What would you have with an Easter turkey dinner? Probably a lightly oaked Chardonnay or maybe a Pinot Noir, or sparkling wine. I decided to step outside of my go-to styles of wines for turkey dinner and to try a Vidal and a Syrah Rosé from BC’s Stag’s Hollow Winery. You don’t often see Vidal offered as a still table wine. More likely it is an ice wine or a late harvest wine; Both dessert wines. If the Vidal doesn’t mesh with my main course, it may work well with my apple pie for dessert.
What do you think of the new style of the label for their Vidal wine? I think it is eye-catching and vibrant.
Let me tell you about these wines and then I will give you my roast turkey dinner update.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Stag’s Hollow Winery Tragically Vidal 2021 (BC $20)
The grapes were destemmed and lightly crushed and the juicy was transferred to tank. After 72 hours the settled juice was racked into another stainless steel tank and inoculated with a select yeast. A long, slow cool ferment was undertaken to preserve aromatics. A small portion of their Orange Muscat was blended into this wine. 630 cases were produced.
Appearance: A lighter bright straw colour with a tinge of green.
Nose: Medium-plus aromas of pineapple and banana, oranges, spearmint, and other sweet spices. Has overall sweet aromas. Same aromas and intensity after decanting, plus you can add a lime note.
Palate: More than off-dry (13.5g/l residual sugar), medium acidity, some roundness, and a lighter mouthfeel. There is a light acidic prickle that fades by the mid-palate. Pineapple, banana, spearmint and ginger flavours, plus touches of orange and lime and then some grape stem on the mid-palate to the finish. The flavours did not change with decanting, but the wine may be a bit rounder and softer.
Finish: A shorter length finishing with a mix of pineapple, banana, and ginger flavours, along with a touch of pepperiness. The wine takes on a bit more sweetness and smoothness on the finish. No change with decanting.
A wine to open and enjoy. With no big changes with decanting, you can drink this wine at your leisure.
Rating: 
A light straw colour with a green tint. Medium-plus aromas of pineapple and banana, plus lesser orange, spearmint and sweet spices. Medium sweetness with sound roundness and a lighter mouthfeel. Pineapple, banana, spearmint and ginger flavours, plus touches of orange and lime.
Stag’s Hollow Winery Syrah Rosé 2021 (BC $25)
99% Syrah with 1% Viognier added. The grapes were hand-harvested, sorted, destemmed and pressed immediately to minimize maceration time, then transferred to a stainless steel tank to cold settle for 48 hours before being racked, warmed and fermented with a selected yeast strain. The wine was racked and chilled upon fermentation completion, then filtered and bottled. 180 cases were produced.
Appearance: A medium-minus intensity clear salmon colour in the glass.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of rhubarb and strawberries. Same aromas but may be lighter in intensity after decanting.
Palate: Dryish, with a smooth, round, thicker mouthfeel. Rhubarb and strawberry flavours, orange blossoms, pink grapefruit, along with lesser tart red cherries, and then some tropical fruits toward the finish. Same smooth mouthfeel after decanting, and fruit flavours. The pink grapefruit though is more pink grapefruit pith with decanting.
Finish: A medium length finishing with tart red fruit, and some grape stem flavours. The wine has a bit more bitterness and some pepperiness with decanting.
As above, there were no major changes between the newly opened bottles and the decanted versions, so just open this wine and enjoy it.
Rating: – 
A brighter, lighter salmon colour. Medium intensity aromas of rhubarb and strawberries. Dryish, medium body with a thicker, smooth mouthfeel. It does have a light acidic prickle. Rhubarb, strawberries and tart red cherries on the palate. Some tart red fruit and bitter grape stem on the finish.
Pairing These Wines With Turkey Dinner
My turkey dinner consisted of sliced turkey breast, stuffing, whipped mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed carrots and broccoli, and a slice of apple pie for dessert. The Vidal was a bit too sweet for most items on my plate, except for the carrots, where the ginger flavour worked nicely with the sweetness of the carrots. The apple pie also was a complementary pairing to the Vidal. The Syrah Rosé wine was a better pairing with my main course. The acidity and red fruit flavours were complementary to the turkey, stuffing, and whipped mashed potatoes.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
Both wines are available for purchase through the Stag’s Hollow Winery website:
I did not find either wine at Everything Wine or at Save-On-Foods. It may be at other private shops, but you will need to ask.
