Vancouver Wine Festival 2019

Wine from the festival!

This year I went to my second Vancouver International Wine Festival. Last year was my first year and, armed with the knowledge I had gleaned from having taken my WSET Level 2, I thoroughly enjoyed the event. 

This year, with the news that I had passed my level 3 fresh in my mind, I had another wonderful experience.

One of the unexpected pleasures last year was bumping into some of my fraternity brothers from UBC (almost 40 years later) - including Phil, who I spent four months with travelling around the US back in 1982 (precise details elude me as the entire trip is shrouded in a haze of comradery, frat parties and alcohol). This year, we all met up at Al Porto in Gastown for a pasta dinner, and a chance to catch up, before wandering over to the festival. 

Once we arrived at the festival, we bumped into even more people I knew including first, yet another fraternity brother and his wife, a sorority sister from years ago, second, the son of our close neighbours as well as his friends and girlfriend (who, incidentally, also has her WSET Level 3), and, third, two of the people from my WSET 3 course that were in my tasting group (and who also successfully completed Level 3)!

The Wine Festival has a diverse and interesting crowd. Some of the people  sip, swirl and then spit each glass. Others just slurp back every wine they sample, a sure recipe for wobbly legs and sore heads. I take the middle path - swirl, sip, drink a bit, and then dump the rest. I do feel a little relaxed by the end of the night but am still able to identify and process the different tastes and aromas of the wines. 

The featured wine region this year was California. We spent some time in Napa almost eight years ago and enjoyed their bold, flavourful wines. Unfortunately, we did not end up purchasing a lot of California wine at this year’s festival as some of the wines we tasted (including the St. Supery 2014 Napa Valley Estate Elu) were not available in the wine shop while others were very pricey (such as the Stag’s Leap Artemis at $85). We did end up with two that we were very happy with.

 

The first was the Benziger 2015 Cab ($25.49). While having dinner and trading notes before the festival, Dave, another one of my fraternity brothers, showed me his notes on this wine and I am very glad that I visited their booth. This wine is a steal for the price. A fantastic, black fruit, aged and rich Cab that is going to be wonderful to drink. I would enjoy this one on its own, or with a rich meal.

We visited Hess a few years ago in Napa and I’ve always enjoyed their wines. The Hess 2015 Allomi Cab Sauv ($38.99)  was probably our favourite of the evening. I’m not sure why we didn’t buy more! It had rich black fruit including black currants and blackberry as well as a nice long finish, with a smoothness that is so California!

Just a little side note - you may wonder why we bought so many different wines. In all, we ended up with 17 bottles (some we bought two of) at a little over $500. This is not a common occurrence (believe me!). However, most of the wines that we bought are not usually available at the BC Liquor store. Even the ones from the Okanagan were only available for the festival or direct from the winery.  You might not find these at the BC Liquor Store but you may see them at Everything Wine or one of the many private liquor stores.

Moving up the coast, we ended up in the Willamette (rhymes with damn it) Valley in Oregon. We really enjoyed our visit there last year and loved the Domaine Serene Evenstad Pinot Noir we bought - although the $75 US price tag was a bit steep. Happily, we found the Elk Cove 2016  Pinot Noir ($43.99). The Willamette Valley style of Pinot Noir that we have grown to love is a fruity but minerally wine. Some of the Pinot Noir that we tried at the festival was almost too dry or too smoky or lacked fruit but this one had punchy fruit and was not overly austere. There were two other wines made by this producer that were specialty Pinot Noir but their price point was significantly higher.

Who says you can’t have reruns? Closer to home was the Wines of Substance K Vintners 2015 Motor City Kitty ($52.99) from Walla Walla, Washington). We had this one last year at the wine festival and ended up making an eight hour detour on the way back from Las Vegas a few weeks later so that we could buy this wine at the winery. Not only was this on sale this year but we found out that this will now be available at the BC Liquor store! Really enjoyed Motor City Kitty  (oh, that's what MCK stands for!) as it is a very tasty and bold Washington State Syrah.

