BCWAS: Tinhorn Creek Wine Dinner

After what Tinhorn Creek President Sandra Oldfield cheekily described as years of effort she finally obtained the opportunity to host the BC Wine Appreciation Society’s annual dinner this year. She has seen her peers from Painted Rock, Van Westen, Quails’ Gate and others dining in style at Vancouver’s finest restaurants with the Society’s many enthusiastic members. The good times have been sufficiently enticing for Sandra to request the inclusion of her winery as well! The BCWAS has a long history with Sandra and Tinhorn Creek – four years ago the Society hosted Sandra in Vancouver for an amazing twelve-year vertical of her famous Cabernet Franc, going all the way back to the first vintage in 1996! We were all quite pleased to welcome her back to a relaxing dinner by the water on a beautiful spring day.

Four dozen members of the Society gathered for dinner at LIFT Bar & Grill in Coal Harbour, with spectacular sunlit views of Stanley Park and the North Shore. As sailboats tied up in the marina outside President Brian welcomed us with enthusiasm. This dinner was a milestone for Sandra in particular as it marked one of her first major public events since stepping down from the role of Winemaker. With good humour she recalled the consternation of many a customer and colleague who wondered what on earth she was going to do now – now that she is “only” President and CEO of the winery. As internationally-experienced Canadian winemaker Andrew Windsor is taking over to bring Tinhorn’s wines to an even better place, Sandra is freed up to focus on strategic goals of the winery and the BC wine industry in general. In her words, “If you thought we were doing great things before, when I was doing nine jobs, wait until I’m only doing seven!”

Our five course menu was developed by LIFT Executive Chef George Koay and Sommelier Sandy Hamilton, then laboriously tested by President Brian and Events Coordinator Kristal a few days earlier. A market-fresh vegetarian menu was also available for enjoyment, of which several guests took advantage, myself and my wife included. A couple of fellow members sat with us and shared their take on the omnivorous menu, to provide for full coverage. As the first wines were served Sandra spent some time introducing her winemaking philosophy. Interestingly she emphasized the fact that at Tinhorn Creek the grapes don’t actually come first – she is adamant that their greatest resource is people. Without the superbly talented and passionate people present at the winery – and the ideas they share – the grapes have no hope of being expressed to the fullest. It is Sandra’s hope that nurturing great people shows through in the wines they make together as a team.

The first course featured the brand new 2013 Oldfield Series 2Bench Rosé, traditionally produced exclusively from Cabernet Franc since the first vintage in 2009. In 2012 the Cabernet Franc was joined by a block of Syrah that didn’t quite fit with the remainder of the winery’s varietal Syrah; its lighter qualities proved ideal for Rosé however. Now, for the 2013 vintage the wine is back to the original formula, with 100% Cabernet Franc from the winery’s Black Sage Bench Diamondback Vineyard. The salmon-coloured wine is not produced in a saignée style, as is common, but is instead a dedicated Rosé, with the red grapes pressed as if it were a white wine. Chef Koay provided a tart grapefruit-infused BC Spot Prawn Ceviche to pair with the bright, summer-celebratory wine, and for the vegetarians a spicy salad of gathered greens, Granny Smith apple, Brie, and toasted walnuts. The kick provided by the aged Balsamic dressing risked dominating the dry wine, but we still relished the rhubarb nose and tart apple and currant palate.

Sandra had generously arranged a preview of the upcoming 2010 Oldfield Series Pinot Noir with our next course. Despite approaching four years of age, this wine is still not for sale! Sandra and her team recently made the tough decision to add additional bottle age to their Pinot Noir, knowing it would pay off in the long run. It meant going without the varietal in the tasting room for several months when the traditional release schedule was overruled, but the wines have clearly benefited from greater maturity. The 2010 Oldfield Series will have enjoyed a full two and a half years in bottle before its release in July! Paired with either Duck Breast & Crispy Polenta, or Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Salad, the softly textured, dark and rich wine provided a superb reminder of the range of Pinot Noir that can be produced in BC. An admittedly high alcohol nose of cherries and earth led generously into a bold, bright berry fruit palate just coming into its own. The fresh tomatoes in our salad enhanced, and were enhanced by the wine, leaving us longing for more mouth-watering delights.

