This is What We Been Waiting For!!

Game 2 - Canucks 7 - Sharks 3

That's the type of score we've been waiting for - and that might have flattered San Jose a teensy bit, particularly in the third period when the home town boys scored four goals.

It's certainly not very often that we hear of a "Geordie Howe Hat Trick" being completed nowadays. Indeed, most folks likely had to have it explained - a goal, an assist and a fight in the one game, all by one player. There was one for the Canucks tonight though - and it was by a defenceman, Kevin Bieksa, none-the-less.

805. 2004 Jackson-Triggs Proprietor's Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz (VQA Okanagan Valley)

With it being Game 2, it seemed like an appropriate choice to go with a two varietal blend. I don't know if it was tonight's Cab/Shiraz blend (60/40 by the way) or Boo's skookum ribs that propelled the Canucks to their highest scoring game of this playoff season, but I like the combination.

The Proprietor's Grand Reserve label is a premium label for the winery, as was last game's single vineyard SunRock label, but these wines combine grapes from J-T's numerous vineyards. If the grapes cut it flavour-wise, they make the wine.

It's often said that, in the world of winemaking, one plus another varietal (if not more) can make for a better wine. We don't see many made-in-BC Cab/Shiraz blends. It reminds me more of an Aussie trademark blend. I'd say that it could have been a reflection of J-T's current Okanagan red winemaker, Brooke Blair, and her South Australian roots. However, at the time of this vintage, I think she had only just joined Jackson-Triggs as an assistant and the blend had been already been in production for three or four vintages. It wasn't until 2007 that she took over the reins from long-time winemaker Bruce Nicholson. So much for that theory.

It's too bad that we finished off that last bottle of Shiraz because it would have been interesting to try the straight varietal Shiraz next to this blend to see how perceptible a difference the blend might have made. Guess that will have to be saved for another time - or another game.

The immediate trick is going to see if I can pick a wine that can match up to a third win in a row over the Sharks. Here's hoping.