BCWAS Bus Tour 2015 Acquisitions

Visiting wine country during the annual BC Wine Appreciation Society Fall Bus Tour provides an invaluable opportunity to snag newly released wines and tasting room exclusives at the cellar door. Not only do the wineries that host this group provide special access to rarities but the voyage there and back often takes me through the full range of our key wine-producing regions. With home base centered in Penticton this year, the trip yielded several acquisition opportunities before I even reached the Naramata Bench start to the Tour. A strict shopping list kept me within budget, while adding some exciting new wines to my cellar.

Travelling to the Okanagan via Highway 3 is always my preferred choice, because it takes me through the lovely Similkameen Valley. There are a great many superb wineries around the twin towns of Keremeos and Cawston, and an increasing number of Okanagan wineries are (sometimes quietly) sourcing grapes from the Similkameen’s high quality vineyards. Just outside Keremeos I visited Clos du Soleil to admire their brand new winery and bright, inviting tasting room. While there I picked up a bottle of the new “Grower’s Series” 2013 Cabernet-Merlot, from the Makepeace family’s vineyards south of Cawston (now home to the impressive Hugging Tree Winery).

Further down the road I made sure to stop by Orofino Vineyards, where my latest case of wine from the “Collector’s Club” was awaiting me. Fresh new 2014 Blind Creek Chardonnay was joined by 2014 Old Vines Home Vineyard Riesling and reds that included the “powerhouse” 2012 Beleza flagship blend and the last of the “ripe, plush” 2012 Scout Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – both silver medallists at the 2015 National Wine Awards. A short jaunt away at Seven Stones I fulfilled my mission to obtain George Hansen’s 2012 Cabernet Franc and 2013 Syrah. Only 183 cases of the fast-selling Syrah were produced – a complex fusion of smoked meat, licorice, and floral red fruit – and even fewer (174) of the sophisticated and ripe Cabernet Franc.

Entering the southern Okanagan the carefully crafted route provided my first visit to young Maverick Winery on the Golden Mile. I was fortunate enough to arrive on “Sparkling Friday” – the one day each week that visitors get to taste Bertus Albertyn’s traditional method sparkling wine “Ella”. The delicious bubbly was as good as I hoped, and filled up on the two bottle maximum, plus one of my few impulse purchases in the form of juicy new 2013 Syrah, from a small 200 case production. Having crossed the valley to the Black Sage Bench I tasted the rich range at Desert Hills while being fortunate enough to buy a bottle of 2012 Petit Verdot, one of several of their wines recently praised by John Schreiner, and described as “spectacular and age-worthy.” Nearby Burrowing Owl then yielded 2013 Syrah and newly released “fruitcake and chocolate” 2012 Merlot, recently named to the top of the pack at the National Wine Awards.

The day was already growing long so I zipped up to Okanagan Falls for a couple more visits before closing time. At Noble Ridge I was able to find 2012 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, another strong recommendation from John Schreiner: his 95-point review this summer made quite an impression. A mere 200 cases won’t last long given the winery’s growing reputation, buoyed by a Lieutenant Governor’s Award this year for their sparkling wine “The One”. (Although no longer available at the winery, I later found it in Penticton’s well-stocked Fairview Liquor Store.) As gates were shuttered across the region I visited with the team at Stag’s Hollow, learning more about the exciting upcoming reserve-tier 2014 Renaissance Grenache as well as Winemaker Dwight Sick’s darling 2013 “Cachet No. 04” – a “cutting edge blend” of Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon that was awarded Gold at the Nationals.

The actual Bus Tour itself provided great entertainment and education, while yielding a few more shopping opportunities. However, most of the wineries we visited are already represented in my cellar through prudent purchases at other points in time. That being said, meeting up with Winemaker Bradley Cooper at Serendipity allowed me to purchase from his personal Black Cloud label: single-barrel 2013 “Cumulus Nimbus” Pinot Noir, as well as the 2014 “Red Sky” Rosé for Thanksgiving festivities. A timely visit to Hillside helped me bring home the nicely balanced “Soirée” Port-style red blend, of which the final bottles from 53 cases sold out soon afterwards. Then on day two the sabering demonstration at Blasted Church sparked me to snag some crisp 2011 “OMG” sparkling to keep me in bubbles through the end of the year.

My long voyage home after the busy weekend was just as carefully timed and planned, with additional wine club pick-ups particularly necessary. I first dashed up the Naramata Bench on a Pinot Noir mission to Kettle Valley: small lots of new 2012 vintages of Reserve and single-vineyard “Hayman” wine were my target. John Schreiner got a chance to taste both of these reliable winners in advance this spring, with solid 92-point reviews for each. Also on hand and joining the Pinots with me was the 2013 Zinfandel from sister Similkameen winery Great Northern Vineyards. As I moved south I added La Frenz’s newly released 2012 flagship red “Grand Total” and the newest 2013 vintage of their well-priced Cabernet Sauvignon. Leaving the Bench at Poplar Grove I made sure to pick up my summer Wine Club six-pack containing mature 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from the library, fresh 2014 Blanc de Noirs, rare 2014 Munson Mountain Pinot Gris, and Gold-medal 2012 Syrah.

