January Wine Club: Happily Healthy

It actually isn’t too uncommon for the members of our wine club to seemingly unconsciously coordinate. Despite the very nature of the club being one of surprise, our food and wine choices synchronize more often than expected. I suppose after several years of monthly dinners we’ve clearly developed corresponding tastes and styles. This month’s gathering marked another episode in harmony when the entire meal – with no prior organization – was discovered to be a flavourful, nearly vegan feast – embarrassingly nutritious but equally delicious.

We rapidly got settled upon arriving by starting with ramekins of warm Vegetable Barley Soup as we admired the chefs’ tottering toddler – mere days into the world of walking. The rich and remarkably creamy soup had spent hours slow-cooking to warm our spirits, an easy feat when the exciting wine pairings were revealed. From Stoneboat Vineyards we opened the newest vintage of one of south Okanagan’s finest Pinot Noir. The 2012 expressed spiced red berries and nuts on the nose, with a generous, smooth palate of fruit flavours, plus what one guest suggested was caramelized beets. The wine’s clean finish provided superb refreshment alongside the thick soup.

A second introductory wine came from a personal darling of mine: Le Vieux Pin is quickly mastering red and white Rhone varieties at their Oliver winery. The attractive Cuvée Violette Syrah serves as an introduction to Winemaker Severine Pinte’s broad exploration of the grape’s potential in BC. The 2013 we enjoyed is sold out at the winery, with a new vintage to come this spring, but fortunately our friends found at least one bottle locally. A complex bouquet with cedar, vanilla, and forest aromas immediately impressed, while the mild tannins made for easy youthful enjoyment. However, we were sure to notice sufficient body and acidity to last – should one keep their hands off it after tasting the mouth-watering milk chocolate cherry flavours. Like the Pinot Noir, that bright, fresh character made a good foil for the viscous soup.

Following last month’s soft pretzel hors d’oeuvres my wife and I were assigned sit-down appetizer duty for this installment. I turned once again to BC Liquor Stores’ TASTE Magazine and found an appealing Mixed Grain & Squash Salad that piqued my palate and triggered an inspired search of the cellar. I couldn’t help but present a pair of gems from Stag’s Hollow, particularly once I found a 2007 Renaissance Merlot calling out for consumption. With the salad and decorative kale chips artfully presented we first served the coordinating 2013 Viognier Marsanne, already double decanted back into bottle. This adventurous orange wine is an extreme rarity, with only 35 cases produced after a year in used Acacia wood. We gushed over the intense apricot character and mushroom hints, while the mild tannin paired perfectly with the (optional) blue cheese sprinkled atop the salad.

Following some time in the decanter the Renaissance Merlot was also heartily enjoyed, presenting an intoxicating nose of aged blueberries upon first impression. A bit of leather on the relatively austere palate gave way to a very smooth texture that celebrated several years in bottle. That mature character brought out the smokiness in the kale chips, providing another delightful food pairing for the dish. Back in 2010 Anthony Gismondi suggested 2-4 more years in bottle would help the Merlot really shine, but more than five years later it’s still going strong and provided another impressive introduction to the evening.

By the time our hosts served the entrée course our inadvertent motif had become obvious: Squash, Apple, & Fennel Galette included a vegan crust made with coconut oil, accessorized by fresh Spinach Salad with avocado, citrus, and fried tofu. The wine pairings included a duo of creative red blends that favoured lighter red varieties. The JoieFarm 2013 PTG provided a blend of 55% Gamay and 45% Pinot Noir from four Naramata and Summerland vineyards. Smooth and fruit forward on the palate we detected in it underlying notes of earthy, meaty character with bacon hints that complemented the crispy, savoury tofu. From Creston’s Baillie-Grohman we also enjoyed the 2014 Récolte Rouge, a somewhat mysterious blend of most likely Pinot Noir with Merlot and Cabernet Franc backing. More smoked meat plus sweet jerk flavours emerged alongside the Galette, and the nice soft texture made it easily quaffable.

