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!

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Fair 2010 - Day 2

Today is dedicated to the wines of New Zealand at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. New Zealand is well known for their Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, and there were plenty of fine examples to be tasted. But what was suprising was the number of Pinot Gris that were available. I knew that Pinot Gris is available in New Zealand, but was suprised how many made it across the Pacific Ocean to reach our shores. As such, I purchased 3 in particular that I liked:
- St. Helena Pinot Gris 2008 ($21.99)
- Mount Riley Pinot Gris 2009 (19.99)
- Gibbston Dream Maker Pinot Gris 2008 ($29.99)

The St. Helena Pinot Gris 2008 was roses and peach on the nose. Round mouth feel, with medium acidity. Peachy flavour with slight spice and oak.

Mount Riley Pinot Gris 2009 had a light peach and apricot nose. Off dry, and quite flavourful. Lots of peach and a bit of spice on the finish.

The Gibbston Highgate Estate Dream Maker Pinot Gris 2008 has a light sweet citrus / honey / peach nose. Medium acid with some roundness on the palate. Vanilla and peach flavours.

All wonderful choices for summer.

As you know, I love Pinot Noir, and I was waiting to try some new ones from New Zealand.
Two in particular I really liked was the:
- Villa Maria Estate Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Pinot Noir 2007
- Woollaston Estates Tussock Nelson Pinot Noir 2007

The Villa Maria Estate Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Pinot Noir was medium garnet in the glass. A very pretty raspberry and plum nose. Raspberry, leafy, cherry flavours. Slightly spicy. Silky on the palate. Very nice!

The Woollaston Estates Tussock Nelson Pinot Noir was very aromatic with strawberries and raspberries aromas. Cherry and raspberry flavours. Medium body, medium acidity. Vanilla on the finish.

There was of course many sauvignon blancs to choose from:
- Elephant Hill Estate and Winery Sauvignon Blanc Rserve 2008
- Mount Riley Wines Sauvignon Blanc 2009
- Sacred Hill Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009

I'm running out of time, so no review on these last 3, but don't worry after the Festival is over, i'll be posting full tasting notes.

See you all tomorrow at the Saturday tasting! Enjoy!

Sydney International Wine Competition 2010

I have been following this wine competition for a few years now. I like the Sydney International Wine Competition for 2 reasons.

1) It shows many wines from the southern hemisphere (along with wines from around the world), and since i've been the president / chair of Vancouver's South World Wine Society for many years, I like to see which wines are rating highly so that I can buy some for our Society here to try.

2) They taste the wine with food. Most people enjoy wine and food together, so why not judge them together?

Here are some winners from the 2010 competition:

“Best Aromatic Wine of Competition”
DELATITE RIESLING 2008 (Australia)
BLUE-GOLD AWARD
TOP 1OO WINE AWARD
JOHN RYAN MEMORIAL PERPETUAL TROPHY

“Best Sauvignon Blanc Wine of Competition”
VAVASOUR AWATERE VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009 (New Zealand)
BLUE-GOLD AWARD
TOP 1OO WINE AWARD
SIWC PERPETUAL TROPHY

“Best Fuller Bodied Dry White Table Wine of Competition”
SACRED HILL RIFLEMAN’S CHARDONNAY 2007 (New Zealand)
BLUE-GOLD AWARD
TOP 1OO WINE AWARD
SIWC PERPETUAL TROPHY

“Best Pinot Noir Wine of Competition”
GIBBSTON VALLEY RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2008 (New Zealand)
BLUE-GOLD AWARD
TOP 1OO WINE AWARD
J F HILLEBRAND/AIR SEA GLOBAL PERPETUAL TROPHY

“Best Fuller Bodied Dry Red Table Wine of Competition”
STICKS NO 29 SHIRAZ 2008 (Australia)
BLUE-GOLD AWARD
TOP 1OO WINE AWARD
KEMENYS PERPETUAL TROPHY

“Best Dessert Wine of Competition”
KONRAD “SIGRUN” NOBLE TWO RIESLING 2007 (New Zealand)
BLUE-GOLD AWARD
TOP 1OO WINE AWARD
MYRA LEHMANN PERPETUAL TROPHY

You can read more about all the winning wines on their website: Sydney International Wine Competition website. Enjoy!

Preview of Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

Well, it's been a few weeks since I last blogged. I've been busy the last 2 weeks volunteering at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, but now that this is over, I can dedicate myself to tasting wine, and giving you some insights on great wines and great wine events.