We mixed things up next by reversing trajectory to white wine territory, in a non-traditional course change that featured yet another Oldfield Series early preview! The 2013 2Bench White won’t be sold to the public until June, but Sandra couldn’t wait to share it with us. Chef Koay and Sommelier Sandy had prepared a perfect pairing of Honeydew-cured Wild Salmon Gravlax or vibrant Spinach Ravioli to match Sandra’s blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon, Viognier, and Muscat. The 2Bench White has always expressed itself with generous melon aromas, and the new vintage did not disappoint, showing honeydew, apples, and lemon curd leading into the complex, roundly-textured palate. The toasted pinenuts, shaved baby vegetables, and micro greens with the Gravlax sounded superb, but the Ricotta cheese and spinach in our Ravioli were definitely a highlight of the meal.

The fourth course was a treat for long-time BC wine fans, with a well-aged library release showing off Tinhorn Creek’s venerable varietal Cabernet Franc. The 2004 vintage was the winery’s first Franc with Stelvin screw cap, and despite an expected life of 5-6 years from vintage it is still going strong, helped along by that secure closure perhaps. Alongside herb-crusted Elk Loin and Wild Mushroom Ratatouille, the wine made an impression on the nose with big, bold aromas of leather, dark fruit, and roasted meat. The juicy acidity (and 14.6% alcohol) no doubt contributed to the wine’s long life, and has ensured it remains very food friendly even ten years from vintage date. The rich flavour palate held ripe figs, black licorice, mocha, and a hint of creosote to keep things interesting on the long finish.

Our final pairing included another look back as we enjoyed the 2008 Oldfield Series 2Bench Red, only the second vintage of Sandra’s big red blend. The wine originally experienced 18 months in new French oak, and then a further 18 months in bottle before release in October of 2011. Now in bottle for nearly four years the 40/40/20 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc was ready to be enjoyed with Spring Lamb Chop & Stilton Cream or Millet Couscous with Charred Vegetables. Generous fruit aromas wafted easily from the glass, featuring prominent blueberries and a touch of tobacco and leather, while the full-bodied, black currant palate showed off very good balance atop dusty tannins.

As the evening wound down and we polished off the remaining wine the LIFT kitchen surprised us with a pleasant little after-dinner selection: Gingersnap cookies, biscotti, and fresh raspberries provided a sweet touch at the end of the meal after the sun had set. We wrapped up over conversations about the evening’s favourite pairings as well as the bright future of BC wine. Many well-deserved thanks to Sandra Oldfield as well as the entire LIFT team concluded matters, until we aim to top ourselves again next year!

Wines of BC Vintage 2013 Preview

I recently received the honour and privilege of tasting a dozen brand new 2013 wines from across BC, while the winery proprietors and winemakers themselves discussed the vintage with a room of Vancouver media. The BC Wine Institute had invited us to the Rosewood Hotel Georgia to learn about the quality of the 2013 vintage, and to preview a broad selection of wines, some still in tank and barrel, others formally bottled only days beforehand! We sat down to thirteen glasses of aromatic joy, ranging from very pale yellow in colour to the beautiful darker hues of Rosé, Gamay, and Pinot Noir.

As Moderator DJ Kearney explained, last year’s excellent vintage was one of the top four of the past fifteen years in terms of heat units. The season experienced an average start – quite literally, with June nearly perfectly matching historically average Growing Degree Days. Temperatures spiked quickly in July, with 415 degree days (61 above the average); the vintage was shaping up to be another gem like 2007. By September temperatures were still warmer than average, but a freak hailstorm in Kelowna wreaked havoc on a few vineyards, ruining their chances for a profitable season. Some early rainstorms during harvest provided worry, particularly for tightly clustered Pinot varieties, and sour rot was a very real challenge in some vineyards. The wet grapes combined with wasps and then fruit flies to yield a perfect storm that needed very careful management for some of the at-risk grapes. Ironically, the month of October was the coldest since at least 1998, but clear of inclement weather, allowing for long hang time and full phenological ripeness of many varieties.

Bob Johnson of Baillie-Grohman Winery in Creston was first to introduce a couple of his new white wines, coming to us directly from one of BC’s newest “emerging wine regions” far to the east of the Okanagan Valley. Bob’s impressive Gewurztraminer has sufficient fruit to avoid an overly perfumed presentation, with a big spicy, citrusy, floral nose. The rich palate contains flavours of mango, lychee, and Turkish delight, serving as an ideal example of the variety. The bright Pinot Gris expresses itself with ripe pear and peach aromas, and follows through with flavours in parallel, plus fresh melon and citrus.