Dessert provided a few guilty pleasures in which to indulge after such a responsible meal, but yielded another surprise in the form of a delicious Cashew “Cheese” Ball! Some Smoked Boerenkaas Gouda was also on hand plus dark chocolate and tangy fruit, but the wonderfully umami-rich Cheese Ball stole the show. Of course it couldn’t do so without Elephant Island’s exciting Stellaport, made from ripe Stella Cherries and aged for more than a decade in a solera system, before this particular bottle was released in 2013. Surprisingly drier than expected the Stellaport oozed smoked cherries & chocolate, toffee, and over time an appealing savoury barbecue aroma. Nary a drop remained by evening’s end, leaving us to bid adieu relishing the rich, long-lasting flavours as we pondered new culinary memories.

The Inaugural BC Wine Brunch

Regular readers will know that I’ve spent the last few years nurturing a monthly BC wine dinner club in partnership with my wife and several close friends. Although some members have come and gone over time as lives have grown and changed, we’ve maintained the focus on home-grown wine and homemade food. To better accommodate the myriad work schedules of the eight people now involved we decided last month to try a weekend brunch instead of the traditional dinner. It would provide for new food pairing opportunities and take advantage of the sunny days we’re starting to enjoy as spring takes hold in Vancouver. (I think most of us were thinking it might provide time to try out more wines too!)

Arriving at our hosts’ beautiful home, awash in the aforementioned spring sunshine, we greeted each other gleefully after a couple of months since our last great get-together. I wasted no time in sharing a bottle of brand new 2013 Fort Berens Riesling, having just welcomed it on to the shelves of Swirl Wine Store last week. Estate grapes from Lillooet have yielded another superb vintage bursting with zingy fruit salad and a fresh, honeyed palate – altogether reminiscent of an Ehrenfelser in fact. Off-dry, with 13 g/L of sugar, the wine is nonetheless well balanced by mouth-watering acidity. My wife and I liked last year’s version so much we ordered a case for summer enjoyment, and the superb value price of only $18 will ensure many more bottles make it through the door this year.

Our previous club configuration provided for three courses (appetizer, entree, dessert) by three couples, but with four couples now involved we made the simple decision to allow for a second pre-entree course. The first of these highly anticipated dishes was particularly ideal for the circumstances: homemade vanilla coconut granola had been lovingly layered with creamy, yogurt and similarly homemade raspberry-blackberry sauce. To pair with this fresh and light starter the chefs had pulled a unique bottle of Elephant Island Cherry wine from the cellar. The Reserve 2008 vintage from Naramata turned out to be an excellent companion, particularly to the toasty granola, having taken on some earthy, savoury hints over time. Tart cherry flavours and a long finish ensured the wine held its own against the unsweetened yogurt and berries, and provided for some great exposure to the excellent fruit wines of BC!

As everyone finished their cherry wine and the remaining Riesling my wife and I got to work on our contribution, frying up a few dozen perogies we had painstakingly assembled from scratch the night before. There is no doubt that handmade perogies are time-consuming – given the many steps involved – but they seemed like the perfect starter course, and I had some stellar wines with which to pair them. Along with the buttery Carrot & Brie and Potato & Smoked Cheddar dumplings we enjoyed another new release in the form of 50th Parallel’s 2012 Pinot Noir. This young winery north of Kelowna was joined last year by former Quails’ Gate winemaker Grant Stanley, who has been helping founders Curtis & Sheri-Lee Krouzel develop 50th Parallel for the past several years.

I couldn’t resist developing a theme by unearthing a bottle of Quails’ Gate 2008 Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir from my cellar for a little Stanley comparison. Although technically the 2012 vintage at 50th Parallel was initiated by inaugural winemaker Adrian Baker, it was bottled by Grant and only just released this month. We found the younger wine to be fresh and bright, with a nose of delicate smoke and cranberries, followed by a smooth and light berry-focused palate. It proved to be best with the Potato & Smoked Cheddar perogies, while the more subtle Carrot & Brie versions were on good terms with the older Quails’ Gate. The Stewart Reserve Pinot has aged well, retaining a nose of spice and cherries and a rich but soft palate with hints of red currant and clove.

Although a few more perogies were sorely tempting, we knew we had only just reached the halfway mark, and so stood back as our hosts leapt into action assembling a clearly complex entree course. Fortunately there was plenty of wine to sip on as we observed the chefs, including a bottle of Orofino 2012 Home Vineyard Old Vines Riesling, courtesy of our first-course contributors. The wine is the richest of Orofino’s three vineyard-specific Rieslings, coming from nearly 25-year-old vines on a small parcel under an acre in size. Winemaker John Weber uses the wine as a bit of an experimental undertaking, opening up the entire bag of tricks, including barrel fermentation (including Acacia wood), wild yeast, and lees stirring to enhance the texture. Twenty grams of residual sugar remain, and contribute to the round, full body and key lime pie flavours. We smelled and tasted a basket of citrus fruit – lemon, lime, grapefruit – and green apples to boot; it provided for a superb palate cleanser and discussion topic.

