Spring Okanagan Wine Festival

Just got back from the sunny Okanagan last night, after catching the second half of the Spring Wine Festival. We think we've been doing this for seven years now.

The "festival" part of it really just marks the kickoff of summer hours in tasting rooms. There are also a number of events, most of which seem to be related to food (and an excuse to overcharge). This event used to be just four days at the beginning of May; somewhere in the last few years it was expanded to a week and a half. We found touring around on Thursday and Friday that there weren't a lot of other people around. The weekend was quite busy, especially Sunday which was Mothers' Day.

Some highlights were an overdue return to the Similkameen Valley, several wineries visited for the first time, cowboy Ken from Rustico, some great stinky cheeses from Poplar Grove and Upper Bench, and Bill from Fairview going back to his house to find us a couple of bottles of The Wrath.

This was also the first year I took notes. The quality of some of the tasting notes inexplicably declined during each day, as did the quality of my handwriting. But at least I have a record of everywhere we went and what we tasted. I plan to write it all up here in the next few days, but here are the raw numbers:

• 85 hours in the Okanagan
• 36 wineries visited
• 221 wines tasted
• 60 wines brought back
• $100 in extra baggage fees

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

C.R.O.W.N. 4 Results

Let me preface this by saying how wrong I was about pinot noir. I wrote that pinot noir "is tricky to pin down." Well, after tasting quite a few before and during the event, I think I can say that the grape is among the more identifiable varietals. There is still a wide range of flavours but I can taste that distinctive strawberry now.

And I think we all expanded our palates a bit. It was unintentionally challenging to find a decent pinot noir under the price limit of $22, but everyone passed the assignment with flying colours. Plus we got to use my new custom-made cloth wine bags for the tasting.

The results:

1) The People's Pinot Noir 2010, New Zealand $20.00

2) La Crema Pinot Noir 2010, Sonoma $21.90

3) Rock Wren Pinot Noir 2008, Prospect Winery, Okanagan $19.00

4) La Petite Paille Pinot Noir 2008, Little Straw, Okanagan $21.90  

5) Fat Bastard Pinot Noir 2009, France $16.00

The winner had five first-place votes, the runner-up four top rankings, so it was pretty close. The top four all scored well, with only the Fat Bastard not impressing (which surprised me since their Chardonnay is quite good). Compared to the others, La Crema was much more full-bodied and some even found it sweet. This was our entry and we lucked out that Superstore put it on sale the week of the tasting. The People's was more of a traditional pinot noir but a cut above and very engaging.

All of the New Zealand pinot noirs we researched were excellent by the way. The one we almost went with instead of La Crema was Yealands: like the winner Yealands really impresses up front and is great on its own. But for drinking with dinner I would go with La Crema. The Okanagan pinots were very good too.

In terms of learning something new and drinking good (cheap-ish) wine, the evening was a success.

2000 Zero Zero

This blog just hit 2000 pageviews today. Pretty modest, granted, but deserving of a little recognition nevertheless. I have no idea how accurate these counters are, but the stats have the top five countries as Canada, US, UK, Brazil and New Zealand in that order. But there have been hits from such unlikely places as Trinidad and Tobago, Mongolia, Cyprus, Bahrain and Vietnam. Also, the Alpha Zeta, Luigi Bosca and Nugan Durif seem to be among the most searched wines that lead people here. Thanks everyone!

Cheers.

C.R.O.W.N. 4

For the first time we will focus on a single varietal: pinot noir.

Like many people (way too many people from the point of view of the wine community), I got interested in pinot noir after watching Sideways. Miles' response when asked why he loves it so much is one of my favorite movie moments ever:

It's a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It's uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it's neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they're just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and... ancient on the planet.

There is even a "Sideways Effect" which describes the masses of people who turned on to pinot noir as a result of the movie. Even though Sideways is a satire not to be taken too seriously, it did open my eyes to this grape. Although I still drink merlot, too, when I feel like it.

Pinot noir is tricky to pin down. I find it's not easily identifiable, like malbec or chardonnay. I will often buy a bottle of cabernet sauvignon or syrah that I've haven't tasted before because you have a fairly good idea of what you're going to get. But not pinot noir - each one is different. Some are very "thin" and others surprisingly robust. And to me they really are hit or miss. 

Should be fun.

