Sailing to Bunker Cay

"Aaaargh Billy, have you ever been to sea?"

The invite was to "Bunker Cay." A newly discovered, quaint little backyard oasis to park your boat. Not that I think one "parks" a boat. Then again, the only water that the boats at Bunker Cay tend to see is the water to keep the vegetables afloat.

There are many stories of renovation and revelation abounding (like the four layers of carpet on top of each other - I've heard of pile carpet but this was a bit much) since Jeaux and Matinder bought the old "bunker" as a fixer-upper. The name "bunker" came from the old barbed wire that was used for a neighbourly fencing material. I have no doubt that a very entertaining blog could have been maintained over the last five years from their DIY escapades.

But, today was in celebration of their completing the deck (dock) and backyard. I think the use of the old dinghies as raised vegetable beds was sheer gardening brilliance. Practical and aesthetically pleasing. And I have to be jealous of anyone that can actually grow cantaloup in Vancouver.

Seeing as how there was a bit of pirate's theme behind the event, there was plenty o' rum in the air; however, The Tyrant and I had brought along some wine to add to the mix.

160. 2008 St. Hubertus Dry Riesling (VQA Okanagan)

161. 2005 Vinos Sin-Ley Diego Fernandez Monastrell M1 (DO Valencia - Spain)

St. Hubertus is another BC winery that I know of and it has been around since the early 90's, but we don't drink much of their wine or run for their tasting table at events. The story I think of most with them is that they are the only Okanagan winery to ever burn to the ground (although who knows if that will still be true with the abundance of fires this summer in the Okanagan).

The flames that swept through the vineyard was the huge Okanagan Mountain fire in August 2003. The brothers Gebert, who own and operate the winery, were dedicated enough to re-open with a makeshift tasting room within 10 days of the fire destroying their lands. What I particularly liked about their outlook was that they immediately came out with new white and red blends that donated a percentage of all sales to firefighting efforts in the area.

When checking out the cooler at a VQA shop for a bottle to take to the party, I saw this and thought it might be a nice change of pace for my BC consumption. It didn't disappoint.

The Tyrant brought the Monastrell (Mourvedre) and he knew nothing of its producer. Nor did I. A quick Google didn't garner a lot of information but what I did find was rather intriguing. Vinos Sin-Ley (translating as Wines Without Laws) is a collaborative effort that matched a group of innovative Spanish winemakers with grapes from different regions in the country. They started with the G Series which initially saw six Garnacha (Grenache) wines.

The M1 wine is from the second series of five Monastrell wines. The Monastrell or Mourvedre varietal is more often seen in blends. But here, the idea is to showcase varied sides of the same grape varietal from different regions of the country. M1 is one of two efforts by Diego Fernandez and is from the Valencia region.

Trying to introduce a newer style of Spanish wine with reds completely fermented and aged in stainless steel, Vinos Sin-Ley partially aims for a freshness and brightness in the fruit which hasn't necessarily been a tasting profile immediately associated with Spanish wines.

I can see looking out for other wines produced by this group. Aaaargh.