them all. Verdicchio is the dominate grape variety in the central Italy region of Marche. This one had notes of green apple, unripe melon, tangerine and sliced almonds with a hint of minerality. Dry, med body with good concentration and balance. A good change up from the old Pinot Grigio. 

4. UTIEL REQUENA - PASION DE BOBAL - Spain - 2016 - $16.99 - BCL

As a transition into the reds this Rose made from the local Valencia grape Bobal, was a great cross-over and versatile wine. Bobal has traditionally been used for bulk red wines but is now making some nice juicy roses. This one had notes of strawberries with cream, cherries, and a bit of floral on the nose. Dry, med body, well balanced with good fresh acidity.

5. BOUTARI - NAOUSSA - Greece - 2014 - $16.99 - BCL

This Greek wine hails from the region of Naoussa and the wines are made exclusively from Xinomavro. It is similar to Nebbiolo and some Pinot Noirs. This one had red fruits, plum, sun-dried tomato and some dried roses. It was dry, light to medium body with soft but present tannin's and decent length. Definitely worth exploring. 

6. DEL ABAD GOTIM DEL RISC - BIERZO MENCIA -  2012 - $17.99 - BCL

Mencia is a grape found mostly in northwestern Spain. It used to only make light bulk wines, but recently has been having a comeback with more concentrated versions. These are usually fruity approachable wines. This one doesn't disappoint with bumble berry pie, balsamic, some spiciness, and oak notes. Dry, full bodied with high acidity and a textured chewy tannin mouth-feel.

7. LAZIO CESANESE - CASALE DEL GIGLIO - Italy - 2014 - $23.99 - BCL

Cesanese is a native Italian grape from the Lazio region south of Rome. It has been grown there for over 2000 years, but only recently making a comeback. This was my first time trying this grape and it was a nice surprise. It had notes of ripe blackberry, prune, white & black pepper, with rich bold flavours, high acidity and decent finish. Could age a few more years. 

8. EDOARDO MIROGLIO - MAVRUD - Bulgaria - 2012 - $21.49 - BCL

Mavrud is a grape from Bulgaria, very much made in an old world classic style. Oaked aged rich wine. Can age for years and is typically low yielding. This one was a little smokey from the oak, had a little cigar ash, some bramble-berry, and a hint of dirty wild earthy strawberries. Full body, good acidity, nice complex backbone and interesting decent finish.

9. HESKETH SMALL PARCELS - Bonvedro - Australia - 2015 - $34.99 - Everything Wine

Hesketh Small Parcel wines from Australia  are going away from the norm and finding a few varieties that are showing quite well from Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Bonvedro was another first for me and has many names including False Carignan. This one was well balanced with notes of cherry, strawberry, some herbal , black pepper and some campfire smokiness from the oak. Grippy tannins and high acidity with nice long finish.

10. HESKETH SMALL PARCELS - Touriga - Australia - 2014 - $34.99 - Everything Wine

This small parcel wine is made from Touriga Nacional which is one of the main grapes used in the production of Port. It also makes great full bodied table wines, but is hard to find as a single variety. This was the favourite of the night with 9 of 11 making it their top pick. This one had rich smokey black currant, mulberry,  leather, and some stewed tomato. It was really well balanced and just floats down your throat. There's a hint of residual sugar to balance out the juicy tannin and high acidity. A wonderful surprise from the Barrosa Valley in Australia.

SPECIAL TREAT

ROYAL TOKAJI - TOKAJI ASZU 5 PUTTONYOS - 2009 - $23.99 BCL (250ml)

As a special treat and to toast my wife leaving for China I bought a sweet Hungarian Tokaji. Tokaji is one of the world's great sweet wines and the best are expensive and highly sought after. Puttonyos refer to how much sugar was added. It ranges from 3-6 Puttonyo; this 5 Puttonyo wine means it would have 120g/L of sugar. This wine was made from Furmint, Hárslevelű and Muscat de Lunel, with Furmint being the grape that usually dominates Tokaji blends.

This one had notes of honeyed apricot and orange marmalade with super high acidity that really helps cut through the sugar to help balance the wine out.

Devon Villard on Vivino