Gang Way Fat Boy

Living in Vancouver, I think it's safe to say that I'm fairly well versed in Chinese culture - at least for a gwai lo. I can rattle off a "Gung Hay Fat Choy" with the best of them when Chinese New Year rolls around. Indeed, it's gotten to the point where some of my colleagues at work have jokingly adapted the traditional Cantonese greeting into "Gang Way Fat Boy" should we pass in the hallways.

At least I'm hoping that it's all in good fun.

I think I'm safe though because it's usually me saying the "Fat Boy" bit.

1258. 2010 Wild Goose - Mystic River Pinot Blanc (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Since the actual New Year's Day fell on a weekend this year, I grabbed some Szechuan take-out and we celebrated at home. Hoping for a bit of bite in the ginger beef and salt and pepper squid, I figured an easy going white - maybe even with a touch of residual sweetness - would fit the bill. Little did I know at the time that the Wild Goose Pinot Blanc I grabbed was one of only eleven wines to win a Lieutenant Governor's Award in BC in 2011 or that their take on Pinot Blanc emphasizes crisp acidity to go with the big tree fruit flavours.

Wild Goose is well known for its aromatic whites and wines sourced from their Mystic River vineyard are particularly sought after. The 2010 vintage was a challenging one in the Okanagan. The growing season featured a cool spring, a wet June and a questionable start to the critical month of September. Luckily for the winery's owner/operator Kruger family, their decades of experience in the Okanagan resulted in their dropping a larger portion of the crop than usual. That green harvest and a nice finish to September and October resulted in a proper ripening of their fruit - with a nice concentration of flavours. It showed in the wine but their volumes were noticeably smaller.

I was fortunate to have this bottle on hand because Lt. Gov Award winners are often next-to-impossible to find after the awards are announced.

I likely could have done a better job matching it to our dinner but we were lucky that it drank just fine on its own all the same. And an easy drinking, award winner is never a bad thing when celebrating a new year.