Wine

Colchagua Valley, Rapel Valley, Chile

$20-23

The February 27th, 8.8 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami had a real affect on Chile’s wine industry.  Not just to the wineries and cellars, but most importantly, to the homes of the vineyard and winery workers.   The majority of the damage occurred to the Maule, Cachapoal and Colchagua areas – all major wine regions. An assessment by Wines of Chile indicates that the damage sustained by wineries affected less than 13% of the country’s cellared wine. This equals approximately US $250M. Supply to countries around the world will not be affected and the 2010 harvest, which has begun in the northern wine regions, is proceeding as planned.

The best way to help these wineries – and their real life human resources – is to keep purchasing Chilean wine. Not that you need any other reasons to pick up this lovely red. Though Carmenere can be a stemmy hard sell in the wrong hands, when yields are low and care is taken, wines like this result. A dark ruby hue and whiffs of black cherry, ash and cedar is your introduction to this bottle of 100 percent Carménère. On the palate, characteristic Chilean leafy herbaceousness balances out with savory dark chocolate, ripe black plum and leather. A fourteen-month stint in French Oak plumps up the mouthfeel and softens the tannins. Pair with meaty pasta – carmenere can take the salty olives, bell peppers and chunky tomatoes that scare many big reds. 

The Colchagua Valley, where Viu Manent is centered, lies within the Rapel Valley Wine District, sandwiched between the foothills of the Andes and the winds of the Pacific. Wine Enthusiast named Colchagua Valley as Wine Region of the Year 2005, and numerous international wineries have invested here, including Rothschild-Lafite.

*** stars

By Treve Ring – online wine editor

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

*          Basic drinkable, uncomplicated plonk

**       Good example of varietal type.  

***     Very good quality, represents the regional style/terroir, worth seeking out. Recommended

****   Exceptional, above average, top of class. Highly Recommended

***** Among the top wines in the world. Worth traveling for. What are you waiting for? Buy it right now!

Saanich Peninsula, Vancouver Island

$15 for 750ml bottle

Even though the weather of late would seem otherwise, it is still winter. Apples are one of the few local fruits that are available through February in BC.  Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse knows all about apples, growing organic heritage apples for their traditional, English-style ciders.  The apples in this (very coolly named!) cider however are not all grown on their oceanfront site, but from Victoria’s backyards, in partnership with LifeCycles (see below).  

Local Kings and Northern Spies make up the bulk of the blend in this gently effervescent cider.  A muted sweet pear nose leads to creamy apple, crisp pear and nutty flavours and mellow acidity. We enjoyed this with grilled pork chop and mashed yams. Bonus points for the hefty glass resealable  bottles. Website

* LifeCycles is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating awareness and initiating action around food, health, and urban sustainability in the Greater Victoria community that promotes food education. They work proactively to promote and create personal, shared and community gardens, research, and educational activities and youth skills development programs.  Every year they organize volunteers to pick unwanted tree fruits from Victoria’s backyards for use in packaged product, or to feed the lesser fortunate. Website

** and a half stars

By Treve Ring – online wine editor

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

*          Basic drinkable, uncomplicated plonk

**       Good example of varietal type.  

***     Very good quality, represents the regional style/terroir, worth seeking out. Recommended

****   Exceptional, above average, top of class. Highly Recommended

***** Among the top wines in the world. Worth traveling for. What are you waiting for? Buy it right now!

Rhone Valley, France

$27-33

Wines like this remind me just how much I love Rhone wines.  These non-pretentious, solid and ruggedly tamed wines can be intoxicating. To me, these are reliable and earthy delights – polished, but with an honest and rustic patina.  This 100% Syrah is no exception – and a fantastic Crozes-Hermitage for the price.  Unmistakable cracked black pepper and wild raspberry aromas, and an exciting spicy palate of vibrant dark raspberry, cherry, pepper, salted meats, violet and sweet vanilla.  Concentrated, full bodied and fruit driven, with tannins grippy enough to stand up to that porterhouse tonight – no need to wait a few years.  Very well done and great value for price – an attractive, impressive Northern Rhone Syrah to drink now.  

