BCWAS Fort Berens Tasting

A recent tasting with the BC Wine Appreciation Society provided fascinating insight into the expansion of the local wine industry. Heleen Pannekoek and her husband Rolf de Bruin founded Fort Berens Estate Winery in 2005, in the small Fraser Canyon town of Lillooet, between Whistler and Kamloops. The winery has been producing a robust portfolio of wines from purchased Okanagan grapes and from their own growing estate vineyards, planted in 2009. Heleen, alongside Agent Monica Pereira from Vino Allegro, was more than happy to share her wines with the Society during a mid-month visit to Vancouver.

As Heleen introduced herself we learned about her family’s move from the Netherlands, when she and Rolf traded busy European business careers for dramatically different lives as Canadian farmers. They benefited from consultation with some of BC’s top viticultural talent, including Dick Cleave, Harry McWatters, and Tom DiBello, leading to their decision to settle in Lillooet instead of the Okanagan, where land prices can be ten times higher. One of the benefits of opening the first winery in Lillooet has been the willingness of restaurants to try their wines out of curiosity – often leading to great satisfaction and acquisition. The obvious potential of the region, awash in high and low temperatures exceeding the Okanagan, has led Rolf and Heleen to encourage neighbouring alfalfa growers to switch production to grapes. As Heleen put it, Europeans took a thousand years to develop their wine culture, so there is plenty of time to grow an industry in Lillooet.

The first flight of wines we sampled featured the new 2013 whites, bottled just last month, and produced exclusively from estate-grown fruit as the Fort Berens vineyards mature and expand. Pinot Gris impressed immediately with melon and floral aromas reminiscent of Elderflower syrup. The bright, tree fruit palate showed off lemon drop flavours and a rich, creamy mouthfeel with a lip-smacking dry finish. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the extremely successful Pinot Gris from Poplar Grove – particularly great this year – putting Fort Berens in very good company. The 2013 Riesling tasted next was off-dry, but with higher acidity than the Pinot Gris it retains impeccable balance. Heleen informed us the fermentation stopped naturally at 13 g/L of residual sugar, helping along the delicious honeyed lime palate and soft fruit flavours of peach and sweet apple.

A saignée-style Pinot Noir Rosé next caught our eyes with a vibrant, seemingly glowing colour palate. The 200 cases of Rosé were bled off estate Pinot Noir, of which 700 cases will be forthcoming in the future. A fresh, candied berry nose led into a palate that reminded me of caramel apples, despite the wine being fermented to dryness. Crisp acidity and low sugar will provide for many superb food pairing opportunities this summer. Finally, the 2013 Late Harvest Riesling delivered a sweet treat thanks to grapes matured on the vines until late November: earthy aromas, guava, and honey yielded to tropical lychee, mango, and pineapple flavours on a silky palate.

Fort Berens’ wines have been produced thus far by the talented multi-disciplinary team at Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland, but a full-featured winery is currently under construction in Lillooet, to welcome the 2014 vintage. Heleen remarked that although the help of OCP has been invaluable, travel between Summerland and Lillooet limits the points in time during which she and Rolf get to sample the wines and make important decisions. The new winery and tasting room construction in Lillooet is occurring in concert with the recent hiring of Vineyard Manager Megan de Villiers and Winemaker Danny Hattingh, a dynamic South African couple with international experience. Megan and Danny will help lead the next stage in Fort Berens’ evolution, as the winery plants additional acreage while aiming for 12,000 cases in annual production within a few years.

Up next was a flight offering a truly unique offering, something I don’t imagine BCWAS has ever experienced before: four glasses of the same Chardonnay from differently-sealed bottles. In this case, the difference wasn’t between types of cork, or even cork versus screwcap, but four alternate Stelvin caps, each with different oxygen permeability! The manufacturer of Stelvin screwcaps recently developed several new liners that allow for slow oxygen exchange, similar to that experienced in bottles sealed by natural cork. Fort Berens bottled a mere case each of their 2012 Chardonnay using three experimental caps, in addition to the traditional Stelvin (Saran^TM Tin) closure, and we had the chance to examine and differentiate the samples.

As with the earlier 2013 wines, the 2012 Chardonnay was produced exclusively from Lillooet estate fruit – the winery’s first estate Chardonnay. Approximately one third of the grapes were fermented in new and used French oak, and then aged for 9 months, while the remainder were fermented cool in stainless steel. Two-hundred and seventy-five cases were bottled last June and it is sold out at the winery, so we were even luckier to sample it, let alone the precious experimental library bottles. While the regular bottling involved the cap with lowest – virtually no – permeability, the “Oxygen Transmission Rate” of the others ranged from low multiples to many orders of magnitude greater. At first it was challenging to differentiate between the four Chardonnay samples, but with much back and forth some unique characteristics began to emerge. Citrus, buttered popcorn, and toast aromas were generally present to different extents, and flavours of green apple, lemon, and creamy caramel emerged on the palate. However, the crowd showed no strong consensus when it came to choosing a favourite in the end, illustrating the many individual differences that exist even in experienced consumers!

