BC Pinot Noir for summer sips

My earlier post was on BC pinot gris/grigio in the $15-$25 range for enjoying this summer. This post will be on BC pinot noir in the same price range. Pinot noir is nice slightly chilled, with not too much tannins to make it enjoyable on the patio. Plus with it's summer fruit flavours and aromas of strawberries and raspberries in many cases, also makes it a good fit. I think BC makes very nice Pinot Noir. As an aside, there are several either New Zealand trained, or New Zealand wine makers here in BC. New Zealand is very well known for their New World style Pinot Noirs, and are making Burgundy take notice.

A quick check on the EverythingWine website, came up with 17 BC Pinot Noirs:

Arrowleaf Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$22.99
Ganton & Larsen Prospect Pinot Noir 750 ml	Pinot Noir	$15.99
Gray Monk Pinot Noir 750mL	Pinot Noir	$16.99
Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$24.99
Kalala Organic Estate Winery Pinot Noir Rose 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$21.99
Kettle Valley Pinot Noir Reserve 375ml	Pinot Noir	$23.99
Lang Vineyards Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$22.99
Mike Weir Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$21.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Five Vineyards Pinot Noir Bin 88 750ml	Pinot Noir	$16.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Five Vineyards Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$17.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$21.99
Mt Boucherie Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$24.99
Neck of the Woods Winery Blanc de Noir Sparkling 750 mL	Pinot Noir	$24.99
Paradise Ranch Whistler 2005 Pinot Noir Icewine 200 ml	Pinot Noir	$24.99
Quails' Gate Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$24.99
See Ya Later Ranch Unleashed Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$21.99
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Pinot Noir 750ml	Pinot Noir	$18.99

You may have noticed a sparkling wine and an ice wine in the mix. The Pinot Noir grape is one of the classic varietals in Champagne. It also is being used to make more ice wines here in BC. One of my favourite BC Pinot Noir, is the Quail's Gate Pinot Noir. From previous tasting notes that I have for Quail's Gate Pinot Noir 2007: Silky with flavours of strawberries and cherries, and a bit of spice.

Enjoy summer!

Valentine's Day, Aphrodisiacs, and Wine

Valentine's Day is coming up soon. A nice dinner with special wine and food with your significant other i'm sure would be greatly appreciated. But what wine and food to serve?

There are many foods that are purported to be an aphrodisiac:

• oysters on the half shell,
• asparagus,
• cheese, and
• chocolate.

There are more, but i'll give you a bit of info on these and some pairings you may want to consider. Oysters are an aphrodisiac due to their shape similar to a woman's genitals, but also because they contain zinc which which promotes well being. Try pairing oysters with some bubble. You may enjoy:

• Moreson, Blanc de Blancs Brut Method Cap Classic, South Africa. This is 100% Chardonnay. A very fine bubble. Red apple, citrus, light spice and bready flavour. Long finish. Nice.
• Cuillier Pere et Fils, Brut Selection Pinot Noir / Chardonnay, France. Fine bubble with green apple and pear aromas. Lemon and pear flavours. This wine was like enjoying a fresh pear. Very tasty!

The asparagus of course visually is a phallic symbol, and visual excitement can be part of being an aphrodisiac. Try pairing it with:

• Cremaschi Furlotti Pinot Noir from Chile. A wonderful bouquet of violets. Light bodied with some acidity. The floweriness of the Pinot Noir grape is an aphrodisiac in itself.
• Miguel Torres Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, also from Chile. This one has a bouquet of cherries, which continues on the palate. Some spiciness and a balance of acidity with sweetness.

In European culture, cheese is said by some to resemble the scent of a woman. Italian culture views cheese as an aphrodisiac, much like chocolate. Some cheeses would be a fresh goat cheese, a brie/camembert, and maybe a bit stronger cheese such as a Quebec Oka. Remember that cheese right out of the fridge has little aroma. Leave the cheese out for a few hours so that it warms up and those aphrodisiac aromas can come out. A few wines:

• Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose from South Africa. Mulderbosch rose shows some typical cabernet flavours and aromas, but without the big tannins that one get with a red wine.
• Amayna Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. Citrus and tropical fruit flavours with some oakiness on the bouquet due to barrel fermentation. The wine had a very round mouthfeel with just the right amount of acidity to cut through the fat in the cheese.

