A Bottle for a Theatrical Picnic

It's been over a decade since Boo and I have taken in one of the Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) shows at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park and almost as long since we last had a picnic by Beaver Lake. Luckily, we get to remedy both those absences tonight as we threw together a quick alfresco basket to enjoy before making our way through the park to watch Hairspray.

It wasn't the most leisurely picnic but we had just enough time to finish off our wine and get to our seats slightly before all those theatrical juices started coursing away.

1992.  2007 Jarvis Estate - Lake William (Napa Valley)

Given the occasion, I pulled a wine that supposedly has a good pedigree - even though I wasn't familiar with either the wine or the producer. It's a rare enough occasion when I'll buy a $100+ wine (at least one that costs that much after the conversion from US bucks) - let alone one that I haven't tasted before. But, this Jarvis Estate blend was one that Boo had grabbed during a Washington state Costco run. Despite the fact that he's "technically" placed me on a "No Buy Leash" for some time now, he can go a little off the rails himself when it comes to Cabs.

I figure, if we can't pull out a big gun with less than ten bottles to go before reaching the blog's goal, when will there ever be an occasion that rates a little sumtin' sumtin' extra?

A mix of Napa-grown Bordeaux grapes, the 2007 vintage was a blend of Cab Sauv (39%), Merlot (38%) and Cab Franc (21%), with a splash of Petit Verdot (2%). The wine could well have stood up to a much bigger repast than we'd thrown together. There was more than enough dark fruit on the palate, however, to lend itself to simple (if hearty) sipping as we watched the sun setting over bucolic scene of Beaver Lake.

Although we haven't visited Jarvis Estate, it appears to have quite the stunning setting as well. According to the winery website, Jarvis was the first winery in the US to "tunnel a cave so large that it could hold the entire winemaking operation." That's 45,000 square feet of tunnel in the Vacas Mountains just east of downtown Napa. Sounds like it's definitely worth a visit should we find ourselves down that way again.

As for finding ourselves at TUTS again, the pure joy that is Hairspray just emphasized the point that we'd been away from the annual outdoor shows for too long. There won't be any need to blog any accompanying wine, but I'll have to remember to check out the scheduling of next summer's shows.

A Sparkling Farewell With Miss Jaq

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A Little Boxing Day Bubble

Mistletoe, World Junior Hockey and bubbly. How great of a combination is that?

Feeling sorry about the fact that Boo had to miss last night's Christmas dinner because he was working, I invited Dad, Vixen, Big Trucker and the kids to come over to our place for a Boxing Day dinner the next night. The dinner was going to be much lower key but I did decide to pop the corks on some pretty special wines.

1836.  2002 Barossa Valley Estate E&E Sparkling Shiraz (Barossa Valley) 

One of the more perplexing questions I've run across while drinking all these bottles of wine is why a bottle of E&E Sparkling Shiraz costs two-thirds the price of a regular bottle of E&E Black Pepper Shiraz. The same premium wine is used and the process of making sparkling wine is way more intensive and costly, but the still wine is the costlier of the two. Go figure. I suppose the idea of Sparkling Shiraz is still mostly a novelty sip outside of Oz.

The end result is that our's is not to question why, our's is just to take advantage of the bargain pricing - "bargain," of course being a relative term when we're still talking $65 bottle - when you can even find it. I haven't seen the sparkling Black Pepper on local shelves for years now. Too bad since this is our last bottle.

This bubbly red isn't likely going to be the first choice of a traditional Champagne lover. Even though the wine is made in the traditional Méthode Champenoise, there's not a lot of mousse filling your mouth and any expected biscuit-y notes are subdued by the bold, dark fruit that's still evident on the palate but I thought it was an interesting start to the evening and was big enough to carry us through until the hockey game ended and Dad was willing to sit down to dinner.

I don't make tourtière very often - indeed, it seems to have become a bit of a rarified, seasonal treat for every second or third Christmas. Tonight's pie - aided by yet another perfect crust from Boo the CrustKing - proved to be a popular treat, even for the picky eaters that the nieces and nephew have become. It certainly didn't hurt that the homemade tomato jam really did taste darned fine with the tortière. Turns out "tomato jam" is just a fancy name for ketchup, but this was the best ketchup I'd ever had.

1837.  2012 Synchromesh Thorny Vines Vineyard Riesling (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

1838.  2005 Duckhorn Paraduxx (Napa Valley - California)

Being a mix of pork, beef and veal mince, I figured we could likely get away with both a Riesling to cut through richness of the crust and fat and a Napa blend to match up with the meat. When both wines are as good as these two were, I think I could have gotten away with serving a couple pieces of salami with a boiled potato and the wines still seen everyone leave the table happy.

I'd discovered Synchromesh and its racy Rieslings back at the 2013 Wine Bloggers Conference that was held in the Okanagan. They were part of the Okanagan Falls Wine Association gang that took a gaggle of us bloggers hiking up to a spectacular viewpoint and wine tasting. Synchromesh is only a couple of vintages into its production but they're already a label that I'd go out of my way to find. Problem is they just don't make very much. When we drove by the winery early last September, they had already sold out of their 2013 vintage.

While the Synchromesh winery and home vineyard is just outside of Okanagan Falls, this Riesling is made from purchased fruit that is grown on the Naramata Bench - half an hour or so up the road. The vineyard is planted with a single German clone (218) of Riesling and bright with citrus and apple, pear flavours. I haven't seen many Okanagan winemakers marketing the clonal background of their fruit. Maybe this is a sign of a growing sophistication among BC wine drinkers. This was only the third fruit on these vines; so, I'd be really hopeful that the wines to come will be even more complex and tasty.

Paraduxx, on the other hand, has had some time to master its wines and I think it's pretty safe to say that they've done so. The '05 vintage is a Zin dominant (60%) blend with Cab Sauv (32%), Merlot (6%) and Cab Franc (2%) filling out the glass. Although I've had the odd chance to taste Paraduxx at various events, I don't think I've ever had a full bottle before. Even when Boo and I visited Duckhorn, we visited the Anderson Valley vineyards and not Napa. So, they were serving up Duckhorn Pinot Noirs there. It may have take awhile to finally pull the cork on one of these bottles, but I'll just consider it to be a bit of Christmas present to myself.

1839.  1978 Kopke Colheita Port (Portugal)

As fond as I am of Ports and stickies, I can't say that I was familiar with the term "Colheita" when this bottle more-or-less dropped into my lap. A client of our firm was downsizing his home and he needed to divest himself of some Persian carpets. Having a spouse who is an avowed Carpet Queen, I was given the head's up and we visited the client. Boo came away with two carpets.

The downsizing also included the divestment of a good portion of the wine cellar. So, in lieu of a carpet, I picked out a mixed case of Ports. Having married a Portuguesa, our client had an extensive collection of Port wines. This is the first of our dozen to be opened.

Like the term "Colheita," the Kopke winery was equally unfamiliar to me. Founded by a German diplomat in 1638, Kopke has been declared the world's oldest Port house, having celebrated over 375 years of continuous wine production. (Compare that to Synchromesh's five years or so of production). Kopke is also a market leader in Colheita single year tawnies. After a little reading, I've come to learn that Colheita Port must be aged for a minimum of seven years in oak casks before bottling and that the extended time in wood can result in a richer, more viscous wine due to evaporation over the years. That additional ageing also leads to Colheita's distinctive tasting notes, including raisiny fruit, caramel, honey, toasted nuts and oak.

Colheitas are considered mature at 20 years and the bottles should feature two dates on them: the harvest year and the year the wine was bottled.  Our bottle's old school, hand stencilled label declares the 1978 vintage and the back label stated that the wine wasn't bottled until 2002.

Tasty stuff - and if the rest of our dozen bottles are just as fine, Boo and I are going to have some rather delightful endings to a few more special dinners. Hopefully, we won't have to wait until next year's holiday season to find reason to pull a few more corks - and an even bigger hope is that Boo will be able to actually join us on Christmas day next year.

Keep Calm and Eat the Cookies

I'm not entirely sure how many years it takes for something to become a tradition but I'm darned sure that Jeaux and Matinder's annual Christmas Cookie Extravaganza has long passed into the "tradition" category. I can't remember how many years we've been kicking off the holiday season with shortbreads and gingerbread and squares and savouries but I do know that, thanks to Jeaux and Matinder, I've eaten enough calories over the years to keep an entire dieting industry in business.

The cookie fest is also a nice chance to catch up with some mutual friends that we might not bump into if not for the sweet smorgasbord - and, of course, an opportunity to add another couple bottles to The List.

1809.  2010 Daniel Lenko Chardonngay - Unoaked Chardonnay (VQA Niagra Peninsula - Ontario)

Mr. D was joining us tonight as he and Jeaux go all the way back to the 70's and high school on Vancouver Island. It was definitely a case of "small world" when we all found out that both of them had, independently, become great friends of mine. Mr. D popped by our place for a cocktail beforehand; so, I figured it only made sense to open the bottle of Chardonngay that D had given Boo back in the summer.

With the lively, rainbow label that the Daniel Lemko Chardonnay sported, we'd planned on opening it during this year's Pride weekend but the opportunity didn't arise. So, a holiday celebration is almost as good of an occasion. We don't see many Ontario wines out here in BC. Go figure. Same country but we're far more likely to run into a wine from half way around the world than we are to run into one from half way across the country.

As such, I didn't know anything about Daniel Lenko wines. Turns out that, while the winery was established in 1999, the Lenko family has been growing grapes for three generations. When Daniel Lenko's father planted some Chardonnay vines in the Niagra region, they were among the first Chardonnay vines planted in Canada. The vineyard's microclimate has allowed the vines to thrive and, according to the winery website, their vineyard is the "oldest Chardonnay planting" in the country.