After our hosts had finished in the kitchen we were treated to a spectacular vegetarian breakfast plate of Sweet Potato Hash with Kale & Brussels Sprouts, Grilled Chickpea “Tofu” Patty, and Vegan Waffles – all homemade from scratch! It was all irresistibly scrumptious, garnished with plenty of real Maple Syrup, and the savoury Chickpea “Tofu” – made entirely from chickpea flour – garnered well-deserved praise. Versatile pairings came in the form of Arrowleaf 2012 Pinot Gris and Sumac Ridge 2011 Cabernet Merlot, both yielding some pleasant surprises. The Pinot Gris, from Lake Country vineyards north of Kelowna, was drier than expected, providing for zesty lemon and green apple flavours and food friendly acidity. The earthier Cabernet Merlot turned out to be ideal with the whole wheat waffles – definitely not something one would expect to find on the winery’s tasting notes! From the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot we were particularly struck by the spicy cedar character contributed by the Cabernet Franc, with some hints of unobjectionable green pepper to finish.

Our dessert course turned out to include a bevy of beverages, from homemade 16-year-old Whiskey (source withheld, for obvious reasons), to some crisply floral and nutty homemade beer courtesy of our hosts. A couple of local dessert wines were included as well, all to pair with luxurious Chocolate Gingerbread Cake, with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. As we paid tribute to the cake and continued socializing well into the afternoon we enjoyed Road 13’s 2011 Late Harvest Chenin Blanc, a very rare sighting considering only 223 cases were produced. Soft floral aromas and flavours of honeyed linen and apple basket garnered many contented smiles before the little bottle was empty. For additional enjoyment we also delved into Tinhorn Creek’s 2011 Kerner Icewine, superbly representing that traditional profile of honey, apricot, guava, and mouth-watering acidity. With so many delicious memories fresh in our palates it didn’t take long before we had scheduled the next brunch – this could become an exciting new tradition!

Wine Bloggers Conference 2013 – Part II

After a day spent indoors for most Conference participants there was an eagerness to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Okanagan summer weather. I had already snuck out to visit a couple wineries in the morning, but was just as excited to depart on the bus for our mystery excursion to feature “wine & geology”. To be honest I had already surmised the excursion would be visiting the beautiful Similkameen Valley, and that we’d be dining at a very special new location, which is why I’d hustled to get on board that particular bus! Joining me were my wife and a blogger friend of ours from Vancouver, plus plenty more friendly faces I recognized throughout the full busload. Under the enthusiastic leadership of Kim Lawton from the Similkameen Wineries Association, we took off for Keremeos and our first stop.

After an exciting trip through Marron Valley via Kaleden and Highway 3A we arrived in Keremeos from the north and pulled into the Grist Mill Heritage Site. This functioning flour mill, with original machinery intact, was built in 1877 and is the last remaining site of its kind in Western Canada. Inside the Visitor Centre we were greeted with sparkling wine from Orofino Vineyards and Rustic Roots, along with fresh oysters and other treats to enjoy on our tour of the grounds. The lush gardens and swiftly rushing creek provided for a relaxing venue to chat and begin an introduction to the Similkameen. Still, it wasn’t long before we were off to our dinner destination at Seven Stones, with everyone’s palates refreshed and ready for more!

We zipped down the Crowsnest Highway through Cawston to reach Seven Stones, one of the southernmost wineries in the valley (outdone only by Vineglass and Forbidden Fruit, nearly at the American border). At George Hanson’s beautifully-sited winery the entire Similkameen Wineries Association was awaiting us, with such a bevy of wines from the nine wineries one could scarcely count them all, let alone taste them! That’s not to say the group didn’t try, as each winery proprietor was present to convey their unique story and pour in person. The bloggers were divided amongst three groups, and alternately toured the property with George or explored the terrain of the region with trained geologist Dale Wright of Eau Vivre Winery. Tasting through the wonderfully varied wines of the Similkameen – from fruit frizzantes to bold Cabernet Sauvignon – was certainly a cherished moment, yet the high point of the tour was exploring George’s brand new wine cave.