CedarCreek Winemaker Darryl Brooker spoke next, introducing his Platinum Riesling, beneficiary of an extremely early harvest that has yielded a very racy, low alcohol surprise. The first version of the wine in 2012 contained nearly 25 grams per liter of residual sugar but this year’s successor shows a moderate 15 grams. The wine is a mouth-watering delight for the senses, walking the line between acid and sugar. It begins with delicate apple and floral aromas and leads into a very zingy citrus palate, with a long finish of young, fresh pineapple – it definitely left an impression in the room.

Darryl also had the opportunity to introduce the first Rosé of the tasting, from 395 cases of fresh Pinot Noir. Previously, a portion of the juice from the winery’s varietal Pinot Noir was bled off to make a relatively dry Rosé. However, in 2013 the practice was stopped as the winery came to the realization that the concentration derived from doing so is actually unnecessary. CedarCreek’s 2013 Rosé is noticeably sweeter and slightly less acidic than the 2012 version, which struggled in a marketplace seemingly seeking off-dry patio sippers. Fortunately, the new wine retains the cheerful wild strawberry aromas of its predecessor, and benefits from some intriguing earthy flavours underneath the bright red fruit.

The Naramata Bench was well represented by JoieFarm Winemaker Robert Thielicke, and two of his popular white wines: Un-oaked Chardonnay and “A Noble Blend”. The Chardonnay underwent two months of lees stirring for texture, providing a lovely round body containing flavours of candy apple following tropical aromas, and some noticeable alcohol on the nose (14.1% in fact). The wildly popular Noble Blend consists primarily of Gewurztraminer and Riesling, plus one sixth in other whites – Pinot Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, and Schoenberger. The traditional tropical characteristics such as lychee are easily noticeable, while the Gewurztraminer’s perfume is controlled nicely by the Riesling – an intentional strategy as explained by Robert. The balance is ideal this year, with 10 grams of sugar, and the winery even made 2,000 more cases to counter how quickly it sold out last year!

From Summerland on the other side of Okanagan Lake we were joined by Okanagan Crush Pad’s passionate Chief Winemaker Michael Bartier and a couple of his Haywire wines. The unfiltered sample of Switchback Vineyard Pinot Gris was expectedly yeasty, with lots of apple notes and creamy caramel characteristics. The wine was primarily whole cluster pressed, and enjoyed wild yeast, spontaneous malolactic fermentation. An unfiltered, very early sample of Canyonview Vineyard Pinot Noir was particularly good, showing delicious fruit and spice from a wine that still has plenty of aging to experience in the concrete tanks in which it currently rests. Michael’s winemaking philosophy is very much vineyard-focused, and he enthralled the room with detailed dialogue on vine management, displaying a fascinating map of the Switchback Vineyard’s water-holding capacity.

The speaker’s list continued moving south to Okanagan Falls, from which Winemaker Dwight Sick of Stag’s Hollow introduced a new reserve white and a charming Rosé. The Renaissance Sauvignon Blanc is an intensely-flavoured small lot wine of which only 85 cases were produced. Dwight’s notes of smoke, lime zest, and snow pea aromas perfectly capture the French oak-fermented wine, and the rich palate presents more toasted citrus flavours and hints of green, leafy vegetables. The Rosé is a blend unique to BC, with 15% Grenache joining Syrah to yield enticing aromas of red berries and a hint of leather. The wine comes from a vineyard in which certain blocks typically don’t fully ripen, but mature to a point perfect for Rosé. Five grams of residual sugar combine with the taste profile to remind one of Swedish Berry candies, with a lightly peppered finish.

To atone for omitting representation from the Similkameen Valley during a similar event last year, the Wine Institute had ensured the presence of one of the Valley’s champions: John Weber of Orofino Vineyards had even brought three wines to share! His Hendsbee Vineyard Riesling comes from right next door to the winery, showing crisp apples and lemon-lime on a dry finish that should age beautifully and pair very well with a range of foods. The Home Vineyard (Old Vines) Riesling is richer, with twice as much sugar, and a creamier texture thanks to lees stirring. John’s “bonus” wine was the Celentano Vineyard Gamay, bottled mere days earlier. The wine is already showing cream soda and a hint of leather on the nose (5% of Syrah was added for colour), plus generous raspberries and strawberry seed flavours. The nice bright acidity and long finish will make for a superb summer red, served slightly chilled.

The thirteen wines we enjoyed that day were an excellent early summary of the vintage, while bigger reds and even some whites continue to develop in tank and barrel. Many more excellent wines are already on the market, with more set to come soon, particularly as the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival concludes for another year. There will be no shortage of great local wines to enjoy this summer and beyond!

