• SpierHead Chardonnay 2011
• SpierHead Pinot Gris 2012
• SpierHead Riesling 2012

Something interesting I noted is that this is the first time I believe I’ve seen their Pinot Gris.  On their website, and from previous tastings, I have only tried their Riesling and Chardonnay.  I’m a fan of BC Pinot Gris and eagerly looked forward to opening the Pinot Gris to see SpierHead’s style.

My Tasting Notes

Doing this review, I tasted the wines twice over a two day period.  I do this to see if the wines have changed in aromatics and/or flavour, or maybe softened in tannins (for red wines), due to oxygen contact over the past 24 hours.  In some wines there is a notable difference with much more aroma and flavour.  So if you have the chance, and self-control, try a bottle of wine after you open it, but save some of the wine in the bottle, put a cork in it, so it doesn’t get contaminated, then wait 24 hours before re-tasting the wine.

For the 3 wines below I tasted them in the order of amount of residual sugar in the wine.  The Chardonnay had 1.7 g/L, Pinot Gris 4.5 g/L, and Riesling 8.0 g/L.

SpierHead Chardonnay 2011

SpierHead Chardonnay 2011

The grapes for this chardonnay come from SpeirHead’s Gentleman Farmer Vineyard. The wine is 20% barrel aged for 10 months in 100% new French oak barrels. FYI, 2011 was one of the coolest and wettest summers on record, in BC with harvest starting mid September in the south Okanagan, after 3 weeks of warm weather at the end of August and early September. A challenging year in BC.

The Chardonnay was medium lemon colour in the glass.  It had a medium intensity, youthful aroma. I picked up citrus, stone fruit, pear in particular, apple, and some vanilla. It was dry on the palate with a bit less acidity.  Medium body, but quite soft and round mouth feel.  Flavours of citrus, stone fruit, and almonds or marzipan  and light oak on the palate.  On the finish I noted some bitter blackcurrant leaf and some spiciness.  Besides the fruit flavours I also did pick up on some stoniness to the wine also.  Medium length.  This is a light and elegant wine that is good to drink right now, but you could cellar it for a while.  It shouldn’t age much as it is sealed with a screw cap, so enjoy it when you have a chance.  I would pair this wine with a crab & avocado salad, or maybe an oven roasted pork.

SpierHead Pinot Gris 2012

SpierHead Pinot Gris 2012

The SpierHead Pinot Gris grapes come from the Golden Retreat Vineyard in Summerland, BC, and are aged for 5 months in stainless steel. No oak on this wine.   2012 was not as challenging a harvest as 2011.  There was some rain in June during flowering, but the rest of the summer was sunny, with hot temperatures in August in September and there was no rain until the fall during some of the red grape harvest.

This wine was medium lemon in colour with a light, youthful nose.  There was both a bit of lemon and lime aromas, along with stone fruit, and some yeast.  The lime aroma became more pronounced after the wine was exposed to air for a while. It is dry with medium body and medium plus acidity.  Accompanied with the nice acidity on the tongue I also picked up on some minerality. This wine has layers of fruit flavours, with green fruit and citrus up front, followed by stone fruit, particularly peach.  There was also some blossom and honey. On my second day of tasting this wine,  lime, pineapple, and red delicious apple flavours popped.  Medium plus length with a lifted citrus finish. My favourite wine of the three I tasted. This wine should win medals. Buy it before it sells out.  I might want to enjoy this wine with an Indian biryani, or roasted nugget ham.

SpierHead Riesling 2012

SpierHead Riesling 2012

The SpierHead Riesling grapes come from the Gentleman Farmer Vineyard, the SpierHead Winery and the View Winery.  Another 100% stainless steel fermented wine, aged for 5 months in tank. This wine has the most residual sugar of the three white wines, but tasted nearly dry.

This wine was a bit deeper lemon in colour compared to the other two wines.  Light and youthful aromas of mainly stone fruit (apricot), with lesser amounts of tropical fruit, citrus and blossom. Dry to off-dry in sweetness with medium plus acidity.  A bit more body and mouth filling, I think in part to the higher residual sugar.  I enjoyed the slight acidic prickle on my tongue, balanced with the off dry fruitiness.  Flavours I picked up with Citrus and stone fruit, blossom, with and almond or peach pit on the finish. On Day 2 of my tasting, I noticed apricot, lime, and honeydew melon flavours on the palate. Medium plus length with a dry finish.  Another really nice wine, which I’d rank as my 2nd favourite of the 3 wines tasted.  To this wine, I did pair an Alsatian styled dish I cooked; pan fried pork chops, with fried cabbage, onions, and carrots, which were then slowly roasted in the oven.

The Back Label Story

For those of you who enjoy reading the back label of wine bottles, I’ve included these labels for you to find out a bit more about these wines.

SpierHead Chardonnay 2011 back label

SpierHead Pinot Gris 2012 back label

SpierHead Riesling 2012 back label

Links to My Previous SpierHead Winery Reviews

Here are the links to my past 2 tasting articles on SpierHead’s wines.  Enjoy!

SpierHead Winery and their Latest Red Wine Blends

Tasting the Latest Wine Releases from SpierHead Winery

Where is Whidbey Island?

Whidbey Island is located along the west coast of Washington state, and can be access on the north end of the island by a bridge from nearby Anacortes, and on the south end via ferry.  I caught the ferry from Clinton to Mukilteo.

View Larger Map

You won’t find tall skyscrapers and massive malls with fast food joints on the Island.  Rather, you will enjoy smaller shops, cafes and restaurants, large areas for agriculture and lots of green trees, and beautiful views.

The Wineries I Visited

On this trip I visited 3 Whidbey Island wineries:

• Blooms Winery
• Spoiled Dog Winery
• Comforts of Whidbey

It was a comfortable drive between the 3 wineries that were situated in the southern end of the Island.  The owners at all 3 wineries made me feel at ease and relaxed, just like it should be on a sunny weekend, sipping wine.