The multi-wing concrete caves extending underneath Seven Stones are nearing completion, and George was only too happy to show off what should soon be one of the premier wine-tourism destinations in the Similkameen. Although one wing will store Seven Stones’ many barrels (and connects directly to George’s home), a second wing has a promising future as a highly desirable event space, including a commercial kitchen and a full suite of lighting and sound. It was in that enigmatic locale that Chef Chris Van Hooydonk of Artisan Culinary Concepts was preparing a tapas feast for dinner. Guests still tasting upstairs needn’t have worried, as every remaining bottle was ferried down to the cave where we could all help ourselves with dinner! As good as the wine was, it was almost outshone by Chef Van Hooydonk’s spectacular spread of food, of which not a single crumb could be found at the end of the evening.

Amongst a great many thanks and congratulations to our hosts, it took quite a while to round up the bloggers for our departure to a reception with the four other excursion troops. We reunited with our compatriots at Spirit Ridge Resort, home of the celebrated Nk’Mip Cellars, for a rooftop party hosted by the Oliver-Osoyoos Winery Association. As the sun set we cavorted late into the night, and did our best to keep anchored in the increasingly-amusing windy weather. No doubt the staff at Spirit Ridge weren’t amused by how many broken glasses resulted from the table-clearing gusts, but the conditions certainly kept things exciting! Once again we were gracefully chauffeured back to Penticton Lakeside Resort for more after-hours parties and some solid sleep for the wisest among us.

Saturday morning began with a luxurious breakfast in Gyro Park across the street from the hotel, organized by the Downtown Penticton Business Association. With everything from fresh crepes to mouth-watering pastries and savoury breakfast wraps there was something for everyone, regardless of their waking state. I myself fuelled up for the day, given that I would be spending the morning wine touring once again, and had even corrupted a fellow blogger into joining me! My wife was to spend the day gallivanting with several friends on a bachelorette party weekend which just happened to coincide – geographically and chronologically – with the Conference, so we dropped her off in Naramata and set out with shopping list in hand.

Stops at Elephant Island and Kettle Valley produced some key acquisitions, and we even auspiciously spotted Robert Van Westen erecting his road-side sign, prompting another winery visit. Rob was even kind enough to treat us to a barrel sample of his upcoming 2012 Pinot Noir, which should easily match the superb quality found in the 2011 “VD” collaboration with Tom Di Bello. Before returning to the hotel for lunch and afternoon sessions we enjoyed a leisurely tasting on the patio at Laughing Stock, where I picked up my latest Preferred Share Wine Club allotment. Tasting both the 2011 Syrah and Blind Trust Red I was quite pleased to be taking home three bottles of each of these finely crafted and very promising red wines.

Back in Penticton my fellow blogger and I caught the tail end of lunch with Wines of Uruguay, and committed to attending the afternoon sessions, including the enticingly-named “Drink Them Before They’re Famous”. That breakout session hosted by Master Sommelier George Miliotes introduced us to a stunningly good custom Gamay that had not yet been tasted by anyone beyond the development team. An introduction to Canadian icewine from Inniskillin came next, with some remarkable story-telling by guest speaker Randy Picton, Winemaker at Nk’Mip. Randy recounted the spectacular longevity of an open bottle of icewine he kept in his laboratory fridge for years, prompting a few attendees to recork the sample bottles throughout the room and slip them into satchels for later! We immediately moved into the next “Live Wine Blogging” segment, featuring many high end local reds, and of which I was sure to participate in full this time, to much relief and enjoyment. Lastly, New Wines of Greece hosted a lengthy pre-dinner reception featuring a slew of educational opportunities for those of us – myself included – who had yet to taste from grapes with names like Assyrtiko and Xinomavro.