We ended up with a few wines from right here in BC. That’s because a lot of the smaller wineries only sell their wines at the winery or only produce a small amount of wine each year. 

The first wine we tried was the Time 2017 White Meritage ($22.99) in Penticton. This one was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and was one of the recommendations that Gismondi wrote about in the newspaper. Interestingly, when we were having dinner before the festival, Dave was telling me how he had spent time in a wine course in the 80s that was taught by Anthony Gismondi before he became famous! This white Meritage was delicious with tastes of pear and apple and had a nice acidity.

The Wild Goose 2017 Gewürztraminer ($19.99) was also another Gismondi recommendation and it is a fresh, spicy and slightly off dry wine that cries out for some tasty white meat, or fish…. or just a nice sunny patio! Their winery is located in Okanagan Falls. 

Roussanne is a grape that I’ve always wanted to buy as I have only tasted it in my WSET course - until now! I was excited to have the Lake Breeze 2017 Roussanne ($22.49) as it did not disappoint. Although not that acidic it had very nice stone fruit and apple flavours. Looking forward to having this accompany some tasty dish at home like chicken, pork or even salmon. This winery is also located in Naramata. 

My wife absolutely loves 8th Generation Winery and is a big Riesling fan. Their 8th Generation 2018 Riesling ($19.99) was crisp and a touch off dry. It would be a wonderful accompaniment to spicy foods or barbecued white meats.

Going a little more international, we went over the Uraguay’s lone participant. The Garzon 2016 Tannat $24.49 was another suggestion from Gismondi. I love Tannat and its super strong, tannic nature. Looking forward to popping this one with something really rich or fatty or, hopefully, both!

Italy is home to more grapes than anywhere else in the world. How many? Over 350 "authorized" varieties and another 500 documented varieties. I was keenly aware of that when I tried the Savian Lison Pramaggiore Refosco ($18.49). This  organic wine was a very interesting one because it was made from the Refosco grape which I have never had before. It had a taste of mostly red fruits like red cherry and raspberry, but also had some hints of dark fruit as well. An easy drinking wine, this would be great for pizza or pasta. Nice price, too!

Who doesn’t like Prosecco? Mionetto had four different Proseccos and we got to try them all. The Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosseco ($22.99) was my favourite because of its crispness and hint of fruitiness with an overall dryness to the bubbles. This wine is a great sparkler that would go with just about anything!

The Italian wine with the most amount of body that I bought was the Nerube 2016 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva ($30.99). This wine, which is made from the Montepulciano grape, is very nice and would be a great one to bring to an Italian restaurant when you want to have a nice red wine to accompany your meal. Both red fruits and black fruits are evident along with some spice! It’s not one to age but it is one to enjoy!

I still think that France is one of my favourite - if not my very favourite - areas for wine in the world. There weren’t a ton of producers from France but I still managed to find some stunning wines.

The Haut Medoc is located on the Left Bank of the Gironde Estuary in Bordeaux - think Cab Sauv dominate with Merlot and Cab Franc. The Medoc is the general wine area with the Haut Medoc being the better part of that region. The 2015 Chateau Lachesnay ($31.99) was one of the four wines that we tasted from Ulysse Cazabonne (also a great year).  The company owns at least four châteaux and we had a chance to talk to the winemaker of this particular wine (notice the winemaker's signature on the bottle!). Although it was not a wine that is a cru , it was still very tasty and the price was quite good. The other wines that we tasted were also excellent but were a bit pricey. This one was a touch austere with lovely dark fruit flavours and aromas and a beautiful long finish. Probably a special occasion wine that could stand a few years ageing. 

Finally, the Chateau Pesquié 2016 Cote du Ventoux Artemia ($48.99) was a Syrah and Grenache blend. It was delicious with blackberry, black cherry, and other black fruits on the nose and on the palate. There was also some vanilla, tobacco, and even a hint of chocolate. Another excellent French wine that might deserve a special occasion or at least a special dinner. 

