Opening Day! Crown and Thieves Winery in West Kelowna

Today was the opening day of Crown and Thieves Winery in West Kelowna - and it is well worth checking out. Part of Jason Parkes Customs which includes The Hatch, Black Swift and Truck 59 Ciderhouse, they have been building this winery for quite a while. Back in November, I heard a rumour that it was open only to be disappointed that it was still under construction. Today we had better fortune as it was definitely open - and we were the second people to enter!

After being greeted at the door we went inside the winery. My first view was the washroom and it was a unique, funky (not in a bad way)  place - best winery bathroom I've ever been in! We then entered their eclectic but enjoyable tasting room. 

There were bottles going up the sides of two walls like bookshelves. There were interesting portraits, custom made wallpaper, and an art reproduction on the ceiling dating from 1666. Everywhere you looked, there was another unusual thing, some with stories, some without. 

Our wine tasting guide was a bright and enthusiastic young lady and she did an excellent job of taking us through the wines (unfortunately you can't see her sparkling flapper dress underneath her coat). She was knowledgable about wine (has her WSET 2!) but she also knew the stories behind the wines  - something that I think really elevates a tasting. I'm not sure if there was a tasting fee as we are members of the Hatch wine club.

The first wine we tried was 2019 Winemaker's Wench which is a blend of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Roussanne. Honestly, this wine made me think of summer. It was bright, crisp and flavourful and had a very nice taste of stone fruits. At $20, it was a good buy.

Next was the 2017 Chenin Blanc ($30). This was another nice, crisp wine with strong acidity and tastes of green and citrus fruits. I enjoyed it but the other white was the one that made me think of summer. 

The first red we tasted was the non vintage Scoundrel's Punch, a blend of Cab Franc, Merlot, and Cab Sauv. Despite the blend, I could see this one going with lots of food, from chicken, to pasta to hamburgers tp steak to Saturday afternoons sitting by the window. Good acidity, not too many tannins, and very drinkable. A very versatile wine for $25.

The final wine we tasted was a bold, brash 2017 Crybaby Malbec ($60). This wine spent 30 months in American and French oak barrels and had tannins to be reckoned with as well as balanced acidity. I already have a bottle of the 2016 (which is $65) so I didn't buy a bottle but this would make a wonderful special occasion wine. 

After tasting, we went on a tour of Crown and Thieves as it really has been built as more than a winery. First we went upstairs to the Dimber Damber (which overlooks the tasting room) which has a bar,  a fancy piano, and lots of interesting objets d'art. In the 1920s, the era where Crown and Thieves gets a lot of its vibe, this would have been where the boss or the godfather would look down to oversee what was happening in his illicit club.

Then we headed downstairs. This is the Speakeasy and it is awesome! I can't wait for Covid to be over! This would be such a fun place to have a drink of wine or a cocktail and listen to some music. Incidentally, Jason Parkes is one of the performers in the band that will play there. Does the guy even have time to sleep?

Finally, we headed outside to the patio to enjoy the breathtaking views. It was a great end to our visit, especially since it was a beautiful sunny day (mid January? Yep!). We will definitely be back! 

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 Crowns and Thieves or anywhere else in the Okanagan to try some local, wonderful wines! Book today!

A for Argentina - and Australia - 2 Wines from Each

Here we are in 2021 - and thank goodness for that! 2020 has been a very challenging year so I am glad it is behind us. 

However, there is a rumour that in the Okanagan, at least, 2020 was a fantastic year for wine grapes! Who knows? It was also a great year for many wineries in the Okanagan thanks to big increases in direct to winery sales. Hey, we've got to do something during a pandemic!

Since the summer, I have been trying to focus on non-domestic wines. Why? During the summer - basically, during my wine guiding season - I spend a lot of time visiting, researching and buying Okanagan wine. I really enjoy our local wine but it is good to get out and try some wines from different places. 

And there are some pretty great deals, as well!

Courtesy Wine Folly

The first area to look at is Argentina. Argentina is the number 6 (that's right, 6) producer of wine in the world! Mendoza is the main area but there are many other areas including San Juan, La Rioja, and Salta. The king of grapes in Argentina is Malbec. It is one of the six grapes allowed in Bordeaux, France, but it dropped in popularity after a frost in the 1950s killed off 75% of the crop. You mainly find Malbec in Cahors in France - and I have reviewed an excellent wine from that region (Chateau Eugenie).