The closing dinner prepared by the Resort’s Head Chef Chris Remington required the challenging selection of only four wines from the myriad wineries represented at the Conference. Poplar Grove’s highly respected Pinot Gris was a nice match for the first course of candied salmon, while the second course halibut sang with Hester Creek’s Character White blend. Hopefully those present were able to appreciate the inclusion of the Okanagan’s only Trebbiano grapes (from 45-year-old vines no less) in the Character White, alongside Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc. Penticton’s “in-town” winery Perseus, within walking distance of the hotel, was tapped for their full-bodied Invictus red blend to pair with lamb and lentils. Although I skipped the lamb in favour of more lentils and roasted beets I had no trouble enjoying the dark, ripe fruit found within the predominantly Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon of the Invictus. Our final course consisted of generously portioned cheesecake and the unexpected Lemberger Icewine of West Kelowna’s Little Straw Vineyards. An individual 50mL bottle for every diner revealed delicious fresh, clean berry fruit flavours, and likely prompted some unique wine journal entries as well.

After several hilarious skits and the conclusion of the Wine Blog Awards, some well deserved applause for the Conference organizers acknowledged the passion that brought WBC13 to Penticton in the first place. It was then revealed that next year’s Conference will be held in Buellton, California, where attendees will enjoy the wines of over 100 members of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association. Just like that the 2013 Conference was over: I’m so glad I made the decision to attend, which in retrospect I can scarcely believe was even in question! Fortunately for my wife and I the adventure was to continue for one more night in the Okanagan, with a luxurious stay at Hester Creek’s Villa coming up next!

Wine Club Wine Tour: Naramata Bench

Compared to the expansive spaces in the southern Okanagan, the Naramata Bench is a much more compact wine trail, accommodating quick, almost methodical wine touring (if so desired). As a result, many area wineries have small, efficient tasting rooms that need to focus on selling the wines, with less time to discuss the winemaking techniques and vineyards themselves (not to mention that many have larger vineyard holdings further south). The wineries are accustomed to plenty of tourist visitors making their way up and down the bench, and some have been forced to adopt an assembly-line approach to accommodate crowds (particularly in the late summer). It can be challenging to shift gears when you are used to what seems like a more leisurely pace down south, exploring the vineyards and gazing out across the valley from sun-drenched patios and terraces – hence our two-hour experience at LaStella the day before!

In the face of growing crowds one winery is pushing back by moving to an appointment-only schedule: well-known producer Laughing Stock barred the gate earlier this year as unpredictable car and tour bus traffic began to overwhelm the small parking lot and hamper production activities. Doing much of their business online and via restaurant and retail sales the winery can obviously afford this measure of privacy, but it’s still a surprising development when others such as Blue Mountain are going in the opposite direction. Fortunately appointments are not hard to come by, so we had no trouble booking a 10:00am opening appointment on our final day of wine touring.

After punching in the top-secret gate code for entrance, we arrived as the morning mists were lifting to be greeted by Tasting Room Manager Addy Gowe, who it turned out was a former co-worker of one member of our party! While trying not to get too distracted chatting about shared times at the Vancouver Aquarium, Addy poured us the new release whites, including Viognier, Blind Trust White, and Pinot Gris – follow-up to last year’s Lt. Governor’s Award winner. The second vintage of Rosé produced by Laughing Stock followed, this one to see more wide distribution than last year, where it was served exclusively at Yew Restaurant in Vancouver’s Four Seasons Hotel. Admirably, the winery is continuing to donate $2 from each bottle of Rosé to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

After enjoying all the new spring wines we tried out some of the definitive Portfolio red blend, and my friends picked up magnums of the current 2009 release, in what is quickly becoming a tradition when we visit! We felt quite lucky next when owner and winemaker David Enns was gracious enough to show us the winery and his many tricks of the trade. David was excited to point out recent infrastructure upgrades that will help improve efficiency in the winery, plus some upcoming treats that will likely greatly benefit members of Laughing Stock’s Wine Club.

With magnums carefully packed away, we set off for the next stop on our agenda to view the new Poplar Grove location further south towards Penticton. Upon entering the large Tasting Room, we were very impressed by the expansive views of Penticton, and felt instantly comfortable amongst the warm natural wood and smooth polished concrete. We were two weeks too early for a chance to try the new winery restaurant, but by the end of June the Vanilla Pod had completed its transition from Summerland to Poplar Grove’s showpiece location. Fortunately it was easy to console ourselves with plenty of excellent wine from the sleek tasting room stations, and this early on a Monday we had the whole place virtually to ourselves!

