Dec 17 2010

gifts for the gift-giver

Category: Wine tasting — winepost @ 1:43 am

The holiday season is about giving: to family and friends, neighbours, your physician, school crossing guard… the list goes on. We spend days at stores and hours online, shopping for the perfect gift for everyone on our list. But in all the giving, we often forget the most important person: ourselves.

If we’re going to do gift-giving right, we need to be in a sharing frame of mind. What puts me in the holiday spirit is a really good glass of wine, so it makes sense that I’d seek out a few ‘me’ presents to keep up with the holiday cheer.

Set out in easy-to-follow categories, here’s a little list of some ‘you’ gifts. I suggest printing it out and keeping a copy in the car, just in case you find yourself near a liquor store during your shopping extravaganza. It’s best to be prepared.

good gewürztraminers

  • The View
  • Ruby Tuesday

rippin’ rieslings

  • 8th Generation (they make a couple, so try one on for size)
  • Wild Goose
  • Orofino

big reds

  • Aces
  • Spier Head Vanguard
  • Osoyoos Larose
  • Road 13 Rockpile

cheery chardonnays

  • Crow’s Nest Stahltank
  • Cassini Cellars Reserve
  • Painted Rock

merry merlots

  • Hester Creek Reserve
  • Stag’s Hollow Renaissance

killer cabs

  • Inniskillin Dark Horse Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Fairview Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series Cabernet Franc
  • Poplar Grove Cabernet Franc

delightful (fruity) desserts

  • Rustic Roots
  • Elephant Island
  • Forbidden Fruit

bountiful bubbles

  • Gray Monk Odyssey Brut
  • Blue Mountain
  • Summerhill Cipes

Go forth and be merry, because the happiness of everyone on your entire shopping list depends upon it. After all, ‘tis the season to un*wine*d.

Cheers!

~ Jeannette

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Oct 26 2010

an apple a day – what about wine?

Category: Wine tasting — winepost @ 10:26 pm

It’s cold and flu season, and I’ve been hit by the germ wave something fierce. As illness seriously impedes my ability to drink wine, let’s just say I’m not a happy camper about it. But it got me thinking about the old adage of ‘a glass of wine a day’ as being good for one’s health.

So what did I do? After I returned home from the doctor’s office, I let my fingers do the walking – and Googled it. Not surprisingly, there’s a ton of information floating about on the interwebs about booze and germ fighting.  Some wine folks have chimed in on the subject, too. Someone asked our friends at Wine Spectator about the merits of drinking wine while affected by a cold; internet news in the UK is talking wine and cold prevention; a fun site called the New Scientist dishes the dirt on wine’s cold-fighting possibilities as well as busts the myths about colds (some of the reading is rather, um, yucky – proceed with caution).

However, many seem to be using data from research in Spain – a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology; that drinking red wine may indeed be beneficial in fighting the germ fight. Good news for us wine lovers. Yet despite my rather regular intake of the good stuff, I still managed to get sick. I blame wine-resistant germs.

Now that I’m learning about the glass-of-wine-a-day theory (or more, depending on how you dice the stats), I’m inclined to get a little more specific – say, which wine. Remember, the study said red wine appeared to have more effect. This means it’s time for a new list: the Top Five Glass-A-Day Red Wines list. There’s no criteria for the list, other than these are some of my favourite reds to be found in the Okanagan. And since it’s my list, makes sense it would be my faves.

The Top Five Glass-A-Day Red Wines List

Disclaimer: there is no proof that drinking any of these wines will help you reduce your chance of catching a cold. But that’s not the point, is it? Give it a go and see if you manage to keep those germs at bay, because although staying home from work to sleep on the sofa sounds like fun – it’s really not how I like to un*wine*d.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some germ fighting to get back to.

Cheers!

Jeannette

PS: That guy on the intro page for Poplar Grove? It’s John Clerides from Marquis Wine Cellars, sticking his nose in a glass of great BC wine. After 25 years in the wine biz, he knows his stuff. I’ll drink with him again any day.

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May 02 2010

spring wine festival part one: staggeringly tasty

Category: Wine tasting — admin @ 8:19 pm

A monk, a quail and a rock walked into a park one day…

No, it’s not the start of one of my dad’s bad jokes – and he’s got plenty. I’m referring to a day in the park; specifically, Vintages in the Park hosted by the fine folks at the wine festivals and sponsored by BC Liquor Stores, Johnston Meier Insurance Group and Valley First Credit Union.