Coyote's Run Meritage 2008

When we travelled to Ontario this summer, we knew we'd be driving around both the Niagara and Prince Edward County regions so we brought a wine shipping box. However, the trip turned out to be mainly about visiting family, so we didn't actually find the time to visit any wineries. We did haul a few bottles back, but these were some last-minute selections hastily chosen from what may be the best liquor store in the world, the Summerhill LCBO in Toronto. I don't regret how we chose to spend our time in Ontario for a minute, but on the other hand we did pass up an opportunity to visit two of Canada's three main wine regions in person.

So, I feel like we owe one to eastern Canadian wines. Coyote's Run is a fairly well-known winery from Niagara-in-the-Lake, but not one I have ever tried. So on a whim I picked up the Meritage from the Superstore Liquorstore a couple of days ago. Let's dive in....

The Coyote's Run Meritage is dark purple and has a very compelling bouquet which I had a hard time putting my finger on but the back label correctly identifies as violet. The wine is a spicy blueberry concoction that would more than compliment any red meat or tomato pasta dish. I think there are hints of chocolate, leather and tobacco, but subtle enough to give this floral wine some depth without overpowering. I think this would be a killer if matched with the right food, maybe steak tartare. Very impressive. The next time there is rare meat on the menu I will look for this one.

91 points. $19 at Superstore.

Henkell Trocken Sekt

About four or five times a year I wonder out loud to anyone in earshot, "Why do we only drink champagne to celebrate something? Why can't we have it as an everyday house wine?" But do I ever do anything about it? No. At least, not until now. The Henkell was the only cold wine I could find in the house, and none of the reds had screwtops, so I quietly popped the cork (kids just went to bed) and had some sparkling wine for no reason.

To be honest this has been a favorite of mine for a long time, pretty much since I started drinking wine. I'm sure a lot of it is the association with hundreds of memories experienced while holding a glass of Henkell Trocken. Hey, it was a fine day today so let's celebrate. Somebody famous, a writer but I can't remember who, once said he has a glass of champagne every morning to start the day, just because he can.

In case you didn't know: "champagne" refers to sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France only. Apparently everything else is properly called "sparkling wine" or some local variation. Even sparkling wines from elsewhere in France can't be called champagne.

Henkell Trocken is amazingly consistent: I don't remember ever having a bottle that tasted different from what it tastes like now. Medium bubbles, dry but with a very little honey sweetness and a creamy finish. Nicely acidic, this can be sampled on its own or with any cheese, seafood or curry dish. Once in a while I get to try some more expensive champagnes, and while I do appreciate them I think I like good old Henkell as much as any of them.

89 points. Usually around $11-12 at Superstore.

Carmen Shiraz 2008

Not much background on this wine. I have no idea how it landed in our wine rack. I can't find an image of the label on the internet. The winery website doesn't even list it. So we're flying blind here. All I know is it's a shiraz from Maipo valley in Chile.

A little acidic right out of the bottle, but not too shabby. A very nice inky purple colour, with a fairly hot alcoholey nose. Now that it's been out to play for a few minutes the wine is rounding out a bit and mellowing nicely. I'm getting some plum and leather smells/tastes. The back label mentions blueberry, and I'll agree with that. Good structure if a bit astringent, this would probably match with sweet Italian sausage, or rich chocolate cake, or the usual suspects. If it's in the price range I think it is, this is not a bad value at all. A good, solid, balanced shiraz that's not too "big" but is quite drinkable with food or on its own.

88 points. Guessing this is about $12 somewhere.

Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009

We've come to rely on these grapefruity New Zealand sauvignon blancs like Oyster Bay and Kim Crawford as our go-to whites when we want something tasty and not overly expensive. There are a few that are on the cheaper end like Stoneleigh that are noticeably a point or two below the bar - still very drinkable, but it feels like a compromise instead of a treat.

Monkey Bay might be the least expensive of the Oyster Bay middle tier. It is tart but balanced, having the signature taste of the kiwi Malborough region of grapefruit and gooseberry. But it's acidity is not overpowering, even after a couple of glasses without food (trust me). It would pair well with shellfish, pasta in white sauce, or dubliner cheese (a sharp old white cheddar flavour).

We now buy Barefoot pinot grigio as our cheap quaffable house wine, and Monkey Bay as our standby when we want something a little nicer. And it keeps us from tearing through our Okanagan stash we just hauled back last week. A very good wine at a very reasonable price.

89 points. $12 at Superstore.