Purchasing some of the delicious Pinot Gris for immediate enjoyment was an easy decision, and I was particularly excited to find that the 2008 “CSM” was still available for sale. Because it is exclusive to the winery, I never expected to acquire this powerful blend of Cabernets, Syrah, and Merlot which I had enjoyed so much at the Playhouse Wine Festival’s BC Paired Luncheon in February. Needless to say I immediately snagged a bottle to join the other 2008 vintages from Poplar Grove in my collection; only the 2008 “Legacy” red blend remains outstanding, as I await its release in September (along with the 2009 red varietals).

After a short detour back into Penticton for some sustenance we took in a the sights and tastes at La Frenz. Getting the chance to finally visit this superb winery was another highlight of the trip. We sampled the wide range of wines, including several excellent new whites, such as the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival Best-of-Varietals Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier. The tasty Tawny and deliciously rich Liqueur Muscat were equally exciting, and it took everything in me not to buy some immediately: you see, the reserve and primarily red half of the spring releases weren’t scheduled to be available until “mid-June”, so I wanted need to wait to order a full (mixed) case. The helpful staff advised me to keep our tasting fee receipts for reimbursement when I ordered the planned case later in the month; at that point I would have the opportunity to get my hands on bottles such as the Vintage Port, Reserve Pinot Noir, and Grand Total Reserve.

We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting some past favourites and new discoveries, focusing on wineries none of us had visited in person before. A stop at Elephant Island Orchard Wines was a fruit-filled treat, and I availed myself of the fortified cherry “Stellaport”, made in a Solera-style from what is now ten years of sweet Stella cherries starting from the 2001 harvest. Down the road we paused for some Therapy, where we brainstormed new wine names for this witty winery; their white blend AlterEgo was delicious with creamy corn chowder last fall. For afternoon refreshments we headed to Kettle Valley, which we’d heard served Gewurztraminer Slushies! The rumours were true and we imbibed in this rare delight, while my friends picked up some Reserve Pinot Noir, and I myself went straight after the “Caboose” fortified Malbec/Petit Verdot. I’ve enjoyed this sweet treat in the past when it was called Starboard, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add the newest release to my burgeoning dessert wine collection.

With the afternoon rapidly coming to a close we wasted little time in scooting south through Penticton to Skaha Lake, where we once again enjoyed the beautiful views and charming hospitality of Painted Rock. Although enthusiastic Proprietor John Skinner wasn’t available, his equally enthusiastic young assistant Tyson was happy to guide us through the latest releases, which I was eager to share with my companions. The luxurious 2009 Syrah impressed enough to make for some impulse purchases, with the other reds such the varietal Merlot and the Red Icon blend also showing very nicely. I was particularly interested in the new release 2011 Chardonnay, which John has been talking up every time I’ve seen him all year! His excitement certainly wasn’t misplaced, as we all loved the elegance shown in the focused fruit and very well-integrated oak; it demanded a chilled bottle to enjoy further that very night!

As the discussion amongst us began turning to dinner we made one more stop at Blasted Church in the hills above the southern end of Skaha Lake. Three years ago we’d driven home with a double magnum of Blasted Church Merlot, which is still biding its time in a friend’s cellar, waiting for a suitable uncorking opportunity. Somehow he managed to restrain himself this time, as we sipped the many superb 2011 whites recently released. Of particular delight was the Unorthodox Chardonnay, a delicate and memorable Chardonnay Musqué that quickly found a spot in the overflowing cooler; just as the winery suggests, it was expected to make for an excellent aperitif.

Suitably exhausted and appropriately pickled we headed back to Penticton to obtain the evening’s required dinner ingredients: my wife and I had been assigned the task of using kohlrabi, tomato paste, and soy sausage (for the benefit of us vegetarians). After returning to Crooked Tree we got right to work preparing a hearty roasted vegetable pasta dish with side salad while enjoying sips of chilled Poplar Grove Pinot Gris and Blasted Church Chardonnay. Creative inspiration led us to devise an appetizer pairing Painted Rock’s new Chardonnay with buttered popcorn, sprinkled with parmesan cheese – delicious! Having polished off a couple more wines over dinner we got to wondering how many liquid assets we’d actually acquired – all of us having done our utmost to control ourselves. Setting it all out for admiration it became apparent that we were returning home with just about one table’s worth of wine, as good a metric as any and enough to make any wine fan’s mouth water at the sight of it!

