South Okanagan wineries to aid in Oliver area slide relief

With the slide in the Oliver area last month, the South Okanagan Winery Association is pulling together to help those affected. Below is a press release that they sent to me. If you are going to be in the area, please drop in and participate in the event.

Karl
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July 7, 2010

In Short:

This June a mudslide tore through the Southern Okanagan Valley, destroying the homes and livelihoods of many of our neighbours. In answer to the disaster, The South Okanagan Winery Association is proud to announce its participation in the Mudslide Crisis Relief Committee’s fundraiser during Oliver Township’s “Sunshine Days” on July 17. We invite everyone to come down to the Oliver Community Centre around noon to enjoy the festivities, including: A beer (and cider!) tent, water slides, live music, and a once-in-a-lifetime raffle for some of the best wines the Southern Okanagan has to offer. Come for the fun and stay to watch the wineries beat the pants off of anyone who dares to accept their Tug-O-War challenge! Think you got what it takes? Sign up at Oliver Parks and Rec.

More Information:

The Mudslide that wreaked havoc on Southern Okanagan homes earlier this year left many lives in disarray. In response, the communities of Oliver and Osoyoos have come together to create the Mudslide Crisis Relief Committee to raise money for mudslide victims. The first major event is during the Sunshine Days festival in Oliver.

Saturday, July 17, join The Wineries of the Southern Okanagan at the Oliver Community Centre at 12:00pm where we will be part of a beer garden on the tennis courts. Cider, beer and food will be available with all proceeds going to the Mudslide Crisis Relief Fund. Other organised activities include: kids water slides, live music and a raffle for wine donated by wineries around the Southern Okanagan.

But what kind of mudslide charity would it be without a mud Tug-O-War? Road 13 has partnered with Stoneboat Vineyards and has challenged any local winery to dare face them and their mighty team of vineyard grunts; a call that has been answered by the powerhouses at Tinhorn Creek and others. The rules are simple: 10 person teams amalgamated from smaller wineries, or in-house from larger companies, going head-to-head over a pit of mud. $10 per person or $100 per team with all funds going to charity. Teams can register by picking up a form at Oliver Parks and Rec before July 15.

About South Okanagan Winery Association (SOWA)

The wineries of SOWA formed their association based on a unified vision of promoting the unique emerging identity of the region south of McIntyre Bluff. For all of them, this terroir is the source of the premium wine growing region in Canada.

The area is geographically bounded and sculpted by two north-south mountain ranges and hallmarked in the northern extremity by the dramatic cliffs of McIntyre Bluff. These wineries and vineyards express the namesakes of the land: the sage, the creeks, lakes, the historic and aboriginal influences, all decidedly regional.

You are invited to enjoy the unique experience that each winery of the South Okanagan Association offers, from the welcoming wine shops to patios restaurants and unique accommodations. Stretching from the landmark McIntyre Bluff to the Osoyoos border, the land is unparalleled in scenic adventure and award winning wines.

The South Okanagan Winery Association is rooted in a passionate and unified vision of nurturing our unique and emerging identity; our pride in our craft; our characters; and our terroir.

SOWA Members

-Burrowing Owl -Jackson-Triggs

-Cassini Cellars -Nk’Mip Cellars

-Desert Hills -Oliver Twist

-Dunham & Froese -Quinta Ferreira

-Fairview Cellars -Road 13

-Gehringer Brothers -Rustico

-Golden Beaver -Silver Sage

-Hester Creek -Stoneboat

-Inniskillin -Tinhorn Creek

Enjoy some BC Pinot Gris this summer

I thought to help summer along, I'd point out some white wines that you may be interested in trying on your patio. Today I'd like to focus on BC Pinot Gris. I think BC Pinot Gris are very nicely made. They typically have a lot of nice ripe stone fruit, e.g. peach, flavours, apples, and good acidity to make them refreshing in your mouth. Try with some seafood this summer too.

A quick search on the EverythingWine.ca website, came up with 28 BC Pinot Gris in the $15-$25 range.

Arrowleaf Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$18.99
Black Widow Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Cassini Cellars Pinot Gris 750mL	Pinot Gris	$15.99
Chase & Warren Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$18.99
Church & State Wines Pinot Gris 750mL	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Desert Hills Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Gray Monk Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$16.99
Herder Vineyards Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$21.99
Hester Creek Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$16.99
Hillside Estate Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$22.99
Hillside Estate Unoaked Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Kalala Organic Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2008 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$21.99
Kettle Valley Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Lake Breeze Vineyards Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$21.99
Lang Vineyards Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$19.99
Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$18.99
Nichol Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Pentage Pinot Gris Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Poplar Grove 2008 Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$24.99
Red Rooster Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$17.99

Saltspring Vineyards Pinot Gris 750 ml	Pinot Gris	$19.99
Sperling Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Thornhaven Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$21.99
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$16.99
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$18.99
Township 7 Pinot Gris 750ml	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Van Westen Vino Grigio Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$23.99
Wild Goose Vineards Pinot Gris 750 mL	Pinot Gris	$21.99

I've talked about some of these wines and/or wineries in the past on www.mywinepal.com or on my blog. The Van Westen Vino Grigio Pinot Gris, Thornhaven Pinot Gris, and Black Widow Pinot Gris are a few I'd like to select out as ones that I have enjoyed in the past.
Thornhaven Pinot Gris 2008: Very aromatic. Apple, peach and spice on the nose. Apple and other fruits. Spicy. Quite full bodied.

