Gamay Noir, Accustomed to the Dark, Three Boy’s Vineyard, Black Sage Bench, Ursa Major Wines, Okanagan Valley, Oliver, BC, 2018, 13.3% abv.

Posted on May 15, 2020 by winellama

‘Accustomed to the Dark’ is another red wine, home run hit by winemaker Rajen Toor.  The guy is not only crushing it with his wines, he’s seriously poetic when it comes to naming his creations.

This time, the wine has been named for the title of an Emily Dickinson poem written in 1862 about fear of the future, or of the unknown.  How oddly prescient is that – considering the times we’re living in, and what our global society is experiencing.

This wine was fermented in stainless steel and aged for a year in mostly neutral vessels with 10% new Russian oak.

A seriously deep but translucent ruby, the wine is a little hazy as it hasn’t been fined or filtered.  The aromas are rich with damson plum, cassis, and ripe blackberry.  The juicy palate is dry with more Okanagan plum, field berry, baking spice and a layer of toasted biscuit knitting it all together.

Whether she wrote it about the loss of a lover, or her eyesight, the stress of experiencing the American Civil War that was raging around her, or something else, Dickinson’s poem is ultimately about resilience and perseverance in the face of difficulty.

‘Accustomed to the Dark’ is an ode to the resilience of the human spirit.  Its lesson is definitely something we can all take some strength from at this time, as we grow a little more comfortable with the unknown, and with change.

 

 

 

 

*This wine was provided gratis…

Posted in British Columbia, Gamay, RED | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chardonnay, Callisto, Ursa Major Wines, Sagebrush Vineyard, Black Sage Bench, Okanagan Valley, Oliver, BC, 2018, 13.4% abv.

Posted on May 12, 2020 by winellama

Callisto was discovered by Galileo in 1610 and is the second largest moon of Jupiter after Ganymede.  It’s also the third largest moon in our solar system.  I’d had no idea about this – until I drank this wine and wondered about the naming convention.

But!  I learned that Callisto was also a nymph – daughter of Lycaon, King of Arcadia.  She was transformed into a bear and then turned into a constellation.  Ahhh, hello Ursa Major, or ‘Great Bear’ wines.  I get it now.

This wine was a wild ferment in oak barrel with 10 months in French oak and then stainless steel for 3 more after that.  It has been lightly fined, but was not filtered.

It’s got a golden hazy tone with a nose so heavenly, I just enjoyed it for the first 20 minutes.  The aromas show canned Bartlett pear, Ambrosia apple, clover honey, and as it warmed, soft oak.

The flavours are beautifully developed and sherry-like when first opened with jasmine and ripe apple tart brushed with lemon.  As it warms in the glass, creme caramel, white pepper and wooded spice fill the glass.  The lengthy finish shows coconut cream pie.

Unctuous and deep, yet balanced and juicy, if this is what 13 months of age does, sign me up for more.  Only 125 cases of this were made, so run to your closest Cascadia liquor store in BC, as it will surely sell out.

This wine was made at the Okanagan’s Desert Hills Winery on Oliver’s Black Sage Bench by the inimitable Rajen Toor.

 

 

*This wine was provided gratis

Posted in British Columbia, Chardonnay, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pinot Noir, Rosé, Kitsch Wines, East Kelowna, Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada 12.5 abv., 2019, C$27

Posted on May 7, 2020 by winellama

It used to be said rosé was a wine that could only be enjoyed during the summer, and because it’s pink, usually by women.

Pshaw.

Let’s resolve to be neither seasonally prejudiced nor sexist when it comes to drinking.  Equal opportunity all the way!

So, you can drink rosé any darned time of year you like.  But this one will definitely remind you of the summer that is almost upon us.  And yes, I’ll personally guarantee that everyone is going to want to drink this.

Straight from the slopes of East Kelowna comes this drink with its stunning shade of watermelon pink, nose of Swedish berries and red rose petal, and a very slightly off dry pomegranate and green meadow palate.

If you like to imagine streamers, confetti, and noisemakers when it comes to what you’re drinking on the patio, this wine is for you – it’s a delicious, socially distanced party in a glass.

 

 

 

This wine was provided gratis.

Posted in British Columbia, Pinot Noir, ROSE | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sémillon, Lock & Worth Winery, Naramata Bench, Okanagan, BC, 2017, 12.4% abv.

