The Difference A Decade Makes To 24 BC Wines

The following is a summary of the two tastings conducted by Wine Plus+ on November 30^th and December 7^th. This was a benchmark tasting of Okanagan wines with a dozen wines at each tasting and all at least a decade old.

It was with curious interest that the idea for these tastings emerged. Through negligent cellar management by myself and friends, I have had the opportunity to try a number of decade old Okanagan wines over recent years. Curiously, they all tasted remarkably better than I had expected. At the same time it occurred to me that there is little benchmarking for how well Okanagan wines age. The time seemed right to organize a tasting to bring clarity to this topic.

So digging into my own cellar and calling on friends and contacts at some of the 30 odd wineries that existed 10 years ago, an exciting range of wines was unearthed. The list of wines for each tasting can be found on my site here.

I have to admit that I thought some of these wines would be absolutely dead. I by no means expected such an overall accomplished performance. Fellow panelists were Mike Bartier – winemaker at Road 13 Vineyards (Kelowna & Penticton tastings), Mark Filatow – chef & sommelier at Waterfront Wines (Kelowna) and Kenji Hodgson – wine writer & winemaker at Joie (Penticton). The panelists, as well as the nearly 40 guests at the tastings, were all surprised with the quality after more than a decade of maturation.

Two important things should be mentioned. 1) Bottle variation from one tasting to the next was distinct, proving the old adage that there are not good old wines just good old bottles. 2) You have to appreciate the flavours of mature wine to grasp the subtleties and nuances that wine can gain with age.

Below is a brief discussion of the findings by grape variety.

Sparkling

Both bubblies we tasted were young beyond their 11 years. The Sumac Ridge was incredibly toasty, the bread, brioche and yeasty flavours and aromas enhanced by the extended maturation. It can last for another decade easily. The Lake Breeze Zephyr was a much crisper, fresher wine with obviously shorter lees contact but still clean, fresh and zippy and also still youthful in appearance and taste.

Riesling

Riesling is famed for its longevity and we really stretched the limits with a 21 year-old version from Gray Monk. We had a mixed bag in terms of Riesling styles with different levels of alcohol, acidity, sweetness and maybe even the influence of botrytis in some wines. The Hainle wine, true to its style, was incredibly high in acid but remarkably fresh yet complex at the same time (the second bottle was more oxidized and less enjoyable). The Wild Goose wines showed much softer characteristics, still some sweetness and still plenty of life. The 1987 Gray Monk had fantastic complexity. While quite developed, it still had a long finish and showed developed fruit and spice. Overall, BC Riesling should age well but the styles vary too much to make any solid conclusions.

Chardonnay

The quality of the two Chardonnays after 16 and 14 years respectively is an amazing testament to the BC terroir. Only Burgundy has proven any ability to create Chardonnay that is still drinkable after this length of time, but this level of quality shows a unique capacity of BC’s terroir. Most of the world’s Chardonnay has completely fallen apart after 5 or so years. This longevity shows an exciting future for complex, matured BC Chardonnay. But one should note the alcohol content of just 12.5% on the Mission Hill Chardonnay, something you never see today. Are we going to be missing something with today’s 14.5% alcohol wines when we open them in a few years?

Pinot Noir

The second tasting was to include Pinot Noir, but a Quails’ Gate Family Reserve 1998 was scratched late due to cork taint. Tasted a few weeks previously this wine was holding up well and showing the potential for longevity in Pinot Noir. The Summerhill wine showed fantastic complexity on the nose with classic aged earth, spice, orange zest and still some fruits, however the palate had gone a little flat.

Cabernet & Merlot

A number of wines were included combining these two varieties and virtually all showed good potential for ageing. Many of the wines had developed remarkable elegance and complexity and the developed notes of burlap, tobacco and spice were just starting to emerge to compliment the red and dark fruits that were still evident. It appears that many of these wines will peak between 10-14 years but a few particularly concentrated wines should last 20 years. The Burrowing Owl 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon was practically a baby showing no signs yet of ageing in colour, aroma or flavour. These wines show clear potential for cellaring.

Summary

This was a fascinating exercise. The quality of the wines was excellent and I hope will get some consumers to look at BC wine differently – as something cellar worthy and age worthy. To my estimate, little of the wine produced in BC is cellared longer than a few years. The wines being produced at the quality levels of today have serious ageing ability and I believe this can add an exciting new dimension to what our wineries are producing. It is time to start buying BC wine by the case rather than just the bottle.

Thanks to the wineries Sumac Ridge, Wild Goose, Gray Monk, Mission Hill, Quails’ Gate, Kettle Valley, Poplar Grove, Lake Breeze, La Frenze and Burrowing Owl for releasing precious wines from the library for this tasting.

——————————–

Rhys Pender is a wine educator, freelance wine writer, wine judge and consultant to the industry. Visit his company Wine Plus+ online at www.wineplus.ca.

