Mar 17 2010

getting blasted with a diva

Category: Wine tasting — admin @ 2:54 pm

 

If you’re reading this blog there’s a high probability you’ve been Blasted. And I’m pretty sure there’s a good chance you’ve met a Diva. After all, this is Okanagan wine country.

I got Blasted recently with a couple of friends, and it made me realize that I need to get Blasted more often. I live minutes away from the source, so I have ample opportunity to get Blasted with the good stuff.

This is not about me getting drunk. While that may be a side effect occasionally, it’s not the intention and I’ll keep those bits to myself. Right now I’m talking about Blasted Church. What did you think, silly?

I’ve had my gulps of their white blend, Hatfield’s Fuse, and clinked glasses full of the red blend The Dam Flood, so this time I chose something a bit different: the Rosé. Summer’s knocking at the door and the red wine lover in me sometimes craves of a taste a wee bit beyond the white wine world. In that case, a good rosé is in order.

The Blasted Church Rosé was all tart-y goodness. It made me think of cherries, the kind that aren’t quite sweet but aren’t quite sour – like ones your friend who makes the really good pies bakes with. Everyone has a friend who makes good pies; if you don’t, you should. I’ll be taking a bottle of that Rosé on a picnic this summer, especially when we’ve got leftover pulled pork for sandwiches. Mmm…

Didn’t I mention something about a Diva? Ah, yes. There’s a Diva in the Okanagan. You can find her at Summerhill Pyramid Winery, and she goes by the name of Diva’s Delight– Late Harvest Ehrenfelser. Plus, she comes in a very unique case.

 I’m not a big fan of late harvest wines. It’s not about the sweetness – for me, drinking coffee is a vehicle for sugar delivery (yep, I’m one of thosepeople); it’s that I find so many late harvest wines too similar. And like I’ve said before, everyone has their own taste, so this is the game where nobody’s wrong and everybody wins. Yay!

The Summerhill Late Harvest Ehrenfelser is a pleasant, pretty wine. It’s not overly sweet, and can be sipped on its own or after a meal. If enjoy late harvest wines I’m sure you’ll be quite happy with this one. Give it a try – and it’s got some of the most unique packaging around.

I think that’s what wine’s about: trying new things, sharing experiences with friends and getting Blasted with a Diva – once in a while. Don’t be so uptight; un*wine*d a little. It’s fun.

Cheers!

Jeannette

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Feb 26 2010

summer in a glass, some sushi…and a big red

Category: Wine tasting — admin @ 10:08 pm

I rarely run out of wine, but a few weekends ago I realized the stash was getting dangerously low. Yeah, I know – I live in the heart of British Columbia wine country, minutes from great wineries. How could I get close to running out of wine here? Shame on me.

There’s one snag to dashing out to a local winery right now: it’s winter. Not all of our wineries stay awake during the off-season; some close, some stay open and some open by appointment. So, what’s a girl to do? Go wine shopping anyway. Maybe even call on a winery – just for good measure.

First, a visit to the Penticton Visitor’s Centre was in order. It’s a fantastic place to grab some BC wine because it’s got a VQA store on site. This one has a huge variety of wines from the Okanagan, you don’t have to travel far and they’re open all winter. Bonus.

The staff is friendly and will happily show you some remarkable BC wines. And so I met Aaron, a wine enthusiast who knows his grapes. He’d set aside a few bottles of the 2004 Hester Creek Cabernet Sauvignon for me – I had to book it there because there aren’t many bottles left. Their 2005 is on shelves soon, though. Yummy in a bottle.

Oh, but that’s not all. I also left with a couple of white wines: a White Meritage from Jackson-Triggs (white blends are less common) and two bottles from Larch Hills – a Siegerrebe and an Ortega. Each of these white wines is under $20. (by the way, it’s taken me ages to pronounce it: pretty sure it’s see-ger-RAY-bee, baby)

Up the hill from Penticton you’ll find Naramata, and the Township7 winery. Winemaker Bradley Cooper made time for me while I was in the area, even though the winery wasn’t open. They’re nice that way, like lots of our local wineries are. Good news! Township7 is open again as of this weekend: Friday through Sunday from 12:00pm – 5:00pm.

It’s amazing how much time I can waste – er, spend – when buying wine. But dinner doesn’t make itself, so I had to head home. We were making sushi for some friends and I could think of nothing better to go with it than a dee-lish BC wine. White wine? Sure.

If you’re missing summer, this wine’s for you. The Siegerrebe from Larch Hills is like tasting a little bit of summertime in a glass. It’s a sit-on-a-patio-out-of-the-summer-sun-and-gab-with-friends kind of wine. And it went well with the sushi, too. Nice.

Did we stop there? Of course not. After dinner we opened up that 2004 Cab Sauv from Hester Creek. This is hang-out-with-good-friends-and-tell-stories wine, the stuff you want to linger with. I think we were all sad when we saw the decanter was empty. (Yeah, I drained the bottle into a decanter for about an hour that time – but go ahead and pour it straight into your glass. I do both.)

Sleeping vines doesn’t mean you can’t explore BC wine country. And all of our little wineries are just starting to wake up again, which makes it a perfect time to un*wine*d with an Okanagan wine. Think I’ll go and do just that.

Cheers!
Jeannette

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