Hoping to reach home before sunset I made a beeline for the Golden Mile – stopping there for a chance to visit Bill Eggert and his friendly brother Chuck in the tasting room at Fairview Cellars. I was excited to find new 2013 reds were on hand: Cabernet Franc, “Bucket O’ Blood” Cabernet-Syrah, and the “Hailing a Cab” Cabernet Sauvignon, ‘enhanced’ by a hailstorm that helped concentrate the flavours. At nearby Tinhorn Creek I brought home a full case of wines on hold, representing two allotments from the winery’s Crush Club. The many bottles included ever reliable 2014 Oldfield Series 2Bench White and 2014 Oldfield Series Rosé, plus a slew of highly anticipated 2012 reds including the full range of (reserve-tier) Oldfield Series Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Gold-medal Syrah, and 2Bench Red blend.

There was a small amount of room left in the trunk for my final two stops before hitting the road for home. After being generously served by hands-on General Manager Joe Luckhurst at Road 13 I couldn’t resist the delicious new 2012 Castle Vineyard Pinot Noir. The winery’s Pinot program is winding down however, as their focus shifts to Rhone varieties centered on Viognier and Syrah. A couple bottles of fan favourite Sparkling Chenin Blanc joined the Pinot, along with the brand new 2012 Jackpot Petit Verdot, from Cawston’s Blind Creek Vineyard. With literally one empty spot left in the carefully organized cases being conveyed, I visited C.C. Jentsch for the first time, where a pre-ordered bottle of 2013 Small Lots Malbec awaited. As Winemaker Amber Pratt kindly signed my bottle I learned the (45 case) wine had reached sold out status that same day. It was an apt conclusion to my trip, and I returned home with a new challenge in mind – where to put my newfound treasures!

Wine Bloggers Conference 2013 – Part I

After a great deal of lobbying by some very hardworking people in the local wine and hospitality industry, the North American Wine Bloggers Conference came to Canada this year for the first time, setting up shop in Penticton to be precise. For people in the know, this was a very big deal, and a valuable opportunity to provide our relatively small local industry with international exposure. I originally wasn’t going to attend the Conference myself, given that I was unlikely to discover any BC wines with which I wasn’t already familiar. I expected the focus of the conference would be to show off BC wine and wine tourism to those with next to no experience, and I was fine with that approach. However, after seeing how many other local bloggers and industry friends were to be attending I changed my mind. Upon reading the list of events and realizing I would be following all of the enthusiastic tweets from home it became clear I would probably sprain an ankle kicking myself if I didn’t attend.

With a room booked at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and an empty trunk begging for wine in our rental SUV, my wife and I set off for wine country last Thursday morning. My goal was to head north via the Coquihalla Highway, and enjoy lunch at Mission Hill’s Terrace Restaurant, which I had visited for the first time last fall, and was quite eager to share. Upon arrival in West Kelowna the excellent food and the stellar views did not disappoint, and we even bumped into a former staff member from Village Wines Kitsilano; now a Sommelier in the Mission Hill wine shop, she generously walked us through a short but exciting Oculus vertical.

Headed south towards Penticton I knew we had to make a couple of stops along the way. I’d recently been quite surprised to see Summerland’s Silkscarf Winery take home the award for Best Cabernet Sauvignon at the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it out in person. It being early afternoon on a Thursday we had the tasting room to ourselves for most of our visit, and Proprietor/Winemaker Roie Manoff was more than happy to show off his many wines. While virtually everything was excellent, we were particularly impressed by the reds, having previously perceived Silkscarf as a more white-wine-focused operation. Estate plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Syrah in Summerland must be few and far between, but the Manoff family is producing highly drinkable reds with ripe tannins and intense fruit focus. We left with plenty of wine and new appreciation for a previously lesser known winery – WBC was paying off already!

With the afternoon heating up rapidly and a desire to reach home base in Penticton growing, we elected on only one more stop, although it was already a given we would visit 8th Generation. We’ve both been big fans of 8th Generation’s Frizzante(s) since the very first Chardonnay Frizzante from 2009. Tasting both the 2012 Integrity (White) and Confidence (Rosé) Frizzante we knew it was a particularly good vintage, and a split-case quickly found its way into the car. The Frizzante was joined by several bottles of the 2012 Pinot Meunier Rosé, an annual favourite in our household that has continued to impress this year with mouth-watering fresh fruit flavours.