Van Westen Vino Grigio Pinot Gris 2007: Medium straw colour. Aromas of apple and spice. Citrus and spice on the palate. Full mouthfeel and good acidity.

Black Widow Pinot Gris 2008: Light lemon colour. Nice tropical fruit aroma with light oak. Good acidity. Apple, plum and spice on the palate.

So raise a toast to the start of summer and enjoy some BC Pinot Gris! Cheers.

Fraser Valley wineries - A short summer trip

Well summer is here! Sort of. Well, hopefully soon. Don't let the poor weather slow you down though. Short weekend trips in the Fraser Valley could be a way to cheer your spirits. There are many wineries in BC's Fraser Valley. They are open to the public with tasting rooms, and are probably at most a 45 minute drive from most places in Vancouver.

So which wineries can you visit in the Fraser Valley (I put in the web links for you)?
- Domaine de Chaberton Estate Winery & Bacchus Bistro

- The Fort Wine Company

- Lotusland Vineyards

- Pacific Breeze Winery

- Neck of the Woods Winery

- River's Bend Winery

- Sanduz Estate Winery

- St. Urban Winery Ltd.

- Wellbrook Winery

- Westham Island Estate Winery

- Lulu Island Winery

- Township 7 Vineyards

- Blue Heron Fruit Winery

Some of these wineries you may see from the links to their websites are berry fruit (not grape-based) wines. If you haven't tried a berry fruit wine, such as from red currant or blueberry, give it a try. I think the berry fruit wines, served chilled would be nice in the summer on the patio.

Cheers!

John Schreiner's Okanagan Wine Tour Guide

The third edition of John Schreiner's Okanagan Wine Tour guide is now available. I received my copy about a week ago, and I've been slowly reading through it. My bedside book. Eventhough I travel quite regularly to the Okanagan, it is still a pleasure to read through John Schreiner's book as I learn something about a winery I did not know, or he covers a new winery that I have not yet visited. Some new wineries in the book include Beaumont Family Estate winery, Volcanic Hills Vineyard & Cellars, and Ancient Hill Vineyards & Winery.

This book is good for those of you who are new to the Okanagan winery scene and need to get up-to-speed quickly. John provides 1 - 1.5 pages of text about each winery, and his recommendations for which wine(s) to try from each winery. What I also like is that it has the address, telephone number, website, and visiting hours for each winery.

This third edition, provided updated and revised information of the already established wineries plus info on 40 new wineries since the last edition. What I also like, is that the book has a map showing the locations of all the wineries he covers, plus he talks a bit about different "regions" within the Okanagan, such as "The Golden Mile" and "Naramata Bench". You may want to know what makes the Naramata Bench unique? Is it the soil? The direction the slope of the land faces; is it the proximity to Lake Okanagan? Useful info in this section.

If you want/need more details and history about these wineries, you may want to purchase John Schriener's "The Wineries of British Columbia", which covers both Okanagan wineries, plus the wineries in the Fraser Valley, the Gulf Islands, and Vancouver Island.

Enjoy the summer and enjoy some wine touring in BC!

A Tale of Two Rieslings

This is actually a tale of one Riesling, but tasted two different times, and the differences in my tasting notes. In 2007 or 2008 I purchased two bottles of Pierre Sparr's Altenbourg Riesling 2003 vintage (Alsace, France), and cellared these bottles till I opened one on April 26, 2009 (good thing I have a tasting note book I keep). At that time the wine would have had 6 years of aging. I noted that it was medium lemon/straw in colour. The bouquet and flavours were of oak, apple and honey. I noted that it felt low in acid and quite round in the mouth.

Now forward to June 10, 2010, a little over a year from the last tasting. Has the wine changed much since my April 26, 2009 tasting? There was some change in bouquet and flavour. On the bouquet, I had the honey and oak, but did not detect apple. Instead I wrote aromas of lemon, flowers, honey, and light petrol. On the palate I did not detect the apple flavour, but did get honey, oak, lemon and petrol. I also had the acidity higher and remarked that it was refreshing. So things can change in a bottle quite quickly.

FYI, petrol is an aroma and flavour that comes with the aging of the riesling varietal in the bottle. Sometimes you get it within 2-3 years (I've had that with some Australian rieslings), but usually it takes a bit longer. In Australia, I have been told, the preference is not to call the aroma/flavour "petrol" as to them it has a negative connotation. Instead, the preferred term is "hot buttered toast". Either way it makes the riesling wine more interesting and complex.

I hope you have a note book and write down your wine observations, then check back occasionally as I do to see if you find something interesting to you, and maybe to tell others.

Enjoy!