This evening I was privileged to try a range of wines from New Zealand and Argentina. These are the theme countries for the upcoming Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, which will be held in late April this year. BTW, if you don't have tickets yet for any tastings, you better hurry up as many events sell out fast. The web link to the Playhouse International Wine Festival is:
http://playhousewinefest.com/

I tried over 40 wines and found some really nice ones for you. I will have tasting notes for all the wines on www.MyWinePal.com over the next few days, but in the meantime, enjoy these few wines. I do not know if these wines are currently available in BC, but they will for sure be available in the BC Liquor store at the Playhouse International Wine Festival.

New Zealand is well known for their Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, but pay attention to their Viognier, Pinot Gris, and Merlot. The Jackson Estate Stich Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Marlborough, NZ) is a very elegant wine. Oak, lemon and herbal on the nose. Big legs from a higher alcohol content, but the wine is balanced by the fruit so not hot on the palate. It does have nice herbal and lemon flavours with good acidity, not too strong. If you prefer a higher acid Sauvignon Blanc, you may want to try the Giesen "The Brothers" Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008. This wine has a tomato leaf aroma, higher acid, with herbal flavour. A traditional NZ Sauv Blanc.

There was 16 different NZ Pinot Noirs to taste at this event from all regions. There were several "wild" Central Otago pinots. One I enjoyed was the Mud House Central Otago Pinot Noir 2008. Light to medium cherry colour in the glass. A range of smoky, cherry, and leafy aromas. Wild flavours on your palate with cherry, oak and strawberry flavours. Another pinot I liked was the Two Paddocks Central Otago Pinot Noir 2007. This one was medium garnet in colour. Smoky, raspberry and cherry on those nose. Ripe fruit and raspberry flavours. Medium acidity and body, with a smoky finish. Enjoy with grilled lamb chops!

Crossing the Pacific Ocean we reach South America, and Argentina. Argentina is well-known for their Torrontes and Malbec wines, and today did not disappoint. The Bodega Tapiz Torrontes 2009 is a nice understated wine. Some Torrontes can be too fruit forward. This one has the fruit aromatics but doesn't overpower you, and would be a nice accompaniment with food. This wine had a light lychee and rose nose. On the palate there was nutmeg, rose and lychee flavours. A premium wine producer in Argentina is Bodega Catena Zapata. I was able to enjoy their Alta Malbec 2006. This wine is opaque purple in the glass. Vanilla, black currant and red cherry aromas make an interesting nose. On the palate there is vanilla, cherry, black currant and ripe fruit flavours. The tannins were medium yet smooth. You can't go wrong with this wine. A blend that caught my eye and tastebuds was the MASI Tupungato Corbec 2007. This is a mix of 70% Corvina and 30% Malbec. It is made with partially dried grapes, with the drying process concentrating the flavours of the grapes. This wine has a light cherry nose, but very full body and lots of ripe dark fruit and cherries and high tannins. You would need a nice grilled roast or hearty stew to tame the tannins right now, but it is overall a very enjoyable wine.

That's all for now. I hope you enjoy these wines and the upcoming Playhouse International Wine Festival.

Speaking at the SWWS

Wow, last night was fun. I spoke at the South World Wine Society's "Planning a New Zealand Vacation" wine tasting. I shared the floor with a travel agent who gave the tour info about New Zealand. Now I really want to travel to New Zealand. It looks very beautiful.

For me last evening, I took the attendees through 9 wines, 4 were white and the rest were red. It was quite interesting. Two of the whites were sauvignon blanc, and very good examples of the "green" type flavours you can get with this grape. The first wine had a lot of gooseberry aroma and flavour and the other lots of asparagus.

On the red side, we were able to try a 9 year old bottle (2000 vintage) of Matiriki Quintology. It's a Bordeaux blend, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% merlot, then smaller amounts of syrah, malbec and cabernet franc.

I will make a full tasting report on the www.southworldwine.com website but it probably will take me a week.

La Deutsche Vita

What's new in German wines? That was the question on May 7/09, in Vancouver. The Wines of Germany hosted a Trade event to reintroduce the wine trade to Riesling as well as the less commonly known varietals that make it out to Canada, such as Pinot Noir. We were given an overview by Dr. Steffen Maus, wine writer from Germany, about the main wine regions, some background on the latest vintages and where Germany fits into the global wine scene.

While most people think of sweeter style Rieslings, I found out that more than half of Germany's wine production is dry white wines. Pinot Noir is a major red varietal in Germany, and is the 3rd largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world. Quite an achievement. Germany produces 3-4 times more Pinot Noir than New Zealand.

As for vintages, 2007 is viewed as the best vintage in the past 15 years. For Reisling, it produced luscious ripe fruit with good acidity. These wines can stand cellar aging. If you prefer a fresher, greener fruit type of Reisling, one to drink now, try the 2008 vintage.