With our palates sufficiently warmed up and strenuously exercised already, the final flight of four wines delved into the charming reds Fort Berens has developed by blending Lillooet and South Okanagan Black Sage Bench fruit. We began with a three vintage vertical of Cabernet Franc, from the sold out 2010 to the upcoming 2012, with increasing proportions of estate fruit over time. The all-Okanagan 2010 wine was noticeably different in colour, with rusty tones readily apparent. Dusty tannins and aromas of smoke, dark berries, and hints of leather led to an almost bloody palate with cherries and additional toasty notes. The dramatically different 2011 and 2012 wines include 70% Lillooet estate fruit, both showing brighter purple colouring, and similar profiles favouring juicy black cherries and chocolate – think Black Forest Cake! I particularly enjoyed the 2011, but fear it has been cleared off store shelves; fortunately the upcoming 2012 (with bright acidity, a mocha focus, and smooth, ripe tannins) saw increased production, and has a great deal of future potential.

As Heleen shared some details of the winery’s successful “Discovery Club” we sipped the final wine, a 2011 Meritage blending Okanagan and Lillooet Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. The Meritage – currently available – exhibits redder colouring than the varietal Cabernet Franc, and a dry, more savoury flavour profile, with underlying blueberry hints from the Merlot and a long, enjoyable finish. Because Club memberships and sales are growing, a second vineyard field will be planted soon – including more Merlot – presumably further boosting the estate contribution to the Meritage. Heleen was particularly proud and honoured to report that over 150 Club members hail from Lillooet alone, quite a feat and a heart-warming show of support from a town of only 2,500 people! Heleen & Rolf’s enthusiasm and support for the Fraser Canyon appellation is strong: they don’t want to be the only winery in Lillooet, and are looking forward to heading up a rising new wine region. Based on the quality wines we enjoyed it certainly seems likely it won’t be long until some friendly competition and company joins them.

La Table Commune: Orofino Vineyards

For a few years Firefly Fine Wines has been holding events they call “La Table Commune” – tastings and workshops at the long (communal) table in their Cambie store. Despite living mere blocks away, and frequenting Firefly on a regular basis, I hadn’t yet made it to any of these events. Fortunately I was able to break that streak this week when the store hosted Orofino Vineyards’ owner and winemaker John Weber. John’s Similkameen Valley winery is one of my favourites, and holds a special place in the hearts of me and my wife, so we were very pleased to attend the tasting and enjoy more of Orofino’s wines.

John and Virginia Weber moved to Cawston in the Similkameen Valley a dozen years ago, taking over an established vineyard originally planted by Hungarian immigrant Sandor Mayer (now Winemaker at Inniskillin Okanagan). The Webers came from Saskatchewan careers in teaching and nursing, respectively, and despite knowing next to nothing about farming they dove into winemaking with gusto. In 2003 they harvested their first grapes, and by 2005 their unique strawbale winery building was completed, just in time for a visit by a couple of lost city-slickers! To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, my wife and I had visited Okanagan wine country for the first time, and became rather disoriented on our way home via Highway 3 through the Similkameen. We pulled up to the first inviting building we saw, and it just happened to be a winery! The Webers got us sorted out, and we departed in the right direction a few bottles heavier (having discovered their Late Harvest Muscat), happily returning many times thereafter. We are proud to call Orofino our “most-visited” winery!

Over the past decade I’ve followed developments at Orofino closely, and stocked up on the Webers’ wines whenever possible. Firefly has carried many of them from the very start, so it was only natural that John should come visit for the most recent Table Commune series. In front of a dozen strangers squeezed together and getting to know one another, John started by sharing some stunning photos of Cawston vineyards, both his own and the approximately 20 acres from which he contracts, most within walking distance. Ensuring his wines express the local terroir is John’s passion, so much so that he is gradually decreasing his reliance on the only non-Similkameen vineyard from which he contracts. It must be a painful decision, as the Oak Knoll vineyard in Kaleden has yielded a glorious and popular Merlot for many years. John’s passion must be infectious however, as neighbouring orchardists have gladly converted from tree fruit to vineyards specifically to provide for Orofino!

To share with Orofino fans Firefly poured three whites and three reds to cover the range of wines John produces (which number more than a dozen now). We started with the refreshing Moscato Frizzante (2012), a favourite in our household. Orofino started producing this lightly carbonated, off-dry basket of fruit salad in 2011 (the Late Harvest Muscat has been retired), serving it up in a beautiful crown-capped bottle sourced from Italy. Aromas of orange blossom and apricot lead into a sweet peachy palate, kept in balance by the racy acidity of a portion of Riesling included in the blend. Next was John’s ode to BC in the form of Pinot Gris, a 2012 blend of three vineyards that provides for a unique Similkameen take on our most-planted white grape. The bright acid and mineral-driven palate provide for a food-friendly wine much removed from the more floral, fruit-forward examples found elsewhere. To conclude the whites we got to enjoy a Riesling comparison by examining the 2012 vintages from the Scout Vineyard and the Hendsbee Vineyard (next door to Orofino). The dry, zingy, lime-flavoured Hendsbee wine (with only 7 g/L of residual sugar) provided a stark contrast to the off-dry Scout version (18 g/L), showing more orchard fruit on the palate. (The winery’s third Riesling, “Home Vineyard Old Vines” is similarly off-dry, but even richer due to barrel aging and lees stirring.)