With more than two cases of wine already rattling around in the car we finally checked into the hotel and picked up our conference badges, settling into our lovely sixth floor, lake view room – very nice! While catching up with a great many friends at the tradeshow we also enjoyed samples of unique Uruguayan wines. The fact that Wines of Uruguay had gone to the trouble of attending – given what must have been mounds of paperwork – was impressive enough, yet the wines being poured were also noteworthy. I learned quite a bit about Uruguay itself, as well as the extremely prosperous and sustainable economy of this little South American dynamo! Just as our stomachs started to rumble everyone was herded onto buses for the trip to our first major event, the opening reception at See Ya Later Ranch in the hills above Okanagan Falls.

The crew from Constellation Brands, corporate owners of See Ya Later and several other local wineries, had obviously pulled out all the stops from their deep pockets to welcome the Conference attendees. Upon arrival after the precarious journey up winding mountain roads guests were invited to soothe their senses with crisp Sumac Ridge Steller’s Jay Brut (and freshly shucked oysters for good measure). Constellation made the very wise decision to hire Joy Road Catering to provide the food, distributed amongst several stations spread throughout the picturesque property. The extremely skilled veterans at Joy Road had prepared a bevy of spectacular food pairings for wines from Jackson-Triggs, Inniskillin, Nk’Mip Cellars, Osoyoos Larose, See Ya Later, and Sumac Ridge. Not only was the food incredibly creative and delicious, but each station included live entertainment, from the quaint accordion player at Osoyoos Larose, to the talented Aboriginal drummer and dancer at Nk’Mip’s table amongst the vines.

The party went long into the night, as guests devoured the seemingly never-ending food and enjoyed what, for many, was their first deep immersion into BC wine. The local classic car club had swung by to show off their lovingly restored vehicles, and even Tinhorn Creek President Sandra Oldfield had joined the fun with her beautiful 1957 Dodge De Soto. Upon discovering the De Soto’s trunk was large enough to hold an orchestra a few of us locals giddily staged a series of photo-shoots inside, to Sandra’s delight. Finally, full of wine, including Inniskillin icewine and sumptuous desserts from the final station, everyone slowly boarded buses in the dark for the ride back to Penticton. Constellation made sure no one left without a gift bag however, which surprisingly included a whole bottle of Sumac Ridge’s Black Sage Vineyard Pipe! I hope our international guests found room in their bags to bring home this tasty fortified wine, but I would guess more than a few bottles were enjoyed significantly sooner, for practical reasons if anything.

The next morning we slowly emerged from the bed, encouraged by the breakfast opportunities at the Resort’s waterfront restaurant, The Hooded Merganser. For guests who officially decline all housekeeping services, the hotel offers food vouchers that go a long way towards covering breakfast or lunch – an excellent value proposition that I would love to see more often! We enjoyed a tasty breakfast with a gorgeous view of the lake before going our separate ways for the day: my wife had work on which to catch up, and I was about to play hooky from the Conference for the morning! Although I’m sure author and keynote speaker James Conaway kept the crowd entertained, I was busy taking advantage of my presence in the midst of countless superb wineries I don’t visit nearly often enough.

My first stop that morning was actually the Penticton Wine Information Centre, a large VQA wine store which I surmised would carry some of the rarities not often seen in Vancouver. My suspicions were proven correct when I spotted exciting sparkling wines like Haywire’s “The Bub” and Covert Farms’ “Odie” plus a couple bottles of Desert Hill’s port-style wine “The Ambassador”. Unlike many VQA stores, which are often pressed for space, the Wine Info Centre has a wall of coolers from which to sell nicely chilled whites as well; quite an impressive setup overall. There are always a number of wines that don’t show up in VQA stores for various reasons, and so my next stops at Poplar Grove and La Frenz helped to tick quite a few bottles off my to-buy list as well, including several bottles of the latter’s divine Tawny, and Liqueur Muscat. Although many more wineries up the Naramata Bench beckoned, it was nearly noon and I retreated to the hotel for a tasty lunch sponsored by Wine Country Ontario.

Tempting as the local wineries were, I took the time to attend the afternoon sessions, including “Creating Compelling Content” with local writer Jeannette Montgomery, plus American contributors Michael Wangbickler and Marcy Gordon. It was an entertaining, informative, and inspiring discussion about blogging and writing in general. Following the afternoon content sessions there was an hour of “Live Wine Blogging” featuring local white wines, of which I regretfully missed out on a good portion. Eager to strike out without delay on the evening mystery excursions I was busy freshening up until halfway through the Live Blogging. Admittedly, I thought the format would involve the bloggers rotating amongst stations, but to my surprise the bloggers stayed put and the winemakers and wines rotated between two dozen tables every five minutes, speed-dating style. As a result I wasn’t able to catch up on the wines I missed when I finally arrived, but I still got the chance to enjoy several crisp summer whites, and watch some very hardworking wine-slingers in action!