In 1859, Christophe Ogier establishes a wine merchants company called Ogier & Fils, which was handed down to his son Antoine in 1895, with a name change to A. Ogier & Fils.    In 1948, the company morphed into that of a négociant-éleveur, buying grapes and wine from certain quality growers and crafting their own house cuvées from them.  

****  stars

By Treve Ring – online wine editor

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

*          Basic drinkable, uncomplicated plonk

**       Good example of varietal type.  

***     Very good quality, represents the regional style/terroir, worth seeking out. Recommended

****   Exceptional, above average, top of class. Highly Recommended

***** Among the top wines in the world. Worth traveling for. What are you waiting for? Buy it right now!

$30-35

O CANADA!

I can’t say no to sparkling – especially when it comes from the hand of Sumac Ridge’s senior winemaker Mark Wendenberg, arguably the Okanagan’s best at handcrafted sparkling wines (Stellar’s Jay and Pinnacle are proof).

His latest bubbly, Tribute, created with Sumac Ridge winemaker Jason James, is 100% Chardonnay, created in the painstaking and shortcut-free traditional method, aging for 16 months in bottle before release this summer.

And a fitting tribute this Tribute is - With the purchase of every bottle, $1.25 is donated directly to the Canadian Olympic team and the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic winter games.  Bright aromas of citrus, crisp apple and perfumed floral notes lead to a creamy palate of baked Granny Smith, zippy lemon, honey and creamy lees. Big and ripe style – certainly podium-worthy.

And we all know there is no better way to celebrate Canada on the podium next than with a Tribute toast.  

**Buzz is that Sumac Ridge’s Mark Wendenberg and team are working on expanding the winery’s beautiful bubbly bevies – watch for future bottles of both a sparkling rose and sparkling Gewurztraminer.  So exciting – I’ll toast to that!

*** and a half stars

Website

By Treve Ring – online wine editor

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

*          Basic drinkable, uncomplicated plonk

**       Good example of varietal type.  

***     Very good quality, represents the regional style/terroir, worth seeking out. Recommended

****   Exceptional, above average, top of class. Highly Recommended

***** Among the top wines in the world. Worth traveling for. What are you waiting for? Buy it right now!

Okanagan Valley

$35-40 for 200ml, $60-65 for 375ml

This was such an easy choice for this week. Why?  Because Inniskillin Icewine dominance is realized worldwide. Because the company’s icewine was selected by Oprah Winfrey as a Valentine’s Day suggestion this year.  Because it was served to accompany the dessert course at the Nobel Prize dinner at which president Obama received his Peace Prize in December 2009.  Because here, on the eve of the Winter Olympics and the world’s attention on BC, we should recognize Canada’s famous contribution to the wine world.  Because Valentine’s Day is next weekend.  And most important - because it’s delicious!  

Ripe peach and apricot aromas lead to rich flavours of juicy pear, orange, apple and intense apricot. Lush and tropical – with a bright Riesling acidity to balance out the incredible creamy sweetness.  

This precious elixir was made from hand harvested Riesling grapes naturally frozen on the vine from highly regarded Dark Horse Vineyard.  Only a few drops of highly concentrated juice come from each frozen bunch. This particular vintage was harvested on New Year’s Day, 2008. We’re spoiled in B.C. with a climate suitable for annual icewine production.  For the majority of the globe, icewine is a rare delicacy.  

The conditions required to produce icewine are harsh, regulated and strict – in a nutshell: grapes must be frozen naturally on the vine at a minimum temperature of -8 degrees celcius, for a minimum of 4 hours and at least 35 Brix sweetness.  The grapes must be picked and pressed immediately – usually in the vineyard (don’t forget it’s below freezing!).  I’d say that easily deserves a gold medal. 

Website

*** and a half stars

By Treve Ring – online web editor

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

*          Basic drinkable, uncomplicated plonk

**       Good example of varietal type.  

***     Very good quality, represents the regional style/terroir, worth seeking out. Recommended

****   Exceptional, above average, top of class. Highly Recommended

***** Among the top wines in the world. Worth traveling for. What are you waiting for? Buy it right now!