Posted on May 3, 2020 by winellama

Sémillon is usually paired with other white grapes, most especially Sauvignon Blanc as in the classic white wine of Bordeaux.  However, this is a 100% Sémillon version from vines planted in 1993 near Kelowna, BC in Canada’s Okanagan region.

Unfiltered and unfined, fermented using native, ambient yeast, and pressed in whole clusters, it spent six months sleeping in neutral oak prior to bottling.

Ever so slightly cloudy because it’s unfiltered and unfined, this delicate wine is pale lemon with aromas of lemon curd, Granny Smith apple, a gravelly minerality, and light lanolin*.

The palate is dry with mouth-watering, ‘take another sip’ acidity.  Flavours of lemon peel, bergamot, white tree blossom, and yellow grapefruit on the rocks show through, with a drop of clover honey on the back end when it warms.

It’s a versatile bottle of white that is guaranteed to go with virtually any of your salads, fish, chicken, pasta or egg dishes.

First class – a classic white wine.

*opened May 2020

Posted in British Columbia, OTHER, Semillon, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rosé, Cabernet Franc, Lock & Worth Winery, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, BC, 2019, 12.7% abv. C$22

Posted on May 1, 2020 by winellama

There’s no doubt about it – spring has sprung.

While it’s still a challenge to socially distance wine with friends on the porch, here is a bottle that should be on everyone’s patio menu when life opens up post-Covid.

From Matthew Sherlock and Ross Hackworth’s Naramata Bench Cabernet Franc vineyard, this Rosé wine spent 3 hours on the skins to get that beautiful pink salmon hue after the grapes were pressed in whole clusters, and 6 months in neutral French oak before bottling.  

And she is so pretty as a result!  That delicate shade of salmon is augmented by soft aromas of watermelon rind, and rhubarb, while the ever-so-slightly off dry palate is bright and bold with tangerine peel, strawberry, red plum, and newly mowed meadow.

Unfiltered and unfined, as all the Lock & Worth wines are, this is a no-brainer for any spring and summer distanced drinking you plan on doing.

Posted in British Columbia, Cabernet Franc, RED, ROSE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Blanc de Blancs, Brut, Petit Lebrun et Fils RM, Grand Cru, Avize, Champagne, France, NV, 12% abv., US$50

Posted on April 27, 2020 by winellama

It’s not every day you get into a graduate degree program. 

This extraordinary feat demanded I bring out the heavy artillery in honour of Jenna’s acceptance letter to an MSc in Genetic Counselling program at University of Toronto.

The Petit Lebrun et Fils champagne house and caves in Avize has been run by the same family for 4 generations.  Current owners Véronique and Richard Petit have 4 hectares of Grand Cru chardonnay vines on the Côte des Blancs in Avize, Oiry, Chouilly, Oger, and Cramant.

This traditional method champagne is a blend of 3 consecutive vintages of  their wine, aged on the lees for 24-36 months.  The finished product was more than worthy of our celebration.

Golden with creamy, long lasting mousse, the nose showed notes of perfumed flower and apple crumble.

Supported by some great acidity, the juicy palate had flavours of honey crisp apple, peach melba, creamy caramel custard, toasted biscuit, dry hay, and a touch of dried tobacco leaf.  The long finish was exquisite.

Yes, don’t worry – we were careful to physically distance ourselves, and the Lysol wipes came out when the bottle was picked up.

COVID-19, be damned – we had a great toast to our wonderful Jenna’s amazing accomplishment.

 

Posted in Champagne, Chardonnay, France, WHITE | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Wine in the time of Covid-19

Posted on March 23, 2020 by winellama

Since my last post, the world has changed significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Between physical distancing and global travel restrictions,  the closing of non-essential services and businesses, border closures, and entire countries under lock down, writing about a bottle of wine seems, well, kind of unimportant.

But winemakers, distillers, and brewers, sales representatives, liquor stores, and restaurants are an important part of the economy.  These businesses employ and support many who rely upon the sales of these products for their livelihoods.

So, with a view to that, here are some ideas about how to support wineries, breweries and distilleries, help your locally-owned restaurants and liquor stores stay afloat, and perhaps most importantly, connect with others during these unsettled times.