Three fully-decanted big red wines comprised the second half of the tasting, and provided John with the opportunity to show off the advantages of the hot Similkameen climate, which yield dividends even in a supposedly “off” year. The 2011 Passion Pit Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon comes from one of the coolest vintages in the past decade, but amazingly showed not a hint of green notes. I conferred with my wife, the veritable canary in the coal mine of green pepper – her nemesis – and found satisfied agreement; we relished the vanilla and cassis profile and smooth, ripe tannins. Only 200 cases of this gem were produced after 20 months in barrel, and it is (still) available for only $29 at the winery (and a reasonable $36 at Firefly). Quite a bit more rare is the 2010 Hendsbee Vineyard Petit Verdot, of which only three barrels (75 cases) were produced (and only because they were leftover from Orofino’s Bordeaux-blend). On the nose this powerful wine exudes a Port-like intensity, with floral hints; while the rich, juicy palate flaunted bright acid and a chewy, full body that held up well to blue cheese from Benton Brothers. This is John’s second varietal Petit Verdot, and like the 2007 that preceded it is still a baby in his opinion, with a long and fruitful life ahead of it. We got the chance to experience where the Petit Verdot usually ends up when we sampled the 2011 “Beleza”, a blend of 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot. The wine’s elegant nose presented blackberry jam and vanilla notes, with a slightly more austere palate than that of the fruity Passion Pit juice (the Cabernet Sauvignon in Beleza came from the Hendsbee Vineyard). The Beleza is another great candidate for rewarding cellar-time – I have yet to open my 2007, the wine’s first release.

Orofino produces additional wines that include Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from the well-respected Blind Creek vineyard, plus delicious (Home Vineyard) Pinot Noir and (Scout Vineyard) Syrah, with additional vineyard-specific Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot coming soon. With overall winery production hovering around 5,000 cases each release is relatively small, and quite frankly the best way to ensure your own enjoyment is by joining the winery’s new “Collector’s Club” – I’m proud to have been one of the first enthusiastic members! A commitment to receive two cases per year ensures every rarity ends up in your hands, including bottles either made solely for the Club or from the winery’s library (such as the 2007 ‘Canadian Oak’ Chardonnay that blew me away last fall). All of these details and other benefits were shared by John after sufficient audience prompting. The Club has actually been even more successful than expected, helping to ensure Orofino’s continued success, plus many more opportunities for us to maintain that “most-visited” status!

Naramata Bench Spring Release Events

The week spanning the end of April and beginning of May sees the many fine wineries of the Naramata Bench returning to the coast for their annual spring release events in Victoria and Vancouver. Both of these events, “Uncork Your Palate” in Victoria, and “Wine for Waves” in Vancouver represent superb value and opportunity. For a price similar to that of an evening at the Vancouver International Wine Festival ($95) you get to sample from nearly two dozen local wineries (and more wines than you could possibly try in one night), plus another couple of dozen celebrated restaurants. Even better, both events serve to support cherished local initiatives in the arts and environment, via direct ticket sales as well as from the exciting and bountiful silent auctions.

In Victoria on Wednesday, April 30, visit the recently renewed Crystal Garden in the heart of downtown to join 19 Naramata Bench wineries and their winemakers while 22 local restaurants and eateries serve up complementary cuisine. The focus of this event is a musical one, with proceeds benefiting the music education and outreach of the Victoria Conservatory of Music – celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year. The live musical performances during the evening will no doubt serve to inspire and entertain while you learn about what the wineries have been up to over the winter – you can expect plenty of fresh new 2013 releases!

Wine joins with ocean preservation in Vancouver just two days later, when the Four Seasons Hotel hosts “Wine for Waves” in concert with the Vancouver Aquarium on May 2. Twenty-three Naramata Bench wineries will be matching their best wines with sustainable seafood at the home of celebrated restaurant YEW, joined by a dozen more restaurants and partners such as the BC Shellfish Growers Association and Upper Bench Creamery. Proceeds will help to expand the Aquarium’s very successful Ocean Wise program that designates responsibly harvested seafood, in partnership with over 500 restaurants and retailers across Canada.

These well organized events are a valuable opportunity to “visit” wine country in your own backyard, while providing the chance to better plan your next trip to the region as well! Expectations are that both events will be fully attended, so be sure to obtain tickets well in advance – like right now!

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!