Chocolate contains both a sedative, which relaxes and lowers inhibitions, and a stimulant to increase activity and the desire for physical contact. A red wine and/or a dessert red wine would go well here.

• Buller Old Fine Muscat, Rutherglen, Australia (dessert wine). Medium dark amber-coloured Muscat has aromas of toffee and marmalade. This Muscat has enough body and flavour to balance with the richness of chocolate (and chocolate cake)
• Poplar Grove Merlot, British Columbia 2005. Light garnet in colour. Cherry, cassis and leather nose. Big cherry flavour with some vanilla. Medium tannin and length.

I find that the roundness and fruitiness of Merlot and it's softer tannins make it a nice varietal to pair with chocolate. In my opinion 72% cocoa is about the right amount of cocoa for me. When you get into the 90% range, it gets a bit gritty.

I hope you are able to find some inspiration in these suggestions. Enjoy Valentine's Day!

Wine Spectator's Top 100 List for 2009

Today was an interesting and surprising day. I opened up the Top 100 list for 2009 from Wine Spectator, expecting to find a European wine as #1, but it was actually a wine from Washington State. Congratulations go to Columbia Crest and their Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Reserve 2005 (US$27).

Some other observations about the Top 100 list for 2009:
- Numanthia-Termes Toro Termes 2005 (a Spanish Tempranillo) gets number 2 spot
- Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 2007 gets number 3. This is the first European wine on this list, and it's not Bordeaux. The Rhone Valley produces very good wines. I hope more people enjoy them.
- the first white wine shows up at number 9. Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc from the Russian River Valley 2007 (not a Chardonnay). Very interesting. Merry Edwards though, is a known premium producer.
- No BC wine was listed. Hopefully next year!
- 16 of the top wines are from Italy. Lots of Brunello and Chianti.
- the first Chardonnay shows up at 21 and it's not from Burgundy. Neyers Chardonnay Carneros 2007
- the first bubble shows up at 18 and it's not from Champangne. Argyle Extended Tirage Willamette Valley 1999
- the first Chilean red shows up at 57 spot. Viña Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Valley Medalla Real Special Reserve 2006 (one of the wineries I visited in October this year. One of my recommended wines.)

Well there are many other things I can glean from the Top 100 list for 2009, but I'd suggest that you get a copy of the list and see if there is anything interesting or surprising for you. Enjoy!

Liquid Art Fine Wines - 20th Anniversary tasting

Today I was invited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Liquid Art Fine Wines in Vancouver. Liquid Art Fine Wines is an importer of premium wines from around the world. They are specialists in sourcing some of the world's finest and most sought-after wines. You can find their wines in restaurants in Vancouver as well as you can purchase the wines from them if you are an avid collector of hard to get wines.

I enjoyed sparkling wines, white and red wines from around the world today. A very nice Champagne from France was the Varnier-Fanniere Brut Grand Cru NV ($71.90). This champagne had a nice bready nose. Very fine bubble, with green apple, oak and citrus flavour. The fine bubble, I learned from my trip to France last year comes from the Chardonnay grape. This champagne is 100% chardonnay from different vintages blended together. It is aged in bottle for 3 years. It is not heavy and I'd enjoy it as an aperitif with some light canapes.

If red wine is more your style, staying in France, maybe you would enjoy their Domaine de la Mordoree "La Dame Rousse" Lirac Rouge AC 2006 ($30.90)? This a blend of 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah. Hand harvested. This was a very intriguing wine. It has a brooding character. Deep garnet in colour, with a sweet dark cherry nose. Full dark cherry flavour. Medium tannins and medium length.

Outside of France, you may enjoy the Roccolo Grassi Valpolicella Superiore DOC 2004 Italy ($57.90). Valpolicella is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Croatina and Corvinone. This wine had a very smoky nose with cherries. On the palate there was that smokiness again, with sausage and cherry and nice amount of spice. Long length. Wonderful.

There are many more wines of great quality at Liquid Art Fine Wines. I will be posting my tasting notes for the other wines that tried this evening on www.MyWinePal.com. You may want to visit Liquid Art Fine Wines' online inventory.

Enjoy!