About to unbox our festival shipment!

Our wine ordered (the BC Liquor store will box and ship your order to your local liquor store for free - ours arrived less than a week later), my wife and I stumbled back to our hotel after having a late night snack along the way. We reflected, not only on the great wines that we had sampled, but also on the interesting mix of people, the friends that we had seen the we knew, and the conversations with the producers and winemakers. 

An extraordinary event. I already can’t wait until next year!

Cheers!

Wassa Matta With You? Wines from Central and Southern Italy - WSET 3.9

This week's class started off horribly - which is appropriate, I guess, as it was Halloween....

My first mistake happened before class - when I went for dinner at Pokéritto. Pokéritto is like Subway except it's for Poké - basically sushi rice, seafood and other stuff. I look forward to going here every class and so I had my usual (tuna, shrimp, crab, bunch of other stuff) but this time I picked the sweet chilli sauce, thinking it would have a tiny bit of heat, like sweet chilli potato chips.

Nope. Couldn't be more wrong.

I enjoyed the spiciness of the food, but I think it made me screw up my wine tasting - at least the first two wines. Mama mia!

Central and Southern Italy wine regions - courtesy Wine Folly

Central Italy has those wonderful Apennine mountains going down the middle so the great wine sites are in the hills of these mountains, facing south, if they are in the best sites. Altitude helps as well because this is a hot climate. Although there are lots of regions, Sangiovese grape is king, no matter the name.

The most famous region is Tuscany or Toscano - which contains Chianti, the oldest wine region in Italy. The Sangiovese is expressed as red cherries, plum and dried herbs and can be regular Chianti, Chianti Classico (grown on traditional sites, usually on hills and aged for 12 months), Chianti Classico Reserva (aged 24 months) and Chianti Classico Gran Selezione (aged 30 months).  In Southern Tuscany there are two excellent wines, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (confusingly, not to be confused with Montepulciano D'Abruzzo). On the coast are the Super Tuscans - basically wines made from international varieties like Cab Sauv, Merlot and Syrah rather than Italian grapes.

East of Tuscany is Umbria where the Orvieto DOC (remember, DOC means the lower of Italy's top tier and DOCG is the top of their top tier) makes a light bodied white containing Grechetto and Trebbiano grapes. Trebbiano is a neutral grape used for a lot of blending. Sagratini di Montefalco is another DOC that makes super tannic red wines.

Lazio is the region around Rome and, in the Frascati DOC, they make a medium bodied white from Malvasia and our mixing friend, Trebbiano. East of Lazio is Marche where Verdicchio is used to make high acidity whites in Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC and a red blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano (the grape, not the place) in Conero DOC.  Finally, in Abruzzo, the ever confusing Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is made from the Montepulciano grape which is famous for a rubber smell and a purplish colour.

The first wine we tried was from Marche and was a Sartarelli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico ($26). I was totally off on this wine - I do struggle with the whites at times - so I am relying on my group's skills for this tasting note rather than my own. On the nose, this wine had pear, lime and citrus flavours while on the palate, there were also almonds and a minerality expressed as wet stone. This wine had medium everything - acidity, alcohol, body, finish - and was rated as a Good wine that should be drunk now.

Next, from this part of Italy, was a 2015 Toscolo Chianti Classico ($29). I fared better on this one, getting red cherry, red plum, and cedar on the nose with tobacco and wood spice on the palate. This dry wine had high acidity - ready to cut through a tomato based pasta dish - and medium or medium plus in most other areas. It was Very Good and should be consumed now.

From the same wine region was a 2012 Sassetti Livio Brunello di Montalcino ($90). This was a medium garnet wine that had pronounced intensity on the nose - those same aromas of cherry and plum but also with cedar, game and farmyard. Developing on the nose, it also had similar tastes on the palate. This wine had high acidity, medium plus tannins, full body and pronounced intensity. A balanced, complex wine with a long finish, it was rated as Outstanding - with definite ageing potential.