Blooms Winery is owned by Ken and Virginia Bloom, who started making wine in 1998. I spent my time chatting with Ken about their wines and experiences on the Island.  Their tasting room has art from local artists on the wall, and they also have local musicians play on Sunday’s during the summer season. Their grapes come from Whidbey Island when possible, with the majority from eastern Washington, and some from California.  The California grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, come from Ken’s brother’s vineyards, so they are keeping the grapes and wine production in the family.

Spoiled Dog Blue

Spoiled Dog Winery is owned by Jack and Karen Krug, and they are managed by their spoiled Austalian shepards, Blue and Sami.  I met Blue at the tasting room, where he greeted everyone, but Sami was out with Jack.  Karen poured the wines for me to taste and to tell me about their winery.  They source biodynamically grown grapes, as well as have vineyards of their own.  They are best known for their Pinot Noir, which grows well in the cool maritime climate of Whidbey Island.

Comforts of Whidbey is a winery and vineyard owned by Carl and Rita Comfort. They purchased their current vineyard & farm in 2003. It was planted with grapevines in the 1990′s but needed encouragement to produce quality wine.  Carl and Rita had that dedication.  The tended the Siegerrebe, Madeline Angevine, Madeleine Sylvaner, and Pinot Noir grapes, and in 2009 produced their first vintage.

Rita Comfort, Ken Bloom, and Karen Krug

My Wine Picks

• 

  Comforts of Whidbey Sweet Donna 2009 and 2010

  Comforts of Whidbey Sweet Donna 2009. This is a white blend of Siegerrebe and Madeleine Sylvaner. The wine had a light dried stone fruit aroma with a whiff of pine needles.  Light bodied, soft, off-dry with dried fruit and pine needle flavour. Nice.

• Comforts of Whidbey Sweet Donna 2010. This wine, using the same grapes as the 2009 vintage, differs in that the grape skins stayed in contact with the juice for a while, imparts a deeper peach skin colour to the wine. It had a soft citrus and dried stone fruit nose.  Higher acidity, dry with citrus, grapefruit rind, dried fruits, and pine needles on the palate.
• Comforts of Whidbey Sangiovese 2010. Vanilla and ripe red fruit aromas.  Medium plus body, soft tannins, medium acidity, with flavours of ripe cherries, red apples and some vanilla.  Dry tannic finish.
• Blooms Winery Whidbey Blend 2010. Locally grown Madeline Angevine, Sylvaner and Sieggerebe from Whidbey Island go into this white blend. It had a nice pine needle with floral aromas. Very aromatic.  Medium minus body, dry with lychee, flowers, citrus, grapefruit and pine needle flavours. Very nice. Sold out, at the winery, but still could be sourced from a few local stores on Whidbey Island.
• 

  Blooms Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Melange wines

  Blooms Winery Melange 2010. This wine is a Bordeaux style blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Ripe purple fruit with some violets on the nose. Ripe black fruit with light vanilla flaours.  Medium plus body, round and soft in your mouth with fine tannins.

• Blooms Winery Syrah 2010. This wine is a blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier from the Rattlesnake Hills in Eastern Washington. Light aromas of ripe black fruit in the glass. Full body, heavy mouth feel, with ripe fruit, violets, and sweet spices. Soft tannins.  Nice.
• 

  Spoiled Dog Winery Pinot Noir 2011

  Spoiled Dog Winery Pinot Gris. Med body, higher acidity. Apple and citrus aromas and flavours.

• Spoiled Dog Winery Estate Rose of Pinot Noir 2012. Light cherry nose. Light body, soft tannins.  Strawberries, tropical fruit flavours a bit of floweriness, with apples on the finish. Dry and soft. Nice.
• Spoiled Dog Winery Malbec 2011. Nice nose with black fruit, oak and smoke aromas. Dry, medium plus body, black fruit, cocoa and tea leaf flavours.

My Reviews of Le Vieux Pin’s Wines

• 

  GM Rasoul Salehi presenting the Le Vieux Pin Syrah Violette

  Le Vieux Pin Ava 2011. Primarily Viognier with some Roussanne and Marsanne (a Rhone Valley blend) from vines around the winery. A nice baking spice aroma with some floweriness, pine needles, and oranges. Medium minus body, orange and pine needle flavours. Medium acidity, dry with a mouth watering finish.

• Le Vieux Pin Sauvignon Blanc 2012. Comes from 3 separate vineyards, with a portion of the wine being oak aged.  Light pine needle nose with a hint of vanilla. Light body, dry with pine needle flavour which changes to citrus on the finish.
• Le Vieux Pin Vaila Rose 2012. Grapes are from 4 different vineyards. Very light nose of candied cherries and some strawberries. Soft, round and dry, with more candied cherries and strawberry flavours. Behind those flavours, there is some citrus fruit.
• Le Vieux Pin Violette Syrah 2011. It has a very pronounced nose with violets, nutmeg, allspice, and red fruit. Medium plus body, with flavours of blueberries, red fruit, red cherries, and violets. Soft tannins with a medium plus length. A very nice, very flavourful wine.

My Reviews of La Stella’s Wines

• 

  Wine maker Severine Pinte with her La Stella Leggiero 2012

  La Stella LaStellina Rosato 2012. Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc blend for this rose. Very light aromas of strawberries. Medium minus body, off-dry, with strawberry flavour. Behind the strawberry there is some sweet cherry flavour.  This is an easy sipper.