Cocktails and BC Wine Brunch

Our first brunch celebration of BC wine – after years of dinner parties – was a celebrated success, and led immediately to plans for another event a few weeks later. The four couples comprising our enlarged Wine Club gathered this time at our Vancouver condo, where we managed to shoehorn an additional table from the balcony in to our dining area, providing full seating for eight. That being said, we didn’t sit down right away, because I had taken the opportunity to gleefully prepare an over-the-top Caesar bar and Mimosa station. Although I and a couple others helped ourselves to Caesars, it was the Mimosas, made with Steller’s Jay Brut, that really got people talking. Sumac Ridge’s ever-reliable sparkling wine made for a perfect match with freshly squeezed CYONI organic orange juice – perhaps the best Mimosa I have ever enjoyed!

Famished and also sufficiently pre-lubricated, we sat down to our first appetizer course, a mouth-watering “Latin Bruschetta” on freshly toasted baguette. The mix of avocado, lemon juice, and fresh herbs was paired with two delicious BC Gewurztraminers. From Summerland’s Saxon Estate Winery we sampled the 2012 vintage, with a floral focus and clean, bright acidity. The 2011 Reserve-tier Naramata estate wine from Joie was a much bolder take on the varietal, with a fuller-bodied, creamy texture, and strong lychee flavours beyond the rose-petal aromas. The “fat, juicy” Joie, while impressive in scale, proved to be undone in this context however, as the drier Saxon was the ideal pairing for the tart bruschetta. Nothing stopped us from finishing both bottles with ease however!

Moving on to the second appetizer course we were presented with a beautifully assembled Buckwheat Heirloom Tomato Salad, boasting kale, mint, kaffir lime leaves, and some fresh micro greens on top. The fully ripened, exquisitely flavourful tomatoes were exciting enough on their own, but we also received two more bottles of wine to enjoy as well. Lightly-aged Pinot Gris from Platinum Bench (2011) and Averill Creek (2010) helped to remind us that white wine can preserve and mature nicely if given the chance. The Platinum Bench wine came from the young winery’s first white vintage, right after the property was acquired by new owners. Only 165 cases were produced and it is long-since sold out, but the peach flavours and minerality impressed, and the dry finish served nicely to bring out the lime flavours in the salad. From Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley, the older Averill Creek wine is actually still for sale at the winery (alongside a 2013 Pinot Grigio). A citrus focus on the nose and palate, plus a somewhat buttery texture made for another tasty pairing.

Something a little heavier was due next as my wife and I got to plate the duo of savoury bread puddings we’d been looking forward to serving with a couple of crisp sparkling wines. Some mixed greens helped to spruce up the plates of Sourdough Tomato Basil, and Whole Wheat Mushroom Leek bread puddings. Inspired by the bright tomatoes, earthy mushrooms, and chewy bread, we’d settled on a couple of sparkling rosés to keep our palates energized. First crack came from my last bottle of 2012 Bella Gamay, showing fresh berry flavours on a very dry, high mousse palate that conjured descriptions of raspberry biscuits. I’m glad the 2013 vintage is on its way to stores so I can replenish my stocks! The second superb sparkler was Blue Mountain’s 2009 Brut Rosé, composed of 84% Pinot Noir, and 16% Chardonnay, disgorged just last spring. A fine, mouth-filling mousse revealed flavours of pink grapefruit and sweet strawberry alongside more noticeable yeastiness than the Bella. The crisp acidity and fresh fruit helped wash down a few second helpings of bread pudding.

While sipping some superfluous sparkling, we watched the dessert team spring into action for our final course. They proceeded to whip the dickens out of some cream, generously decorating our kitchen in the process, to provide a rich topping for their Chocolate Mousse. A few fresh blackberries helped to integrate the luxurious treat with a couple of similarly-flavoured red wines. The 2012 Three Bear Ranch “B3” Merlot is one of Mission Hill’s many virtual brands, and light leather, tart berry, and hints of smoke and pepper made for an easy-drinking sipper. The best pairing came in the form of Sandhill’s 2011 (Similkameen Valley) Cabernet Merlot, which paralleled the mousse nicely with milk chocolate and, ideally, blackberry flavours. It’s not always easy to coordinate dessert with table wine, but the dark cocoa made for a mousse serious enough work with the well matched red.

It was altogether a delicious meal with many vibrant, complimentary BC wines; however we soon came to regret the lighter fare most of us had assembled. Our mutually tender states the following day called for more protein the next time around, and perhaps less enthusiastic embrace of the reception cocktails. Fortunately we still went away with fond memories of great food, wine, and laughter!

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!