The last wine from Central Italy was a 2016 Illuminati Montepulciano D'Abruzzo ($20). This had black fruits like black cherry, black plum and black currant on the nose as well as violet and cedar. It was on the cusp between youthful and developing. On the palate were similar flavours with smoke and balsamic vinegar added in. This was a high acidity wine with most other areas being medium. A balanced wine with some complexity, it was rated as a Good wine to drink now.

Southern Italy is hot and dry, especially inland. The vines there have traditionally been bush trained (the vine literally looks like a bush) to protect from the sun but some trellising has been used more recently. The best vineyards are, surprise, on the slopes of the Apennines.

Campania is the region around Naples. Three of the grapes that are grown are Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico. Fiano di Avelino DOCG makes a medium to full bodied white wine with stone fruit and medium acidity. It can age where it develops tastes of wax and honey. Greco di Tufo DOCG makes a high acidity white wine with tastes of green apple, stone fruit and passion fruit. This, too, can age and can have honey and mushroom flavours. Aglianico is made in the Taurasi DOCG (a great wine for the price) and is a high acid, high tannin red wine with black fruit and an earthy flavour. The Basilicata region is in the instep of the heel of Italy and also makes Aglianico in the Aglianico del Vulture DOC.

In the heel of the boot is Puglia. There they make Negromaro and Primitivo, both red wine grapes. Wines made here can be high yielding, 'lake of wine' type wines but there are good quality wines available as well. Negromaro can be full bodied with medium tannins and acidity and tastes of baked red and black fruit. The best can be found in the Salice Salentino DOC. Primitivo is genetically the same as Zinfandel and has a similar taste profile to Negromaro.

On of the islands off the west coast of Italy is Sicily. Nero D'Avola is a red wine grape with full body, medium acid and tannins, and tastes of plum and black cherry. The Etna DOC of Sicily makes both Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappucio which can be elegant, fragrant red wines with high acidity and tannins and tastes of sour cherry, strawberry, and cranberry.

The white wine that we tried from Campania was a 2009 Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano di Avelino Pietracalda ($41). This was the other wine that I flubbed, thinking it was the Verdicchio - so the notes here are, again, thanks to my brilliant group! This wine had stone fruit and pear on the nose and on the palate. The Fiano was dry with high acidity, medium body, medium plus intensity and a medium plus finish.  It was balanced and complex and earned a Very Good rating.

Also from Campania was a 2011 Taurasi Aglianico also made by Feudi di San Gregorio ($50). This lovely ruby wine had tasted of blueberry, black plum, stewed fruits, earth and charred wood on the nose and palate. It was a high tannin, medium plus acidity, full bodied wine with a long finish. It was balanced, complex and had an intense flavour and was Outstanding. You could drink this wine now or your could age it for a few years.

From Sicily was a 2016 Feudo Maccari Nero D'Avola ($26). This is a great pizza wine having black plum, cherry, cedar and black cherry on the nose and palate. Most other areas were medium but it was a pretty balanced wine and earned a Good rating. Definitely good for food!

Finally, we had a 2015 Benanti Nerrelo, also from Sicily ($25). This was the last wine of the night and I find that sometimes my palate gets a little tired. This was a fairly delicate wine (think Pinot Noir) and after some of these full bodied wines, it sort of got lost. It was a light garnet wine with aromas of cherry, raspberry, strawberry, cooked fruit and smoke, On the palate it seemed to have the same flavours but less intense (hence, its delicateness). Lynn assured us that it was a Very Good wine that would pair well with salmon or tuna.

Italy has so many wines and we've just scratched the surface. Luckily, we had two weeks looking at the vast numbers of wines and regions. Next week we are apparently tackling Spain and Portugal together which seems like a rather daunting task, seeing as there are so many areas, especially in Spain. I guess I will just have to 'press' on in my 'thirst' for wine knowledge!

Ciao!