Vinifico! The Original Vancouver Wine Blog

This is, without a doubt, my white wine for Summer 2007 (if it ever actually arrives). Rachel and I tried it on the recommendation of her Mom, Rebecca, who works at Liberty Wine’s Park Royal store.

I love it. It’s light in colour, has a zesty, citrusy and mineral-laced nose and follows that all up with flavours of lemon, apple, melon and honey, all backed up by a refreshing acidity. The citrus-apple acidity comes from the Sauvignon Blanc portion of the blend, while the Gros Manseng gives it a warm, slightly honey-flavoured edge. Yum.

It’s a great sipper, which also pairs extremely well with everything from sushi to BBQ fish and chicken – sounds bloody summery to me.

You can find it in LDB stores around town as well as at a few private wine shops. I think supplies of the 2005 may be dwindling, but the 2006 (with a different label) are starting to make appearances on the shelves. Get some. You’ll be glad you did.

$16 at LDB stores.

Recently we tried the La Frenz Semillon and that got me thinking about BC Semillon (an odd train of thought since I generally dislike BC wines–honestly) and as I was perusing the wine list at Bouchons Bistro in Kelowna I was hoping to find this wine to share with my friends. I noticed they had the La Frenz Viognier, but I asked Richard if he had any Semillon stashed away. He suggested I try the Lake Breeze Semillon. He had me sold when he mentioned it was a BC Semillon done in a French style. That sounded interesting.

This citrus-filled Semillon had just enough acidity to stand up to both my soupe aux poissons and the duck confit (both excellent). The Lake Breeze Semillon has less lush fruit compared to the La Frenz variation on this Semillon theme. I would love to see the soil these vines are grown in because there was certainly a mineral element to this wine that reminded me of France. I could not wait to get home and have Sean try a bottle. I searched high and low in Kelowna for one but ended up finding some at Liberty at Granville Island ($21.99 but sells for $17.99 from the winery–enough said!).

This evening we were craving tuna and this seemed like just the right wine. After scavenging at the market, we came home with two beautiful tuna steaks, which we seared with a lime and chili crust and served over fettucini drizzled with Amelia Oil. The crisp clean flavours of the Lake Breeze Semillon were a good pairing for the fresh citrus and spicy edge of this tuna dish. It was one of the meals where wine and food came together to give us big silly grins.

Slowly, slowly I am coming around to BC wines, but I realise you really have to know what to choose because it is a dangeous jungle out there. I was about to give up after a recent disastrous tour of Mission Hill, but it is good to know there are people like the folks at Bouchons that have their fingers on the heart beat of the Okanagan.

$18-22 here in BC (depending on where you find it).

Summer seems to be holding off this year in Vancouver, so at the first sign of sun and warmth, I felt like grabbing a nice Rosé to celebrate something other than rain. I found this up at Kitsilano Wine Cellars.

The first thing I noticed was that it was a bit darker than most Rosés. It’s a blend of Grenache and Syrah and had the colour of a really light Pinot Noir. All this means is that the juice of the grapes was left in contact with the skins for longer than most.
The nose was pretty interesting… all cherry cola and strawberry/raspberry fruit. A juicy sip showed raspberry, cherry and strawberry fruit with a medium-short, dry and fruity finish. It’s really tasty.

The French just do Rosé right.

$18 here in Vancouver at private wine shops.

guess the local LDB brought this one in to coincide with the “Governator’s” visit with Herr Campbell. Hopefully they discussed the damn duties on the wines brought up here. Ahhh, perchance to dream…

Anyhoo – to the wine. I had drunk this one before in the US so I was pleased to see it up here. This one is from the guys who previously made the the “Three Theives” jug wine in California and is the quintessential value barbecue wine.

The nose is full of full blueberry, blackberry jam with a hint of green pepper. The monster emerges in your mouth – big and juicy blueberry with some black currant to boot. A little sweet in the midpalate, this just screams for a nice steak with some grilled peppers. The finish is juicy fruit with some tasty vanilla along with some toasty brown sugar.

Lots going on in a big burly cab that is a really good value wine.

$18.99 at LDB stores here in BC.

My good friend (and regular contributor here) Graham’s parents recently made a trip up to BC’s Okanagan and were great enough to bring me back a case of some of BC’s best wines. I’ll be reviewing everything I bought… so first up is the 2006 La Frenz Semillon.

This isn’t a grape many folks think of when they’re out buying a bottle, but you know what? When the weather gets warm, there are some bloody tasty ones out there… and it goes really well with lighter foods such as sushi and salads. I’ve been a fan of this and the Semillon from Township 7 for a few years now. They both make great Summer sippers.

I’ll spell this wine out for ya’. It’s light in colour, has a full-on citrus and kiwi nose and is a bloody tasty mouthful of zingy citrus and gooseberry fruit. Yummy stuff as the days get warmer. I’d completely recommend picking up a bottle if you can find it.