• La Stella Leggiero Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2012. Light citrus nose with some tropical fruit too. Slightly off dry, medium body with a bit of roundness on the palate. Light stone fruit flavours and medium length.
• La Stella Maestoso ‘Solo’ Merlot 2010. This wine is 100% Merlot aged in a  blend of 85% large neutral oak barrels, 10% in new French oak, and 5% in 2nd fill French oak barrels. Medium ruby colour. Licorice on the nose with dark fruit and vanilla too.  Very tasty, full bodied, round and dry.  Very mouth filling.  Lots of really ripe purple fruit, plum, cherries, some bitter blackberry leaf, long length with cinnamon spice on the finish. An excellent wine.
• La Stella Moscato d’Osyoos 2012. 85% Moscato Bianco and 15% Moscato Ottonell. Definitely has an orange bouquet combined with some floweriness. Sweet on the palate, quite mouth filling, syrupy feel upfront, followed by an acidic prickle on your tongue. Orange and citrus flavours, with a herbal edge to the wine.  A fun, nice balanced wine.
• La Stella Vivace Pinot Grigio 2012. It has a herbal, citrus, and grapefruit skin aromas. Medium minus body, with lots of grapefruit flavour.  Good acidity and dry on the palate.  I really like this wine.

A Global Syrah Comparison

Why would you want to compare your wines to other wines from around the world? Why not? What makes a comparison like this interesting is how the difference in climate and terroir affects the same grape, syrah in this case.  It is up to you to choose which you prefer; fruity, exuberant, restrained, dark and brooding.  The syrahs we sampled:

• Nichol Syrah 2010 (BC) 
• Le Vieux Pin Syrah 2010 (BC)
• Le Vieux Pin Syrah 2008 (BC)
• Le Vieux Pin Equinoxe Syrah 2010 (BC)
• Church & State Winery Syrah 2006 (BC)
• Jackson-Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon – Syrah – Viognier 2007 (BC)
• The Ojai Vineyards Syrah 2003 (Santa Barbara, California)
• Domaine Joël Champet Côte-Rôtie La Viallière 2005 (Rhone Valley, France)
• Burrowing Owl Syrah 2002 (BC)
• Okahu Estate Kaz Shiraz 1998 (New Zealand)

The majority of the wines were from BC.  From my notes, I noted that the BC wines were typically medium bodied.  There were aromas and/or flavours primarily of violets, coffee, smokiness, and dark fruit.   I noted blueberries on the California Ojai Vineyards as well as the Le Vieux Pin Equinoxe Syrah.  Lastly I noticed that some of the BC syrahs did show some minerality on the palate which I did not get on the other wines. The wines in this flight ranged from 1998 to 2010. The most aged, from New Zealand, still was very pleasant to drink, and probably at it’s peak.  I think the BC syrahs showed up quite well against the other syrahs in this flight and we should be proud of our BC wines.

Global syrah lineup 1

Global syrah lineup 2

New Zealand

This week was the 2013 New Zealand Wine Fair here in Vancouver, held at the Roundhouse in Yaletown.  There were 24 wineries present, each pouring around 4 wines.  I tried valiantly to sample each wine, but there is just not enough time to really sample the wine, write notes, talk to the winery principals, etc.  So below are my recommended wines from this event.  If you attended the New Zealand Wine Fair, please chime in with a comment.  Did you like the same wines as me, or did you find a gem that I missed?  Let me know!

My Wine Picks

• 

  Forrest The Doctors Sauvignon Blanc 2011

  Astrolabe Province Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, 2012 ($23.99) – Astrolabe is one of the wineries I recommend yearly.  This wine has a very gooseberry / herbal nose.  Dry, high acidity yet is quite mouth filling.  Lots of herbal flavours leading to jalapeno peppers.

• Babich Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, 2012 ($19.99 SPEC) – Light gooseberry aroma.  Light body, high acidity, dry on the palate.  Light gooseberry flavour.
• Forrest The Doctors’ Sauvignon Blanc 2011 ($19.99 SPEC) – This one was quite interesting.  I was told that the winery owners wanted a lower alcohol wine that still had Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc character.  To me, I call this Sauvignon Blanc the one that Sauv Blanc haters would even like. It had a light stone fruit nose.  Light body, soft with lower acidity on the palate.  Stone fruit flavours.
• Elephant Island Chardonnay, Hawke’s Bay, 2010 (29.99 SPEC) – Light vanilla, sweet spices, and tropical fruit aromas in the glass.  Medium body, round, with light spice, smoke and tropical fruit flavours.  A very balanced wine.
• 

  Elephant Hill Hieronymus 2012

  Elephant Hill Hieronymus, Hawke’s Bay, 2011 ($34.99 SPEC) – This was a real tasty wine; a blend of Merlot, Malbec, and Syrah. Light blueberry and red fruit aromas. Medium minus body, soft and light in the mouth.  Cloves, cherries, tea leaves, and white pepper on the palate.

• Matua Squealing Pig Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, 2012 ($23.99 SPEC) – I didn’t ask why this wine was called Squealing Pig, but should have. Light gooseberry and green pea aromas. Dry with high acidity.  Herbal, green fruit, and jalapeno pepper flavours.  A very nice quality wine.
• Seresin Estate MOMO Pinot Noir, Marlborough, 2011 ($22.95) – MOMO I was told is Maori for “offspring”.  I didn’t ask, but with this, it could mean this is the 2nd line from Seresin, or something about their family and passing along wine heritage.  This wine had a bright, ripe cherry nose.  Light body with cherry and bright fruit flavours.  It also had a nice mineral streak running through it.  Dry with soft tannins.  I quite enjoyed this wine.
• 

  Waimea Estates Sauvignon Blanc and Spinyback Pinot Gris

  Waimea Estates Sauvignon Blanc, Nelson, 2012 ($23.99 SPEC) – My favourite wine of the NZ Wine Fest, this wine had asparagus aromas in the glass.  The first thing that hit me when I took a sip was so much minerality. Wonderful. Dry, medium body with asparagus and herbal flavours.

