Doug Jamieson
Pairings
Hello everyone and Happy New Year. I am back after a brief hiatus to bring you more great B.C. wine pairings for your enjoyment.
My pairing this week, to accentuate chef Christian's Morel Mushroom Soup, is Stoneboat 2009 - Chorus. This white wine is a blend of six different grape varieties grown on Stoneboat's estate vineyard sites. Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Muller Thurgau, Kerner & Schoenburger are the component parts that create one of the most unique but delicious white blends to come from the Okanagan.
The Martiniuk family has grown grapes on the Black Sage Bench from the mid-1980s and since Stoneboat's first vintage in 2005, they have been capturing the attention of wine enthusiasts all over.
This is the very same stretch of prime viticultural area that nurtures (or in actuality, creates tremendous stress upon) the vines of some of the B.C. wine industry's most illustrious wineries - Black Hills, Burrowing Owl, Le Vieux Pin, Sandhill and Sumac Ridge.
Due to the extreme heat the Black Sage Bench is exposed to during the day, and in contrast to the comparatively cool nights created by the Okanagan River running through the valley, Stoneboat has created a wine that is bursting with rich fruit character while maintaining a minerality that creates depth and nuance in this white blend.
Stoneboat's Chorus is refreshing, lively and an excellent food pairing wine.
At 13.3 per cent alcohol this Chorus is pegged at the medium alcohol level. The 6.0 g/L of residual sugar means this wine does not feel bone dry in the mouth. It is still classified as dry, while allowing the full expression of the intense tropical fruit and apple aromatics to be fully supported by peach and citrus character shining through on the palate. You're certain to enjoy this wine!
B.C. wines will continue to gain international attention and accolades in the coming years, and I look forward to doing my part to inform people of particular wines and individuals who make our ptovince a special place in the wine world.
This week, I thought I would explain why I spend my time focusing on British Columbia wines. Although I reserve the right to utilize and recommend wines from other regions, I mostly want to celebrate the quality wines being crafted in B.C.
We live in one of the most incredible places on the planet and have an awful lot to celebrate. Because of my connection to the wine industry I feel it is my place to promote what we do here in B.C. and raise the level of awareness for the quality wines being produced in our backyard.
The Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys have long been two of the most renowned agricultural regions in the entire country and have been responsible for the bulk of the tree fruit grown in this province. These two valleys comprise the largest proportion of the wine grapes produced in B.C. and are arguably the two most important of the five recognized viticultural regions in the province. The other three recognized regions are: Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands
In 1990, there were only 17 wineries in operation in the province, while currently there are 189 and the growth continues yearly. These producers collectively have more than 60 wine grape varieties planted. The reason that so many varieties can be successfully grown is part of the magic of the B.C. wine industry.
B.C., particularly the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, has such a diverse range of meso and micro climates that it becomes possible to successfully produce wine grapes across the spectrum of wine styles. Cool climate varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to the hot climate varieties like Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. In between, there are so many variations that almost any style of quality wine can be created with success.
The B.C. wine industry has been garnering attention and winning awards all over the world. Luckily, British Columbians are being treated to ever increasing quality standards in the wines produced here. Growers and winemakers are working together to steadily improve the variables that they can control, while accentuating the natural qualities inherent in the land that makes B.C. wine distinctive.
It seems as though anything is possible for the B.C. wine industry and the only real detractor is the limited quantity produced annually. By comparison with the major wine producing regions of the world, B.C.'s production is miniscule and will likely remain that way in the near future.