BCWAS Serendipity Tasting

Members of the BC Wine Appreciation Society enjoyed an intimate and informative tasting of the Naramata Bench wines of Serendipity this week. Proprietor and Winemaker Judy Kingston travelled to Vancouver with her daughter and “Second-in-Command” Katie to share a selection of finished wines and fresh tank samples with a crowd of enthusiastic learners. Like probably many of the guests in attendance I wasn’t too familiar with Judy’s wines, seeing as her first estate vintage came from 2009, and her 2010 reds are only just being released now. A relatively small production quantity of 2,500 cases (and growing) might mean this little winery beside Therapy Vineyards could be easily missed, but having tasted the wines in detail I for one will be actively seeking them out going forward!

To introduce the crowd to Serendipity and her winemaking philosophy Judy began with what is likely an oft-told – but no less fascinating and inspiring – story. After years as a professional attorney in Toronto Judy was forced to give up law permanently after a terrible car accident brought on memory loss, in addition to crippling bodily injuries. Judy’s brief referral to “learning to walk and talk again” obviously belies the intense struggles she must have overcome. However, as Judy described it, she would have never again felt confident counselling a client if she couldn’t be sure she hadn’t forgotten some key law, rule, or legal precedent – the “unknown unknowns” as it were. Neurosurgeons suggested that her future career options should exclude any newly acquired skills, but her only other expertise was in cooking, having past training as a professional chef. Unfortunately, her injuries would forever prevent her from long periods of time standing, so even cooking was now off the list.

A trip to the Okanagan with early retirement on her mind is what ultimately brought Judy into the world of winemaking, when a jaunt through Naramata seeking a route north to Kelowna (which she discovered is impassable to most vehicles) led her past an orchard for sale. Realizing that winemaking was “safe” led to the snap purchase – after all, if she forgot something while winemaking the worst that could happen was terrible wine! That serendipitous moment inspired the winery’s ethos, and the apples and cherries were replaced with vines starting in 2006, first harvested in 2009, followed by Serendipity’s official opening in 2011.

To introduce us to her winemaking approach Judy had brought her 2012 Viognier along with tank samples of the 2013 vintage. Like all of her wines, the Viognier is finished completely dry, to provide for ideal food pairing opportunities. (For the same reason, none of the white wines spend any time in oak.) The 2012 showed that purity of fruit quite well, with pear and orange blossom flavours and a long finish. The 2013 tank sample amplified every aspect, with a gorgeous nose of floral stone fruit and a rich palate of white peach and tropical hints leading to an even longer finish.

The grapes in Serendipity’s vineyard are cropped quite low, far below industry averages, at 2.5 tons per acre for whites, and a mere 1 ton for reds. Judy’s insistence on such small numbers makes it virtually impossible for her to purchase grapes to expand her operations – growers almost always insist on payment by the ton, not by the acre, and won’t crop to her standards. I have heard similar tales from other exacting wineries, and the ultimate solution is to slowly, steadily add to one’s vineyard holdings to allow fully control. Fortunately, thus far Judy has managed to borrow access to vineyard land from retiring farmers who still want to retain the property rights, giving her nearly complete control over vineyard operations.

While Serendipity may be boutique in size, Judy has thoughtfully incorporated several key grape varieties, which she has grown from “infancy” in her own nursery. In fact, during the first harvest the thriving nursery was nearly forgotten about. In yet another serendipitous moment that diverse collection of red grapes was ultimately made into a Rosé. As with the Viognier, Judy was pleased to share with us the 2012 Rosé, plus a 2013 tank sample. From a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Syrah we enjoyed earthy, strawberry-rhubarb aromas and a clean, red berry and pomegranate palate. The 2013 sample was very similar, just that much fresher and livelier. By blending so many grapes to yield multiple flavours Judy ensures versatility, in that no one characteristic dominates any potential food pairing, and the wine works with a range of cuisines.

As we enjoyed the wines Katie also chimed in on occasion with her unique perspective. Now a vested member of the winery team – having abstained from a career in law – Katie has been working closely with her mother since finishing her undergraduate education in biology. At one point Katie took pleasure in telling us about her being roped into facilitating natural pest management during her summer visits, as the winery was being established. While her peers were enjoying Naramata beach parties Katie was spending her evenings in the vineyard alongside her mom, manually “squishing” cutworms! (Judy strives to avoid spraying her grapes, in order to retain beneficial insects.) At Katie’s urging, they tried an alternate remedy for cutworms she’d read about – spreading hot sauce around each vines’ base. Unfortunately an experiment indoors with some live specimens showed the worms simply lapped it up without harm, so back to squishing they went!

Although Serendipity also produces a Sauvignon Blanc varietal wine and a white blend (called “White Lie”), we spent the remainder of the evening focusing on the many reds on hand. Originally Judy had intended on producing only one red Bordeaux-style blend, but that clearly didn’t pan out, as we had no less than three blends in front of us! The superb value “Red Handed” 2010 is a Meritage blend with the addition of Syrah and Pinot Noir – all of the red grapes Judy grows. I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious aromas of milk chocolate, cherries, and vanilla, which led superbly into flavours of berry fruit and chocolate. Given that this newly bottled wine will retail for only $18 it seems like a steal!