• Waimea Estates Pinot Noir, Nelson, 2009 ($32.99 SPEC) – Light aromas of cherry, oak and cloves. Lighter bodied, dry with soft tannins. Smoky cherries and strawberry flavours.  Tasty.
• Whitehaven Pinot Noir, Marlborough, 2010 ($23.99) – Nice aromas of violets, red cherries and cloves.  Light body, dry with red cherries and smoke, with a hint of strawberries and sweet spice on the mid palate.
• Yealands Estate Single Block Series S1 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, 2012 ($23.95 SPEC) – Very aromatic, with a herbal and gooseberry nose.  Dry, light body, with gooseberry and herbal flavours, and a streak of minerality. An elegant wine.

While many of these wines a SPEC, specialty, listings, it doesn’t mean you cannot get them.  Try private wine shops, such as Everything Wine, Liberty, or Legacy.

Before the winners were announced, media, and the restaurant trade were in full force sampling some of the varied creations, sweet and savoury, of these restaurants, and complementing them with some BC wines, and wines from around the world.  It was truly a whirlwind event.

Our Gold Medal Winners

Fiona Forbes presenting awards

Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes were our hosts for the awards presentations.  It was quite fun, with many things I cannot repeat in print.

Best Coffee House – Revolver

Best Food Cart – Tacofino

Best Design – Wildebeest

Best Korean – Sura

Best Seafood – Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

Best Pizzeria – Nicli Antica Pizzeria

Best Noodle House – Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Best of the Americas – La Taqueria

Best Upscale Japanese – Tojo’s

Best Casual Italian – La Quercia

Best Indian – Vij’s

Best Vietnamese – Phnom Penh

Best Upscale Italian – Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill and Enoteca (also longest restaurant name. My comment.)

Best Upscale French – Le Crocodile

Best Thai – Maenam

Best Steakhouse – Hy’s Encore

Best Casual Chinese – Alvin Garden (yaay Burnaby!)

Best Other Asian – Spice Islands (Did you know the Spice Islands are the eastern islands of Indonesia?)

Best North Shore – La Regalade

Best Other Vancouver Island – The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn

Best Okanagan – Waterfront Restaurant & Wine Bar

Best Victoria – Ulla

Best Winery / Vineyard Dining – Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek

Best Whistler – Araxi

Best Upscale Chinese – Hoi Tong

Best Dim Sum – Dynasty Seafood

Best Casual French – Tableau Bar Bistro

Best Casual Chain – Cactus Club Cafe

Best Casual Japanese – Kingyo

Producer / Supplier of the Year – Jonathan Chovancek and Lauren Mote from Kale & Nori Culinary Arts

Green Award – Forage

Premier Crew – Romano Costillo fromL’Abattoir, Miki Ellis from Minami, Jamie Lauder from CinCin,and Ike Seaman from The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn

Mentorship Award – John Bishop (Congratulations John.  I am proud to know you.)

Lifetime Achievement – Alain Raye

Bartender of the Year – Robert “H” Holl-Allen

Sommelier of the Year – Samantha Rahn, Araxi

Pastry Chef of the Year – Thomas Haas

Chef of the Year – David Hawksworth

Best New Restaurant – Wildebeest

Best Casual – La Quercia

Best Upscale – Hawksworth

Restaurant of the Year – Hawksworth

Both Hawksworth and Wildebeest were multi-award winners.  Congratulations to them, the other Gold Medal winners, and all the nominated restaurants.

Vij and Meeru accepting award for Best Indian Restaurant

Alain Raye accepting award for Best North Shore restaurant

John Bishop and Vikram Vij

A Sampling of Delicious Food and Drink

As I mentioned, we all enjoyed our fill of delicious food and wine at this event, prepared by the participating restaurants, wineries and wine agencies.

We also need to thank the Presenting Sponsor, Capilano Audi, and the Host Sponsor, Sheraton Vancouver Wall Center Hotel, for hosting this event.

A variety of Tinhorn Creek wine on ice

Kulinarya Chicken adobo with chicken liver sauce

La Pentola della Quercia Venison Bresola

Christine and Alana happy to pour Haywire and Bartier Scholefield wines

Espana Spanish Gilda

Mini sour cream filled donuts

Bartier Scholefield White Table Wine 2010

Bartier Scholefield White Table Wine 2010

The Bartier Scholefield White Table Wine 2010 is a blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. I believe the grapes come from the Secrest Mountain Vineyards in Oliver, BC. The wine underwent minimal human intervention, letting the grapes tell their story. Fermentation was followed with short lees contact, followed by blending and bottling.  I am not sure of the percentages of each of the grapes, but from the flavour profile, I guess that the order of the grapes listed above represents the largest to smallest amounts of the different grape varieties.

The wine was a medium lemony gold colour in the glass. Medium intensity aromas of citrus, tropical and dried fruits, pear, lemon, a whiff of lime, and a bit of lees.  Quite a complex nose. Dry, medium body with medium acidity right upfront. Flavours of citrus, tropical fruit, dried fruit and pear, with hints of apricot, flowers and lees.  Bitter peach pit with a steely finish. Medium length.  A well made wine, in a screw cap, so buy and enjoy on it’s own or with food.  Maybe pair with a seafood chowder, mussels mariniere, or stir fried cashew chicken. (I did review this wine 1.5 years ago.  Read my notes here to see how the wine has changed.)

Bartier Scholefield Red Table Wine 2008

Bartier Scholefield Red Table Wine 2008

The Red Table Wine is a red Bordeaux blend of primarily Merlot, with lesser amounts of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Again, following minimal intervention, punchdowns were used during the fermentation process followed by two years of neutral barrel aging.