That said, the two wines that I am going to look at from Argentina are not straight Malbec. One is a red blend and the other is a Chardonnay. 

The 2018 Alamos Chardonnay is made by a big producer in Argentina but, if you look on their website, they only list their red wines. The price was a mere $15 which can be a good thing - but can also be a warning sign. 

Appearance - Clean, medium, lemon in colour

Nose - Clean, medium intensity of aroma, aromas of vanilla, stone fruits (peach, apricot, buttered popcorn, banana, lemon, fig, vanilla, butter, and cheese. 

Palate - Very fruity (almost off dry), medium acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium plus intensity of flavour, medium finish, and flavours of vanilla, stone fruits, buttery popcorn, lemon and cheese. 

Evaluation - This tasted like a vanilla and popcorn bomb. Unfortunately is was not balanced at all, had OK length, had good intensity but was not overly complex. I would rate this wine as Acceptable. The vanilla and popcorn flavours just overpowered this wine for me. I was eating a stinky cheese from France and this wine did not pair well with it. My wife did not enjoy this wine either and we ended up pouring it down the drain. 

Next!

The 2017 Clos de Los Siete ($27) was a red Bordeaux style blend from Mendoza made from Malbec (54), Merlot (18), Cab Sauv (13), Syrah (8), Cab Franc (4), and Petit Verdot (2). 

Appearance - Clear, deep, ruby

Nose - Clean, pronounced intensity with aromas of cooked fruit, raspberry, cranberry, strawberry, plum, blackberry, blueberry, sultana raisins, green pepper, violets, cloves, cedar, fig, earth.

Palate - This dry wine had medium plus intensity of flavour, medium plus acidity and tannins, high alcohol, medium body, and a medium finish. There were flavours of cooked fruits, dark fruits, forest floor, fig, cooked fruits, cedar, charred wood and pepper. 

Evaluation - This was a great, bold wine. It had a balanced taste profile with OK length, strong intensity of flavour, and complex flavours. I rated this wine as Very Good. It would pair well with beef, lamb or a nice, strong cheddar. 

The other two wines are from Australia. Australia has many wine regions (thank goodness they weren't all on my WSET 3 exam!) and include the Yarra Valley, Hunter Valley, Barossa Valley, Coonawara and McLaren Vale - and this is only a smattering of the many regions. In fact, Australia is the number 5 producer - one ahead of Argentina! In recent years, Australia has been moving away from jammy, bulk wines to making some of the best examples of some varietals in the world. Now, they have climate change to deal with.... The wines I tried were both from the McLaren Vale. 

The first wine is the 2018 Penny's Hill Black Chook from the McLaren Vale which is made of 96% Shiraz and 4% Viognier.  Mixing a bit of Viognier in with the Shiraz (or Syrah) is a Northern Rhone practice and it really brings out some great flavours in the Shiraz. It is one of my favourite blends so I was pretty excited about trying this one. 

Appearance - Clear, deep, ruby.

Nose - Clean, medium plus intensity, aromas of blackberry, blueberry, baked fruit, black pepper, green pepper, violets, black plum, smoke, leather, earth and cloves. Basically fruit and spice. 

Palate - Dry, medium intensity, medium plus acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium minus finish. Flavours of blackberry, black pepper, black plum, smoke, spice, earth, and coffee. 

Evaluation - This wine has so many things going on with the nose but it was a bit disappointing that many of those aromas did not make it into the palate. The balance was Ok, the length was not great, it had Ok complexity and some intensity of flavours. It was a smooth wine that was good with food and I rated this one as Good (but I was definitely disappointed). 

The other wine from Australia - and the last for today's blog - was a 2019 Take It To The Grave (on sale at BC Liquor right now for $16) made from 100% Grenache. Grenache is a wine that is often found in a blend, such as from the Southern Rhone, but I don't usually have it as a single varietal. It ripens late so needs to have hot weather - so is perfect for Southern Australia. 

