Iconic Friends Deserve Iconic Wines

From the start of this blog and Odyssey, a major focus was always going to be who we drank our wines with and the occasions where we drank the bottles. It's definitely fitting that we were able to schedule a dinner with Elzee this close to hitting the 2001st bottle. We know very well that it's almost inevitable that, every time we get together with the lovely and talented Elzee, there's likely going to be great food and equally fine wine.

I'm happy to say that this occasion was no different - even though this was a simple, spur-of-the-moment invite to our place.

1993.  2014 Orofino Moscato Frizzante (Similkameen Valley)

When I look back on all the wines that have made up the 2001 bottles, I'm sure there will be more Orofino wines on The List than all but a handful of wineries. Boo and I have been fans of the "straw-bale winery" pretty much since Day 1. We were lucky to discover Orofino very early in its existence as its owners, growers, winemakers, proprietors (and likely everything else needed), John and Virginia Weber, presented some of their first vintage at a BC Wine Appreciation Society tasting of wines from the, at that time, new on the scene Similkameen Valley.

Although its now been around for a handful of vintages, Moscato Frizzante is one of Orofino's newest wines. It is also a very popular one as it arrived as a playful, easy drinking Moscato with a splash of Riesling and Pinot Gris that brings out an acidity to counter the fruity and floral base of Moscato. In a region that really only started to make a name for itself in the last decade, t's a bit of a surprise that much of the fruit for the wine comes from Muscat vines are over 25 years old now. The fruit from those established vines, planted on Orofino's home vineyard, is augmented with grapes from the neighbouring Hendsbee vineyard, those vines having been more recently planted around 2009.

The carbonation is measured; there isn't an abundance of fizz or mousse but the slightly off-dry palate makes the wine an excellent start to an evening. As it did for us.

I think the Okanagan Valley has established itself as a premium region for producing more serious, traditional even, Champenoise-styled sparkling wines (just look at Blue Mountain, Stellars Jay, Tantalus and Summerhill) but there's a new breed of bubbly that's starting to emerge and Orofino's Moscato is definitely helping to lead the way.

1994.  2008 Clarendon Hills - Astralis (McLaren Vale - Australia)

As I journey along this Odyssey and learn more and more about wine, one of the most valuable lessons has been about the pairing of food and wine - to bring out the best attributes of both simultaneously. One of the biggest discoveries I encountered was that we "drank red but ate white." I now try much harder to match whites, rosés and lighter reds with many of our dinners while saving our beloved big reds for meatier occasions. That re-adjustment of my pairing habits over the years has definitely increased our pleasure of the wine we're drinking.

That being said, tonight's pairing does not follow any of that logic. An Aussie Shiraz isn't likely the best sip to pair with mussels - even if there are yam frites and chipotle mayo alongside - but I wanted to dip into the cellar for one of our landmark wines for this near "List-ending" bottle with Elzee.

I decided on a bottle of Astralis - although I can't say that I've tried it before or knew much about the winery. Astralis has been called an Aussie cult wine - particularly after wine critic, Robert Parker (love him or hate him) wrote in 1996, "This is the hottest wine in Australian wine circles, as it came out ahead of two great vintages of Henschke and Penfolds' Grange in a recent tasting. If readers can believe it, it is a bigger denser, more concentrated wine than the Grange." The bottle was another extravagance of one of Boo's border crossing jaunts and it seemed appropriate for the occasion.

 Clarendon Hills is a small (by Australian standards), family run winery and Astralis is the flagship wine of the Clarendon Hills portfolio. Roman Bratasiuk founded winery in 1990, 40 miles south of Adelaide in the McLaren Vale district and he immediately imprinted himself with a reputation as a bit of a maverick, starting with the fact that he calls his Astralis a Syrah instead of the ubiquitous Shiraz that is so associated with Aussie wine. Bratasiuk is one of the original pioneers of single vineyard wines in Australia. His first vintage of wines were single vineyard and that was rather unheard of in Aussie winemaking circles at the time. The winery now produces up to 19 single vineyard cuvées in its portfolio and his goal has been to express the varied terroir of McLaren Vale as opposed to gunning for the biggest, baddest fruit bomb possible. Indeed, the winery produces as many as seven single vineyard Syrahs annually.

The 1994 vintage was the first Australian wine to sell for $100 a bottle and, unfortunately, it hasn't gotten any cheaper. However, it is still substantially cheaper than a bottle of Grange - if you can even find it in our Vancouver market - and any bottle like this is going to be a special occasion in our household. Like when you're breaking bread with a dear friend and drinking one of the last bottles to be added to your List of 2001.

I'll have to admit that the wine wasn't nearly as fruit forward as I would have expected for an iconic Aussie Shiraz - but I guess that was the point. It is an Aussie Syrah after all. We might have opened it a tad early as Parker's Wine Advocate originally reported that this "Astralis is very young and primary promising much more to come! Consider drinking it from 2015 to 2025+" but I definitely lean towards fruit on the palate with my wines. So, drinking it a bit earlier in its lifetime is not out of the question for me as the fruit profile of a wine tends to diminish as it ages. Besides, waiting seven years for a bottle of wine is a tough task and we were within the suggested window.