Okanagan Road Trip

This past week was a road trip with my family in the Okanagan. I did get a chance to visit a few wineries I already knew, and to visit some new wineries. With Kelowna as our home base, we drove as far north as Vernon, and as far south as Osoyoos. In Kelowna, I had to show my family the beautiful views from Mission Hill Family Estate winery's grounds. It is always so nice to look over the lake and Kelowna from the patio restaurant. On the wine tasting side, I was privileged to taste a 2003-2006 vertical of Mission Hill's top wine, Oculus. Although I didn't have any notes written, I can tell you that the 2006 was "feminine" in style with a beautiful flowery bouquet. The 2004 and 2003 Oculus was my favorite by a slim margin over the 2006 Oculus. 2003 was a very hot year in the Okanagan, and had the horrible forest fires we all remember. The heat made the fruit very ripe that year, so you get lots of fruit to balance the tannins. The 2003 still has good tannic structure with fruit and I'd give it a few more years to soften. It is a wonderful wine. You might want to see if they are selling any through the Library releases. I think you have to go to the winery though to buy their Library releases.

On another day trip, we went to Nk'Mip desert cultural centre and the Nk'Mip winery right beside it. The cultural centre was very interesting, and has a nest with an Osprey parents and chicks. The nest is on the top of a tall pole, so bring your binoculars. My favorite wine on this tasting of the Nk'Mip winery was their NK'Mip Qwam Qwmt Pinot Noir 2007. Again no hand written notes, but I remember strawberries with smoke aromas and flavours. Buy some if you can.

On another trip, we spent some time tasting wines at Sumac Ridge Estate winery in Summerland. While there I tried my first ever sparkling Gewurztraminer. It was quite refreshing. I bought a bottle so that I can try it back home with some seafood this summer. I also enjoyed their Chardonnay and their Cabernet Franc from the Black Sage vineyards. Quite elegant.

Another day was spent at Volcanic Hills winery, Beaumont Estate Family winery, and Kalala Organic Estate winery. I found out that the owners of Volcanic Hills winery were co-owners of the Mount Boucherie winery. They just opened their tasting room 3 weeks ago. Most of the grapes were purchased from what I could tell. The Volcanic Hills Pinot Gris was quite nice. Round mouthfeel with juicy ripe fruit flavours. This is their first vintage of their reds and whites. I am looking forward to trying their next vintages and see how they define their style.

If you like wines made from organically grown grapes, there is Beaumont Estate Family winery, which is right next door to Volcanic Hills winery, and there is Kalala Organic Estate winery (who BTW let Volcanic Hills use their equipment for vinifying their first vintage). Beaumont is a family run business with the daughter of the family making the wines. They have a wide range of wines from Pinot Gris, to Pinot Noir, to Gamay Noir, and more. They noted that Pinot Noir seems to like their soil the most, so expect to see them concentrate on this wine. I was really looking forward to Kalala Organic Estate winery, since I saw them last June. They have won several medals this year for their red and white wines. I really liked their Riesling 2008 vintage. It had crisp acidity, pineapple and apple aromas with a hint of petrol. It won a Gold at the 2010 New World Int'l Wine Competition in California, a Silver in the 2010 Concours mondial de Bruxelles, and a Bronze at the 2010 Northwest Wine Summit. Buy this wine before it sells out. On the red side, if you have not tried, give their Zweigelt 2008 a try. This red grape provided sour red cherry aroma and flavour, and a bit of maraschino cherry too. Soft tannins also with Zweigelt. This wine won 4 different Bronze medals this year. Check out Kalala's website http://www.kalalawines.ca/wine/index.php for all their medals.

That is all for now. I wish I had more time to try more wines while I was in the Okanagan, but being with family is also nice!

LaStella winery food, dinner and music @ YEW Restaurant, June 9

LaStella is the sister winery to Le Vieux Pin in the Okanagan. They produce some very nice wines, and are having a special wine, food, and music paired dinner at YEW Restaurant, next week, Wednesday, June 9. I'm passing this info along to you, as there are still tickets left. The music pairing with the food is also a unique experience!

LaStella is situated at Osoyoos Lake in the sunny South Okanagan valley of beautiful British Columbia. Just like music, LaStella likes to names their wine after Italian music notes, such as Allegreto, Vivace and Maestoso.

Join LaStella on Wednesday June 9th at 7pm at YEW Restaurant in the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel, Vancouver for a celebration of La Dolce Vita. They collaborated with the culinary team at YEW as well as Mrs. Robin Braun of Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) to pair each of our wines with a dish and a solo violin piece that captures the essence of the name given to each of their wines.

Think of their Leggiero Un-Oaked Chardonnay (meaning elegant and minimal) paired with raw fresh fish preparation, farm fresh salad while listening to "Come Primavera"{"Like Spring"} by Il Divo

Or

Maestoso Merlot (meaning majestic or a musical note that sits at the very top of the crescendo) paired with a rich, massively flavorful braised short ribs while listening to "Nessun dorma" by Puccini

How interesting! Very limited seating available. Please call Yew Restaurant directly to secure your spot for a night to remember... 604-692-4939