Appearance - Clear, medium, ruby

Nose - Clean, medium intensity, red plum, raspberry, strawberry, floral, jamminess, toast, smoke, cloves.

Palate - Dry, medium acid, medium minus tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium plus intensity, medium plus length, Flavours of plum, raspberry, jam, fruitiness, toast, red liquorice, pepper, cranberries, craisins, 

Evaluation - Although I thought this would be an OK wine, it turned out that this was a really enjoyable, smooth, easy drinking wine. I could sit on the terrace and drink this all day! The balance was good as was the complexity while the length and intensity were both excellent. This food wine (or just slurping wine) was rated as Very Good. Great value, too!

That's it for now - Happy New Year and Cheers to 2021!

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, anywhere in the Okanagan to try some local, wonderful wines! Book today!

Great Under $20 Wines from Puglia, Italy and South Africa

The view from Quail's Gate Winery

Shortly after I did my last blog post in November, I had a bit of a scare....

First, I started getting a metallic taste in my mouth. My sinuses get a little stuffed up from time to time so this isn't unusual a couple of times a year. However, one night, I also got the chills. I was so cold that I ended up taking a hot shower in the middle of the night with mostly hot water. 

After going to bed looking a bit like a lobster, I was still a bit cold - and so I was worried. Was it Covid?

Thanks to our excellent health system, I was able to get a Covid test appointment for a couple hours later.

33 hours later (not that I was counting or anxious or...) I got this text message:

\What a relief!

Of course, since that time I have still been tasting wine with my friend, Keith, on a weekly basis. We are each responsible for two wines in a row and have been choosing a theme lately such as a region or varietal. 

Courtesy Wine Folly

Keith picked Puglia in Italy for his first theme and we did two interesting wines from there - one of them a wine that I have since bought three more bottles!

The first wine was a 2018 Luccarelli Primitivo (on sale right now at BC Liquor for $14). Primitivo is the same grape as Zinfandel found in California. 

Appearance: Clear, medium ruby.

Nose: Clean, medium intensity, black plum, blackberry, strawberry, pencil shavings, dried blueberries, cedar and vanilla.

Palate: Dry, medium plus acidity, medium minus tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium plus intensity, medium finish - cedar, charred wood, candied or jammy fruit, blackberry, blueberry, black plum

Evaluation: This wine had a hint of bitterness due to the high acidity. It cried out for a nice pasta dinner - definitely a food wine. It was fairly balanced and had a good length with strong intensity and complexity. I rated this wine on the border between Good and Very Good - but, at even the regular price ($15), this is a bargain. 

The next wine blew me away. It was a 2019 Botter Salento Verso Rosso  (on sale right now at BC Liquor for $18). This is a blend of Negroamaro and Primitivo grapes which includes some appassimento grapes which have been picked and dried in the sun before being fermented. 

Appearance: clear, deep, ruby

Nose: clean, medium intensity, grape, cedar, plum, charred wood, cherry, blackberry, cloves, fig

Palate: dry, medium plus acidity, medium minus tannins, high alcohol, medium plus body,. long finish and medium plus flavour intensity with tastes of grape, plum, cherry, blackberry, fig, cooked berries, plum jam. 

Evaluation: This was a very nice wine. It is a good sign to me when the nose and the palate is similar and this one was pretty close. It was such a smooth wine with so much flavour - and at such a good price! This was a balanced wine with great length, strong intensity of flavour and was complex. I would rate this wine as between Very Good and Outstanding and would suggest that you have this one with food.  

After the two wines from Puglia, it was my turn.

Courtesy Wine Folly

I have neglected wines from South Africa for too long! However, I did have a really nice Cinsault last month when I did a wine tasting and drawing class. A friend of mine has teamed up with an artist and they do the tasting and drawing things online - interested? Check out Unwined. The drawing was lots of fun and the wine was very good but was priced in the mid $30s so it didn't go along with Keith and my maximum price of around $20. I also didn't want to have a Pinotage as I have found most of the South African Pintoages a bit too much like espresso. 

The first wine we had was a 2018 Protea Cabernet Sauvignon ($15). This wine is made in the Franshhoek Valley in the Western Cape of South Africa and comes with an odd cork that sticks out at the top that you can, apparently, just open by twisting. 

