All three of my wine recommendations this week are summer-worthy. Try them on their own to enjoy what they have to offer solo or pair them with food and get the same great results too. The first two are Californian wines --a great red blend and a fruity Ros. Finishing off this week's selections is a crisp off-dry white from the Fraser Valley.
COCOBON
CALIFORNIA RED 2012 (368910)
USA
$14.95
What is 'Nirvana'? Some say it is 'a state of joy, supreme happiness or bliss or peace'. Either way, winemaker Georgetta Dane believes Cocobon is just that 'Nirvana'. Her passion for Cocobon is in each and every bottle she produces. Dane started out wanting to produce a Bordeaux-style wine and now it has brought her to this scrumptious red blend. The blend is not shared, but left up for you to decide. I was thinking maybe five varietals that lend to this red blend, giving it structure and intensity of aromas and flavours. The deep purple in your glass makes way to rich aromas of dark and red ripe fruits with mocha chocolate notes. Once in your mouth this medium-bodied red has smooth rich velvety feel with flavours of sweet mocha, vanilla and lots of oak on the finish -- one sip easily leading to another. This is a perfect wine for a BBQ or to enjoy with a dessert like chocolate mousse.
APOTHIC
CALIFORNIA ROS 2013 (691535)
USA
$16.99
I am sure most of you are very familiar with 'Apothic'. Talk about a big favorite at any kind of gathering or with family, friends or acquaintances, someone always brings at least one bottle of Apothic Red. Now, for a limited time only, Apothic has introduced a Ros.
Why the name Apothic? It's said back in the 13th century was a place where wine was blended in a secret location named 'Apotheca', hence the name Apothic. This Ros is a blend of Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Syrah grapes which in turn lend to lots of red fruits in the aromas and flavours. Lots of strawberries and juicy ripe watermelon while the acidity is low with a ripe sweet fruit finish. On the Apothic website, I found an interesting punch recipe. In a large pitcher add one pint blackberries and 5 oz. simple syrup, muddle together and add 9 oz. chilled vodka, 6 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice, add a bottle of Apothic Ros and mix well. Use fine mesh strainer over a glass filled with ice, garnish with lime wheel and blackberries.
CHABERTON ESTATE WINERY
RESERVE BACCHUS FRASER VALLEY 2012 (953224)
BC VQA
$17.25
Chaberton Estate Winery is the oldest winery in the Fraser Valley and one of the largest in BC. Located in the Fraser Valley -- a region better known for growing corn and cranberries-- it is gaining a reputation for wine. There are now more than 15 wineries. Unfortunately many of these are small, boutique wineries producing limited volumes of wine. As a result, we don't often see wines from this region on our shelves.
Like many wineries, Chaberton has an interesting story. In 1975, the founders Claude and Inge Violet came from France to find property where they could create a winery. They visited sites in California, Ontario and the Okanagan. During the trip, they realized the terroir in Langley, BC was very similar to that found in northern France and would be ideal to grow cool weather grape varietals.
In the beginning, the winery produced 3,000 cases annually. Today production has increased to 50,000 cases. Twenty-five years later, the Violets sold the winery to Eugene Kwan and Anthony Cheng. Kwan is a member of the Wine Industry Advisory Committee and keeps a close eye on winery operations. Cheng is closely involved with winemaker Barbara Hall to the careful blending of the wines. From the fruit growing in the vineyards and the people growing the grapes Hall oversees all aspects of the winery because without great grapes you can't make great wine.
In 2014, Chaberton's Bacchus won a Silver medal at the Great Northwest Wine competition in Oregon. This is the one to try. It has low acidity and smell of ripe orchard peaches, spice and citrus demand your attention. On your first sip, the juicy nectarine and apricot flavours will quench your thirst with a lemon peel lingering finish. This wine would be the perfect white to pair with most spicy dishes.
Kim Cabral is a product consultant at the BC Signature Liquor Store at Pine Centre Mall.