The next morning we miraculously managed to fit all seven of us, plus baby accessories and some very efficiently-packed wine into the SUV for our trip home. With many beautiful photographs, innumerable smile-inducing memories, and plenty of bottles to open over the years to come we will no doubt be remembering this spectacular trip even beyond the next one, which can hardly come soon enough!

 

May Wine Club: Blind Tasting

This month’s “wine club” dinner included a blind tasting to compare a unique Canadian varietal wine against its Old-world counterpart, plus a tree-fruit dessert wine from the beautiful Naramata bench.

The evening started with a delicious appetizer course of puffed pastry vegetable tarts topped with ricotta cheese. The wine pairing came from celebrated Okanagan Falls winery Blue Mountain – their 2007 “Stripe Label” Chardonnay. Blue Mountain eschews the term “Reserve”, in favour of the Stripe Labels affixed to their selected lot wines; as John Schreiner explains: “the word ‘reserve’ had become meaningless”. With many mediocre, cheap wines from around the world labelled “Reserve” the stripe label is used instead to designate an extra special wine at Blue Mountain. The Chardonnay we enjoyed came from an excellent vintage, with a light, tropical nose and very well balanced use of oak (it is only 50% barrel fermented). The toasty aromas and creamy mouthfeel associated with some Chardonnays were not present, but we agreed that the vinegar and cumin in the tarts may have unduly influenced the experience. I think this wine likely could have benefited from more time in the cellar to further mature; I have a bottle in my own collection that I’ll probably open this winter (although I’m sure it could last longer).

Our dinner entree was a very appetizing “deluxe” mac & cheese, containing Fontina, Gruyere, Parmigiano, and Pecorino! Baked to a crispy finish in the oven and served with a fresh mixed green side salad it was something anyone could agree with!

For our dinner drinks we were presented with two bottles wrapped in paper, with the forewarning that one was from British Columbia, while the other came from overseas; gasp! The first bottle was a marvel of sweet earthiness, with very smooth tannins plus vanilla and caramel notes that lingered on the palate. Aromas of cherries, berries, and currants were detected, and a very slight brown tint suggested a somewhat mature wine. In comparison, the second wine showed relatively more acidity and a shorter finish, with suggested aromas of walnuts and cotton candy, among others. Being more fruit forward, we felt it would befit a spicy tomato dish more so than the cheesy pasta we were enjoying. We were left to guess which wine came from local grapes, and which had travelled from afar – I crossed my fingers for the heavily favoured first bottle! Our host hinted at an Italian varietal and my mind went immediately to Sangiovese or Barbera, knowing their position in Kelowna winery Sandhill’s Small Lots portfolio. I was rewarded when the reveal showed our favourite as the Sandhill 2007 Small Lots Barbera! Given its apparent maturity we were all surprised that the the other wine – an Italian original – was actually from an earlier vintage year. The consensus around the table was that a few more bottles of Sandhill Barbera would be a wise purchase for all of us, and fortunately it still shows up on some store shelves, despite only 270 cases produced. Keep in mind that this is the Okanagan’s only Barbera, so don’t pass up a chance to try a very rare and unique wine!

Our dessert course was something my wife had thought of a few weeks ago – ice cream sandwiches! Of course they would have been even better had the weather cooperated with a bit more warmth, but we didn’t want to wait until August, when we are next scheduled to bring dessert. I had been eyeing the Elephant Island Stellaport for a while and this seemed like a pairing that could work well. Stellaport is a Port-style wine made with Stella cherries, produced using the solera style, resulting in the latest release including eight different vintages from 2001-2008. The beautiful bottle is printed with headlines from each of the years that comprise the blend; it’s quite a keepsake.

Premium organic chocolate ice cream was complemented by some giant chocolate cookies I made that very morning, which included chopped pecans, chocolate chips, and dried organic cherries. The cookies were soft, so as to avoid the dreaded ice-cream-squeeze-out that can occur when biting into a sandwich made with dense, crisp cookies. The finished product was a thing of beauty, I won’t deny it, but the wine was no slouch either: rich and chocolatey, with noticeable cherry notes that reminded you it wasn’t a grape wine. On the nose we found savoury elements that reminded some of curry powder, with a spicy finish that suggested it might actually pair well with Indian food, believe it or not! Although some of us couldn’t manage to finish the enormous ice cream sandwiches (I won’t name names to spare them the shame), we finished the Stellaport handily!