The “Devil’s Advocate” 2010 came next, and again centered on a red Meritage blend with a little something extra. In this case the extra comes from 30% Syrah, leading to toasty aromas of leather and eucalyptus. The bright, peppery palate was very tasty – and like the Red Handed seemed almost sweet from the intense fruit. Judy hasn’t shied away from entering her wines in competition, and the Devil’s Advocate has achieved some prominent medals, including Silver from the Canadian Wine Awards, All Canadian Wine Championships, and the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

Two mini-verticals of newly released and upcoming reds continued the excitement, beginning with the original intended red blend, “Serenata”. Although Serenata 2008 was one of Judy’s very first wines, it was the 2009 that included her first estate grapes, and which we were set to enjoy. This straight red Meritage includes some other Naramata Bench grapes as well, and came directly from Judy’s library – only 21 cases were produced! The complex palate showed more tannin and darker fruit than the earlier two reds, but all in superb balance with acidity and oak. This was followed up with the new 2010 Serenata, featuring Serendipity’s special Calgary Stampede bottle design (including Isaac Newton wearing a cowboy hat). After the Devil’s Advocate was featured in the Stampede’s wine program last year, the Serenata is headed there for 2014. Calgary restaurant-goers can look forward to another finely balanced wine with a delicious, fresh nose and great food-friendly acidity. Fortunately 450 cases were produced this time around!

Joining the Serenata in Calgary will be the 2010 Syrah, a smooth, spicy wine with a hint of smoke to ensure ideal barbecue pairing. The Syrah was our final wine, preceded by the 2009 vintage of the same, a similarly spicy, ripe treat showing hints of brown sugar on the palate. Only 40 cases of 2009 Syrah were produced, but Judy managed to increase production to 95 cases in 2010, still a meagre amount by any standard, so it likely won’t last long!

So many wonderful wines and stimulating stories provided an excellent introduction to an up-and-coming winery. If you couldn’t make it to the tasting be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Serendipity at your nearest wine store, or visit Judy, Katie, and the rest of their growing team in Naramata someday soon!

BC Paired Luncheon at VIWF 2014

The closing weekend of the Vancouver International Wine Festival includes numerous thematic luncheons highlighting regions or wine styles/varieties. I often favour the “BC Paired” lunch organized by the BC Wine Institute, showing off dozens of VQA wines from nearly every BC winery attending the festival. This year’s event witnessed a new venue at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, home of ORU Restaurant. A last-minute change from the Restaurant itself to an upstairs ballroom did nothing to diminish the menu from Executive Chef Darren Brown. As it turned out, the Fairmont’s ballroom was beautifully appointed, and featured expansive views of the north shore and the sleek Convention Centre – more than sufficient for the task at hand!

Upon arrival, my wife and I found a generous food spread in the centre of the room, with wineries wisely spaced around the perimeter. A very active risotto station was busily plating ramekins of seafood fennel and foraged mushroom versions. The provided pamphlet and guide included the full grazing menu (with suggested wine pairings), but to be honest I saw very little of the proffered delights: guests descended on the food with rapidity and I made the choice to focus on wine tasting in the limited time available. Quick passes gave me a chance to enjoy at least a couple of the many delicious table hors d’oeuvres: Truffled Bruschetta, Roasted Baby Beet Salad, Crostini Bufala Margherita, Wild Mushroom Arancini, Duck Confit Rillette, Dungeness Crabcake, Braised Ancho Shortrib, Qualicum Beach Scallop, Sake Miso Sablefish, and Cotechino Meatballs were snatched up with vigour by those in attendance. Oft-refreshed artisanal cheeses provided for additional pairing opportunities, including riches from Moonstruck, Salt Spring Island, Natural Pastures, Golden Ears Cheesecrafters, and Poplar Grove.

I admittedly didn’t make it to all of the twenty-four tables – representing nearly every one of the twenty-seven BC wineries attending the Festival – and took an approach much more random than methodical. Each winery was pouring two wines, often unique from those poured in the afternoon and evening Festival Tasting Room sessions. Overall the focus seemed to be aimed more closely at value-driven, food-friendly wines, rather than the rarities and icon bottles opened in the Tasting Room. A couple of 2012 Gewurztraminers started things off nicely, including a surprising and quite tasty lime-dominated, creamy version from Bench 1775. Nearby, Haywire took aim at the perfumed side of the grape, and their clean and delicate Gewurztraminer helped illustrate the range of styles that can be produced.

At the Gray Monk table family proprietor Steven Heiss was pouring a pair of opposites alongside Charton-Hobbs Representative Taliesyn Huxtable. The winery’s 2012 Pinot Blanc was showing crisp orchard fruit flavours and a hint of light spice on the fuller body. With 15 grams of residual sugar it’s not dry, but bright acidity ensures balance. At more than twice the price, the 2010 Odyssey Meritage ($35) represented the other end of the spectrum. The big red comes courtesy of grapes from Harry McWatters’ Black Sage Road vineyard, and is pleasantly approachable now, with smooth dark fruit and hints of red bell pepper and even some black pepper. Since a direct comparison to Gray Monk’s Meritage was mere steps away we tried out Jackson-Triggs’ 2010 Sunrock Meritage, from vineyards even further south. The Osoyoos Merlot component jumped out immediately with the olive aromas I tend to associate with the region; and burnt sugar flavours yielded a sweeter palate than Gray Monk’s version.

