Time to Taste Wine - A California Conundrum

 

California is famous for many different varietals as well as some distinctive blends. Join Dave as he tastes one of these blends which includes Muscat Blanc- and then think about booking a tour with Dave to taste some Muscat wines in the Okanagan!

First Visit at Covert Farms Winery - Stealthy Sips and Mysterious Morsels

I've always loved the name of Covert Farms Winery. In my head, I had this image of a 1970s style James Bond compound with the owners in tuxes or gowns and the winemaker wearing a shiny lab coat. 

However, I wasn't overly surprised when we drove up to a wonderfully quaint farm, complete with chickens and Highland cows - owned by the Covert family.

And, after the tasting, I was definitely not disappointed!

I had meant to visit Covert Farms in the past but what motivated this week's visit was the Uncork the Sun Virtual Vinstitute being held this Tuesday. The theme of this one (and it's the first one I'll be attending) is 'Celebrate Warm Days With Rosé' so I needed to get the wines for the tasting. I had a bottle of the Bartier Brothers Rosé and my sister-in-law helped me source some Culmina Saignée Rosé but I was still short the Covert Farms bubbly Rosé - so we decided to head down to the winery. 

Just north of Oliver, this was definitely a working farm with plenty of animals.  We had booked the 'Private Epicurean Grand Reserve Tasting' for $30 per person which included a nice assortment of charcuterie meats, cheeses, pickles, and jam. I would definitely suggest this for a group that wanted a snack or light lunch while touring. 

We were very fortunate to have the wine shop manager, Jayna, do our tasting. She was very knowledgable about the wines, the vineyards, and the farm itself. She told us about a few wines and then left us to slurp and nosh on the delicious charc board, returning every so often to tell us about the next few wines and answer our questions. 

Our first wine was the reason we had come there in the first place - the 2020 Sparkling Zinfandel. It is made in the method ancestrale which means that the wine is bottled partway through the fermentation and so the wine develops bubbles after it is bottled. Pet-Nat is another way of referring to these types of wines. 

This wine is very nice with light bubbles and a very dry taste. It is low in alcohol (9%) and I did enjoy this a lot although the price ($28.50) is a touch high for such a wine. Mind you, we bought two bottles so..... I would rate this wine as Very Good. 

Our next wine was a 2020 Sauvignon Blanc ($22). This is actually a blend with 72% Sauv Blanc, 20% Semillion, and 8% Viognier.  Thanks to the blend and the residual sugar, this wine is a bit less dry than your usual Sauv Blanc - and we both actually found it to be quite tasty! It went well with the charcuterie and I rated it between Good and Very Good. 

We had the 2020 Chardonnay ($24) next - 25% of this wine is fermented in new French oak while the balance is fermented in stainless steel. There are tastes of tropical fruits and butter as well as an overall lightness of the Chardonnay. This is a nice, light wine that paired very well with all of the food we had. I would rate this as Good - Very Good. 

We finished the first half of the tasting with their regular 2019 Rosé ($22.50), a blend of Merlot (75%), Cab Franc (16%), and Syrah (9%). It is rather unusual - there is an almost meaty smell to this wine as well as sour cherries. It has different flavours on the palate including red cherries and strawberries. This is a heavy Rosé - pleasant to drink but not what  I would expect. I rated this one as Good. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the selection of whites and rosés but now we were to experience the big reds. Some of the reds were labelled Grand Reserve which means that they are limited production and only available at the winery or online. 

Our first Grand Reserve was the 2018 Zinfandel Grand Reserve ($47). This is a powerhouse of a Zin with flavours and aromas of blueberries, chocolate, coffee, and figs. It is very dry on the palate with not a ton of fruit and is an elegant wine. We really, really liked this one and ended up with a couple of bottles. I rated this one as Outstanding. 

Next up was an almost Bordeaux style blend, the 2017 Amicitia ($27).  This is a blend of Merlot (37%), Cab Sauv (23%), Cab Franc (16%), Malbec (14%), Peitit Verdot (9%), and Syrah (the one that doesn't belong - 1%).  This was aged for 14 months in a combination of French and American oak and it is a delicious blend, especially for the price. Cherries, plums and dark fruit dominate this wine that I rated as Very Good to Outstanding. 

We then had the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve ($56). There are some nice flavours in this wine including cherries, chocolate and leather but, after having the Amicitia, I found this to be a bit blah. Nothing really wrong with it but it just didn't meet my expectations. Rated Good. 

Happily, we were given the opportunity to try a bonus wine - the 2018 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve ($35.50). This is an amazing Pinto Noir - quite a strong flavour with red fruits, spices, and chocolate. I was very tempted to pick up a bottle of this one but decided on two of the Zin instead. I rated this one as Very Good. 

We had a great time at Covert Farms and I will definitely be back - on my own, with friends, or with a tour.

This summer, why not book a tour with me at Wine and Then Somm Wine Tours? I would be happy to meet you in Kelowna or Penticton and take you, in the comfort of your own vehicle, to Covert Farms or some other wonderful Okanagan wineries! Book today!

Time to Taste Wine - Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

 

This week's video looks at tasting a Sauvignon Blanc from one of the most famous wine regions in New Zealand, Marlborough. 