The wine was a translucent medium ruby colour from rim to core. Light plus developing aromas, with red fruit, plums, sweet spices, and vanilla, with hints of perfume, cedar and chocolate.  I did try this wine over two days.  I noted in the second day that there was also some tomato and some vegetal component to the nose. Dry with a lighter mouthfeel. It doesn’t coat your mouth, but it is soft with fine tannins.  Primary flavours of red and purple fruit, specifically blueberries popped for me, with secondary flavours of cedar, sweet spices, black currant leaf, vanilla/oak, and a hint of perfume (which I think is from the Petit Verdot). Medium plus length.  The finish was fairly astringent with bitter blackcurrant leaf and sour cherries.  Not a bad wine, but not one to sip on it’s own.  I think it would be best enjoyed with a fatty meat, such as duck breast to take off that astringent edge.

Where Can You Buy These Wines?

You can buy these wines online through Okanagan Crush Pad Winery where they vinify their wines or Everything Wine.  You can also visit one of the Everything Wine wine shops across the Vancouver lower mainland.  Enjoy!

Where is Okanagan Falls?

Vineyards in the Okanagan Falls area (Image courtesy ofwa.ca)

Okanagan Falls is about midway between Penticton to the North and Oliver to the South, located at the south tip of Skaha Lake.  According to the OFWA’s website, they quote Blue Mountain founder Ian Mavety, who has been growing grapes at Okanagan Falls since 1972, about the terroir: “The most important features of the Okanagan are the warm days and cool nights,” he says. “Not many areas of the world have that combination. It creates a uniqueness to the wines. The warm days with the bright sunshine result in ripe fruit characters. The cool nights retain the acidity in the grapes, which just accentuates the fruit flavours.” The OFWA also notes “One of the most important geological features is McIntyre Bluff, at the south end of the Okanagan Falls growing region and on the west side of the valley. This feature, together with McIntyre Canyon on the east side of the valley, is big enough to change wind and weather patterns.“

View Larger Map

Which Wineries are in the OFWA?

You have probably tried wines from many of these wineries before but never knew where they are located. The 12 wineries in the association are:

• Blasted Church Vineyards
• Blue Mountain Vineyards
• Kraze Legz
• Liquidity
• Meyer Family Vineyards
• Noble Ridge Vineyard and Winery
• Painted Rock Estate Winery
• See Ya Later Ranch
• Stag’s Hollow Winery & Vineyard
• Synchromesh Wines
• Top Shelf Winery
• Wild Goose Vineyards

My Wine Picks

• 

  Blue Mountain Brut NV sparkling

  Blue Mountain Brut NV sparkling ($23.90). This sparkler is a favourite for many BC residents. Always quality that you can count on. This wine had a nice citrusy, yeasty nose.  High acidity, with nice bright lemony flavour and some yeasty notes.  Small aggressive bubbles and some bitter peach pit on the finish.

• Blue Mountain Pinot Noir 2011 ($24.90). Nice aromas in the glass of smoky cherries and raspberries.  Light body, dry with sour red cherries, some vanilla/oak/sweet spices.  Good quality.
• Kraze Legz The Black Bottom Stomp 2009 ($28.95). This is Kraze Legz Reserve level wine, made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Nice dark fruit and cherry aromas in the glass. Full body, very ripe dark fruit flavours  Round mouth feel.  Tannins in the mid palate followed with vanilla, cherry and cocoa.
• Meyer Family Vineyards Gewurztraminer 2011. I only had a chance to try Meyer Family’s Gewurztraminer this day, but their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are very good quality. Here is a previous review of their wines by me. The Gewurztraminer had light aromas of lychee and stone fruit.   Off dry, round with light body.  Lychee with a herbal edge on the palate followed with some baking spices.
• Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery Chardonnay 2010 ($23.90). A nice light sweet spice nose.  Light plus body, medium acidity, nice tropical fruit and vanilla, with some sweet spices behind. Tasty.
• 

  Kraze Legz line up of wines

  Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery Pinot Noir 2009 ($24.90). An interesting dark garnet colour in the glass.  Nice cherry and cinnamon aromas. Light body, dry, with cherries, dark fruit, vanilla and sweet spices on the palate.  A mineral streak throughout the wine.

• Painted Rock Estate Winery Syrah 2010 ($40). Plum, blueberries and vanilla aromas. Full body with fine tannins.  Very ripe dark cherries, plums, and blueberry flavours.  Vanilla there to enhance the fruit flavours. Round mouth feel. Very tasty.
• Stag’s Hollow Winery Heritage Block 2010 ($24.99). This is a Bordeaux blend of 60% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2010 Heritage Block marks the first vintage to be packaged under a screw cap. This wine had a toasty, ripe dark fruit nose.  Full body, round and soft.  Nice ripe black fruit, soft tannins and medium acidity.  Some vanilla too. Very nice.
• 

  Wild Goose Vineyards Riesling 2011 and Gewurztraminer 2012

  Stag’s Hollow Winery Renaissance Merlot 2010 ($29.99). The Renaissance level is their Premium label. It is 95% Merlot, with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has very nice aromas of ripe plums, vanilla, and spice.  Full body, very plush mouth feel, dry with medium minus tannins and medium acidity.  Ripe plum fruit flavour.  A very balanced wine.

• Synchromesh Wines Thorny Vines Riesling 2012 ($19). This Riesling has a nice flowery honey nose. Off dry, high acidity and very tart on the palate.  Citrus and green apple flavours, with a crab apple finish. Very good, but be prepared for the tartness.
• Wild Goose Vineyards Mystic River Gewurztraminer 2012 ($23). Lots of lychee and flowers on the nose with a hint of oranges. Light body, off dry with a  round mouth feel. Stone fruit, lychee, and honey flavours. Tasty.  This is their BRAND new vintage release.
• Wild Goose Vineyards Merlot Reserve 2010 ($25). Ripe cherry, plum, and vanilla aromas. Full body, lots of ripe cherries, plums and black fruit with vanilla to support.  Medium-fine tannins giving a smooth mouth feel.

Thank you to Brix Restaurant in Yaletown for hosting this event.