So what were some wines I quite enjoyed?
- Bischofliche Weinguter, 2007 Riesling Spatlese. This wine was pale lemon, some stone fruit and peach aroma. Sweet on the palate but still dry.
- Weingut Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler, 2007 Riesling. Some rieslings as they age pick up a petrol aroma and flavour. This one had a bit of petrol and flowers on the nose. Round mouthfeel, with petrol citrus and apple flavour. LOTS happening in this glass.
- Moselland 2007 Riesling Spatlese. This one had a sweet, lemony, spicy nose. Quite sweet on the palate, but good acid to balance it. Full bodied, with apple and flowery flavours.
- Weingut Pfeffingen 2008 Gewurztraminer Spatlese. Gewurztraimer means spicy grape from the town of Traminer in Germany. This one was pale lemon coloured, with a pine needle aroma. Medium sweetness, pine needle flavour, with a lychee finish.
- Valckenberg 2007 Gewurztraminer. This gewurztraminer was very aromatic. Lots of lychee aroma. In the mouth it was very round, with spicy, roses, and lychee flavour.

Enjoy!

New Zealand Wine x2
April 29, 2009 09:44:57

There are two New Zealand wine events coming up in May in Vancouver that I thought you might be interested in attending. The first is with the South World Wine Society, titled "Planning a New Zealand Vacation". This event is on May 21. It combines tasting a range of red and white wines from across New Zealand along with getting travel tips from a travel agent that has travelled extensively in New Zealand. It should be a lot of fun, plus the travel agent is offering discount coupons on travel to New Zealand. Go to www.southworldwine.com to sign up. $44 for members and $55 for non-members. Comes with food too. And I am the speaker for the wines at this event.

The other event is the New Zealand Wine Fair on May 28 at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre. This is a yearly event and is a walk-about, with agents and/or winemakers at tables pouring their prized New Zealand wines. There are many tables where you try wines that have never been in Canada before, so be the first to try something new! Besides their trade mark Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, there are also lots of other varietals to try, like riesling, merlot, and pinot grigio. To sign up for this event go to http://www.nzwine-events.ca/nzwines_content.htm

Las Vegas!

February 18, 2009 09:36:51
Posted By Wine With Karl

So you probably wondered why I have not posted lately. The answer is I took a short vacation to Las Vegas. Visited a few new casinos, played some table games, and of course kept my eye out for wine.

If you are looking for a nice wine bar, and nearby wine shop, I'd suggest that you visit the Palazzo. This is the new twin tower for the Venetian casino. It is a really beautiful casino. One of the things I found in the Palazzo is a very nice wine bar called "Double Helix Bar" and beside it is the "Double Helix Boutique". In the boutique you can buy the wines that you tried in the bar.

From the Double Helix website:

"...Double Helix's nearly 2,100-square-foot space is located within the heart of the shopping center and includes a circular bar featuring more than 50 wines by the glass, available in either 2 oz. taste portions or 5 oz. glass servings. An adjacent boutique offers nearly 300 bottles of rare and hard-to-find labels from all over the world.

Featured wines include: Ken Wright Pinot Noir (Oregon), Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1999, Sonoma-Cutrer Les Pierres Chardonnay, Gaja Ca'Marcanda Promis (Italy), Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand), and Dom Perignon Champagne (France) to name just a few...."

So if you are going to Las Vegas, and need a wine fix, please visit the Double Helix. Enjoy!

5 Nations Cup Results

February 2, 2009 07:43:25
Posted By Wine With Karl

A little over 2 weeks ago the South World Wine Society had their annual 5 Nations Cup. This is a blind tasting, where a white and red wine is tasted from each of Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa. The members and guests of the event rate the wines without knowing which country each wine is from.

Everyone loves Australian wines. They have been #2 in sales after BC VQA wine lately, but they were #1 in BC for quite a while before that. People on the other hand have viewed Chilean and Argentinean wines as being somehow cheap and cheerful wines. This tasting proved to people the exact opposite. The favourite WHITE and RED wine for the evening was from Chile. Argentina's red wine came in second place. The Aussie red and white wines ended up in last place!

So, if you haven't tried a Chilean wine, maybe now is the time to go to your favorite bottle shop and picking up one or two? If you want to see which wines were tasted and their rankings, go to www.southworldwine.com and scroll down to the middle of the page.

And lastly a few Chilean wines you may want to buy and try:

- Novas Organic Carmenere Cabernet, Chile, 2004, $16.99
- Montes Alpha Chardonnay, Chile, 2006, $26.85
- Viu Manent Malbec Reserva, Chile, 2005 (private stores)
- Matetic “EQ” Sauvignon Blanc, Chile, 2005 (private stores)

Enjoy!