The wine featured is a 2019 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc. After giving a brief overview of the region, I will be using the WSET 3 tasting grid to guide my comments and evaluation. 

Enjoy!

Time to Taste Wine - A Côtes du Roussillon GSM Blend from the South of France

 

The south of France is a very large and productive wine area - some wine is great and some, not so much. In this week's video we taste a Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre blend from the Côtes du Roussillon appellation. 

Join Dave as he sniffs, sips, and slurps through this tasty red wine.

A New Batch at The Hatch for Wine Tasting!

 We've belonged to The Hatch wine club for at least six years - and have enjoyed their wines and the changes to the winery over that time. 

Only a couple years ago, The Hatch had a ginormous array of wines to choose from. Then they split off their Black Swift and Screaming Frenzy lines to the Black Swift winery. And, more recently, their Crowns and Thieves line has its own, very unusual and very enjoyable winery that just opened in January. 

We were worried that it would end up with The Hatch having rather ordinary wines which would have been a shame as the irreverence of The Hatch has always been tempered by their very good quality wines. 

Fear not!

We picked up our Spring Wine Club box today and were treated to an excellent tasting of a variety of wines. I didn't do formal notes on the wines but I did take my time tasting and my wife and I chatted about each wine that we tried.

First was the 2019 Gobsmacked I Am Bob, But I Am Pink bubbles ($24). This is a 'Sodastream' style wine where the wine is made and the CO2 is added at the end to make the bubbles. It is a blend of Pinot Noir,  Cab Sauv, and Malbec - and is a weightier Rosé that I have usually had. There were lots of nice red fruits amongst the bubbles with a slight overlay of gentle tannins which made this a bit unusual. Our Hatchling told us that they were making the wines in 2019 and realized that there was a vineyard of red grapes that they had forgotten about so decided to make a bubbly pink wine. Love those Hatch stories! Rated Good.

Next was the 2020 Auxerrois that Endserrois ($22 - a play on 'All's Well that Ends Well') which is made form the Auxerrois grape which is not made by that many wineries in the Okanagan. We both detected a sharp funkiness on the nose, sort of like Marsanne, but on the palate, the taste was not as big of a kick as Marsanne. Citrus flavours like lemon dominated on the palate. An interesting wine that would make a decent patio sipper. Rated Good. 

Third was the 2016 Prima Volta Charrdonay ($35) - the proprietors thought all of this wine was gone but discovered some in the back of the wine cellar! This was aged in oak puncheons which are twice the size of oak barrels so there was less oak flavour imparted to the wine. It was fine but I didn't like it enough for the price. Rated Good.

Our transition wine, a 2020 Flipping Da Bird Rosé ($22) was an enjoyable and somewhat unique rosé. We usually want a rosé that is very dry with more citrus/watermelon flavour where this was fruitier and possible a touch sweet.   I believe it was a blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, and another red grape - maybe Malbec?  It would a fine wine to drink on the patio or enjoy with something with a bit of salt - say, roasted duck, chicken wings, or a strong cheese. Rated Very Good. 

The first red we tried was the 2018 Hobo Gamay ($27). It was a light bodied red with tastes of plums. It was an enjoyable light red but not as good as the next one. Rated Good.

The 2016 Gobsmacked PS I Love You ($25) is a blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah. I don't recall tasting a blend like this before and it was spectacular! It was a nice light wine that would be equally at home being sipped by the patio or accompanying grilled meats. A versatile wine that was very enjoyable. Rated Very Good. 

The final wine that we had (thank God we didn't decide to do some other wineries) was my favourite of the tasting - a 2016 Hobo Malbec ($38). This already has some good ageing on it and it could even use a couple more years. Nice, strong tannins, high alcohol, and dark fruits make this a powerful wine that could easily rival a Cab Sauv when having a steak dinner. Rated Outstanding.

We really did enjoy the tasting. We sat outside at a picnic table in the sun, our Hatchling did a wonderful job of telling us about the wine and then chatting with us about everything under the sun, and we ended up coming home with 10 bottles of wine! 

Luckily for people who aren't overly planned, The Hatch is open from 11 to 5 and no reservations are needed. If you haven't been to The Hatch for a couple of years, I would definitely check it out!

This summer, why not book a tour with me at Wine and Then Somm Wine Tours? I would be happy to meet you in Kelowna or Penticton and take you, in the comfort of your own vehicle, to the Hatch or some other wonderful Okanagan wineries! Book today!

Time to Taste Wine - Loire Wines Part 3 - Les Epinats from Saumur

Here's the final of three wine tasting videos on Loire Valley wines where I try a Cabernet Franc from Saumur. Tasty wine! Link in bio!

There are lots of wineries in the Okanagan that have great Cab Franc which are also mentioned in the video.

Time to Taste Wine - Loire Wines Part Two - Vouvray (Chenin Blanc)

Here's  my video on a nice Vouvray. from the Touraine region of the Loire Valley. Join me as I try one of these tasty white wines made from Chenin Blanc - and then think about booking a tour with me to taste some Chenin Blanc in the Okanagan!

The wine I tasted in this video is a 2017 Vincent and Julien Raímbault Bel Air Vouvray.  Hope you enjoy the video!