A full Merlot from further north, on the Golden Mile side of the valley, came in the form of Hester Creek’s 2011 Reserve. The block-specific designation that began with the winery’s Cabernet Franc has been extended to the Merlot, which comes from Block 2, planted in estate vineyards nearly four decades ago. Aromas of toast and jam led into a smoky palate showing the prominent use of oak I’ve come to anticipate from Hester Creek. To refresh our palates we sipped from the winery’s 2010 Character White, a proprietary blend that surprised us with a fuller palate than expected given the light, tropical nose.

By the entrance to the room was John Skinner, proudly showing off his brand new 2011 red wines from Painted Rock. While John was only pouring his Merlot and Syrah, I recently got the chance to taste the new Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Icon as well. All the 2011 wines possess a bright, youthful acidity that amplifies the fruit flavours. The Merlot’s expressive, fruity nose flows nicely into fresh blueberry flavours, and the Syrah impressed us with particularly fresh fruit – cherries and red plums – followed by leather, toffee, and white pepper characteristics. (Tasting the Cabernet revealed elegant leather and mint, and the Red Icon is enjoyably rich and spicy, led by 30% Malbec in this annually-unique blend.) The manageable tannins throughout Painted Rock’s 2011 wines make them drinkable already while the fruit is so expressive, but the acidity promises healthy aging potential to allow for the development of additional complexity.

On the other side of the room Poplar Grove was showing off some rarities, in contrast to the more widely available wines on offer at most of the tables. The 2012 Viognier (soon to be replaced by the 2013 vintage) was one of the highlights of the event for us, with mouth-watering tropical, vanilla aromas and a rich citrus palate. It was actually challenging to pick out many unique characteristics from this well-rounded, mouth-filling wine; we just knew we wanted more – too bad it’s winery-exclusive (with just 400 cases produced)! Similarly challenging to acquire is the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, which showed deep, dark fruit flavours of raisins and dates. Despite its rusty colouring the wine could benefit from additional aging given still-noticeable tannins – alcohol approaching 15% will certainly help to preserve this big wine for years to come.

At the nearby Sandhill table Winemaker Howard Soon was more than happy to pose for a few pictures, while pouring juicy 2011 Merlot and a big, flavourful 2012 Pinot Gris. The well-rounded white had layers of tree fruit flavours covering apple, pear, and peach, plus notes of fresh grapes. Of particular reason to rejoice was the news that Sandhill will be opening an expansive new tasting room in a few short weeks. The dark, cramped boutique attached to the Calona Winery in Kelowna will be replaced by a newly renovated space next door that will do wonders to better show Howard’s many superb single-vineyard wines. Renderings show an open, airy room with natural light and original wood beams, plus much improved exterior signage – I can’t wait to visit in person soon!

From another Kelowna champion, Tantalus’ General Manager Jane Hatch had the winery’s internationally celebrated Riesling open to share. The 2012 vintage was showing just a hint of earthy petrol on the attractive nose, with flavourful lime and hints of vanilla following through on the palate. After a long, clean finish we happily tried out the 2011 Chardonnay as well, where the creamy palate and McIntosh apple flavours made for similar satisfaction. In discussing the upcoming 2011 Old Vines Riesling (enjoying limited pre-release at the Festival) Jane shared that it was – in her opinion – the best vintage ever of this extremely popular wine. Even though the Old Vines version is typically released two years later than the regular Riesling, it can still improve with additional bottle aging, up to several years (from vintage) according to Jane. I was certainly left pleased to have already obtained a couple bottles from the on-site Festival store.

While many northern hemisphere wineries, BC included, poured their 2012 whites at the Festival, Harry McWatters risked bottle shock and opened his TIME Estate Winery 2013 White Meritage. The blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon appeared no worse for wear despite being only five months from harvest (and just a few weeks in bottle), with creamy vanilla and grapefruit on the nose, and tropical fruits like starfruit and kiwi coming across on the palate. At Harry’s side was his daughter Christa-Lee, helping to show a slightly more mature release in the form of rich 2011 Red Meritage (released last year). A fruit-forward nose and bright palate trended towards darker fruit after more consideration, while youthful tannins make for myriad food pairings and/or several additional years of potential aging.