Fall vineyards in Okanagan Falls (Image courtesy Wines of British Columbia)

BC‘s wine story, just like all other wine regions, is heavily dependent upon it’s terroir.  You may have heard of the term terroir, but what does it mean, and what is BC’s wine story?

What is Terroir?

Terroir is a many splendid thing!  Depending on who you ask, you may get many different answers, but all the answers share one component, and that is the soil.  Without soil, you cannot grow grapes. Some soil is very poor and rocky, while others can be more fertile and rich.

According to Wikipedia, terroir is “…the set of special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place, interacting with the plant’s genetics, express in agricultural products such as wine, …

Terroir can be very loosely translated as “a sense of place,” which is embodied in certain characteristic qualities, the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the production of the product. Terroir is often italicized in English writing to show that it is a French loanword.

The concept of terroir is at the base of the French wine Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) system that has been the model for appellation and wine laws across the globe. At its core is the assumption that the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality that is specific to that growing site. The amount of influence and the scope that falls under the description of terroir has been a controversial topic in the wine industry...”

Two other components that can generally be agreed upon is topography and climate.  Topography is composed of 3 elements: elevation, slope direction(think compass direction), and steepness of slope.  Higher elevations are cooler than lower elevations, north facing slopes get less sun than south facing slopes, and flatter slopes may accumulate more water than steep slopes.  Within a region like the Okanagan, our topography is really quite varied with elevation from the valley floor to the ridge tops, and the east-west slopes of the valley to the north, and the flatter areas to the south.  Climate too influences terroir.  Grapes do need a certain amount of water, light, and heat in order to grow and ripen.  In the Okanagan our southern area, around Oliver and Osoyoos, is warmer and dryer than the northern end of the Okanagan around Kelowna and Vernon.

There is let alone one story for BC’s wine country, I think there are volumes of stories.  With this in mind, I was invited by the BC Wine Institute to attend a talk by a group of wine makers and viticulturalists from the Okanagan as they described their wine stories and terroir, and how it affected the 2012 vintage.

BC Wine Stories

Our story tellers were:

• Sandra Oldfield and Andrew Moon from Tinhorn Creek Winery
• Howard Soon and Nathan Goltz from Sandhill
• Rob Van Westen from Van Westen Vineyards
• Michael Bartier and Theo Siemens from Okanagan Crush Pad
• Warwick Shaw from Tantalus Vineyards

Our BC wine story tellers (L to R. Warwick Shaw, Rob Van Westen, Andrew Moon, Nathan Goltz, Michael Bartier, Howard Soon, and Theo Siemens. Missing – Sandra Oldfield)

Sandra and Andrew started our seminar.  Sandra noted that last year was her 19th vintage. Tinhorn Creek is located in the South Okanagan.  With her past experience, Sandra felt that 2012 was a normal year, but was affected adversely in the spring and fall by rain.  In the spring there was rain during flowering that caused the vines to grow too much, and in the fall there was rain, which more adversely affected the red grapes, as the white grapes were picked by then.  Sandra prefers cooler years, so that the flavours in the grape can reach ripeness and balance out the sugar in the grapes.  In warmer years, sugar accumulation outpaces the flavour (or phenologic) ripening.

As part of the weather during a growing season in the Okanagan, a viticulturalist, may need to help the grapes ripen by removing leaves to expose the grapes to more sunlight, or may select a certain trellising system to allow more air flow around the grapes for example. In our climate, Andrew Moon, Nathan Goltz, Rob Van Westen, Theo Siemens, and Warwick Shaw, all viticulturalists (Rob is also a wine maker), noted how the sun rose and fell over the Okanagan Valley, and that along the north-south planted vine rows, the eastern facing leaves would be removed to permit more sunlight to ripen those grapes.  The amount of leaf removal also depends on how cool or warm the season is overall.   Many of the vineyards are planted in a north-south direction, in part due to the cooling/heating pattern of the sun, and in part by topography,  If the land slopes from north to south, it makes sense to plant in that direction.  It helps with drainage, as well as allowing air flow to be unimpeded downslope (which can help prevent frost pockets – my comment). In the Okanagan the 2010 and 2011 seasons were both cool and required leaf removal from the vines.  Howard Soon noted that with the sun in the valley the morning sun helps the white varieties, while the evening sun is better for red grape varieties.

Also part of terroir, is what is growing around the vineyards.  Indigenous plants may play a role in how a wine tastes.  There was one wine maker comment that many people can taste sage from wines produced on the Black Sage Bench.  In Australia, as another example, many people say they can taste eucalyptus in the Cabs and Syrah, due to the many eucalyptus trees in the area.

We also have large water bodies in the Okanagan, which can moderate the temperatures in the valley. This “lake effect” is more obvious in the north end of the Okanagan than the south.  The cooler north end of the Okanagan does affect which grapes do best.  We have for example top quality Riesling produced by Warwick Shaw at Tantalus Vineyards.

Watering the grapes also affects their outcome. Rob Van Westen and others noted that they used to hold back on watering their vineyards to stress the vines, making the roots go deeper to get water.  This is a prevalent theory around the world for producing top quality grapes. But now Rob and others now just hold back on watering for 2-3 weeks after berries start forming to control their size,but then irrigate through the rest of the season.  Rob noted that too much “deficit” irrigation produces harsher tannins in the red grapes.  Continuous irrigation helps to produce finer, softer tannins.  This was true with the glass of Van Westen V 2009, Bordeaux red blend, which we sampled during the seminar.  It was soft and round in the mouth, but only on the finish did you feel firmer tannins.