Appearance: Clear, deep ruby

Nose: Clean, medium intensity, black currant, blackberry, leather, cedar, green pepper, cooked fruit, spice, black pepper, and possibly eucalyptus

Palate: dry, medium acidity, medium plus tannins, high alcohol, medium plus body, medium plus intensity of flavour, medium length with flavours of blackberry, cedar, leather, charred wood, pepper and cooked fruits

Evaluation: This wine had a lot of fruit on the nose but ended up losing a lot of that on the palate, leaving tastes from the oak and just a bit of fruit. It was ok in balance and length, had fairly good intensity of flavour and was somewhat complex wine. It might be an idea to age this wine for a couple of years as that would reduce some of the tannins and leather/charred wood taste. I rated this food wine as Good. 

The final wine of today's blog is the 2019 Boutinot Tiger Horse Cinsault ($15 at BC Liquor) made from 40 year old bush vines from the Western Cape. 

Appearance: Clear, medium ruby

Nose: Medium intensity, clean, cranberry, plum, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, smoke, toast, forest floor, and, perhaps, violet

Palate: Medium plus flavour intensity, dry, medium acidity, medium minus tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium finish with flavours of cranberry, plum, strawberry, raspberry, pepper, some sort of leaf and an underlying minerality

Evaluation:  This was a very different wine - lower in tannins, good fruit but still had some minerality. It was fairly balanced and had acceptable length but was intense in flavour (contrasting with the aromas which were not all that intense) and was quite complex. This is a great food wine - it would go with a variety of foods including chicken, pork, pasta, and beef. I rated this between Good and Very Good. 

That's it for the time being. With a vaccine being approved just today in Canada, things are looking up. I the meantime, 'be kind, be calm, be safe'.

Two Whites, Two Rosés, and Two Reds.- and Wine Touring is Done for the Year!

Vineyards of Moraine Winery, Naramata

It's been far too long since I've posted about wine - because I've been busy wine touring!

At the beginning of summer, in June, I actually got my business license from the city of Kelowna. July was a fairly quiet month. 

And then August exploded. 

I was busy from the beginning of August right until the middle of October. I had initially thought that I would be happy if I had one tour a week - it turned out that I sometimes had three in a week - way more than I thought!

Every single tour has been enjoyable and, even when I was pretty busy, it did not feel like a job at all. Because I'm driving the clients' vehicles, the groups are always small and private - and I look forward to getting to know the clients. 

My WSET 3 knowledge has been indispensable but it has also helped that I have done a lot of research and reading about the local area - Valleys of Wine: A Taste of British Columbia's Wine History (Luke Whittall) has been an indispensable resource.

But now that the tour season is winding down, it's time to look at some of the wines that I tasted with my friend, Keith, over the summer. 

Two Whites

First were two whites - even though it is fall, white wine is still the go-to wine when you have chicken, fish, and other lighter meals - which I still like in fall. Both happened to be from the big boy in the Okanagan, Mission Hill.

First up is the Mission Hill 2019 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc ($22 BC Liqour). This was a bright and refreshing wine which was fairly enjoyable to drink. Here's the tasting notes:

Appearance: Clear, lemon, pale

Nose: Medium intensity, clean, aromas of grapefruit, peach, apple, apricot and honey.

Palate: Flavours of grapefruit, lemons, underripe peach and underripe apple. A dry wine with high acidity, medium alcohol, medium minus body, medium plus intensity of flavours, and a medium finish. 

Evaluation: This was a good, crisp wine that would be good with a variety of lighter meals such as chicken, fish, and soft cheeses. It had OK balance, OK length, strong intensity and was not overly complex. This was rated as a Good wine. Drink now. 

Just a reminder - overal ratings are based on balance, length, intensity and complexity. A wine can be Unacceptable, Acceptable, Good, Very Good, or Outstanding depending on how the wine performs in the four different aspects. 

Next is the Mission Hill 2018 Reserve Chardonnay ($22 BC Liquor).  This wine was fermented mostly in oak (75% with 11% being new) and the remainder in a concrete egg or in stainless steel. 

Appearance: Clear, medium, lemon

Nose: Clean, medium plus intensity, aromas of peach, apricot, vanilla, butter, popcorn, lemon and apple. 