Before departing for the afternoon Festival Tasting in the Convention Centre we made sure to stop by Tinhorn Creek’s table. Viticulturist Andrew Moon was happy to pour samples of the winery’s 2012 Pinot Gris, just as the new 2013 is appearing on store shelves. The additional age on the nicely dry 2012 vintage hasn’t diminished it whatsoever, as the wonderful creamy texture remains in force – thanks to 30% Malolactic fermentation and two months of lees stirring. Fortunately, precisely the same treatment was applied to the 2013 vintage, which should be equally enjoyable over the coming months. We couldn’t resist a few sips of 2011 Cabernet Franc either, released last August and currently a rarity in local stores. I always enjoy the refined flavours of Winemaker Sandra Oldfield’s Cabernet Franc: red berry fruit (think raspberry seeds) with hints of leather, toast, and even some licorice.

There were many more wineries and wines present from which we didn’t manage to sample, but I’m glad to have made it to some long-time favourites, and to have caught up with some old friends. Included among those people are the great Communications and Marketing staff at the BC Wine Institute, who have graciously hosted me at the BC Paired Lunch for three years running. Many thanks to the Wine Institute, the Wine Festival, and to Heth PR for facilitating my media pass to the Lunch!

BC Sparkles at VanWineFest

There was no mistaking that France was the theme region at this year’s Vancouver International Wine Festival: dozens of spectacular Champagnes on offer provided for ideal synchronicity with the varietal focus on sparkling wine. I certainly enjoyed tasting through the wares of France, including delicious Champagne and Cremant, plus some spectacular gems from the Rhone in particular. My pass for all three days of the public Tasting Room allowed exploration of every international wine region represented, with special attention paid to the many wonderful wines from right here at home. With the focus on bubbly, at least nine of the twenty-seven BC wineries present in the Tasting Room had something to contribute in that respect – I tasted seventeen different sparkling wines in the BC section alone!

The fun started with one of BC’s most venerable sparkling wine producers: Blue Mountain Winery of Okanagan Falls makes four different bubbles as of their recent introduction of two new vintage wines to an already-impressive range. Sales & Marketing Manager Christie Mavety was excited to be pouring her family’s “Gold Label” (Non-Vintage) Brut to start. This bottle is a feature on wine lists across the province, and the bright flavours, yeasty mousse, and long finish make it food friendly in almost any context. The 2009 Rosé Brut particularly impressed, with a wonderfully fresh and clean strawberry palate. Lastly, for the afternoon Trade Tastings Christie shared the 2006 Blanc de Blancs, a softer, more mellow and thought-provoking wine showing layers of apple flavours and even further food-pairing opportunities. The complex 2005 Reserve Brut is already sold out, and hence unavailable at the Festival, but would complete the quartet – fortunately I have one precious bottle at home to enjoy in the future!

Moving down the alphabetically-sorted row of wineries I soon came upon the table of Gray Monk, another family-owned winery which has included sparkling wines in their broad portfolio for some time. Dawn Heiss was behind the table introducing guests to the new vintage of the winery’s Rosé Brut, a blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with additional Gamay Noir, produced in the traditional method. The 2010 Rosé comes across on the sweeter side, but still food-friendly with a creamy palate and a superb value price of only $20. Partner to the Rosé is the White Brut, a blend of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay Musque, and Riesling, still produced in the traditional method using secondary bottle fermentation. Expecting a sweeter wine I was quite surprised at the dry, crisp character in the glass, with clear contributions from the Riesling in particular. Higher acidity and lower sugar than the Rosé make for a very versatile wine – and it’s often found in magnums!

Just around the corner Summerland’s Okanagan Crush Pad was represented by their house winery, Haywire, pouring samples of the slick, crown-capped, traditional-method bubbly “The Bub”. The brand new 2012 vintage was being flaunted by one of OCP’s consulting winemakers, Matt Dumayne, with whom I was quite pleased to catch up (since last fall’s BCWAS Perseus Tasting) and compliment the excellent wine he was pouring. In retrospect, this Pinot Noir & Chardonnay blend was the most fruit forward BC sparkler I tasted at the festival, and I look forward to enjoying more than a few bottles over the course of the next year! (A Rosé version made using red-wine dosage should be equally good, albeit harder to acquire, with only 100 cases produced.)

At the other end of the size spectrum was Jackson-Triggs, back at the Festival after a year off in 2013. Amongst other wines, the “Entourage” Sparkling Chardonnay was available for tasting, remaining consistent with my last experience tasting the 2008 vintage a couple of years ago. Although crisper than I expected given my bakery-fresh recollection, the newer 2009 vintage has retained the bready aromas and baked fruit flavours I enjoyed the last time.

The Naramata Bench was represented in the sparkling department by Lake Breeze, pouring their vibrantly-named “Zephyr” Blanc de Noir, a traditional method bubbly from the winery’s very good Pinot Noir grapes. A nose of sweet strawberries and a tart, lively palate made for an easy-drinking, enjoyable wine. Most guests would be forgiven for their surprise that Lake Breeze even makes a sparkling wine, given the small quantities produced, and the fact that it appears to be sold out at the winery! My compliments to Lake Breeze for dipping into their library in order to bring the wine to the Festival, and to make it available for sale in the on-site store.