Day 1 at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Fest

March 26, 2009 09:22:25
Posted By Wine With Karl

Today I was at the wine festival waiting for the doors to open. My strategy as I am there today and tomorrow, is to taste mainly white wines today, and red wines tomorrow. Also since BC is the theme region, I'd taste the BC wines before exploring the international offerings. The BC wines I tried:

- Black Hills Estate winery who are noted for their Nota Bene Bordeaux style red blend
- Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars
- Burrowing Owl Estate winery
- Cedar Creek Estate Winery
- Church & State Wines
- Dunham & Froese Estate Winery
- Garry Oaks (I also recorded an interview with Marcel Mercier from Garry Oaks)
- Road 13 Vineyards
- Sandhill (check out the picture of me with Howard Soon their wine maker, and Louise Wilson their sales rep and Sommelier)
- Stoneboat Vineyards
- Tantalus Vineyards (I recorded another interview here)
- Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
- Twisted Tree Vineyards & winery
- Wild Goose Vineyards

Keeping things short and sweet on the blog, the Tantalus Riesling and Old Vines Riesling were exceptional. Sandhill has a wonderful Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Road 13 has a nice pinot noir. Garry Oaks pinot noir was quite beguiling. Cedar Creek's Ehrenfelser is a neat change to a gewurztraminer. You can't go wrong with Burrowing Owl's Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.

On the international side I tried:
- La Joya Viognier Reserva 2007 (Chile)
- Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune du Chateau Blanc Premier Cru 2006 (Burgundy, France)
- Catena Chardonnay 2007 (Mendoza, Argentina)
- Champagne Deutz Cuvee William 1998 (Champagne, France) LOVED It But >$150 a bottle.
- Erath Pinot Gris 2007 and Pinot Blanc 2006 (Willamette Valley, Oregon)
- Vina Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard 2008 (Aconcagua, Chile) A wild ferment!
- Miguel Torres Milmanda Single Estate Chardonnay 2006 (Penedes, Spain)
- Bodegas Muga Blanco 2007, Rosado 2005 (Rioja, Spain) I enjoyed the Rosado so much I bought a few bottles.
- Murphy-Goode Sonoma County Chardonnay 2006 and "The Fume" 2007 (Sonoma, CA)
- Olivier Lefaive Wines Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Gain 2006 (Burgundy, France) an excellent wine but over $100
- Santa Margherita / Ca' Del Bosco / Kettmier Pinot Grigio 2007, Pinot Bianco Alto Adige 2007, Cuvee Prestige Franciacorta N/V. (Italy)
- Vina Santa Rita Floresta Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (Leyda Valley, Chile) good gooseberry flavour
- Sokol Blosser Winery Evolution N/V and Dundee Hills Pinot Gris 2007 (Willamette Valley, Oregon)
- Thompson Estate Chardonnay 2005 and Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2005 (Margaret River, Australia) The sparkling just evaporated when it hit your tongue and was quite creamy. A buy!
- Miguel Torres Cordillera de las Andes Chardonnay/Viognier blend (Curico, Chile) Also a nice blend to try.

Did I try enough? I was at it for 2.5 hrs, then did a 2 hour sit down Pinot tasting. I'll blog about that another day. I will do indepth reviews of wines after the festival is over. Enjoy!

Thornhaven Winery - A small gem

November 30, 2008 11:07:00
Posted By Wine With Karl

I enjoy discoverng small wineries that are producing quality wines, then letting other people know about them. Thornhaven winery in Summerland, BC is one of those wineries. I came across this winery two years ago doing an Okanagan tasting weekend. Each wine in their portfolio was very well made, full of fruit, but with structure. Two wines stood out for me at the time. The first was their pinot grigio. Most grigios have a variety of citrus, peach, mango flavour with soft acidity, not as much as you would get on a Sauvignon Blanc. Thornhaven's pinot grigio tasted like a juicy red grapefruit. It was so refreshing and would have been a great pairing with grilled seafood. The other wine I really enjoyed was their Pinot Meunier. This is a red grape, that is used in the Champagne region, in the blend with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to produce Champange. It is fruiter than pinot noir. Thornhaven's pinot meunier had a nice cherry and red fruit aromas and flavours. There was also some coffee flavour. This wine is hard to find, outside of going to the Thornhaven winery.

The last wine of note, which I have not yet tasted, is their 2006, Gewurztraimer, as it won double gold at the Canadian Wine Awards. I was able to buy a bottle, but am waiting for the right occasion, to open it with friends. For those that haven't tried Gewurztraimer, think of lychee fruit with some sweet spices. This is known as the spicy grape in Germany. Try pairing it with a light blue cheese, chicken satay, pate, or chinese food. Enjoy!