Almost every winery and locally-owned wine/liquor store is offering free shipping or delivery on half or full cases right now if you live too far away to do a carefully orchestrated physically-distanced drive-by pickup.  Some have also pledged to donate a percentage of sales to food banks and other worthy causes, making this purchasing decision even easier.

Craft breweries are offering online ordering and drive-by or delivery services.  And if you can find even one Canadian craft distillery which hasn’t switched to the production of hand sanitizer at this point in time, I’ll literally eat my hat.  Many are donating the products to first responders and hospitals, so make sure you buy a bottle or two of their regular products to help them cover those costs!  Pay and order online, pop that trunk open if you drive-by to comply with distancing, go home with your supplies, and enjoy.

The virus has also hit the livelihoods of restaurateurs, and wait/bar staff really hard as well.  Most of these folks have simply lost their jobs. In most jurisdictions, these businesses are only allowed to offer takeout at this point in time.  So, support them with online or phone orders, pick up if you can (or have it delivered), tip generously, and enjoy that delicious food knowing you’ve helped someone stay in business and feed their own families maybe just one more day.

Finally, don’t let the uncertainty of Covid-19 stop you from getting together on video chat to mix cocktails, open a bottle, or crack a beer once your takeout order has arrived with your friends and family members.  Do a little online searching to find an appropriate Covid-19 playlist (message me, I have an excellent one).  Or, if the neighbours are up to it, set up some chairs at least 2m apart in the cul-de-sac and enjoy some carefully distanced social time in the late afternoon sun.  If you’re an apartment dweller, this may be what balconies were made for.

Whatever you decide to do (or not), don’t be a #Covidiot – stay safe and healthy out there, my friends.  And thanks for helping others.

 

Posted in OTHER | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tertre Rouge, Turtle Rock Farms, Synchromesh Wines, Okanagan Valley, BC, 2016, 13.9% abv, C$28++

Posted on March 2, 2020 by winellama

Hot cars and fabulous wine are two things in our household that take up a lot of our energy and time.  Case in point, in 2014 the day following my final WSET Diploma wine exam, we flew to France to be at the 24 hours of Le Mans.

How fitting then that this wine, named for a Le Mans circuit corner, should find its way into my life.  Synchromesh is a small family-owned winery in Okanagan Falls, BC run since 2010 by Alan and Amy Dickinson with Alan’s parents, Kirsty and John.  Together, they make wines from fruit grown in a sustainable way from six vineyards located between Naramata and Oliver in BC’s Okanagan Valley.

The Tertre Rouge is a blend of mostly plush Merlot with elevating Cabernet Franc from the Britton Family vineyard on the Naramata Bench. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, unfined, and filtered, the Tertre Rouge was aged in 30% oak barrels for 20 months before finding its way into bottles.

This wine is an opaque garnet with aromas of purple flower, mulberry, raspberry, blue plum, baking spice and twig. The dry palate shows mouth filling violets, cassis, crunchy red berry, and cocoa dust, all on a lightly oaked base with a lengthy finish.

Delicious, balanced and seamless, the Tertre Rouge is named after a tight right hand corner which follows the famous Mulsanne Straight on the Le Mans 24 hour circuit – one which it’s said a driver must come out of perfectly cleanly to keep the car on the road, and continue on in the race.

It’s a great analogy for this wine – finessed, beautifully put together, clean, and it arrives safely just as it’s meant to.  Sustainably farmed grapes, a careful wine making process, and hands-on attention has ensured it.

Posted in British Columbia, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, OTHER, RED | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sabor a Mí, Major Ursa Estate Winery, Black Sage Bench, Oliver, BC, 2017, 14% abv. C$35

Posted on February 14, 2020 by winellama

Who remembers Eydie Gormé and her love and husband of decades, Steve Lawrence?  I actually do. If you don’t know who she is, you must take a moment to listen to this 1964 recording of her singing Sabor a Mí  (The Taste of Me) with the Trio Los Panchos.  It will make you start dancing – and hey, maybe start you thinking about Valentine’s Day.

Sabor a Mí is also the name of this beautifully balanced red wine made of 53% whole cluster Syrah, 27% Malbec, 18% whole cluster Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot that have “…spent 18 months together in neutral oak so as not to overpower the fruit, and were bottled unfined and unfiltered,” according to winemaker, Rajen Toor.