Dinner was concluded with one of Boo's homemade apple pies; however, we didn't need to worry about overpowering the pie by the wine. The Astralis was long gone by the time the pie appeared. I'd blame it on Elzee scarfing all the wine but that's about as likely as me jumping into Another 2001 Bottles - The Sequel. Hopefully, there will be plenty more dinners with Elzee and multiple iconic wines but I'm guessing they won't be documented so regularly in a blog - at least not mine.

A Staged Farewell

I may have just finished off a Wild & Wacky Wine Week, but I'm not opening tonight's bottle to carry on with that theme. Moscato is anything but wacky. It may well be wild - but that's only as in "wildly" popular.

I'd wanted to bring along a Prosecco for the evening because it was going to be a send-off for one of our neighbours. G-Dub was having everyone over for a last tipple in their place as the house was now all staged for sale and G-Dub was taking off to join up with Sam and the girls in California. The two of them could always be counted on for finding and bringing the newest and latest Prosecco to any of our gatherings in the hood. It seemed appropriate to bring one to their last hurrah...

...Except that it was a last minute event and I didn't have any Prosecco lying around that could make it to The List. Despite the growing popularity of the Italian bubbly, finding new Prosecco's to add to The List can be a tad difficult because the majority of the bottles found in our market are non-vintage and one of my little "rules" for the blog is that I can't add the same vintage of the same wine twice. I figured a Moscato d'Asti could fill in as a close alternative.

1918.  2012 Fontanafredda Le Fronde - Moscato d'Asti (Moscato d'Asti DOCG - Italy)

Don't be deceived by the accompanying photo. This isn't an "orange" wine. Rather, I brought along a bottle of Aperol to make Spritzers - thinking that the Moscato would be semi-dry and maybe even have a bit of bubble to it. As such, it would fill in nicely for a Prosecco. That wasn't the case. The wine was fully dry and didn't really remind me of a fruity Moscato at all but it still worked fine with the Aperol.

For those taking a closer look at the photo, yes, those are olives in the glass. Olives. Wine. If you're wondering if I'm crazy, I wondered the same thing the first time we were served a Spritzer from a bona fide bonne vivante from Venice. Some time back, at another neighbourhood gathering, La Vénitienne brought along the making for Spritzers and she introduced us to the buttery smooth, green olives that she used to garnish the drinks. I take her at her word and I now do the same. I don't really know if she was stringing me a line or not but I could care less because I do love my olives.

I know Boo and I are going to be sad to lose G-Dub and Sam as neighbours but, if we have to look for a silver lining, they did move to San Francisco and we have an open invite to come down and take in a bit of the wine culture down there.

I told them I'd bring the olives.

Benjamin Bridge

1694.  Benjamin Bridge Tidal Bay (Nova Scotia)

When it comes to Canadian wine stories, most feature BC (and, in most instances, Okanagan or Similkameen) wines or Ontario's Niagra region. Despite its being on the opposite side of the country and the relative obscurity of the wines on the West Coast, I know fully well that Nova Scotia is the home to a growing and often well-received region of its own. Boo and I even took a quick one-day tour of the Gaspereau Valley when we visited Halifax in 2008 (unfortunately, well before this blog was started).

We didn't hear of or visit Benjamin Bridge back then but I've since been advised to reach out and grab immediately when I run across any of their wines. If memory serves, Elzee brought us back this bottle when she found herself in Halifax for an extended weekend for work.

Not only did Elzee do us a big favour by bringing back the bottle but she introduced me to an interesting wine story that I hadn't run across before.

Nova Scotia has an even cooler climate than BC's Okanagan Valley. It's probably more along the lines of our Vancouver Island and Gulf Island wineries. As such, the variety of grapes that can reliably ripen in the region can be limited. We're generally talking high acid, slow-ripening white grapes - not that there's the slightest thing wrong with that in this world of big, ripe, sweet reds. Well, according to this article by Jessica Emin in Halifax Magazine, "in 2012, the Winery Association of Nova Scotia thought it would be a smart move on its part to have a signature style of wine evocative of the terroir and climate of Nova Scotia, and consistent from winery to winery."

The article continues, "To call a wine Tidal Bay in Nova Scotia it must be of a certain blend of grapes, all of which are grown in N.S., and each year wineries are approved by a tasting panel to see that they fit the harmony. The ideal Tidal Bay should showcase the bright, zingy, aromatic and crisp style of the province."

Benjamin Bridge's Tidal Bay is made from L'Acadie Blanc, Ortega and New York Muscat. I remember wondering why BC's island wineries didn't look into L'Acadie Blanc since it was rather ubiquitous in Nova Scotia. Well, it must be playing a worthwhile role in this wine as we were certainly captivated. My note read, "Bright Fruit. Nice acidity. Nice introduction to Benjamin Bridge."

I understand that the winery's particularly known for its bubblies. Can't wait to get my hands on one of those.

Green Eggs & Ham - Graduation Day

I can only pretend to understand what truly goes through Perry's mind on a daily basis - such must be his life living with Asperger's - but I think it's pretty safe to say that he was a pretty proud guy today as he graduated from high school.

I said the same thing a couple of years ago when Perry's sister, Stargirl, graduated, but I can't believe how extravagant high school graduations have become - cap and gown, local dignitaries and processions across the stage at Simon Fraser University's great concourse. It appears high school gym stages aren't quite as acceptable nowadays as they were in my day. Then again, didn't we use to trudge six miles through three feet of snow in tired old Basketmaster runners, blah, blah, blah? How times have changed.

One neat aspect of Perry's graduation - that is, neat if there hadn't been 500+ kids to go through - was that, as each student walked across the stage, a short quote of their choosing was read out. None of us knew what Perry had chosen. In addition to thanking his Mom and teachers, his parting words were, "I do not like them Sam I Am. I do not like green eggs and ham."

Dr. Seuss? I'd have guessed Phinneas & Ferb or Mario Bros. Shows you what I know but I was secretly that his procession was greeted with a healthy round of applause.

On top of that, Perry's graduation called for a family and friends' BBQ and, funny, we had us some wine to toast Perry. I offered him a glass as well but received his regular, "No thanks Uncle Bob."

1640.  2013 Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé (AOC Côtes de Provence -France)

That didn't stop the rest of us and I was more than happy to see that Perry's mom, my sis, Vixen, brought out one of her recent shower gifts - a bottle of Brangelina's Rosé. Not that she knew what Miraval was until after I'd told her.

I'd wanted to try the wine following its début last year but had yet to commit to the $30 sticker price it carries in Vancouver. Since it was the only Rosé wine named to Wine Spectator's best 100 wines of the year, that would presumably that make Miraval the best Rosé wine in the world last year.

Hey, I guess this means that any one of us should be able to bag one of the year's best with our first vintage - if we have $60 million to buy a château and estate - one that happens to come with its own valley and a geography that allows estate vineyards to encompass exposures of every which manner.

Up front, I'll admit that, in general, I'm a fan of Provençal Rosé but I wanted to like this wine more than I actually did. Although a touch unorthodox, I don't mind the packaging at all and it's undoubtably a pretty wine. I found it, however, to be very acidic but without the counterbalancing fruit that I so enjoy with local BC Rosés. Granted, it may have fared better with food but it was long gone by the time we got the BBQ going. Seems I wasn't the only one who wanted a touch of Brad and Angelina in their life. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to horn in on another bottle that some unwittingly opens.

1641.  Amberley - Kiss & Tell Moscato (Western Australia)

I'd picked up the Moscato partially because, to some extent, it's a flavour of the month, but also because it hails from Western Australia. When I see the words "Western Australia" in conjunction with wine, I'm automatically on my way to thoughts of happy sips. My thoughts just go straight to Margaret River and one of my favourite wine regions in the world. We don't see many Western Australian wines in our neck of the woods, but the ones that do find their way here are often delightful sips.

The reason I'd brought the bottle to Perry's BBQ was that I figured this would be a wine that would appeal to his sisters. Stargirl is just starting to regularly accept a glass of wine with us at family gatherings and I thought this might work with the youngest, Melmo, as well. Stargirl said this was right up here alley and even Melmo took a couple sips and said that it was "alright." It was a bit too sweet for my liking and even though I didn't notice any of the promised spritz, but I could see using it in an Aperol cocktail should we run across another bottle.

1642.  2012 Cline - Lodi Zinfandel (California)

For my glass, the Zin was the steadiest pour of the lot. That being said, this isn't the kind of bottle that I'll drink a lot of. An everyday bottle in the US, it clocks in at about $20 in Vancouver - maybe twice the price you could find it for south of the border. This is a prime example of liquor board pricing up here and why I tend to only buy American wine when I'm actually in the States.

I was happy to have it in my glass at Perry's party though. Burgers and Zin are a classic pairing in my book. High school may be many decades behind me now, but I still know that there's always room for the classics.

As for Perry, he may not have as many options before him as his sisters do - and he may never be a wine drinker. All the same - and to invoke Dr. Suess again - he's certainly looking forward to all the places he'll go. No doubt we'll be along for much of the ride - glass in hand.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

With Halloween just around the corner, we found ourselves overwhelmed with offers for the Saturday night before. Unfortunately, we had to say "no" to a couple of invites but we did our best to fit two seasonal treats into our schedule. That's "seasonal treats" as in events as opposed to wines, but we managed to incorporate some wine as well. Duh.

1460.  N.V. Cantine Pellegrino - Zebo Moscato (Sicily IGT - Italy)

When I hear Pelligrino, I think sparkling water. Apparently, however, Cantine Pellegrino was established on the island of Sicily in 1880. It remains a family owned company and is the largest winery in the region with nearly a thousand acres of vineyards.

To make this bottle even more interesting, I wouldn't normally associate Moscato with the Southern reaches of Italy. To me, Moscato generally means Northern climes but Pellegrino is using Muscat of Alessandria fruit from vines that average 20 to 30 years in age. So, they've been growing these grapes for some time now. Indeed, the reference tome, Wine Grapes, says that the grape was already known on Sicily back in the 16th Century under the name Zibibo - no doubt, a fact playing part of the wine's name "Zebo."

It's definitely a light and simple wine with a definite dose of residual sugar. It's also only 6% alcohol in volume. I saw that the winemaking process involves fermentation in thermo-controlled stainless steel tanks where the wine is cooled down to stop the fermentation once the desired alcohol and sweetness levels are attained. With the lower alcohol, we thought we could pull off opening this bottle and still move on for the remainder of the evening.

While we didn't find much sparkle to the wine, it still matched nicely with Aperol when we tried a follow up pour as an Aperol Spritzer. The price works for that option nicely as well.

A Trio of Parade of Lost Souls Participants

After an early dinner, Boo and I headed down The Drive to take in a bit of the Parade of Lost Souls. A signature event in our neighbourhood, this was the first time we'd been able to make it in a couple of years. Admittedly, we weren't overwhelmed with this year's event. There wasn't even an actual parade that we could locate. We just figured that organizers had run into insurance problems or NIMBY complaints and had to condense the event into a single location. Following the evening, I discovered that this was apparently a transitional year for the Parade of Lost Souls. The Public Dreams Society had been at the helm of the community-driven parade for over 20 years; however, the Society is stepping back from its position as a premier provider of public celebration. As a result, this was the first time that the event was under new directorship.

Here's hoping that the new caretakers of the Parade - The Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret - find their footing and are able to re-invigorate the 2014 edition with the excitement of years past.

After touring the Parade grounds, we hustled back to invoke warmer desert climes and make our way to Mickey Rooney's Halloween Party. Rooney is the Queen of Halloween and has hosted many a costume party over the year - simply as an excuse to haul out her vast assortment of haunted decorations. Her theme this year was "black and white." So, we thought our UAE robes were the perfect fit. Only thing was that we hadn't been able to make a Mickey Rooney Halloween Bash for a few years and, in the interim, they've dropped the costume aspect of the evening.

We were the only folks to show up in costume - naturally, turning a few heads and eliciting a whole bunch of queries on a theme of "Are you heading off to another party after this?"

Mickey simply laughed and handed us a couple glasses, saying "You might like these."

Rooney, on the other hand, was all excited at our silliness and announced that she was going back to a costumed party next year.

1461.  2010 Longview - Devil's Elbow Cabernet Sauvignon (Adelaide Hills - Australia)

I guess this is where I admit that I can just as guilty of grabbing a pretty or themed label as the next wine buyer. I thought I'd bring a bottle that'd match up with the haunted nature of the party. The only bottle I could find that fit the occasion was the Devil's Elbow Cab. I hadn't run across Longview before and I was somewhat apprehensive about forking out $30 for what might be a take off on a critter wine label. Luckily, the wine was far more substantive that a simple, commercial fruit bomb.

The winery was established in 1995 and currently produces approximately 20,000 cases annually and I've since found out that Longview was featured in a recent Wine Spectator article on Australian wines. Both this Cab and a Shiraz were submitted to the magazine and both received 90+ points - if you're interested in point chasing. The winery is found in the Adelaide Hills region and apparently has family estate vineyards that enjoy a micro-climate that is slightly warmer than the surrounding area. The additional heat allows Longview to step outside of Adelaide Hills' decidedly cool climate (by Aussie standards anyhow) reputation of producing primarily white wines.

Bigger and fruitier than what I might normally associate with a cool climate Cab, I suppose there shouldn't be too much surprise in that I see that Ben Glaetzer is the consulting winemaker and he's well known for producing big, bold reds. Being a wine drinker that definitely finds myself on the New World, fruit forward side of the fence, it's not often that I find too much fruit on my mid-range Cab's but that might just have been the case here. Glaetzer's fruit did make the wine entirely drinkable as a big cocktail wine though. It might have come across as more subdued with food - but that would only have made it even more palatable. I'd be tempted to buy the wine again despite the price tag.

Having grabbed the bottle for the name and label, I couldn't find any web reference to where Devil's Elbow comes from.  Most of Longview's wines had catchy and differentiating names. I suspect there has to be some story behind all of them. They just weren't easily found.

Maybe by next Halloween, I'll have found out the meaning of the names - as well as what's happening with the organization of the Parade of Lost Souls and whether or not we really need to dress up for Mickey Rooney's party.

An Intimidating Dinner Date

As much as Boo might tell you otherwise, we don't dine out all that much. Lack of time and expanding waistlines see to that. All the same, we do have a couple of favourite restaurants that we try to make it to at least once or twice a year.

One series of successive dinners has resulted in our striking up a casual friendship with one of Vancouver's - indeed, one of Canada's - top chefs and his wife, who just happens to manage the front of the house (and no doubt a whole lot more). We've tossed around the idea of having Perry and Molly's Mother over to our place for dinner for a couple of years - but we'd been unable to coordinate schedules.

That is, until now.

Not that the thought of serving a home cooked meal to a celebrated chef was intimidating at all. Nah - not in the least (especially since I was leaving a couple of the more important dishes up to Boo to pull off).

I figured our task was to come up with a menu that was sophisticated enough to be interesting - and seem like we have a smidgeon of culinary talent - but basic enough to make it seem like we weren't pulling out every ounce of kitchen witchery that might be in our bodies. Molly's Mom had told me that most people don't like to have them over because they feel that they have to cook restaurant quality food and go all out to impress them. She then confirmed that Perry (like most chefs) is simply thrilled to have someone else cook. She advised that he'd be happy if we served up Kraft Dinner.

It was almost as daunting trying to come up with additional guests - since we didn't have any friends in common with Perry and M-Squared. Given the foodie nature of our initial guests, I kinda stuck with the theme and invited Mr. Technicolour and Haley. Mr. T. teaches WSET courses and runs the wine program at one of Vancouver's culinary schools - and is as outrageously entertaining as his name (and socks) might indicate. Haley is long suffering - but for the most part, highly amused.

1405.  2011 Haywire The Bub (VQA Okanagan Valley)

1406.  2012 Orofino Moscato Frizzante (Similkameen Valley)

Ever since, Molly's Mom and I had started talking about dinner, I'd hoped to take advantage of the garden and try a little al fresco dining for at least part of the evening. Luckily, the weather held out and we had the chance to enjoy a couple of the newer entries on the burgeoning BC bubbles scene.

The bottle of The Bub is Haywire's first release of their classically aged sparkler, made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. We sipped away on it with warmed, spiced olives but I see that The Bub won the sparkling category at the inaugural Canadian Oyster Wine Competition held this Spring in the Okanagan.

I believe that the 2012 Moscato Frizzante is the second vintage of the beautifully packaged Orofino bubbly. The wine is primarily Muscat Bianco grapes but a touch of Riesling is blended in for additional acidity, as is a shot of Pinot Gris. Orofino's website notes that the three grapes are picked with special consideration for "acidity and aromatics" and that "they are fermented separately and then blended at filtration." The wine is a bit drier than might be expected from the name and the packaging but it certainly disappeared quickly with our Arabic cheesy bread.

1407.  2011 Fairview Cellars Sauvignon Blanc (VQA Okanagan Valley)

The sit down portion of our dinner started with a mussel and saffron soup that we paired with Bill Eggert's Sauvignon Blanc - his "oyster wine" as he calls it. We might not have served up the oysters but, from past experience, I knew that the rich soup - that is nothing but wine, mussels and a few vegetables and spices - would match up just as nicely. This is the only white wine that Fairview produces but, even at that, only 600 cases were produced in the 2011 vintage (triple the 2010 count). It's not the easiest wine to find on the shelf but I inevitably grab a bottle when I do see one by chance.

I've noted, in an earlier post, that Boo and I splurged on a new BBQ. It features a rotisserie - that we have yet to try - and I thought it might be a perfect opportunity to try our new toy with a leg of lamb. I'd sent everyone an e-mail for wine suggestions and mentioned the lamb plan. Perry got back to me and mentioned that there are only two items that Molly's Mom doesn't particularly like - lamb and olives. Naturally, our plans had involved both.

Boo and I switched up on the lamb and decided to smoke some pork but, when everyone arrived, I let Perry and M-Squared know that I'd received the message and changed the menu. I told them that because of the last minute change in plans, we needed to take Molly's Mom at her word though and that we were serving KD (packaged mac and cheese for those of you that didn't grow up with it). We proudly announced that we had made a really special version though and that we'd added wieners to the mix. Was that going to be special or what?!

2010 Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz (South Australia)

It's a good thing we went with the smoked pork though because I doubt that Perry and Molly's Mom's bottle of Blue Eyed Boy would have gone as well with the KD. It was totally appropriate of them to bring along the Mollydooker because they had hooked us up for a visit to the winery when Boo and I visited McLaren Vale a couple last year. What they didn't know was that Boo and I had tasted the 2010 Blue Eyed Boy during that visit and the winery was kind enough to give us the bottle (that had barely been cracked) as a souvenir. Accordingly, I don't get to add this bottle to The List because Boo and I promptly finished off that earlier bottle in Australia - and added it to The List as #1118.

When wines are as tasty as this Shiraz is though, I don't mind drinking another bottle of a wine already on The List. I'm also thrilled to say that Boo enjoyed this bottle far more than he enjoyed the one in Oz. He's not as big on fruit bombs as I can be and he's had a bit of dislike for Mollydooker's total commitment to that style of wine.

1408.  2004 Spinifex Indigene (Barossa Valley - Australia)

1409.  2006 Ghost Pines Merlot (Napa and Sonoma Counties - California) 

We followed up the Mollydooker with another big Aussie. The Spinifex Indigene is from the McLaren Vale's wine producing neighbour, the Barossa Valley. Spinifex is a boutique winery that was started up in 2001 and has garnered up some big points with the wine critics for this blend of 2/3's Mataro (Aussie for Mourvèdre) and 1/3 Shiraz. With only 600 cases having been made, I'm a little surprised that any of it made it up here to Vancouver. I think that might be a testament to the understanding that Vancouver was one of the first foreign markets to cotton onto Aussie exports. Because some higher end Aussie producers found Vancouver to be an early adopter of their production styles, we're still rewarded sometimes with wines that don't often make it to North American markets.

The last of the big reds was a treat that Mr. Technicolour and Haley brought. Mr. T. had done some consulting work with the American Consulate and, in thanks, he was given a case of wine. While choosing the wines from the Consulate cellar, he was tipped off to grab a bottle of the Ghost Pines Merlot. A blend of grapes from both Napa and Sonoma, the '06 Merlot saw an addition of 7% Zinfnadel as the winemaker looked to "exhibit the best of both appellations."

We likely could have kept going with the reds but dessert beckoned and we moved on to a couple BC treats.

1410.  2009 Stoneboat Verglas (Okanagan Valley)

Dessert was peach pie with peach gelato and, if I do say so myself, was matched beautifully with the Stoneboat Verglas - for all intents and purposes, an Icewine, even though it isn't called one. Made from the largely unknown variety Oraniensteiner and Pinot Blanc, I'm just going to quote John Schreiner and his review: "Charming and seductive. It has a fabulous aroma of peaches and ripe pineapples and it tastes like a bowl of tropical fruits. The bright acidity gives the wine perfect balance, giving it a clean and focussed finish without any cloying sweetness." Darn right!

I almost regretted serving it at dinner because there were six of us and the bottle's 200ml didn't go nearly as far as it would have if I'd opened the bottle and kept it all to myself.

As a consolation, this is the first wine featuring the Oraniensteiner grape to be added to The List and I have a new variety to add to my Wine Century Club tally (#154 I do believe). Now, that's always an added bonus to a bottle of wine.

N.V. La Frenz Tawny (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

The 200ml didn't go too far though; so, that was followed with the La Frenz Tawny. Since the Tawny isn't vintage dated - and I've enjoyed a number of bottles over the years - it isn't being added to The List either. It was earmarked for a cheese course but, by now, we'd concluded that we didn't need another course. "Simple fare" or not, we were done and the rich, multi-award winning fortified wine was a fine finish to the evening.

Despite, the palpable anxiety, I think it's safe to say that Boo and I weathered the storm. I haven't been ballsy enough to ask for any commentary on the food from our guests but I think I might just be brave enough to ask these folks over for dinner again all the same. i may have to resort to that KD and wieners, but I'm sure we can make up for it with the wines.

Fifty Shades of White

A story on the Dîner en Blanc Vancouver website sums up the event as a "posh picnic" where diners "gather at a secret location with the sole purpose of sharing a high-quality meal with good friends at the heart of one of the city's most beautiful locations." Dîner en Blanc made its second appearance in Vancouver and Boo and I were lucky enough to attend. If you're not familiar with the all-white affair, the "must attend" event premiered in Paris 25 years ago and, since then, DEB has become a bit of a worldwide phenomenon. The epicurean delight crossed the Atlantic for the first time in 2009 when it landed in Montreal. It then migrated over the Canada-US border to arrive in New York City two years later. In the short time since then, it has grown to nearly 40 cities across five continents.

I didn't find out about last year's Vancouver début of Dîner en Blanc until just before the actual event and, by then, it was too late to corral an invite. I did, however, get onto the waiting list for the 2013 edition. When, back in July, I still hadn't heard a peep about this year's event, I figured we wouldn't be making an appearance this year either - particularly when I heard that tickets had already gone on sale to previous attendees.

Then, voilà, notice of waitlist tickets popped up in my InBox. The good news was that the Vancouver dinner was increasing in size from 1,200 to 2,500; however, there was also a warning that folks might want to make a run for the tickets right at the noon start time as there weren't many tickets left. While there was mention of high demand, the notice didn't mention that there were around 12,000 eager names on the wait list.

As you might guess from this post, I was lucky enough to get through in time and grab a coveted spot for Boo and I.

Little did I know that we'd also end up popping the cork on one of those "landmark" number wines on The List that night.

1400.  N.V. Charles Meunier Brutus (Cellared in Canada - Quebec)

Had I realized that our initial wine for the evening was going to be #1400 on The List, I might have ordered the more premium sparkling wine. But since I ordered the bottle on the spur of the moment, while being all concerned about the rushed nature of ordering the tickets, I simply picked the easy-going bubbles - especially since I hadn't heard of the wine before.

It turns out that Brutus is a commercial blend of Muscat and Chenin Blanc that is produced and carbonated in Quebec. There's little to know about the back story on the wine as it is a "Cellared in Canada" wine and I couldn't even find out where the grapes were sourced from. I think I could safely bet a pair of tickets to next year's Dîner en Blanc that the grapes weren't grown in Quebec though.

There was a noticeable sweetness to wine that actually complimented the brininess of our introductory course of caviar. And, even if the wine itself didn't rank as a landmark bottle, we were certainly enjoying it on a landmark occasion.

Part of the allure of Dîner en Blanc is that participants aren't told of the location in advance. All tickets have designated meeting points throughout the city attached to them and group leaders then coordinate transport to the secret site. Ironically, Boo and I discovered the previously secret location on our way downtown as the Skytrain passed right by the chosen locale. Unfortunately, we couldn't just get off and arrive on our own as we needed to check in with our team leader and, in what turned out to be perhaps the only real glitch of the evening for us, our group was one of the very last to debark at the "secret" location. As such, we missed out on all the early revelry in watching and mingling as the lucky few arrived and set up their tables.

In an interesting twist, the location - next to Science World and False Creek - was just across the street from where our former neighbour, Red, now lives. Ringing her up, I asked, "Where are you?" and when she replied "just sitting around at home," I asked her if she could see us waving at her. Her "You Buggers" reply confirmed that she was well aware of the event below her. Indeed, she'd already snapped the overhead photo from her balcony - nicely capturing the lay of the land as the sun was starting to set. Local writer, Sandra O'Connell, quoted Tom Robbins and reported that "It was as if a mai tai had been spilled in the sky. Streaks of grenadine, triple sec, maraschino and rum seeped over the horizon, puddled upon the sea." Not that there were any mai tai's being thrown back at DEB though.

Being the naughty boys that we are, I told Red to put on her best white frock and mosey on down to join us for a dance later on. By then, I figured we could find a way to sneak her in past the entry point.

But, first, there was foie gras with Port, duck rillette, truffled salami and prosciutto to be served along with a bottle that might have been a little more fitting of a landmark number.

1401.  2010 Groom Shiraz (Barossa Valley - Australia)

Established in 1997, when 87 acres of bare land was purchased, Groom is a small winery operated by the Marschall and Groom families. They only produce three varietal wines currently: Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and this Shiraz. The home vineyard is in the Kalimna region of the Barossa and they proudly state that they are directly adjacent to Penfold's Kalimna vineyard - a source of the Shiraz going into Penfold's renowned Grange, one of Australia's most sought after wines. Groom draws your attention to another ace that they have up their sleeve as well. Not only are the grapes grown adjacently to an all-star vineyard, but the winery has contracted the services of consulting winemaker, Natasha Mooney, who used to be a work with Barossa Valley Estates and their big gun, E&E Black Pepper Shiraz.

With "connections" to both Grange and Black Pepper Shiraz, there's plenty of reason to hope for a big wine for the big event. I'm a fan of big Aussie Shiraz and this Groom came through for us. There was plenty of dark fruit but that fruit was balanced with body and tannins. It wasn't just a fruit bomb without substance.

With only 900 cases having been made, I'm rather surprised that it was being offered as one of the feature wines being offered at Dîner en Blanc. I should have thought that they'd need a rather hefty supply of each of the wines when there were only six wines in total being offered. I'm jsut glad that we got our bottle.

Each couple is restricted to two bottles of wines. So, the Groom didn't match our crème brûlée as nicely as it did the entrée but it did substantially better with a small cheese course.

Not knowing entirely what to expect for the evening, Boo and I were a little surprised to find that we were likely two of the oldest folks in attendance. Guess most geezers our age don't want the hassle of carrying your own table, chairs and food. Leave that silliness to the 20- and 30-somethings, eh. I think we managed to hold our own - if I do say so myself. I certainly know that we received a number of compliments on our menu.

Besides, it's better to be the oldest guy at the cool event than to be an old fart sitting at home, I say. I think it's fair to say that Dîner en Blanc would have been a landmark event - whether or not we added #1400 to The List - but it was a nice coincidence.

Here's hoping that this old guy gets to add another couple bottles to The List next year as well. I know that speculation has already begun as to the location and the waiting list isn't getting any shorter. Besides, I need another reason to wear the white pants, shoes and belt I picked up. I can't say as they'll make it into regular rotation into my wardrobe otherwise.

