The wines of Iberia will be featured as a focus at the 40th Vancouver International Wine Festival just three weeks from now. A huge selection of wines from Portugal and Spain will be available for sampling.
Naturally, our own BC wineries will also be well represented. This year 24 different premium BC wineries will be pouring tasting samples of some their finest whites, roses and reds for our enjoyment and enlightenment.
The Gidda brothers opened Mount Boucherie winery in West Kelowna in 2001. Growing distance between the three brothers culminated in the winery’s fortunes flagging by 2014. Rescued from receivership by Vancouver businessman Sonny Huang in 2016, Mount Boucherie is back on track.
Winemaker Jim Faulkner signed up with Mount Bourcherie in 2009 and weathered the winery’s troubled times.
From their Similkameen Valley vineyards Mount Boucherie Pinot Gris (602094) $16.79 overflows with flavours of ripe pear and cantaloupe melon, with a luscious kiss of honeyed apricot in the finish.
Opened in 2009 by Romanian-born Adrian Capeneata, Cassini Cellars’ wines exude deep fruity flavours. “Cassini” is the surname of Capeneata’s Italian grandfather. In 2010, Adrian changed his own surname to Cassini.
A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from Adrian’s winery on the ‘Golden Mile’, south of Oliver, Cassini Rose (412940) $17.99 opens with intriguing notes of raspberry, strawberry and subtle spicy cardamom.
Lush flavors of fresh apricots, peaches and cherries fill out the palate.
Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie built Okanagan Crush Pad (OCP) in scenic Summerland, BC, on Switchback Organic Vineyard in 2011.
Producing Haywire and Narrative wines, OCP has has built a reputation as a premium winery winning unprecedented awards and accolades with chief winemaker Matt Dumayne at the helm.
OCP’s 2016 Narrative Red is a medium-bodied blend based on spicy Cabernet Franc and plummy Merlot (449132) $18.99 with an undisclosed array of ‘supporting’ red grapes from the southern Okanagan. Sip with a few morsels of soft white cheese on hand and marvel at the underlying clove and raspberry flavours that shyly emerge.
Just outside of Mill Bay on Vancouver Island, Unsworth Vineyards was purchased by Tim and Colleen Turyk in 2009. Their winemaker Daniel Cosman and his crew currently farm 12 acres of grape varieties at Unsworth Vineyards.
Unsworth’s TimBuckTwo wines are made on Vancouver Island with grapes grown in the Okanagan Valley. Timbuck Two Sparkling Rose (263614) $22.99 is made by the Charmat Method – with the second fermentation taking place in a large stainless-steel tank prior to bottling. This is a juicy blend of 90 per cent Chardonnay and 10 per cent Pinot Noir with sassy strawberry and rhubarb flavours.
Chris and Beata Tolley opened Twisted Tree Vineyards and Winery in 2004 east of Osoyoos. They planted less traditionally Okanagan varieties like Tempranillo, Tannat and Carmenère for their reds and the Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier for their whites. In 2011 they changed their name to Moon Curser Vineyards.
Intensely aromatic, Moon Curser Afraid of the Dark (866152) $22.99 is a blend of 45 per cent Viognier, 40 per cent Roussanne and 15 per cent Marsanne.
Remarkably lush for such a crisp blend, aromas and flavours of fresh cut peaches, honeysuckle, Japanese gari – sweet sliced sushi ginger - and almond predominate.
Painted Rock Vineyard’s wines are produced from grapes grown in the 25 acre vineyard on their 56 acre property located on the eastern bench of Skaha Lake south of Penticton.
The west sloping bench is topped with layers of glacial silt, clay, sand and volcanic ash deposits over gravel.
There’s an earthy, peppery layer of spicy flavours underlying the dusky blackberry and black cherry in Painted Rock Syrah (130989) $41.49. This is a red that cries out for an hour in an open decanter.
The 2014 vintage veers off into the undergrowth, teasing with a sprinkling of salty, savoury herbs, tree-bark and liquorice notes with a touch of meatiness in the finish.
As difficult as it will be to drag yourself away from the outstanding wines from Portugal and Spain that will be featured at this year’s Vancouver International Winer Festival, be sure to sample the offerings from the BC wineries that will be there.
Check out https://vanwinefest.ca/ for full details… but soon! Tickets to many events are already sold out.
Hope to see you there!
Reach WineWise by emailing douglas_sloan@yahoo.com