——————————–

The Okanagan Coffee Route

Now that I regularly drive the 1.5 hour journey from the Similkameen to Kelowna to teach my wine classes I have had to create a coffee route to keep me fueled along the way. One of the most important things for me in any place is to find out where to get the best latte. It’s easier said than done up here, but over the years in the Okanagan (and now Similkameen) a number of decent coffee houses have popped up in the towns along my new path.

The first stop as I head north is Penticton. There are now two very solid stops to be found. If you are heading up the hill towards the Naramata Bench, a visit to the Bench Market is essential for good coffee and panini (and you can pick up some Vij’s curry for dinner). The second stop in Penticton is a new entry, the Bellevue Cafe. This little spot on Main Street makes for a perfect break as you browse your way through the farmer’s market in the summer months, and with free wireless it is also a good stop en route from which you can send a few emails.

After jumping back in the car and heading north, you are probably just finishing one coffee as you roll into Summerland. The Beanery at the end of Main Street makes a pretty decent latte and I am visiting this place a lot more as the roadwork between Summerland and Peachland causes many unplanned delays.

By Peachland, you can drop into Bliss Bakery for a coffee or sandwich and kill some time by staring out over the lake, but it is the next stop that is probably the most exciting for me.

Now, in one of the many large strip malls that have popped up in Westbank, you can find the Okanagan’s first Caffe Artigiano. This is the now the best coffee in the Okanagan and a forced stop on any journey through the big-box storeland of Westbank. I was there on opening day a couple of weeks ago and was pleased to see the new staff just making latte after latte until they’d reached the expected perfection. It is nice to see such commitment to product quality.

The only challengers to the Artigiano crown are the two Bean Scene cafes in Kelowna (Bernard Ave and Ellis Street). The coffee they call the “Traditional Cappuccino” is actually a small, strong powerhouse with perfectly textured steamed milk and intense flavour. The Bean Scene food is very ordinary, but for coffee they were the first ones here who were really committed to training staff to make it properly.

I have yet to explore in-depth the caffeine scene of Okanagan Falls, Oliver and Osoyoos, or the north Okanagan around Vernon, but at least, for a good length of the Okanagan and Similkameen, we can be sure of finding a great cup of coffee now, another sign of the improving food scene in the Okanagan.

————————————–

Rhys Pender is a wine educator, freelance wine writer, wine judge and consultant to the industry. Visit his company Wine Plus+ online at www.wineplus.ca.

Good Food In The Similkameen?

It was with more than a little trepidation that Alishan and I made the move out of the Okanagan into the relative unknown of the beautiful but isolated Similkameen Valley. Drawn by the chance to purchase five acres of land that well-suited to a vineyard and the stunning beauty of the area, we made the move anyway. Thinking we were destined for home cooking and nothing more exotic than frozen Vij’s meals picked up from the Codfather’s Seafood Market during our weekly trips to Kelowna, our stomachs were ready for a barren run. When we signed the dotted line to purchase our house, I didn’t think there was an espresso machine in the valley. But things have been much better than we’d hoped.

The first discovery was the Riverbed Bistro. After a long day of shuttling our stuff between Peachland and Cawston, we were finally ready for pizza and a bottle of red wine amidst the rubble of boxes. We headed into town (Keremeos being our new “big smoke”) and discovered this newly opened restaurant, something that wasn’t there a couple of months ago when we were finalising our house purchase. The Mexican pizza turned out to be very good (we are now addicted) and on numerous other visits, their skill with the deep fryer has impressed us to no end. There is something great about a restaurant that only does simple food but does it very well. And they make a decent latté. Things were looking up.

The next major victory for our pioneering stomachs came during a fruit stand stop in Keremeos. The family that runs Sanderson Farms also makes authentic pakoras, samosas and a range of curries. My in-laws, who lived in India, proclaimed the pakoras the best they’ve tried since they left. So now we have our little bistro and some good Indian food sorted. Dare I say it, choice.

We also have the recently opened Benja Thai. I was used to some pretty good Thai food in Australia but so often our Canadian Thai experience has been second to many. Our hopes weren’t high but we kept hearing the local gossip about the new Thai restaurant and made our first foray in a couple of weeks ago. Wow. Some of the best Thai food I have ever had. Spoiled for choice.

The Similkameen has always been considered a bit of a backwater with little to excite the senses. But now with nine wineries (and a few more to open soon), this is developing into its own little wine region. And while it might not have the fine dining we often associate with wine, there is both excellent wine and good, inexpensive food to enjoy. There is the feeling that this is the beginning of something exciting. I will keep you updated as things unfold.

—————————————–

Rhys Pender is a wine educator, freelance wine writer, wine judge and consultant to the industry. Visit his company Wine Plus+ online at www.wineplus.ca.

« Previous Page