Appearance: Dry with medium alcohol, medium plus acidity, medium minus body, medium plus intensity of flavour, and a medium finish. There were mostly similar tastes as the aromas with lemon, peach, apricot, vanilla, apple, toast, butter, and pineapple. 

Evaluation: This was a balanced wine with acceptable length, strong intensity, and very good complexity,. Overall, this is a Very Good wine that is good with food or on its own. Drink now.

Two Rosés

Patio pounding and Thanksgiving turkey may be just a memory but rosé is good to drink year round - especially with turkey, duck, chicken, and charcuterie. It's also nice to sip on those days when you wonder when Covid will end. 

The first one we tried was the 2019 Narrative Rosé ($16 BC Liquor). This was a crisp and refreshing wine that would be good with a variety of foods.

Appearance: Clear, medium, salmon

Nose: Clean, medium plus intensity, aromas of lemon, lime, grapefruit, roses, pear, raspberry, cranberry, watermelon, and, possibly, asparagus.

Palate: This dry wine had high acidity, no tannins, medium alcohol, light body, medium plus flavour intensity, and a medium finish. Not as many flavours were apparent as on the nose - just grapefruit, lime, watermelon, and sour cherry. 

Evaluation: This wine was not overly balanced, had OK length and complexity, but had very good intensity of flavours. This is a rosé that would be at home with some food (rather than on its own). This wine is rated Good. Drink now. 

The other rosé was supposed got be from Hester Creek. They make some really nice wines (their Syrah Viognier is excellent) so I was eager to try the 2019 Cab Franc Rosé. Unfortunately, since we've done the tasting, it has sold out. That's a real shame because it was a lovely wine - think charcuterie and cheese - and was a good price at $22. 

So what can I share instead? This is one I've already reviewed - the 2019 Leyda Rosé from Chile ($15 BC Liquor). I saw this recently in a wine column and it was on sale for $12 at the time - a killer deal. I suggested to my friend that we taste this one. It seemed rather familiar but we went ahead. Today, while reviewing my blog, I realized that we already tasted this in April or May - but I thought I'd revisit it.

Appearance: Clear, medium, salmon.  (same as in April)

Nose: Clean, medium intensity, cranberry, strawberry, cherry, raspberry jam, violets. (I also got gooseberry and lavender in April). 

Palate: Dry with medium acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium plus intensity, and a medium finish. (pretty close to April). Tastes of strawberry, cherry, raspberry, grapefruit, watermelon, lemon, and strawberry lemonade. (I got candied fruits and pepper as well in April but not nearly as many fruits).

Evaluation: The balance was OK - a bit acidic - while the length was good and both intensity and complexity were excellent. Similar to April, I rated this as Very Good. A food wine to drink now. At even the regular price, I would stock up on this wine. 

It was interesting to compare my notes on the same wine but six months apart. They were definitely not identical but similar. 

Two Reds

Ah, fall. The beginning of the red wine drinking season. With comfort food and roasted meats being featured this time of year, red wines come to the fore. 

The first in one we tried in April, a 2016 San Fabiano Calcinaia Boschino Organic ($20 BC Liquor). This is a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, and Colorino and is a wine to consider for food - maybe.

Appearance: Clear, deep, ruby,

Nose: Clean, medium intensity, aromas of red cherry, red plum, blackberry, tomato leaf, leather, cedar, barnyard, meaty, and pepper.

Palate: A dry wine with high acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium plus intensity but only a medium minus finish. Flavours included cherry, plum, blackberry, leather, cedar, smoke, peppery and meaty. 

Evaluation: This was fine. It's a food wine. It had OK balance and length but was fairly complex and had some really good intensity of flavours. Overall, I gave it a rating of Good. 

The last wine is a Cru wine from Beaujolais. Beaujolais red is always Gamay Noir, There are generic Beaujolais wines, better wines that are Beaujolais Village wines, and named villages which are Cru wines. 

This wine is from the village of Brouilly and is a 2018 Pierrieux Brouilly ($22 BC Liquor). I was very excited about this wine when I bought it but ended up being a little disappointed.