Deep garnet with aromas of blackberry with salinity, oak, green grass and spice, the palate is dry with more blackberry, cassis, and dark purple plum, salal, nutmeg, all spice, and a sparkly minerality.

Because the grapes were mostly whole cluster fermented, the juicy, vibrant fruit has been retained.  Toor notes, “All the fruit was purchased from Desert Hills’ Eagles Nest and Sage Brush Vineyards, located on Black Sage Road in Oliver, BC.”  While Ursa Major is not an entirely organic winery yet, in 2-3 years, they’ll be certified.  “At the moment we are doing everything we can to help that transition along, including organic compost, no chemical or synthetic sprays, utilizing cover crops, and weeding only by hand.”

To make it even more compelling, the bottles have beautiful artwork by Kristen Gardner, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to South Okanagan Women in Need, a non-profit organization in nearby Penticton.

Now, I don’t celebrate the Hallmark holiday known as Valentine’s.  I dislike being told what to do, and I think everyone should love their special ones all the time – not just with flowers on one particular day.

But, if your sweetheart expects a gift, buy a bottle of this, put on Eydie Gormé’s Sabor a Mí, and dance a little bossa nova around the room.  As the lyrics and the wine go,

“Many more than a thousand years will pass, many more
And I don’t know if love exists in the eternity
But there, just like here
In your mouth you will carry
My flavour.”

You can’t get much more romantic than that.

Posted in British Columbia, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, RED, Shiraz / Syrah | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ring in the New Decade with Canadian Bubbles from Unsworth Vineyards

Posted on December 28, 2019 by winellama

Hindsight being 2020, you’re going to want to try these bubbles for ringing in the new decade.  To save you the trouble, and the hindsight, here’s the low down.

Unsworth Vineyards is located on Canada’s West Coast just north of Victoria, on Vancouver Island in Mill Bay, BC.  Family owned, they have a fabulous tasting room, a restaurant with a Kiwi chef who has been sous chef at a Michelin-starred Swedish restaurant, a Scottish manager, a Wine Director son who is DipWSET, CMS, and FWS certified, and an East Coast winemaker transplant who has literally made wine around the world.   This region is a cool climate draw for those serious about micro-climates and wine.

Charme de L’Isle
Named for a play on words, taste a charming, Vancouver Island bubble made in the charmat (tank) style.  This is similar to what happens in Champagne (2 fermentations), but they took place in a tank.  This ensures great flavour and attention to detail, but a product that gets to our glasses sooner.

A non-vintage and slightly off dry wine, it’s made of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and a bit of Auxerrois with small amounts of Sauvignette Blanc and Amiel.  The last two are hybrids that do well in the rainy coastal weather, and stand up to vineyard infections without needing pesticides. Get ready for a mouth-watering acidity, with yellow apple, ripe pear, almond, custard, toast and a long-lasting mousse.  Only C$25, serve this to your guests as they arrive.

Charme de L’Isle Rosé 
Non-vintage and 100% Pinot Noir, this bubble is full of sassy character and just a little bit off-dry.  The rosé version of the Charme, it has good acidity and shows rhubarb, cranberry, rose hip, and biscuit. Distinctive, this wine is perfect with turkey and cranberry sauce leftovers, or cheeses served with cranberry, rhubarb, or rose hip-based jams.  Who am I kidding – only C$25, it goes with anything on a charcuterie or post-Christmas plate.

Cuvée de L’Isle, 2015
This is Unsworth’s pièce de résistance.  A traditional, hand-riddled, disgorged and aged bubble, it’s made of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and 10% Auxerrois.  The nose and palate offer ripe yellow apple, with quince, yellow pear, and a softly, sweet hint of brioche. Delicate and elegant, this completely dry wine offers a seriously long-lasting mousse with an only C$35 price tag.

They’re doing outstanding work at Unsworth – and these bubbles should have your attention for the new decade’s toasts.  Affordable, super food-friendly, and uniquely Canadian – they’re delicious and highly recommended.

 

These samples were provided gratis.  Stock bottle shots taken from the winery’s website.

Posted in amiel, auxerrois, BC, British Columbia, OTHER, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, sauvignette | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments