An Okanagan Three-Way

Some days just seem to require an extra boost to them - more succour than even a couple glasses of wine can provide. Today was one of those days. As such, Boo and I thought we'd go the route of an Okanagan three-way: a "go to" red wine, a fruit dessert wine and a craft vodka.

1953.  2012 Elephant Island Apricot (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

Okanagan Spirits Vodka

Grade 1 arithmetic aside, there are times when 1 + 1 can = 3. This might just be one of those occasions. We're long time fans of Elephant Island's Apricot dessert wine. If you're partial to apricots, this wine, on its own, just thrills you with the sweet, ripe apricot flavour heeled with a good brace of acidity. However, I remember - from many years ago - when we bought our first bottle, the last comment from the winery staffer behind the tasting bar was that the Apricot wine makes a great addition to a Vodka martini. Two parts Vodka, one part Apricot wine. Jackpot.

That's where the Okanagan Spirits Vodka comes into play tonight.

OK Spirits has been around for just over a decade now. Originally established in Vernon in 2004, they added a second location in Kelowna at the end of 2011. Having started with Liqueurs and Fruit Brandies, their "harvest-to-flask" philosophy of 100% locally grown fruits and grains has expanded to include Vodka, Gin, Whisky, Grappa, Aquavit and Absinthe. I can attest to the fact that it's difficult to leave their tasting room without a full shopping cart for the bar at home.

Their success at grasping the whole distillery concept is well substantiated as well. Okanagan Spirits was named "Distillery of the Year" at both the 2013 and 2015 World Spirits Awards. 2013 also saw them named "North America's only World Class rated distillery, a distinction [they] still hold proudly today."

Unflavoured Vodka isn't known for flavour, but this OK Spirits version was made from 100% pears and I noted a distinct fruitiness to the base liquor. Paired with the Apricot wine, we were well on our way to getting over the day's toils.

1954.  2008 Sandhill - Small Lots Sandhill Estate Vineyard Block C8 Merlot (Okanagan Valley VQA) 

Merlot may be the most highly planted red grape in the Okanagan but not many wineries or winemakers can work their magic on the grape like Sandhill winemaker, Howard Soon, does with this Small Lots, single vineyard, single block beauty. I first ran across this bottle at the 2011 Vancouver International Wine Festival. It can be hard enough to get your hands on many of Howard's Small Lots wines but, with a production of only 119 cases in 2008, the Festival was likely going to be my only chance to grab me some.

Even with a few year's ageing, it's a big wine with plenty of dark, ripe fruit and a lush nose. This is not a Merlot that Myles from Sideways (you remember him) - or anyone else - should sneer at.

It may have been a rough day but I think our little Okanagan three-way smoothed out some of the edges.

A New Wine to Hug

A short time back, the BC Wine Appreciation Association celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a Gala Tasting that featured just shy of 50 BC wineries from around the province. I'm told it was one of the (if not THE) biggest gatherings of BC wineries ever held. With that many participating wineries - and with most of them pouring four wines - there were far too many wines to taste them all.

I did my darnedest to hit as many tables as I could, but even a seasoned piker like me barely scratched the surface. Rather than simply concentrate on producers and wines that I'm very familiar with, I made a conscious effort to try some wines and regions that I didn't know so well. One hitherto unknown winery that particularly caught my attention was a new producer coming out of the Similkameen Valley: Hugging Tree. I had an interesting chat with two of the winery principals about their location and organic approach to viticulture.

I ended up ordering three of the wines that they served up.

1928.  2013 Hugging Tree Rosé (Similkameen Valley)

Now that I have the wines in hand, I opted to go with the Rosé as the first to knock back. Made from Merlot and Cab Sauv juice, there's a good shot of fruit on the palate, with strawberry and tree fruit up front and evident. That profile might not be too surprising since half of the Makepeace family's 60-acre property had already been planted with apples and peaches when they purchased it. The balance of the lands were raw and were planted with grapes - largely red Bordeaux varieties.

With summer just around the corner, I suspect I'll be pouring a healthy number of Rosés. I'll need to keep this one in mind. Too bad, there wasn't a lot of this vintage to go around - around 235 cases or so only.

It's a good thing that Boo and I like to drive along the Hope-Princeton Highway and through the Similkameen whenever we travel to the Okanagan. We'll likely be able to fit in a visit to the new tasting room on one of those forays. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later.

A Biercraft Blast (From the Past)

This could be an ad for how the internet and social media can enhance your life. A chance crossing of paths on LinkedIn prompted a night out with Camper and the Sand Queen - two old university pals that I haven't seen for, well, too long. The plan was to get together for a quick drink, a bite to eat and a bit of a catch-up. That drink morphed into drinks and a bottle of wine and a full meal - all while holding court at the corner of the Biercraft's well-appointed bar.

And, by "well-appointed," of course I mean that the girls thought the bartender was worthy of our attention and tips.

1885.  2012 Sandhill Merlot (Okanagan Valley VQA)

As you might guess, the sip of choice at an establishment called "Biercraft" is more likely made with hops than with grapes - and, in a multitude of variations. The wine list wasn't overflowing with opportunity; however, I saw the Sandhill and figured there wasn't much chance of going wrong with that (plus there's that whole Sandhill for the Sand Queen thing going on). Sandhill has been a long-time - and remains a current - favourite BC producer of mine. No doubt I'd find that I've added more of winemaker, Howard Soon's, Small Lot bottles to The List but the regular Sandhill label has been seen as a bang-for-your-buck, well-made and (most importantly) tasty wine pretty much from the day the winery was established in 1999.

Everyone I know in the BC wine industry enthusiastically approved of Howard's being named the 2015 Spirited Industry Professional Award winner at the recent Vancouver International Wine Festival. With 35 years in the business, the awards ceremony referred to Howard as a "trailblazer" and recited "an impressive series of firsts to his credit: the first BC winemaker to release a series of single vineyard designated wines, the first to produce a Super Tuscan blend and the first to receive Red, White and Winery of the Year at the Canadian Wine Awards." I wasn't in attendance at the luncheon but I recall tweeting that I couldn't think of a nicer guy in the BC wine business as soon as I heard about the award.

Having toasted Howard in my mind, it was back to the gab-fest at hand. Now, Merlot may not be my standard first choice for moules-frites (mussels and fries) but these little guys were aggressively flavoured and up for the task and, as mentioned, you can't really go wrong with a Sandhill wine in any event.

The three of could easily have added another bottle to The List but it was still a "school night" for all of us and we'd managed to hold onto our little corner of the bar for nearly three hours. Rather than jeopardize our mornings after, we agreed to do it all over again - hopefully sooner than later.

Another High School Musical

First it was Zombie Prom. Then Urinetown. Now, it's time for In The Heights.

Yes, it's time for another high school musical. This time around, Melmo, the youngest niece, has a featured role in the Broadway hit. Unlike the others, I've actually heard of this show. Don't know anything about the songs or the story but I did know it was a hot ticket on the Great White Way the last time Boo and I were in the Big Apple.

It's a little tough taking an obvious glass of wine to the high school gym; so, we had a quick pre-show dinner at my sister's place before heading off to the school.

1867.  2007 Saviah Cellars - The Jack Red (Columbia Valley - Washington)

I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that I've tried a wine from Saviah Cellars. I don't recognize the winery and I don't tend buy many US wines up here, north of the 49th Parallel, because of the additional taxes and currency exchange. So, I think I probably grabbed this during a Costco run during a naughty weekend in Seattle.

A little visit with Mr. Google shows that Saviah Cellars was established in 2000 as a very small boutique winery of only 300 cases. It has since grown to the point where it produces around 18,000 cases annually and was named "One of the Rising Stars in Washington" by Wine Spectator in 2010.

The Jack brand of wines is Saviah's entry label and it has also enjoyed success, having been named one of the Top Value Brands of the Year in 2013 by Wine & Spirits Magazine. The 2007 vintage of The Jack Red was primarily Merlot (89 percent) that is fleshed out with small additions of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Syrah and Petit Verdot.

Although the wine was big-bodied, it was still fruit forward and approachable enough to fill our travel coffee mugs to take with us to the show. We hadn't finished the bottle during dinner and you never know the kind of "support" you might need to get through a high school production.

1868.  2012 Fort Berens Riesling (British Columbia VQA)

When looking for a white to take to Vixen's, I was glad to see that I had a bottle of the 2012 Riesling in the cellar because I hadn't realized that I'd picked up a bottle before it won one of the twelve Lieutenant Governor's Awards given out in 2014. Once a wine is given one of the prestigious awards, it can be next to impossible to find a bottle.

What was quite exciting about the award was that this was the first vintage where the Riesling was made 100% from fruit that was estate grown at the winery's Lillooet vineyard. Being the first winery to set up shop in the Lillooet region, the winery is justifiably proud of the fact that they were able to execute such an award-winning wine so early in the winery's venture. It should certainly turn some heads in the direction of BC's newest wine-producing region.

Even with this vintage's bright lime and minerality, Fort Beren's story should only get more exciting since the home estate vines are still very young and the enterprise has, within the last year, opened a new winery with facilities large enough to make all its wines, cellar them and open a tasting room to help draw wine-loving folks away from the Okanagan for a spell.

There was no Riesling left for the theatre however.

As exciting as the wine was, we were told that Melmo was to have a big solo number in the show. Now, that would be exciting! Terrifying perhaps, but exciting all the same. We were also told, however, that Melmo's character dies six minutes into the show. Naturally, we asked if we could leave after she dies. Turned out that she didn't die until the second act; so, we stuck it out until the end in order to give our little diva her bouquet of roses. After all, she managed to pull off her performance without any cringe-worthy notes.

Guess we'll have one more production to look forward to as Melmo definitely has the stage bug and she doesn't graduate until next year. Given the variety of shows the school drama department comes up with, I'll be intrigued to see what that performance is going to be. Think a high school could get Spamalot? Whatever the show is, I'm sure we'll be there - wine in hand.

Super Bowl Merlot

So, it was Super Bowl Sunday and, with our being from Vancouver and just north of Seattle, we were hoping for a repeat by the Seahawks. I figured we could even open a treat of a Washington wine to help celebrate the day.

Luckily, the wine fared better in the glass than the Seahawks did on the field.

1852.  2008 Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot (Columbia Valley - Washington State)

I like the story behind Long Shadows. Boo and I first heard their tale at a wine dinner a couple of years ago at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Long Shadow's resident winemaker, Gilles Nicault, regaled those fortunate enough to attend the dinner with the short history of the "winery" and the long history of those behind it. I wrote a post about the dinner and the winery's story; so, maybe I won't rehash all of that again this time around.

Suffice it to say that, after having spent 20 years with Ste. Michelle winery in Washington state, Long Shadows' proprietor, Allen Shoup, decided to work on his own vision of joining up with "a dream team of celebrated vintners" from around the world where each of those vintners would partner with Long Shadows to create a showcase wine that matches Washington fruit with worldwide experience.

Pedestal is the collaboration between Long Shadows and Michel Rolland, one of the most influential winemakers and consultants in the world. Hailing from Pomerol, Bordeaux and France's primary home for Merlot, Rolland, Shoup and Nicault have crafted a predominantly Merlot wine (the 2008 vintage also featured 12% Cab Sauv, 4% Cab Franc and 3% Petit Verdot) that wowed the big names - 93 points from both Robert Parker and Stephen Tanzer and 92 from Wine Spectator.

I don't (and won't) pretend to espouse learned bons mots and tasting notes on the wine itself but I think Wine Spectator may have summed it up when they wrote, "one sip demands another."

Good thing I didn't have that much invested in the game (not like the Canucks' Stanley Cup run in 2011), because long after Katy Perry and her dancing sharks had left the stage, it became evident that the now infamous two-yard passing play would turn this into more of a consolatory sip than a celebratory one. Instead of the Seahawks being placed on a pedestal as repeat champions, the podium belonged to Tom Brady.

At least the Merlot and this Pedestal was still our's.

Here's to Rosé All Year Round

Rosé in January?

Rosé wines can be a tough enough sell. Red. White. Bubbly. Fortified even. But Rosé? I find someone might bring a bottle to a gathering but it's usually just in the summer when it's hot and steamy. After all, don't you only drink Rosé when you want something a little chilled? And then, there's that whole "what man wants to be caught drinking pink wine" thing. 

Personally, I think Rosés get a bad rap. We're not talking White Zinfandel here though. 

For the most part, I'm a red wine kind of guy but there are certain dishes that just call for something bigger than most whites, yet they're not quite bold enough for the bigger reds. Hello Rosé. 

Case in point, Boo roasted up a chicken with some hearty seasoning. We could have gone with a whole whack of whites or even a lighter red, but we happened to have a bottle of Rosato within reach and Lastellina's "blushing innocence" (to paraphrase the label) was a fine fit.

1842.  2012 La Stella Lastellina Rosato (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Made from primarily Merlot, with about 10% each of Pinot Noir and Cab Franc added in, La Stella's Rosé had that extra body that helped pair with the chicken. There was also bit of residual sugar, however, that cut through Boo's trademark aggressive spicing.

I often think that it's a fear of sweetness that keeps folks away from Rosés but, with this wine, the off-dry notes were countered with a nice acidity - which is probably a big difference from your mother's Rosé.

Don't be afraid.

And what's an outright bonus is that I find most Rosé wines are sold at lower values than a winery's equivalent reds. Who doesn't like to save a buck or two?

With a Rosé being one of our first wines of the new year, I'm not saying that I've resolved to drink substantially more Rosé through the year. After all, I drink a healthy share of pink wine as it stands. But, I will endeavour to always have a bottle or two on hand to fit the occasion. After all, isn't that the idea of having a "cellar" in the first place?

A Surprising Red Rooster

We encountered a couple of surprises with this bottle when we opened it. First off, I was taken aback that this vintage hadn't already been added to The List. In part due to Boo's and my long-standing sponsorship of a row in Red Rooster's Adopt-A-Row program, we usually have a good selection of the winery's bottles on hand - and, therefore, I've likely added as many, if not more, Red Rooster bottles to The List as I have from any other winery. And, the Reserve Merlot is usually one of my favourite wines produced by Red Rooster.

Secondly, since I figured this Merlot would already be on The List, I didn't take a picture of it the night we drank it. Luckily, I've been a little slow returning the empties back to the store and I was still able to grab a quick shot for the blog. No shot of a full wine glass, but I suppose that sometimes an empty bottle will just have to do.

1831.  2006 Red Rooster Reserve Merlot (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Since I've already written a lot about Red Rooster and the folks behind it ("Hi Karen, Blair and gang), I won't carry on here. I'll just add a link to the post I wrote about the winery prior to the 2013 Wine Bloggers Conference - held just down the road from Red Rooster as chance would have it.

The good news about this bottle is that, despite being from the 2006 vintage, it had plenty of life left and was still very tasty. The nose remained big and fruit-filled and there was still plenty of balance between body, tannin and acidity. I wasn't so sure about the longevity of the '06 but it was definitely a pleasant surprise.

Unfortunately, there was some bad news as well. This was our last bottle of the 2006 and I don't think that's something that even Santa will be able to overcome.

Hardly A Laughing Matter

Lately, and possibly even justifiably so, Boo has been on a major campaign to drink some of the older BC wines that we have in our cellar. He's tightened the "No Buy Leash" (like that's anything new) and he's determined to free up some space in our place. It's not like we're running into a lot of flawed bottles but, admittedly so, a lot of the BC wines that we've got in the cellar were made by fairly new wineries that were only learning about their Okanagan terroir and were made from pretty young vines. None of those factors are necessarily hallmarks of long-aging wines.

As such, we might be seeing a few wines - on a Tuesday night - that aren't exactly Tuesday night wines. I suppose I shouldn't complain though - especially when they show as well and taste as fine as tonight's wine did.

1806.  2006 Laughing Stock Portfolio (Okanagan Valley)

I haven't added a large number of Laughing Stock wines to The List but that's primarily because we don't have a many of them to open. Production is limited and finding the wines can be difficult unless you happen to be travelling on the Naramata Bench shortly after the wines have been released. Unlike a number of Okanagan wineries, Laughing Stock has decided to limit the number of wines that they'll make and the grape varieties that they'll work with. I think they're still limiting themselves to the two red blends - Portfolio and Blind Trust - the Syrah and a similarly limited selection of whites. And none of those wines are made in big volumes.

I think the easiest way of giving you the goods on the provenance of Laughing Stock's Portfolio is to refer you to an article written by BC wine scribe extraordinaire, John Schreiner, in which he sets out a nice little recap of Laughing Stock's first decade, especially of this flagship blend.

In addition to reading John Schreiner, I always find it to be great fun to read the "ticker tape" gracing Laughing Stock bottles and this vintage of the Portfolio is no exception. In addition to setting out information on wine inside, the label shows the value of highly held stocks on the day that the grapes were picked. On this particular label, Research In Motion was still selling for $133.31 a share and it had seen a rise of $4.02 that day. I'm not sure there are many more vintages showing RIM in such a good light.

Most vintages of Portfolio do, however, show that the wine skews to the Right Bank of Bordeaux-style blends. The '06 vintage was 61% Merlot, 16% each of Cab Sauv and Cab Franc, 5% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. Merlot dominant blends are common enough for the Okanagan but, if they all tasted as good as this one, I'd say keep bringing them on.

Big with generous dark fruit, this baby is still a strong buy - if you could only find any. Sadly, it was our last bottle. I'm just glad that Boo had me open it while it was still this tasty.

An Antipodean Landmark

Except for that one vacation when he was on the "Merlot Boy No Merlot Diet," there's never been a shortage of party or booze present whenever we find ourselves with Merlot Boy. Whether it's in VanCity, Oz, Vegas or the Big Easy, it's always been 5 o'clock somewhere. Then, there's Margarita, that lovely little addition to the travelling entourage, and her nom-de-blog is likely enough of an indication as to the influence she has on the collective decision-making process. So, we were somewhat taken aback when our favourite Aussie wanted nothing more than a small dinner party to celebrate his 50th birthday - even though we'd offered to throw a rave of a bash for him.

Despite the fact that there may have only been a tight cadre of nearest and dearest, that didn't mean that Merlot Boy was putting the kibosh on a smorgasbord of wine. Indeed, I'm adding a full ten bottles to The List - and the count would have been higher except that there were a couple of duplicates.

1677.  N.V. Josef Chromy (Tasmania)

Every landmark birthday calls for a sparkling kick-off and, given our birthday boy's Aussie heritage, we popped the cork on a bottle of Tassie bubble. Luckily the weather was everything a boy could ask for. So, we took advantage of the garden setting. Merlot Boy hadn't even heard of Josef Chromy before; however, one must realize that you can pretty well bet on the fact that MB will be draining the brewskis most of his time in Tasmania. After all, almost all of his visits there coincide with footy games when his beloved Hawks play a "home away from home" game.

1678.  2013 Folonari Pinot Grigio (Italy)

As much as I try to get Merlot Boy to drink BC wine when he's visiting, he still gravitates to his Aussie reds or to bargain buys that he recognizes from home. Trying to tell him that BC makes some of the best Pinot Gris in the world is like trying to convince an Aussie that there actually are some lovely Kiwi wines in the market. Yeah mate, as if.

1679.  2013 Paul Hobbs - CrossBarn Rosé of Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast - California)

I don't generally look to California for my Rosés either. Memories of California and White Zinfandel can be hard to get rid of - especially when the Okanagan is becoming a bit of a hotbed for Rosé. From the shot, it looks like there couldn't have been a better choice of wine for the BBQ'd salmon though - at least from a colour coordination standpoint. Good thing the wine tasted as good as it looked.

1680.  2010 Eau Vivre Pinot Noir (Okanagan Valley VQA)

I needed to throw at least one BC wine into the mix. Given that salmon was the main course and we were definitely a red-leaning group, I figured a perennial critic's fave would be a good pour for the table. Not sure that I did anything to convert Merlot Boy's buying habits, but the wine was certainly well-received.

And from that point on, the photos of wine bottles was a forgotten task. There were plenty of photos taken - just not of the wine bottles. There's the one at the end of the post of all the dead soldiers but you'll just have to take me at my word that the wine kept flowing long after the salmon was cleared from the table.

2012 Wirra Wirra - Scrubby Rise (not added to The List as we've already downed this vintage)

1681.  2013 Lindeman's Cawarra Shiraz-Cabernet (South Eastern Australia)

1682.  2012 Tommasi - Le Prunée (Merlot della Venezie IGT - Italy)

I think this bottle was someone's way of telling Merlot Boy that he's getting old and wrinkled - like a prune - but in a classy way, hence "Le Prunée." 

1683.  2011 Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon (North Coast - California)

1684.  2011 Long Flat Cabernet Shiraz (Australia)

As luck would have it, Miss Jaq's 50th was only a week or so apart from Merlot Boy's. He may live in Melbourne but it often feels like we see more of him than we do of Miss Jaq since she's usually off somewhere teaching in exotic locales like Abu Dhabi or China. Luckily, she was spending the summer in Vancouver and was able to celebrate right along with Merlot Boy.

And celebrate we did. Maybe not to the same extent as we did for Daveyboi's 50th, but that's likely a good thing. I think there were a few too many martinis poured at that birthday bash. Perhaps having Miss Jaq and Elzee in attendance just kept the boys a tad more in line than is often the case.

1685.  2008 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon (New South Wales - Australia)

This wine was not chosen as a dig at Merlot Boy's advancing age. Botrytis may be known as "noble rot" but not even we would joke that MB is in an advanced stage of rot. Rather, I chose this lovely because, like him, it's iconic and Australian. Noble One is one of those bottles that you feel you have to keep for a special occasion. There aren't many events that are more special than a landmark birthday with equally monumental friends.

Thing is, there were one or two (at most...as if) that were still going strong after the dessert wine. Accordingly, a quick reach into the cellar was needed. However, I will have you know that I, personally, only had enough of a pour to legitimately add it to The List.

1686.  2009 Henry's Drive - Dead Letter Shiraz (Padthaway - South Australia)

In the spirit of the evening, it was Aussie and it was big and bold.

It might be a good thing that we don't have 50th birthdays to celebrate every week. I'd get through this Odyssey count a lot faster but the old liver might have a bit of comment to make.

Happy happy bud!

An Aussie Touch to Canada Day

It might be not quite as celebrated as our Christmas Dine Around but the Canada Day BBQ has now become a reliable tradition in the neighbourhood as well. Not only is it a great opportunity to kibbutz with the gang but, because we're able to congregate outside as well as in, we can expand our numbers over our December do. The BBQ allows neighbours from up the block to join us, provides an opportunity for travelling Aussies to join in and gives us a chance to catch up some some old buds who have up and moved away.

The latter folks may have abandoned us on a day-to-day basis but there's one or two that we still like enough to invite back to the hood.

So long as they bring a potluck item and some booze.

1662.  2012 Red Rooster Pinot Gris (VQA Okanagan Valley)

1663.  2008 La Frenz Rattlesnake Vineyard Merlot (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

It may well have been Canada Day but Boo and I seemed to be the only ones that brought along Canadian wines. I always say that I enjoy seeing what other folks bring along to the party - probably because there are often some interesting and/or surprising choices.

Red Rooster and La Frenz wines are certainly no surprise as additions to The List. Both have been producing enjoyable wines on the Naramata Bench for years now - and Boo and I still participate in the Adopt-A-Row program that Red Rooster promotes. As such, we kind of have a bottle or two of their wines around. Our row at Red Rooster may be planted with Malbec grapes but we're equal opportunity drinkers when it comes to their wines. So, the Pinot Gris called out as a wine for the sun and fun. Since this was a party for neighbours, I figured I'd grab a bottle of La Frenz as well since they're just down the road from Red Rooster on the Bench. With this one, I figured I should give our in transit Aussie, Merlot Boy, an idea of what BC Merlot can be like. He did not turn down a second glass.

I think both wineries are fine ambassadors for BC and Canadian winemakers.

1664.  2012 Barone Montalto - Nero d'Avola Cabernet Sauvignon (Sicily IGT - Italy)

With Boo's pulled pork in good supply and Mr. Principled grilling sausages left, right and centre, it's probably a good thing that someone brought along a big ol' Sicilian red. Our neighbourhood may not exactly be the Little Italy that it was decades ago but I'm sure there's been more than a few botti's worth of Italian wines thrown back in the immediate vicinity.

I didn't know this producer at all but it's interesting to see more Sicilian wines showing up in our market. It'll be even more interesting to see if that new stream of wines sticks to Sicily's indigenous grapes - like Nero d'Avola - or if more of the international grapes start showing up in their wines, either as varietal wines or blends.

One thing that you can pretty well be guaranteed about at our neighbourhood events is that there won't be a shortage of food. We rather tend to take the word "potluck" to mean "keep eating because with any luck you won't notice any increase in the size of your pot belly." From salads to corn on the cob to cupcakes and sweets, we can pretty much be assured of pleasing vegetarian, kosher and carnivorous diets.

We haven't quite mastered the All Canada, All Dance party playlist yet, but we do serve up everything from Stan Rogers through kd lang and from Bublé to Arcade Fire. Not to mention the old Hockey Night in Canada theme song.

1665.  2012 19 Crimes - Shiraz Durif (Victoria - Australia)

If I had to guess (which I don't), I'd put a couple bucks on the fact that our 2Kangaroos brought along the 19 Crimes. Merlot Boy hadn't run across this wine back home in Oz and he was intrigued by what the label was marketing to Canadians: that many of the new settlers to Australia were criminals.

As if we didn't know all of that already.

Canada Day or not, I'm always in favour of an Aussie Shiraz. If I can send a few bucks down their way, so be it. Anything, you know, to build on our two countries' great friendship.  Besides, what goes better with a slab of barbecued meat than some juice from Down Under? That, and a big, fruity wine is just an epitome of our buddy, Merlot Boy.

I'm sure there must have been a few other wines served up during the day but these four were the only ones that I got around to trying. Since July 1st fell on a Tuesday this week, I was going to need to be at work bright and early in the morning and, therefore, needed to behave.

Besides, if there wasn't enough wine already, there was a full array of craft beers that made their way to the party as well. And, as good a boy as I might have been striving to be, I'm hardly going to turn down an opportunity to try a taste of what's in 49th Parallel's Banana Hammock.

And, on that happy note...it was time to lower the flag and head off to catch a few winks.

Touring and Tasting

It appears that Boo and I may need to come up with a whole new wardrobe this fall. The Canucks traded Ryan Kesler and Jason Garrison and, wouldn't you know, those are the two current player jerseys that we sport.

The Garrison trade was a bit of a surprise and, since he didn't leave Vancouver while in everyone's bad books, Boo can probably get away with still wearing the #5 jersey. I'm not so sure I want to keep going with my Kesler jersey though. Sure enough, I got three or four good years out of it - and the city loved Kesler during the 2011 playoff run. He might still be able to make the odd Aussie smile, but I think all the locals got the impression that Ryan was all about himself and cared nothing for the Canucks, his teammates or the city. Too bad. But good riddance, I suppose. Makes me want to find out if you can get jersey numbers changed after the fact.

Putting aside the trades, we moved on to happier activities with our #TwoKangaroos. We couldn't entice Merlot Boy out of bed with a trip to the Trout Lake Farmers Market but Margarita and I completed a tasty tour in the morning. Then Boo and Merlot Boy joined us and we all spent the afternoon touring Gastown.

When you consider how many of the shops seemed new to Boo and me, it was clear that we don't get down to this part of VanCity very often. We passed some "new" restaurants that looked pretty tasty and Boo and I clearly need to make it back to the carpet shop because we barely poked our heads into the store and saw two gorgeous silks that may need to add some colour to our household.

As we were finishing off our tour, we discovered that we'd parked right next to Bambudda, a new-ish entry to the Gastown scene serving up modern Chinese and inventive cocktails. They were just opening the doors as we sauntered by and the empty bar seats right at street level were just too inviting for four tired wanderers to pass up.

I'd seen a few tweets recently that raved about the cocktails at Bambudda. So, it seemed like a no-brainer for us to do a little research of our own. The drinks arrived both pretty and pretty tasty. There's definitely potential to do a whole lot of damage as you sip your way through the drink menu. Despite the tawdry comments that flew from Merlot Boy's lips, I went for the Sum Yung Gai - a concoction of gin, Cava, lemon, maraschino and lavender syrup. merlot Boy himself went ordered the Bubble Tea and it, with Gin, Blue Curaçao and hibiscus bubbles, was sure a looker. Boo and Margarita opted for "classics": Satan's Whiskers and Mother-in-Law which Bambudda says are both cocktails from circa 1890.

Something tells me, wine blogger or not, we'll be back.

The possibility of heading out on the town was proffered but our Aussies opted to stick around the home front. With Cher behind them, a day's worth of walking just completed and a wedding on the morrow's agenda, a night of adding bottles to The List and a binge-viewing of Archer episodes seemed as adventurous as our buds wanted to be.

1650.  2013 Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough - New Zealand)

Despite her nom de blog, Margarita's sip of choice is probably Sauv Blanc and this Stoneleigh is one of her "go-to's." Offering up classic Kiwi notes, it was still easy to see why this is a pleaser for Margarita. It was determined that, despite the classic notes, the wine was "neither overly acidic nor cat pee-y." Seems appealing enough to me on a summer's eve.

Then, the reds kicked in. Merlot Boy had picked up a couple bottles of Aussie Shiraz at the local shop. Funny, guy travels half way around the world to drink his home country drops.

1651.  2011 Vinaceous Wines - Snake Charmer Shiraz (McLaren Vale - Australia)

I can't say that I know much about Vinaceous Wines. Given the labels, my guess is that it's a commercial venture along the lines of critter wines - without the critters on the label. Or, maybe, just critters of a different sort. Their website states that "the Vinaceous concept is to produce seven distinctive wines representing seven personalities - men, women, angels, demons, mermaids...and other creatures of mythology!" Their wines are sourced from "the best regions suited to the chosen varietals." So, we're definitely talking about a Down Under négociant concept.

Commercial enterprise or not, we still found it tasty enough. I believe the collective response to my "what do you think?" was "a tad stronger than 'charming' but a charmer all the same."

1652.  2012 The Black Chook Shiraz Viognier (McLaren Vale - Australia)

Roos, snakes, chooks (Aussie for chicken). What is it with Aussies, animals and wine? My learned guess is that they all just drink like fish. Then, with so many big, tasty sips within easy reach, who could blame them? The Black Chook is a project that brought in noted South Australian winemaker/consultant, Ben Riggs, to shepherd this Aussie take on the northern Rhone co-ferment of Shiraz with Viognier.

Hardly a critter wine. I likely wouldn't have gravitated to this bottle because of the name and label. I guess it just goes to show that, if you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, the same can be said about judging a wine by its label.

2005 Orofino Merlot Cabernet (Similkameen Valley)

With all the antipodean bottles hitting our glasses, I thought I'd serve up a bit of curveball. I didn't tell our guests what it was that I'd opened and they thought this wine was even bigger than the Aussie Shiraz we'd been sipping. They were pleasantly surprised when I told them it was another Orofino wine from the Similkameen. We'd completed our Orofino Riesling trio the other night; so, I figured it couldn't hurt to try a red as well. The two Roos didn't think BC wines were supposed to be a full as this.

Unfortunately, I don't get to add the bottle to The List this time around. With Orofino being one of my favourite wineries, I suppose I should be surprised that the '05 Merlot Cab was added to The List all the way back at #433. Still drinking good though.

1653.  2005 Pisano - EtXe Oneko Licor de Tannat (Uruguay)

The final bottle of the night was a surprise and a treat. Since Merlot Boy and Margarita arrived, I haven't been playing up World Cup entries to the blog much. This bottle was a tip of the cap to Uruguay's run at the 2014 Cup. They lost their Round of 16 playoff game to Colombia earlier in the day but their show was still worthy of a nightcap of a bottle.

This was a bottle that I'd been given at the Wine Blogger's conference last year in Penticton. Luckily, the Uruguayan producers had some bottles left at the end of the conference and I managed to score this rarity (at least to me) as they didn't (or couldn't) take everything with them.

Made from 100% Tannat grapes, the wine combines techniques from both Amarone and Port. The grapes are left to desiccate on the vine for an extra month before pressing. They were then fermented to a desired level of residual sugar and topped off with grape alcohol to stop the fermentation. A second batch of grapes that had been left even longer on the vine were then added to the fermentation tanks in whole clusters. After approximately six weeks, the wine was pressed off and barrel-aged for another six months. Rich, tasty, fruity, dark. Right up my alley.

And, again, that's from Tannat grapes. Not going to find many wines using this production method.

Hardly the equivalent of an Aussie sticky, we were all taking a big bite out of this Luis Suarez of a wine.

And on that happy note, we bid "good night" to Archer and each other. Wedding prep and bells were calling on the horizon.

A Toast to a Dear Friend

I suppose it was only fitting that it was such a grey day.

The Boss and I hooked up to head out to Steveston to toast the life of DeeBee, a co-worker from years back. A Celebration of Life was being held and DeeBee's and my friendship - even if it was limited to a working relationship - was definitely one worth celebrating.

Sharp as a tack, hard working, witty, caring and full of life, DeeBee was everything a guy could ask for in a friend and colleague. And, what's more, she shared my warped sense of humour. I'll always remember, when our firm moved offices and I found a sign in one of the stairwells. It read, "Place of Refuge" and was meant to indicate a safe zone should the building catch fire. I took the sign and changed the lettering to read "Place of Ill Repute" and hung it at DeeBee's desk. Rather than smack me over the head with it and toss it out, she "proudly" displayed it at her desk for months.

I was truly saddened the day she told me, teary-eyed, that she was taking a different job so that she could move to be closer to her grandchildren. That must have been five or six years ago, but we still kept in touch. She was barely into her 60's and it was a great shock when I learned that she'd suffered a debilitating stroke last October. She never recovered.

So, it's with a heavy heart that I'm adding these two wines to The List.

1628.  2011 Red Rooster Merlot (VQA Okanagan Valley)

1629.  2012 Sandhill Pinot Gris (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Funny that the two wines chosen for the Celebration of Life were from two of my favourite BC wineries. It's also funny that, if memory serves, DeeBee was more of Scotch or Rye kind of gal. She likely wouldn't have been drinking the wine at all had she been out with us.

Since I've written many a post on both of these wineries, I think I'll just leave their mention at that this time around. After all, sometimes it's about more than just the wine.

Ironically, indeed cruelly so, this was my first visit to Steveston. For the past two or three years, DeeBee had tried to get Boo and I to come out and wander the dock and have lunch and a drink with her. Scheduling being what it is and the fact that she thought it best not to do it in the summer (too busy) or in the winter (too wet and cold), we never made it. I'm sure I'll get back there again though - and you know that I'll think of DeeBee and toast her all over again.

Here's hoping that they play a lot of Elvis for you in heaven.

Hard Core Training

The 4th Annual Half Corked Half Marathon is coming up this weekend and I luckily scored a double entry into the race. Patterned after the full marathons in Médoc (Bordeaux) and Napa, the Half Corked Half sees participants run a course through wine country in the Southern Okanagan - and, probably more to the point - that offers up a dozen or so water stations at various wineries and strategic spots along the route. If you haven't already guessed, the folks running the water stations turned that water into wine tastings and bites of food (along with the water, of course).

Problem is that the race has become so popular in its brief existence that the race organizers, the Oliver Osoyoos Wine Association, needed to introduce a lottery system to select its participants. Spots in the 2013 race were in such demand that all the spots were taken within a minute of them being offered.

Despite knowing that you'd have to run 18.6 km - likely in costume while sipping away - this is one difficult race to get into. I knew about a dozen folks that had entered the lottery and I'm the only one that got in - and even that was on the second round draw to fill empty spots.

Building my running distance back up to acceptable distances had been going along nicely but about six weeks or so ago, my left knee started hurting. At first, it wasn't anything that a little wine after the run couldn't overcome - until, a couple of weeks back, my race buddy, Mr. Cool, and I ran a 15km course in miserable weather, after which the knee started kicking up something fierce. Training hasn't been going well since. In fact, it hasn't been going at all.

Hoping I'd still be able to fight my way through the race, I started some physiotherapy to check things out. As luck would have it, the diagnosis was bursitis and the physio figured I could struggle my way through the race without doing much more, if any, damage. Of course, I did have to face a few chuckles when I told friends that those most vulnerable to my injury were middle-aged, overweight women. Go figure.

All this meant that I simply had to focus my training on the drinking-wine part.

In recognition of the fact that the race is just around the corner and that we'd be running along the Black Sage Bench, I thought it would be appropriate to open a bottle from one of the wineries supporting the event.

1612.  Burrowing Owl Merlot (Okanagan Valley VQA)

Burrowing Owl wines have made The List on enough occasions that I don't really need to go into news about the winery. Check out one of the other posts for more on that front.

Now that we've finished off this bottle, I see that John Schreiner, one of BC's top wine scribes, wrote in February 2012 that it was time to start drinking the '06 Burrowing Owl reds. He confirmed that he thought 2006 was "one of the strongest vintages of the decade" but he figured that they'd peaked and that they might only hold for another year or two.

I suppose we might have pushed that limit somewhat, but I'm happy to say that Boo and I both thought there was still plenty of life left to this Merlot - and I'll be quite happy to open the last two bottles that we have tucked away. Maybe that should be sooner than later though.

Now, the hope will be that I've got as much life in this tired, old frame to get through the race without Mr. Cool having to carry me too far on his back.

Bienvenido a Miami

Having flown 5700 miles for our Dinner Club's Road Trip, it seemed that our time in Antigua's sand and surf had come to an end far too soon. However, since our plane didn't leave until the afternoon, Jeaux and Matinder figured we'd have just enough time for one final tour and a stroll through Nelson's Dockyard and English Harbour - an 18th Century British Naval base that has been restored as part of a national park. "Just enough time" really meant a quick scratch of the surface - no leisurely cocktail in the historical bar; no hike up the headlands; no wine-filled picnic in tropical surroundings. It did provide a glimpse into the past and a bit of an insight into the island's long commemorated ties to sailing though - and enough of taste that our appetites to return were fully whetted.

Seems like all of the Dinner Club couples used Antigua as a stopping off point for a second vacation stop. Lady Di and She Who Must Be Obeyed took off to Spain. Axel and English Doc chose Washington D.C. Boo and I thought that, since we were already in the Caribbean, we could carry on to Mexico and visit our friend, Mexican Lou, who had returned to his birthplace a couple of years ago.

Problem was, however, that you can't really get there from "here." It would seem that Mexicans don't travel to the Caribbean much - unless it's their own coast - and, in order for Boo and I to make our way to Mexico City, we had to return to the continental mainland and transfer on to Mexico City. There were connecting flights in D.C., Atlanta, Phoenix, Newark and even Toronto - hardly what I'd call convenient - and then there was Miami. It still involved flying North when we wanted to head West but at least it made a bit of sense.

Since Boo grew up in (Northern) Florida and I'd never been to Miami, we decided to stay over the weekend and take in a bit of what South Beach had to offer. As timing - and luck - would have it, an old family friend Esperanza and her newly minted husband, Cruncher, were in the process of moving to Miami and they were thrilled to have someone to show their new town to.

Esperanza has previously graced these posts - particularly when Boo and I met up with her and Cruncher when we travelled to North Carolina awhile back. However, her nom de blog back then was Desirée. We decided she needed a little more Latin fire to her name now that she's calling Miami home. Hence, Esperanza was born.

And, the doll that she is, she and Cruncher picked us up at the airport, took us to our B&B/hotel and had a couple of bottles in hand so that our transition to an Art Deco lifestyle would be as seamless as possible.

Talk about your "Bienvenido a Miami."

1567.  2011 Jacob's Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (South Eastern Australia)

Esperanza makes no bones about the fact that she's a bargain wine kinda gal. Indeed, she wonders how - and perhaps more importantly, why - I can spend so much time just wandering the aisles of a wine shop perusing what's on offer. She has her "go to" bottles and she's got it down to an art. She goes to wine aisle, if one of her preferred wines is on sale, she grabs some. No fuss. No muss. The good thing for me is that her "go to" bottles are inevitably quaffable.

I mean there isn't much chance of going wrong with either Jacob's Creek or Santa Rita is there - especially now that we were poolside. Having spent a good part of the day flying and hanging around airports, lounging back, wine glass in hand, was pretty much going to work regardless of how we'd filled those glasses.

1568.  2012 Santa Rita - 120 Merlot (Valle Central D.O. - Chile)

It was interesting to note that two of the better known brands for value back home were just as popular in Florida - particularly since I thought that Aussie wines weren't nearly as ubiquitous in the States as they are back home in Vancouver.

By the time we'd polished off the Merlot, it was time to grab a bite and "walk the gauntlet" (as we grew to call wandering on Ocean Drive).

While our timing was fortuitous with Esperanza and Cruncher in town, we'd also managed to "pick" a Spring Break weekend for our little tide-over. As we cruised the strip, it was abundantly apparent that I was not going to be able to keep pace with the Spring Breakers. The bravado and urgency to make the party was an eye-opener. There was a time - but even I realize that was many years ago. As a toast to Spring Break, I did order one monster-sized mango margarita but I figured it was best to pass on the version that has two beer balanced upside down in the glass so that the beer continues to replenish the drink. I've seen a lot of drinks in my day but that was first.

I suppose there might be a reason why I gravitate to wine as much as I do.

And something told me that we'd be throwing back a fair bit as we took in a weekend of what Miami, South Beach and Esperanza had to offer.