See? Bankers and insurance people can be fun. Just take them to a wine tasting and watch the merriment unfold.

The setting: Father Pandosy Mission in Kelowna. The suspects: twenty or so of your favourite Okanagan wineries. The food: Okanagan Street Food. My mission: taste as many of said wineries as possible while retaining my glass, swag and composure. You should know by now that I’m up for a challenge – especially if it involves wine.

people doing the wine-tasting thing

On this particular occasion I brought my fella along, not only for his delightful company but also to ensure that I wouldn’t have to spit in public again. Memories of my wine-judging-spitting experience are embarassingly fresh; I wanted to taste without doing the spit thing, so I figured I’d need a ride home. That was a very good call because there was a ridiculous amount of tasty wines.

When presented with over 20 wineries offering multiple tastings, one does wonder where one should start. My solution: start with white wines and what’s in front of you. Work your way around until you’re back where you started. Repeat with red wines. Easy.

It was a lot of wine, and I couldn’t begin to talk about every single one I tried. That, dear readers, might lead you to guess just how much I ‘tasted’ – something a lady doesn’t disclose, like age. But I’ll share with you a few of the “You have to try this!” moments, because there were several.

Quinta Ferreira makes great wines, and one of their unique white blends is a Muscat/Gewurztraminer named Mistura Branca. Lovely and aromatic, this is sitting-with-friends-in-your-backyard, nibbling-on-tapas wine. And it’s under $20. Winemaker Michael was on site for the pouring, so you’re getting the inside scoop when you chat with him. (Michael recommends chicken dishes with this wine, but I’d also give it a go by itself on a sunny day)

I stopped by to see regional sales rep AJ from Poplar Grove, and my first sample was their Pinot Gris. Delicious. Mouth-watering. Crisp, summer fruits all tumbled into a glass. Hovering just over the $20 mark, this is one of those wines that’s going to become a favourite, real quick. On our second round I tasted two reds. First was the Merlot. Hello, dolly. Blackberry meets cocoa meets cherries, all tangled up together in happy abandon. At $30 a bottle, I’d tuck one of these ones away to sleep for a bit – if I could leave it alone. Next was the Cabernet Franc. This is unique, unlike any other cab franc you’ve tasted. It’s freshly mown hay and squishingly ripe red fruit. Grab a bottle. Or two.

The folks at Quail’s Gate have two white wines that I am head-over-heels in love with. My fella and I both get silly about the Chenin Blanc. Honey and cream get cozy with tropical fruit, and I feel like I’m on vacation. Nice. But it’s got competition from the Chardonnay. You know I love an oak-y, creamy chard – and this delivers. Pick up the main street version at under $20 a bottle, or splurge on the Stuart Family Reserve at $30 – my heart (and cellar) has room for both.

I’m smitten by the Gray Monk Gamay – something about what they do with that grape just works. This time I tried their Rotberger. It’s a rosé, and it has the complexity of a red wine coupled with a lighter something else that dances around in your mouth. My fella was noshing on a plate of mushroom & duck confit, and what a nice companion that was with my pretty rosé. Delicious in a bottle for under $20.

What’s a wine tasting without a little bubble? Summerhill Pyramid Winery brought out the sparkling wine for the sunshine, and how appropriate. Summerhill produces five sparkling wines, so there’s bound to be one that will fit your taste and pocketbook. Prices range from $25 to $45 per bottle.

I couldn’t resist a stop at Painted Rock Estate Winery, where proprietor John Skinner radiated happiness. My heart skips a beat each time I take a sip of the Chardonnay, and if you’ve read my earlier posts you’ll know the Syrah makes me weak. John had the entire (available) portfolio out for tasting, so I took full advantage. Their Merlot took Best of Varietal at festival competition. Taste it, and you’ll know why.

Before I staggered – er, walked – to the gates, I needed to visit Lindsay at Tinhorn Creek. I had a sip of the Oldfield Series Merlot. As usual, I went immediately to my happy place. This baby spends a year and a half in oak, so it has some cellar life – and it’s got that smokey/peppery thing to it that seems signature of the Okanagan. Nicely done, winemaker Sandra. That’s a lady I’d like to drink with.

Music, food and wine – enjoyed outdoors in the spring sun with my fella. Seems like a pretty good way to un*wine*d.

Cheers!

Jeannette

PS: You’ve still got time to get wine-d up with the Spring Wine Festivals – click on the events tab to find out what’s happening in and around the Okanagan this week. I’ve got a few more to stagger through – er, make my way to. Perhaps you’ll join me?

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