Appearance: Clear, ruby, medium

Nose: Clean, medium plus intensity, aromas of red plum, raspberry, red cherry, cranberry, bubble gum, lavender, cherry jam, and leather.

Palate: This dry wine had medium plus acidity, medium minus tannins, medium alcohol, medium body, a medium finish and a medium plus intensity of flavours. There were tastes of red cherry, plum, raspberry, toast, cedar, leather, tomato leaf and an earthiness. 

Evaluation: The balance and length were just OK. This was an intense wine and complex so I would rate it as Good. This would be a good food wine. I think I am still looking to find a Cru Beaujolais that I really like.

And that's it. Now, I'm mostly caught up! Time to study Spanish, drink and taste wine, and think about next year's wine touring season...

Cheers! 

Two Refreshing Whites - One From Here, One From There....

A typical warm weather scene in the Okanagan 

We are well into the heat of summer. Despite Covid19, there are people at the beach (mostly socially distancing), people at outdoor restaurants (especially those where the servers wear masks) and lots of people walking and enjoying the sunshine. 

When it's really hot - and I mean 35 or 36 degrees - it is just too darned hot for red wine. Best to slap something on the barbecue and have a chilled rosé or a white. 

This blog (and I know it's been a while - been busy!) I thought I'd look at two wines that my friend Keith and I tasted at this summer.

The first was a 2019 Poplar Grove Pinot Gris ($19.99). Now, I love Poplar Grove. It is in Penticton, just as you leave the Naramata Bench. They have an amazing restaurant there (the Vanilla Pod is now called the Restaurant at Poplar Grove), a killer good rosé, and a view that is wonderful. It was time to try something else from there.

Pinot Gris is a fairly popular grape in the Okanagan and it can have a different taste, depending on the terroir. Here are the tasting notes for this refreshing wine:

Appearance - clear, pale, lemon

Nose - medium plus intensity, clean, aromas of grapefruit, lemon, apple, pear, peach, honeysuckle, vanilla and, perhaps, butter

Palate - medium plus intensity, off dry, medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium plus finish, and flavours of peach, pear, apricot, vanilla, butter and tropical fruit

This wine was fairly balanced (a bit too much vanilla on the palate), had good length, and fairly good complexity. I would drink this now and this would be equally happy with some food or on its own on the patio. Overall, I rated this as Very Good. 

My wife and I are watching an Italian detective series called Montalbano - there are something like 30 episodes filmed over 20 plus years. The reason I mention this is because it is filmed in Sicily. Sicily looks hot so you would think they would know something about making wine for hot weather so we tried one. 

The Crudo Catarratto Zibibbio (made from Catarratto Bianco and Zibibbio grapes - right now on sale for $16.49 at the BCL) was an amazing looking bottle with a giant octopus on the label. Marks for creativity!

Appearance - clear, pale, lemon

Nose - clean, medium intensity, honeysuckle, apple, pear drop, lemon peach, vanilla, apricot

Palate - pronounced intensity, dry, medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium length, and citrus flavours like lemon, and grapefruit as well as pale, pear, and apricot

This wine had such a complex nose so it was a bit disappointing that it had a rather simple set of flavours on the palate. It was fairly balanced, had an OK length, had good complexity and amazing intensity of flavours, This is a drink now wine that is not suitable for ageing, This also really needs to have some food - it elevates it from a humdrum wine to one that is quite enjoyable. 

I would rate this wine at a hair about Good - maybe Good plus. At the current sale price, I think I'll pick up a few bottles tomorrow!

Now, back to the deck!

Cheers!

Two wines - and two wine stories - from France

M. Chapoutier is a large wine company from France - they make wines from several areas and particularly in the Côtes-du-Rhône and Languedoc-Rousiullon in the south of France. There are famous wines such as Chateauneuf-de-Pape but there are also a lot of really good wines that don't have a village name. 

The wine we had when my friend, Keith, and I were tasting last week was a Bila-Haut from M. Chapoutier. I'll get into the tasting in a moment but one thing you'll notice is that there is Braille on the label. In fact, most, if not all, of M. Chapoutier's wines have Braille on the bottle. Why is that?