Theo in the vineyard

As I mentioned earlier, soil is very important.  The vines pull nutrients and water from the soil to help produce the grapes.  Wineries pick their vineyard locations based on the slope of land, elevation and other factors. But sometimes you don’t know everything about the soil when you buy a new plot of land for grapes.  Michael Bartier and Theo Siemens from Okanagan Crush Pad literally dug down in the soil to find out more about what is below, and this guided what variety of grapes they would plant, as well as what clones for a particular variety they would plant.  In part by digging trenches, and part, using geophysical techniques from a Chilean terroir expert, they produced a very sophisticated map of their vineyard soil and bedrock, and as I mentioned, used this map to help plant their vines.  I should also mentioned that all the other wine makers proudly showed maps of their vineyards as well, and how they divided up the vineyards into smaller blocks of different grape varieties.

Our dry climate in the Okanagan helps to control molds and mildews, so we need to use very little pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.  In keeping with the letting terroir come through, some of the viticulturalists talk about being organic, using less commercial fertilizers and more organic fertilizers, having cover crops between the vineyard rows, and allowing chickens and soon sheep to wander between the vines to help control weeds and to add their own fertilizer to the soil. Some of the wine makers also ferment their grapes using the native, indigenous yeasts, found on the grapes.  They noted that these wild ferments work best if your vineyard is very healthy.

Overall the wine makers noted that 2012 was not as scary a vintage as 2011. 2011 was a terrifying vintage with a very cool summer, and it was only the sun that came through in September and October that helped the grapes reach maturity.  2012 was much more in the normal range of summer temperatures, but did have the 2 untimely rains; in the spring and then again at harvest time.

Go Visit a BC Vineyard

When you buy wines take note of the vintage, check out what the weather was like for the vintage, and see if you can tell a difference in the wine. If it was a cooler vintage, do you taste and smell more citrus on the whites, is their a bit of greeness on the reds; and if it was a warmer vintage, are you getting more tropical fruits and lower acidity on the whites, and riper dark fruit flavours and more plush mouthfeel on the reds?

I also highly recommend going out to the wineries, visit them, drive around to the vineyards.  What does the soil look like?  Are the vines on a steep slope? Is the soil rocky? Is the vineyard near the top of a ridge, or down in a valley floor?  Is the area really hot and sunny?  I find that going to the wine region, finding out these details, really helps me better understand and appreciate the wines that were produced there.  I hope it helps you too.

Thank you to the BC Wine Institute for putting together this seminar.

White Wine

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  Santa Cruz Verdejo and Hiedler Gruner Veltliner

  Santa Cruz Verdejo 2011, Spain ($12.99). This is a wine, made from the Verdejo grape, you may want to consider for your summer sipper. Nice citrus and stone fruit nose.  Round, light body with stone fruit flavours. Medium acidity to make it pair nice with some seafood.

• Hiedler Gruner Veltliner Loss 2011, Austria ($18.99). Another food friendly wine. It had a harmonious bouquet of aromas covering red apples, vanilla and citrus. Dry, higher acidity with red apple flavour.  Mouthwatering finish. An elegant wine.
• Zind-Humbrecht Muscat 2011, Alsace, France ($29.99 SPEC). This is a One Time Buy wine by Trialto.  If you have a chance to buy it, get it sooner rather than be sorry.  This wine had herbal, orange and sweet spice aromas.  Off dry, light body with flavours of apples, white peach, flowers, and honey that dances on your tongue.  Some herbal tones on the finish.
• Lugana S. Caterina Monte Cicogna 2009, Italy ($23.99). This white wine is made of the Trebbiano di Lugana grape. It has a light stone fruit nose. Round and soft on the palate. Interesting flavour of citrus with a mint/herbal edge.
• Primal Roots White Blend 2012, California. Here is an easy summer sipper for you. Lots of aroma in the glass with red apples, lychee, peach and honey. Off dry (almost dry), lychee and peach flavours with a slight herbal edge. I could not find the grapes on this blend, but I remember there are many different ones.
• 

  Krone Borealis Cuvee Brut

  Chateau Pesquie Terrasses Blanc 2011, France ($18.99 SPEC). This is a blend of 70% Viognier, 15% Roussanne, and 15% Clairette.  Light honey and dried peach aromas. Medium minus body, dry, with a light acid prickle on your tongue.  Light citrus flavour. Elegant.

Sparkling Wine

• Krone Borealis Cuvee Blanc 2008, South Africa ($26.99 SPEC). In South Africa, they call their sparkling wine method “Methode Cap Classique“. This sparkler is made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, and has a nice toasty nose. Light body, dry with a large bubble. Red delicious apples with some oak on the finish. Very nice.

Red Wine

• Jaffelin Coteaux Bourguignons 2010, France ($21.99 SPEC). This red Burgundy is made from the Pinot Noir grapes, in case you are not aware. It has a nice red cherry nose. Dry, with light body and soft tannins. Red cherries with some sweet spice on the mid palate.
• Campo Viejo Reserva 2007, Spain. This Reserva level wine is made from Tempranillo, Graciano, and Mazuelo grapes. It had an Old World woody nose together with some cherry aromas. Medium body, dry, with raspberries, red cherries and a whiff of vanilla. Soft mouth feel. A good quality wine.
• AnimaLibera Alma3 Rosso, IGT 2007, Tuscany, Italy (39.99). A red blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Montepulciano, and 5% Colorino. Deep ruby in the glass. Nice nose, with ripe red fruit and some oak. Medium minus body, with light mouthfeel. Red fruits and oak. A very elegant red wine.
• Altesino Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2007, Italy ($59.99 SPEC). This was one of my wow wines of the tasting. The nose was really nice with light cherries, mint, spice and oak. Medium body, dry with a light mouthfeel. Nice raspberry and oak flavours on the palate. Soft tannins and medium acidity. Try it.
• 

  Painted Wolf The Den and Guillermo Pinotage

  Painted Wolf Wines “The Den” Pinotage 2011, South Africa. I always am on the look out for Pinotage wines, as we do not get too many in BC. This one was very good. It had a toasty, dark fruit nose. Red cherries, some spice, and toast on the palate. There were waves of oak flavour coming in throughout each sip, which was quite interesting. Medium body.

