Brrr, wow last week sure was cold. The great thing about being Canadian is we hunker down and do what we have to and make the best of it. What better time to stay indoors and enjoy a nice glass of wine or two. I will even admit though a crisp white isn't cutting it right now - but is never completely out of the question. I was craving a warming rich red and found two that are worthy of sharing. The first is an easy sipping red from Australia. Then the other red is from an award winning winemaker from BC, and I just had to slip in a great white I had to try again due to the new vintage just arriving. This white really shows the true characteristics of a fruity BC VQA wine.
THE EXHIBITIONIST
MERLOT (405738)
AUSTRALIA
$18.99
To all of you that don't hold back and to the ones you admire for that characteristic in their personality what better suited wine than this Exhibitionist Merlot. It really has become kind of like a tradition and the "in thing" when it comes to wine labels now in Western Australian. They are fun and a little on the corky side. This label in particular is boasts a bird native to Australia in a cartoon-like figure dressed in a suite and all the extras of course - looks like he is on a mission - similar to this wine. The producer of this Merlot is the same producer that gave us "The Wrong Un Shiraz" which Al featured recently in one of his articles. Exhibitionist comes to us from the Padthaway region along the Limestone Coast, home to many other well-known wine producers such as Hardy's, Wynn and Lindemans. Australia currently is sixth in the world for wine production and the fourth largest exporter. Western Australia's wine region covers nearly 1600 km from east to west and north to south. Taking a look at the bigger picture the region is larger than both Texas and Alaska put together. When it comes to producing a fruit forward wine, Western Australia has it all figured out. Exhibitionist Merlot is just that. You get a great mouth feel after the dark fruit flavours rush past your taste buds. There's a lot going on for this Merlot and I would recommend this red as a gift for someone special, even you. Smooth from beginning to end. For any of your Merlot lovers on your list don't pass this one by. $18.99
SANDHILL
CABERNET MERLOT VANESSA VINEYARD (168641)
BC VQA
$17.99
Sandhill has six very unique single vineyards and the one responsible for producing this fruit forward red. The Sandhill Estates vineyard is located near Oliver and contains about 174 acres making it the second biggest in acreage to the Hidden Terrace vineyards at 294 acres. This vineyard is said to have a daily average temperature of 40 with even more sunshine than even the Napa Valley. The vineyards are located amongst the mountains and the rock cliffs which absorb the sunshine during the day reflect that heat back onto the vineyards when the cool evening air rolls in. All of the small lot wines are produced here on the Estate. The vineyards are over seen by two men with over 45 years' experience in vineyard management along with BC pioneer and award winning winemaker Howard Soon. I had the pleasure of meeting Howard on my wine tour in 2009, I can still hear his passion for winemaking when I think about him sharing his experiences and stories. Howard is the only winemaker in history to be awarded Best Red wine of the Year, Best White wine of the Year and Winery of the Year in 2009 at the Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards. Howard has been producing wines for Sandhill since 1997 and has been awarded many honours in that time. He is often describes his winemaking techniques "gentle" and "non-interventionist." It really kind of suits his personality too. You can enjoy all of the Sandhill Estate wines while visiting downtown Kelowna at the Calona Winery Boutique, not too far from the BC wine museum and VQA wine store. This Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon come to us from the Vanessa Vineyards which is located in the Similkameen Valley, another one of my many favourite spots of the Okanagan. After my first sip I was like "wow". Aromas of red ripe fruits and spice got my attention while cherry, chocolate and spice satisfied my mouth with just enough structure and complexity to finish off very, very smooth. It's a steal at $17.99 (which is $2 off for the entire month) - another great gift idea.
SPERLING
THE MARKET WHITE (124560)
BC VQA
$16.99
I always enjoy doing the research behind the wineries here in BC whether they are old or new. Sperling vineyards isn't really new, it has been around for many years and is very rich in history. The history of this winery goes back to the 1800's when an Italian man arrived in New York looking for a better life for him and his family. Leaving his new wife and three children behind in Italy it quickly became apparent this wasn't going to be easy. Once there he found out it wasn't his best choice, although he had heard about the gold mining and logging happening back west in Canada. That's when Giovanni Casorzo headed west and ended up in New Westminster, BC. He quickly found work with well-known Father Charles Pandosy. Not knowing the language it didn't take him long to learn the most important which was Chinook. Then his next task was to take on learning English for when his family arrived. Ironically wife Rosa had made her way from Italy by boat with their three kids to join her husband. Arriving in San Francisco at the docks all she had was a note which read "Father Pandosy Okanagan Mission". It must have meant to be because there was a church bell making the same trip to the same destination. That was Roas's sign to follow that crate and it would take her to her husband, and it did. They settled on Pioneer Ranch, a ranch still known and farmed by the Casorso family. They became the largest supplier of meat and vegetables for the Okanagan area. Too this day you can still get products from pickles and preserves, fresh baking, pies and so much more at the Pioneer Market in Kelowna. The Casorso sons Louis and Pete were instrumental in Sperling vineyards and what it is today. There are planting of Marechal Foch vines which are 45 years old and then plantings of Riesling which are 35 year old vines. The Market White is produced by Ann Sperling who has many years' experience of wine making and not only here in BC. This fruit driven white she produced contains grapes from the old vines which in turn makes for a very concentrated fruity wine. I wouldn't say it is sweet, the natural fruit flavours are abundant though. Once in your glass the aromas of stone fruits are very apparent, peach, apricot, and pear. After the first sip I really enjoyed the clean, crispness of this white with an almost tart apple and citrus finish. $16.99 is a great price point for this must try white. Yet another bottle worthy of gift giving. You can enjoy this white on its own, or perfect for most any spicy dish.