From the other side of Okanagan Lake, back in Summerland, Sumac Ridge’s “Steller’s Jay” sparkling house was naturally present, with all three wines currently produced on offer. As corporate owner Constellation Brands did with Sumac’s Black Sage Vineyard line of wines, Steller’s Jay is now a seemingly independent brand, although lacking a web presence thus far. The reliable, thoroughly-awarded Brut maintained the traditional method wine’s solid reputation, with a clean, refreshing palate on the most recent 2008 vintage. Non-vintage Sparkling Gewurztraminer was an entertaining treat, showing soft fruit and a sweet finish – I’ve heard it suggested as a great sushi pairing. Finally, the 2005 “Pinnacle”, a Blanc de Noirs aged en tirage for four years came across as more of a complex, solo sipper. It struck me as lower in acid than the Brut, but drier as well to maintain a good balance, with generous brioche and apple flavours.

Steller’s Jay was joined in the big bubbly players category (alongside Blue Mountain and Gray Monk) by Summerhill, pouring no less than four different sparkling wines – and only sparkling – at the Festival. Although the Kelowna winery produces a full range of white and red table wines, they took the varietal focus quite seriously indeed and brought along non-vintage Cipes Brut (white and Rosé versions), an early-release 2008 vintage Blanc de Noirs, and the epic 1998 Cipes Ariel. The standard Cipes Brut is a blend of Riesling and Chardonnay, somewhat sweeter than Gray Monk’s similar wine, but just as refreshing. The Cipes Rosé, from 100% Pinot Noir, was recently named amongst the Top 10 wines at the 2013 Effervescents du Monde competition; I certainly enjoyed the juicy berry fruit flavours. The Blanc de Noirs is not yet formally released, and came bearing a temporary but straightforward label, plus a complex and mature flavour profile I look forward to enjoying again upon release. Lastly, I was very excited to try my first sip of Cipes Ariel, which at $85 after 15+ years of age is not too common, nor opened too often: a beautiful amber-gold straw colour revealed an intriguing nose and palate that seemed almost savoury in nature, but ultimately inspired me to liken it loosely to “sparkling Madeira”!

To cover every BC sparkling wine available I made sure to stop by two more tables. At the first, in between Steller’s Jay and Summerhill, Stoneboat Vineyards was pouring the second release of their “Piano” Brut, a unique Charmat-method wine produced from Pinot Blanc and Muller Thurgau grapes. I’ve tried the wine a few times since the first release at last year’s Wine Festival, and this bottling seemed drier from what I could recall. General Manager Tim Martiniuk assured me that it contains the same proportion of residual sugar, but this batch was aged a bit longer than the first, and hence the immediate fruit flavours are slightly tempered.

At the very end of the BC section was young Vancouver Island winery Unsworth Vineyards, established in the Cowichan Valley in 2009 by Tim and Colleen Turyk. It’s rare that such small (but growing) wineries as Unsworth formally attend the Festival, given the nearly prohibitive costs. As a result, I was excited to see them, particularly given the presence of their 2010 “Cuvée De L’Ile” traditional-method Blanc de Noirs. Only 355 cases have been produced of this Pinot Noir-based wine, aged on the lees for two years, and now ready to enjoy. I enjoyed the vibrant nose and yeasty palate, which seemed to lean towards an old-world French style (contrary to some of the lighter, more fruit-forward wines from elsewhere in BC). With so much great French Champagne in the room just steps away I’m sure Unsworth found themselves in great company!

Having enjoyed a delightful range of sparkling styles and flavours I couldn’t help but consider the wines and wineries missing from the Festival. Only a handful of local wineries attend consistently every year, as doing so represents a significant investment, so several notable BC sparkling wines were missing in action. Most immediately apparent was the lack of Road 13’s celebrated Sparkling Chenin; the Golden Mile winery had just attended last year and so quite fairly opted out this year. Blasted Church was also unable to attend, but their new traditional method “OMG” sparkler would have no doubt impressed the crowds. I also sorely missed some of my favourite frizzante-style wines, including Orofino’s Moscato, and the popular “Integrity” and “Confidence” from Summerland’s 8th Generation Vineyard. Ironically, while Kelowna’s Tantalus was in attendance, they simply didn’t have enough of their sold out Old Vines Riesling Brut to commit to the Festival. Fortunately, the Regional Tasting Station operated by the BC Wine Institute was pouring the Riesling Brut, along with other rarities from wineries unable to attend, including Backyard Vineyards’ Blanc de Noir, the finely-crafted Sparkling Chardonnay from Bella Wines in Naramata, Noble Ridge’s “The One”, and Sperling Vineyards’ vintage Brut from Kelowna.

I stopped by the BC Regional Station several times to enjoy the ‘bonus’ wines as they were rotated through. With two dozen BC sparkling wines available to sample throughout the Tasting Room and nearly one hundred more from across the world I was kept busy enlightening my palate. My thanks to the Festival management and to the very competent team at Heth PR for facilitating my media credentials and access to the Tasting Room. I’m already eagerly awaiting the 2015 Festival, which celebrates the wines of Australia and a focus on what should be some superb local and international Syrah!