• Hendry Block 7 and 22 Zinfandel 2010, Napa Valley, California ($49.99 SPEC). Bright jammy raspberry nose. Medium minus body with bright raspberry and vanilla flavours. Soft tannins.
• Hendry Block 28 Zinfandel 2009, Napa Valley, California ($49.99 SPEC). Brooding dark cherry nose. Medium plus body, round and mouth filling, with lots of ripe cherries and black fruit, and some vanilla to support it. Spicy finish.
• ERGO Tempranillo 2009, Rioja, Spain ($17.99). Light nose with dark cherry aromas. Lots of mouth filling flavours of chocolate and dark cherries.  Dry with medium acid. Nice.

What are Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio Measurements?

Besides these musings, I have some, more statistically related issues to point systems that I’d like to share with you.  What do Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio measurements have to do with Wine Rating Systems?  Before I answer this question, I’d like to briefly outline these 4 measurement scales, then tell you how the wine rating systems fit in, or not.

The Nominal scale is based on comparing items by “name”.  When we talk about fruits for example, we can list oranges, apples, and grapes.  Each fit on the fruit nominal scale but you cannot say that one item in the scale is greater than or less than another item.  You can only say that two items are either equal, as in 2 oranges, or not equal as in an orange vs a grape.

The Ordinal scale provides a descriptive difference between items you are measuring.  A typical ordinal scale is “bad, good, better, best“.  We know that one is better than the other, but there is not quantitative measurement between the scale items.  You can’t measure the difference between bad and good. It is subjective; it is not 5 units or 10 units better.  And you cannot say that the difference is the same amount between the scale items.  Maybe there is a larger measurement gap or distance between “bad vs good”, compared to “good  vs better”.  There is no specific measure of magnitude of difference.

The Interval scale provides a numerical measurement between the items that are being measured, but does not have a natural zero point.  The interval type allows for the degree of difference between items, but not the ratio between them. An example of this kind of measurement scale is the Fahrenheit temperature scale.  Zero degrees Fahrenheit is an arbitrary zero point, as you can still have negative degrees as well as positive degrees.  Because of this you cannot say that 20°F cannot be said to be “twice as hot” as 10°F. You can measure differences between values; for example, there is a 10 degree difference between 20° F and 10°F.

The Ratio scale provides the most sophisticated method of measurement as it has a natural zero point, from which all measurements are based.  An example is driving speed.  When you are stopped you are at 0 km/hour.  When you start driving you can be at 50 km/hr for example.  You can say that 20 km/hr is twice as fast as 10 km/hr.  The other feature is you cannot have negative values, e.g. you cannot be driving -20 km/hr.  Everything starts from zero. With a ratio measurement, you can measure differences, as well as ratios.   40 km/hr – 20 km/hr = 20 km/hr makes sense.  Also 40 km/hr is twice as fast as 20 km/hr also makes sense.

Wine Rating Systems and Measurement Scale

So based on the above 4 measurement scales, where do the 100 point-based Wine Rating systems belong?  I would hope on the Ratio scale, but my guess many are on an Interval scale.  If the Wine Rating systems were on a Ratio scale, they all should have a natural zero point.

Should zero = something neutral like water? OR should something like water be given a rating of 50, and zero would be some wine that has all possible flaws, thus tastes utterly horrible?

I have noted on eRobertParker.com that they rate wines from 50 – 100 points, which would put it into the Interval scale.

WineAlign.com also uses eRobertParker.com’s wine rating scale.

Jancis Robinson uses a 20 point scale, but I did not notice what a zero point wine would be, so I would put it in the Interval system.  Her ratings are:

• 20 – Truly exceptional
• 19 – A humdinger
• 18 – A cut above superior
• 17 – Superior
• 16 – Distinguished
• 15 – Average, a perfectly nice drink with no faults but not much excitement
• 14 – Deadly dull
• 13 – Borderline faulty or unbalanced
• 12 – Faulty or unbalanced

Wine Spectator uses a 100 point scale (Interval):

• 95-100 Classic: a great wine
• 90-94 Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style
• 85-89 Very good: a wine with special qualities
• 80-84 Good: a solid, well-made wine
• 75-79 Mediocre: a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws
• 50-74 Not recommended

For Decanter.com, I have seen 3 rating systems; one being a 100 point scale, a 20 point scale, and a 1-5 star rating.  The star rating would fall into the Ordinal rating system, which makes sense to me, as it gives a reader an indication of quality of the wine, without putting it on an absolute scale.  I think most people that just want to buy a good wine for a dinner party, for example, can better understand the difference between a 4 vs 5 star rated wine, than between a 89 vs 90 point wine, and make a quicker decision.

Finally I found a website, www.delongwine.com that made a nice PDF summarizing the different systems of the above plus others.

The Problem

The problem with the above Interval scaled numerical rating systems is that for most people, you cannot necessarily compare the same number between different systems.  Is an 80 point Wine Spectator wine equal to an eRobert Parker 80 point wine?  We cannot say as we do not quantitatively know what the zero point (in this case 50 point) means between the different systems, as they use a description, such as “Not recommended” or “Unacceptable“. If we can get the different systems to agree on a starting point, such as water = 50 points, or some simple wine with specific aroma and flavour profile, then maybe we have a chance to compare.

Also with more and more wine bloggers putting fingers to the keyboard, they may also be using a point scale, but how did they decide on the scale to use?  Are they using one of the above systems, AND do they really understand the limitations of those systems?

The other problem, is should there be separate rating scales for red, white, rose, sparkling, and dessert wines?  Each could in theory have their own zero point.  I think I will let this go for now.

If we cannot agree on a zero point, or if each critic / magazine, does not specifically state what their zero point is, I think we should not use a numerical scale, as it implies a level of precision that does not exist.  I think an Ordinal scale, such as 1-5 stars, or A-F, would be more appropriate.  Comments?