Well, according to Vinepair, when Michel Chapoutier was a young man of 29 years old, and had been in the family wine business for a mere three years, he was watching his friend, musician Gilbert Montagnin, on TV. Gilbert is blind and was explaining how difficult it was for him to identify wines. In fact, he had stopped going to wine shops by himself  because he felt so uncomfortable and would only venture in to buy a bottle when with a friend.

Michel knew his friend loved Côtes-du-Rhône wines so he investigated to see how difficult it would be to print Braille on his family's wines labels. As it turned out, it wasn't difficult at all and, from then on, Braille was included on all of the Côtes-du-Rhône wines as well as others that M. Chapoutier makes including Languedoc Rousillon.

And now, several other wine makers include Braille on their labels as well. 

For our tasting, we decided to do one of my favourite inexpensive wines, a Bila Haut from Cotes-du-Roussillon Villages ($16.99). At my liquor store there was both a 2017 and 2018 Bila-Haut but Keith could only find a 2018 so that is what we went with. The mix of this wine is Syrah, Grenache and Carignan.

Here are my tasting notes:

Appearance - Clear, deep, ruby.

Nose - Clean, medium intensity, grape, blueberry, plum, blackberry, cranberry, black currant, leather, cloves.

Palate - Dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, medium plus intensity, medium plus body, with flavours of grape, blueberry, blackberry, plum, black currant, tobacco, leather, black pepper,

Evaluation - This was an enjoyable wine on its own but really was a nice food wine (as many wines are). You could drink this now or age for a couple of years. It was balanced, had a good long finish, had pretty good intensity and some complexity.  I rated this wine as between Good and Very Good. 

This week we tasted another wine from France, a wine from Cahors. 

Cahors is in the southwest of France, north of Toulouse. Wine has been made there since Roman times - although one Emperor (Domitian) had all of the vineyards burned in 92 AD because the growers in Italy thought there was too much competition. Happily, by 276 AD, grapes were allowed to grow again and started to thrive as the Roman Empire declined.

In 1152, Cahors wine got a huge boost as it was served at the wedding of Eleanor Aquitaine and Henri Plantagenet, future king of England.  It was called the 'black wine of Lot'  due to its rich colour and become a hit with wine drinkers in both France and England right up until the late 1800s. 

Then that nasty bug phylloxera hit. 

After recovering, thanks to American rootstocks, Cahors was hit again in 1956 by massive frosts that wiped out most of the vineyards. 

But that wasn't such a bad thing. 

After phylloxera, winegrowers ended up planting a variety of different grapes and didn't plant so much Malbec so their wine wasn't that special. After the frosts, however, Malbec (along with some Merlot and Tannat) was the grape planted once again - and 'black wine' was back!

My friend, Keith, is a big fan of Cahors so I was interested in tasting this wine. 

We had a 2015 Cahors Château Eugenie Tradition Malbec Merlot ($23.99 - the least expensive Cahors in the liquor store) which was, of course, a Malbec (80%) and Merlot (20%) blend.

Appearance -  Clear, deep, ruby.

Nose - Clean, medium plus intensity, black cherry, raspberry, cranberry, blackberry, raisins, pepper, cedar, toast, smoke, leather and tobacco. Developing.

Palate - Dry, high acidity, medium tannins, medium alcohol, medium body, cherry, tobacco, cedar, blackberry, leather, smoke, pepper, tar.

Evaluation - This was another wine that was very enjoyable to drink on its own but was stellar with food (and I am just taking cheese and crackers!). I would drink this now or age for a couple of years (although the producers web site says 3 - 5 years). This was fairly balanced but had a long finish, was intense and was complex. A Very Good wine. 

Story time's over.....

Cheers!

A Renewed Winery and a New Winery - Cedar Creek and Priest Creek

With friends outside the gorgeous view at Cedar Creek

We recently opened our bubble a little bit more and had friends from Vancouver stay with us for a few days. It was wonderful to have some semblance of normality with visiting, sharing wine, having dinners together, and going on wine tastings.

We went to a few different wineries over a couple days but I wanted to highlight two of the wineries that made an impact.

Cedar Creek is always a great stop and, I think, is the future of wine tastings. Not only have they recently renovated their winery, they have continued to innovate by changing their tasting format to a seated tasting - for Covid time and beyond. 