A Little Breakfast Sustenance with the Grrrlz

With Boo on the Bus this year, I didn't shack up with the Grrrlz for the weekend.  They still invited us over for breakfast though.  I was told that "once an honourary lesbian, always an honourary lesbian."  That's great news because they cook up a mean biscuit.

1239.  2011 Orofino Moscato Frizzante (Similkameen Valley)

WBC12 - Winding Down

It's true.  I had wanted to attend 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference as a learning experience so that I could get a feel for what might be on the horizon at the 2013 conference - particularly since it's going to be held on my home turf:  the Okanagan Valley.  Little did I realize that it was going to be such a trial for me on the equipment side of things.  Not only did I forget to take either camera on our one winery tour but it would seem that about half the photos I did take on the "number one" camera seem to have disappeared into digital oblivion.  Not sure how or where they vanished to but that's why I'm 1) stuck with no shot (presently) of one of my favourite wines from the weekend and 2) using an iPhone shot of the other bottle at a completely different occasion from when we actually drank a bottle.

Good thing this is only a hobby and not my real job.

1226.  2010 Cowhorn Grenache 58 (Applegate Valley - Oregon)

1227.  N.V. Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois - Les Petits Grains (AOC Muscats de Saint Jean de Minervois)

C&C Charity Dinner

I definitely need to get back and write this one soon.  It was not only a bang-up of an evening, but I'm adding some interesting wines to The List tonight.  A Méthode Champenoise Peach Wine, a Hawaiian Pineapple wine and a Hungarian dessert wine.  Not standards in our household by any means.

1196.  Forbidden Fruit - Flirt Sparkling Peach (Similkameen Valley)

2009 Orofino Pinot Gris (Similkameen Valley)

1197. N.V. Tedeschi Vineyards - Maui Splash Pineapple Wine/Passion Fruit (Hawaii)

1198.  2008 Herder Meritage (Similkameen Valley)

1199.  2007 Késöi Szüretelésü Tokaji Sárgamuskotály (Hungary)

(And believe it or not I don't even get a new grape varietal for the the Wine Century Club. Apparently, Sárgamuskotály is a Hungarian name for Muscat à Petits Grains which I added awhile back.  Darn.)

Mr. D's Zinfully Sweet B-Day

Mr. D. dropped by to see us and hear some vacay stories. Since his b-day was just around the corner, we invited him to stay for dinner. We haven't had a whole lot of weather for al fresco dining yet this year. So, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl. If it's warm enough for Mr. D. to sport shorts, we can probably handle an entrée and some wine.

1143. 2008 Rustico Farm & Cellars - Bonanza Old Vine Zinfandel (Okanagan Valley)

This is the second bottle of Rustico that I've added to The List after running across the winery for the first time during the BC Wine Appreciation Society's annual bus tour last fall. Since I'm under the gun to catch up with my posts, I won't repeat those first impressions of the unique winery on the Golden Mile. (My incredibly fascinating commentary can be found back at #932.)

That first visit to Rustico was prompted by a sign proclaiming "The Zin is In" on the side of Hwy 7. Zinfandel is not commonly grown in the Okanagan - there might be a dozen wineries that make a Zin; so my interest was piqued. Turned out the wine was just as flavourful as Bruce Fuller, the man behind the winery. We're not talking big California Zin here; the wine has a bit more restraint behind it. However, it still has some heft for a BC wine and there was lots of dark fruit on the nose and palate.

And, if we can put a little zin into Mr. D's b-day, all the better.

1144. 2008 Orofino Late Harvest Muscat (Similkameen Valley)

We didn't have a cake for the birthday celebration but we did have anothe bottle of wine to toast with. Orofino is found one valley over from Rustico and I've added a number of its wines to The List over the life of this blog. This is the first dessert wine I've tried from them though and, if Mr. D. hadn't come over tonight, we likely wouldn't have popped the cork (or, rather, unscrewed the cap) for awhile longer.

Good thing he came by because the Muscat was light (as opposed to cloying) and just sweet enough that it could pair with Boo's rhubarb-strawberry pie. The aromatics were nicely escalated and I think it might relate to the label's mention of "a touch of old vine Gewürztraminer."

I couldn't actually find much information about this wine online but I believe the grapes are sourced from Orofino's estate vineyard on the Cawston Bench. When John & Virginia Weber purchased the vineyard, they inherited a block of Muscat that had been planted in 1989, making them some of the oldest vines in the Similkameen.

I would have liked to find out about the steps John took in harvesting and making the wine before we drank it, but it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I suppose I'll have to wait until the next time we drop by the winery.

The only sad thing about this bottle is that we might not be able to find it any more as the vineyard's Muscat is now going into Orofino's new Moscato Frizzante. If that's the case, a bottle of the Frizzante sounds appropriate for Mr. D's birthday celebration next year.

I think we'll likely see Mr. D's name in the blog a bit before then however.