Thinking about Pinot Noir

January 11, 2009 09:06:52
Posted By Wine With Karl

The movie Sideways popularized the Pinot Noir varietal. It is the classic red grape of Burgundy, but is getting competition from around the world, particularly from Oregon and New Zealand. Other countries, such as Canada and Chile are producing some nice Pinots as well. This is a cross over grape, I'd say, for people that primarily drink white wine because they don't like the tannins from red wines. Pinot Noir grapes have low tannins, and depending on how the wines are produced can be very light, with wonderful red fruit (e.g. strawberries and raspberries) and violet aromas and flavours. There can also be the more "Burgundian" versions of pinot noir that have more of the earthy, barnyard aromas and flavours that some people enjoy.

So if you have someone you want to introduce to red wines, may I suggest a New World pinot noir. It is hard to go wrong with one from New Zealand. Matua, Tohu (aboriginal run), Cloudy Bay, and Villa Maria are some producers you may want to check out. Chile also makes some nice Pinot Noir. Two that I can recommend are: Cremaschi Furlotti and Casa del Bosque. If you prefer to try Canadian Pinot Noir, Mission Hill, Cedar Creek (try the Platinum Series if you can) and Quails Gate produce good examples.

With a lighter style Pinot Noir, you can pair these wines with fish or chicken. Try a roast salmon with pinot noir.

Enjoy.

An abbreviated list of wines for the holidays

December 8, 2008 07:56:58
Posted By Wine With Karl

Isn't technology lovely? Sometimes you spend a long time writing a long blog about wines for the holidays and it doesn't get saved! Well that just happened to me, so please enjoy this very short version of my wine recommendations.

Wines to take to a host/hostess. Try a wine they would not normally buy but would enjoy. Try a champagne (from France. Try Bollinger, Lanson, Krug, or Taittinger), or a sparkling wine (e.g. a cremant from France, a prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain, or a New World sparkling, such as Gloria Ferrer from Napa Valley, or Lindauer from New Zealand).

An ice wine could also be a nice gift. Riesling ice wines are the best in my opinion as the high acidity of this grape complements the sweetness from the grape. Mission Hill and Quails Gate in the BC Okanagan have nice ice wines.

With dinner, assuming you have a turkey feast, try a lightly oaked chardonnay, or a lighter bodied pinot noir. On the chardonnay side try a wine from Deloach in California, Mission Hill Reserve from the Okanagan, or Evans and Tate from Australia. For a pinot noir, try Quails Gate or Mission Hill from the Okanagan, or Villa Maria or Kim Crawford from New Zealand.

People also like fortified / dessert wines. Buller makes a nice Muscat (Australia). You may try a port from Portugal, such as from Quinta do Portal. A full bodied Oloroso Sherry from Spain from Gonzalez Byass.

Enjoy the wines and enjoy the holidays!

Dinner with Aurelio Montes

October 7, 2008 05:23:26

Posted By Wine With Karl

Yesterday evening was exceptional. Through the South World Wine Society and Whitehall Agencies, I and 55 other people sat down to dinner at Saltaire in West Vancouver and enjoy the wines from Aurelio Montes. Mr. Montes' winery is the 4th largest winery in Chile. He bought to us:

- Montes Leyda Sauvignon Blanc
- Montes Classic Cabernet Sauvignon
- Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Carmenere
- Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alpha Chardonnay
- Alpha M cabernet sauvignon blend
- Folly 100% Syrah
- Purple Angel Carmenere Petit Verdot

The Alpha, Folly, and Purple Angel wines are all Premium wines from Montes. Aurelio is a tall imposing man, but when you talk to him, he is very nice and down to earth. He told us of his experience of starting the Montes winery and growing it to the point where he was able to open a winery in Argentina in 2002, and another winery in Napa Valley in 2006! All the Montes' red wines have silky smooth tannins. Aurelio says it is because he likes to let their red grapes hang on the vine as long as possible. His Sauvignon Blanc was very much in the New World, New Zealand style. It had good acidity and a wonderful herbal nose (and paired very nicely with the chilled black tiger prawns with garlic aioli appetizer).

Our first course was a sweet curry creamed orzo which was paired with the Alpha Chardonnay. The Chardonnay comes from the Casablanca valley. It is oak fermented and aged in the barrel for one year. The lees (the dead yeast cells) are stirred in the barrel regularly to add a creamy texture/flavour to this wine. It had a wonderful pear and vanilla aroma. The creaminess of the wine and the full pear/apple/spice flavour paired nicely with the orzo.

The second course was a smoked black cod. It was paired with the Cabernet Carmenere blend and with the Alpha Cabernet blend. I thought the Alpha Cab with fuller body and firmer tannins help up well with the strong smoky flavour from the cod.

More to come for the third course and final course in my next blog.

You can visit the Montes website for more info.