After booking a reservation, we arrived for our Farm to Glass wine tasting which cost $22 per person. This sort of fee may come as a surprise to Okanagan regulars but Napa and Willamette, to name a couple, have been charging equivalent prices or a lot more for their tastings for years.

You can choose either a tasting based on Northern Okanagan wines such as Riesling and Pinot Noir or on Southern Okanagan wines like Merlot and Viognier. We chose the latter. We sat on a comfortable leather sofa and Darren, our wine associate, brought the wines to us and knowledgeably explained the different wines including stories of where the wines were grown and how they were made. 

Briefly, the wines were...

The 2018 Platinum Haynes Creek Viognier ($35) was a wonderful expression of the Viognier grape. This wine had wonderful floral aromas and an almost oily, textured body with fruit and spice. This was a Very Good wine. 

The 2018 Border Vista Sauvignon Blanc ($30) was a good, crisp wine with lots of acidity, citrus and gooseberry flavours, and seemed to call out for some food. This was a Good to Very Good wine.

The 2017 Estate Merlot ($21) was OK - it did taste a bit plummy for me and - for my wife - that is a big turn off. Still, it had a fairly complex aroma and tasted fine. This would be between Adequate and Good. 

The 2016 Platinum Desert Ridge Merlot ($50) was a stunner! This bold wine had a complex aroma and a full flavoured taste of dark fruits and secondary flavours such as mushroom, cedar and tobacco. This was my favourite wine of the tasting and I would rate it Outstanding. 

Finally, the 2016 Platinum Desert Ridge Meritage ($50) was a silky and smooth wine with black fruits and spices, I would happily down this with a nice rib eye steak and would rate this as Very Good. 

We continued our tastings over the course of the two days stopping at Frind (a new winery that is becoming one of my favourites), the Hatch (a must see for their great wines as well as their irreverent spin on tasting), Rollingdale (the best quonset hut wine tasting experience in the Okanagan). Meadow Vista (a refreshing break with their distinctive honey wine and bistro), and the Vibrant Vine (with a new winemaker, there are excellent wines both old and new in a psychedelic environment). 

Our final stop after two days of tasting was recommended by Hamish, the wineshop manager at the Vibrant Vine. 

Priest Creek Estate Winery has only been open for two weeks but I think they will do well if their opening wines are any indication. 

Our tasting started with their Decota bubbles ($19 - current promotion - 2 for $25) which was a very nice, traditional sparkler made with a blend of two mystery grapes. I need to taste this one carefully at home and email the winery with my guess. Very Good. 

Next was their Pinot Gris ($23) which was a fresh, crisp wine with flavours of citrus and apple that would be enjoyable on the patio whenever the sunshine returns. Good.

Their Estate Gewürztraminer ($26) had a wonderful floral aroma is made from older vines - I'm not sure how old but I would wager over 20 years. There were tastes of lychee and grapefruit and would go well with Asian or spicy food as well as a patio sipper. Very Good. 

The 2018 Pinot Noir ($36) was the only wine that I really didn't love. It was a very light Pinot Noir that had lots of fruit on both the nose and the palate but didn't seem to have many secondary elements. However, it might be one to age and could develop over time so I rated it as Adequate to Good for its potential. 

The 2017 Merlot ($33) was stellar. We loved this. Again, my wife, the Merlot hater, said that this was a definite winner. This wine spent 30 months in new French oak and there are wonderful flavours developing such as cedar, mushroom and leather. This is one to put down for a couple of years. Very Good to Outstanding.

The final wine we tried was their Bordeaux blend, 2016 Hat Trick ($46). It was a tasty blend that really featured Merlot similar to what we had tasted in the last wine. I enjoyed this one as it had some complex flavours but, for a bold wine, it still couldn't beat the 2017 Merlot. Good to Very Good.

We were fortunate that the husband and wife were both in the winery when we visited. They are originally from Saskatchewan and have come to the Okanagan to make wine. The tasting room is very nice inside and there is a courtyard where you can purchase a bottle of wine and enjoy with a couple of glasses amongst the vines. I see good things in the future for this winery. 

It was wonderful to have friends visit and it was great to be able to do some serious wine tasting. Slowly and cautiously, the province is opening up .

Cheers!