$18 here in BC.

Sweet mother of God, this is a good bottle of wine! Rachel introduced me to this a month or so ago. We had a bottle and I immediately wanted more.

It’s 100% Aglianico, a variety that has existed southern Italy for over 2,000 years. According to the wine’s fact sheet, “Mastroberardino’s single-vineyard Radici Taurasi made its debut in 1986. Named Radici (root), as a reference to the family’s 300-year winemaking history, this wine is the result of the Mastroberardino family’s careful study of Irpinia’s terroir over the years.”

Apparently, they’ve figured it out. This is one of the best wines I’ve tried so far this year.

It was big, balanced, complex and memorable. The nose made me want to crawl into the glass… there was black cherry, dark berry, violets and earth. The follow-through in the mouth was even better. All the fruit from the nose was there along with a full-bodied, mineral-laced finish.

If you can find it and feel like a gorgeous wine treat, grab it, take it home, give it a few hours of air in a decanter and savour every sip.

Great stuff.

$55.23 in LDB stores here in BC.

I have been meaning to write up this wine for a while. I keep thinking about it and trying to figure out how to get another bottle. Back in April, we tried this wine at the Carlton Tasting Room and it immediately struck me as something different. The previous two days on our trip to Oregon we had tasted some beautiful Pinot Noirs from the Willamette Valley that had impressed me with their subtlety (a big change from the luscious tannin bombs we had been drinking in Walla Walla). The Thistle just doesn’t take itself too seriously: it’s fruity and fun. Just what I needed after the gorgeous but oh-so-serious Pinots at Archery Summit, Domaine Drouhin and Domaine Serene.

The colour is a lively red and perhaps a little more dense than some Pinots around these parts. Its lack of filtering also surprised me with a slightly cloudy appearance. The nose certainly has some oak but this Pinot wears it well. Fresh juicy blackberries bounce around in the glass. We’re talking fruit stand here–very fresh but not jammy. The fruit carries through for a punchy explosion right on the mid-palate. This wine just wants to have fun in your mouth. However, it is not to be taken too lightly: there is enough tanin in this young wine to give it a full finish without the pucker effect. I just wanted more. In fact, after tasting it, I bought a bottle and I just couldn’t wait to rip out the cork to enjoy a whole glass.

Sean kept murmuring something about Zinfandel-like fruit but he does tend to have a one-track mind (note from Sean: seriously, the mid-palate was very Zin-like!). The Thistle helped me expand my ideas about Pinot Noir. Personally, I just like a rebel like this wine who is out for a good time.

$29 USD at Carlton Tasting Room in Carlton.

It’s been a little while since I had this bottle… and the thing is, I liked it enough that I can almost taste it when I think about it. The 2005 is a bit more of a wine than the 2004 I had back in December. Wine Spectator recently gave it a huge 93-point rating.

It’s firmly ensconced in the “New World” wine camp. It’s huge and luscious with a tonne of coffee/toffee-laced ripe raspberry and blackberry fruit, finishing with a spicy chocolate edge. It’s well-structured and balanced… it really is great stuff.

If I likened the 2004 to “a hearty fire, a warm blanket paired with a warm and sexy companion“, this wine would be the outcome of snuggling under that blanket. Sexy stuff.

The blend is 48% Zinfandel, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah and 2% Charbono and it all adds up to a lot of flavour. It’s positively Zinfandel-istic. Yum.

$49.99 in LDB stores here in BC.

With temperatures hovering around 25 degrees Celsius here in Vancouver, it’s suddenly time to start sipping the rosés and whites. Anyone who has read through my past write-ups knows I’m a huge fan of rosés when the weather turns warm. I just like ‘em a lot as my warm weather apéritif wines of choice.

This is the second time I’ve had this wine, which is a 100% Cinsault grown in Lebanon’s Bekka Valley. It has one thing going for it from the start – it’s made by the same folks who make one of my favourite wines, Château Musar.

Like all the wines these folks make, this is a bit different than most rosés. It’s got a bit more colour (a medium bright cherry red) and has unique aromas and flavours going on. The nose shows a refined bunch of bright cherry with a bit of a floral edge (violets?). A big slurp shows a load of cherry and strawberry fruit, finishing up bone dry, with a medium finish.

It grew on me. When I first tried some, I wasn’t sure what to think… but the more I sipped, I really started to like it. Having said that, there are a lot of rosés out there for a bit less money that I enjoy every bit as much.

If you haven’t jumped on the rosé wagon yet, give them a go. There’s a lot of good ones from France out there, with some decent ones also coming from Italy and even California.

Just stay the hell away from the “White Zinfandels” and “Blush” wines. A good rosé is a beautiful dry wine that pairs SO well with food… or some good company and a patio. Give them a try.

$29 in private wine shops around town.