At the conclusion of the Live Blogging, the Excursion melee began in earnest, as five buses headed to mystery destinations awaited riders.  Although I had already surmised precisely where each bus was travelling based on the provided itinerary hints and my local knowledge, many conference-goers hadn’t a clue, and once each bus filled up it departed post-haste! Fortunately my wife had finished work for the day and joined me on the bus headed to explore “Wine & Geology”, where we were about to relish a fun-filled evening and spectacular dinner in a wonderfully unique location. To be continued…

Village Wines: Desert Hills & 8th Generation

On Saturdays the superb Village VQA Wines chain holds complimentary afternoon tastings. I had planned on visiting the South Dunbar location for the 8th Generation tasting, when the opportunity arose to attend the Kitsilano tasting of Desert Hills as well (thanks Will for the suggestion)! Desert Hills has had a banner year, with their Syrah being named Best Red Wine of the Year at the 2010 All Canadian Wine Championships, and their Gamay receiving a prestigious Lt. Governor's Award this summer. Having picked up the Syrah for my 2006 collection without yet having tasted it, I was eager to find out for myself what I had!

The Kitsilano Village Wines has an excellent selection, but suffers from the popularity of their tastings, with difficult traffic patterns surrounding the cash register and tasting counter - be prepared to wait patiently for samples; they are complimentary after all! Desert Hills is located on the Black Sage Bench in near-desert climate outside Oliver - so it's no surprise they produce some lovely ripe reds, but they also displayed some pleasing whites on Saturday as well. A 2008 Pinot Gris and 2009 Gewurztraminer were both available to taste and were quite satisfying, the Gewurztraminer in particular. I was more excited to try the 2009 Gamay and 2006 Syrah. The Gamay was very nice indeed and would have made an excellent summer sipper during the hot weather we had earlier this season. In any case, let's hope for a warm September in which we can continue to pair this wine with barbecue - if you can still find it, a Lt. Governor's Award has a way of clearing out inventories fast. Desert Hills also suggests pasta with red sauce and spicy foods that will coordinate with the wine's spicy finish. If you can find it pick up a bottle for the fall, if only to try a (well-made) varietal we often don't see here in BC. If the Gamay was good, the Syrah was divine: just holding the glass at waist-height you could smell the jammy berry aromas wafting upwards! It tasted superb, and made me very pleased I was holding one in my small collection, plus encouraged to pick up another bottle sometime soon for more immediate consumption.

Having perused the shelves in Kitsilano and made plans for some upcoming purchases there, we set off for Kerrisdale and the South Dunbar Village Wines. In all honesty, this is an easier store in which to shop, with wider aisles and better customer flow, a larger tasting bar, and a fun back room called "The Cellar". 8th Generation wines available for tasting included their Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, a Merlot, and their two Rieslings ("Classic" - a dry iteration, and regular off-dry). The Classic Riesling was a crisp, more acidic take on the grape more common to German Rieslings - very refreshing and a wine Anthony Gismondi calls "a Riesling for grownups". The regular off-dry version has already sold out at the winery, with help from Gismondi's very positive review, so the tasting featured the 2008 vintage instead of the more recent 2009. Fortunately the 2008 was also very well received, and was intriguing to taste alongside its much drier sibling. With almost three times as much residual sugar there is quite a difference in taste; this wine should be well-chilled to avoid seeming syrupy-sweet! Not available was 8th Generation's delightful Rose, which is long sold-out; fortunately I acquired several bottles earlier this summer for patio consumption. This very refreshing pure Pinot Meunier wine is enjoyable all-year round of course, but make sure you get the 2010 vintage early next Summer!

Although trying my darnedest not to spend any more on wine this month I failed at Village Wines Dunbar, when a stunning display of Sandhill Small Lots wines behind the register caught my eye. Nearly every varietal was available, an order of magnitude greater than many other stores' selections. Even the long-sold out 2007 Merlot, winner of a Lt. Governor's Award and limited to only 119 cases, was available (albeit "one per person"). Fortunately I already have one - thanks again Will! - and could instead focus on the 2007 Malbec I spotted. Also sold out at the winery, the Malbec was limited to 203 cases and would help keep my lonely CedarCreek Malbec company in the 2007 collection until they are both opened in 2012-2013. Malbec in hand, I wandered into "The Cellar" and picked up a Select Lots Chardonnay from Mission Hill to round out my 2006 Chardonnay shelf, something I've been wanting to wrap up for some time. Mission Hill's Select Lot Collection are excellent value top-tier wines, the Chardonnay no exception, notwithstanding the even higher-tier Legacy-series "Perpetua" Chardonnay. Heck, get them both and have yourself a little private tasting!