I don't know what the connection between the winery and the gay community is but there's no mistaking who this wine is being marketed to. Not only does the label declare that the wine is "vinified in celebration of Canada's diverse Gay culture," but it also announces that $1 from every bottle sold will be donated to AIDS research. I may not think the wine was as fruity as the "gobs" of pineapple, lemon and peach promised on the label but i won't disagree with anything else about the wine.

1810.  2011 Lovico Suhindol Gamza (Bulgaria)

I knew even less about the second bottle that we opened. I grabbed it as it promised the addition of another grape to my Wine Century Club tally.

Once again, I had to rely on the winery website for some information on the wine and people behind it. Lovico Suhindol is apparently "the direct successor to the oldest vine-growing and winemaking cooperative on the Balkans, founded in 1909, ... and one of the leading driving forces of Bulgarian winemaking."

The winery notes that Gamza is an indigenous grape variety to the Suhindol region of Bulgaria; however, the origin of the grape isn't quite so hard and fast. Jancis Robinson's Wine Grapes bible actually lists the variety under Kadarka - the grape's name in Hungary where it has been a variety long used in the well known Bull's Blood blend - and the birth place of the grape is claimed by a number of regions in that part of the world. Hungarian plantings have declined in recent years, however, and the grape is far more commonly planted in Bulgaria now.

It's characterization as a lighter bodied red (and its name) made me think of Gamay but there's no other indication that the two grapes have any relationship whatsoever. Cookies and a plastic cup may have not been the best accompaniments for discovering a new grape variety but I figure I'd best grab the bull by the horn when the opportunity arises - particularly when I can celebrate #175 on my tally. The wine was definitely bigger than most Gamay's I've tried and there was a good bit of spice on the palate. Being from Bulgaria, you'd be right if you thought you'd be able to find this bottle in the bargain section of the wine shop. Red wine at $13 (or less when on sale) is a bit of rarity in our market.

1811.  2011 Edge Cabernet Sauvignon (North Coast - California)

Although it clocks in at closer to $30 a bottle, Edge Cab Sauv is one of the more popular - and well known - Napa Cabs in Vancouver. The folks behind Edge have always made it their goal to produce a "premium Cabernet Sauvignon without the premium price." The winery press kit lauds the wine as "the most reasonable Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that one will find on the shelf which does not compromise on quality."

Personally, I don't drink enough California Cab to take an informed stance but I know a number of people who agree with those statements. I also know that the predominant Cab Sauv is fleshed out with 12% Merlot and 11% Syrah in this 2011 vintage and that, from my tastings over the years, it's a consistent drop of bold wine.

Perhaps a bit big for Christmas cookies, but there definitely comes a time when a guy has to give up on the cookies and just settle for the wine. Edge was up to the task and we bid our adieus once the bottle was done.

All in all, a pretty successful night of wine AND start to the holiday season.

Black Eyed Peas and Merlot - A Match Made in Heaven?

Boo may have lived North of the 49th Parallel for decades now but, deep down, he's still got some Southern blood flowing through his veins. For years now, it's been a tradition at our home - much like it was in his in his youth - to start the year with black eyed peas and corn bread.

There was a slight problem to 2014's start, however. Boo had to work New Year's Day and that meant that it was left to me to prepare the traditional vittles.

That's some heavy pressure. So, to be on the safe side, I figured I should open a big bottle of wine that might distract Boo's attention if my black eyed peas didn't quite meet expectations.

1511.  2007  Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot (Napa Valley - California)

Duckhorn is one of those brands that I've known about for many a year. It's just not one that's graced my glass much through those years - much to my dismay I found out as we quickly worked our way through this bottle.

Established in 1976, Duckhorn made an early decision to focus on the production of Merlot despite Napa's primary emphasis on Cab Sauv.  At the time, Merlot was primarily seen as a blending grape but co-founders Dan and Margaret Duckhorn thought that valley producers under appreciated Merlot as a varietal wine. The Duckhorns were big fans of wines from St. Emilion and Pomerol and, like the right bank wineries in Bordeaux, they stayed with an emphasis on Merlot. I'm a fan of their viewpoint.

The estate has seven vineyards throughout Napa and, when added to the fruit that the winery buys from independent growers in the Valley, the winery has an abundance of different flavour profiles to work with. Duckhorn produces a number of single vineyard Merlots but this Napa Valley Merlot is a blend of grapes from throughout the valley and is the winery's take on what the valley, as a whole, can do with the Merlot grape. The wine also sees some Cab Sauv (10%) and a touch of Petit Verdot (1%) added to emphasize the depth and structure of the wine.

We certainly see a lot of Merlot emanating from our home vineyards in the Okanagan Valley, but there's no doubt that this was big in comparison - and tasty a one at that. The winery touts "signature flavours of black cherry, plum and spice." I'll just let things rest with that.

Now, I'm far from regretting my choice in wine tonight, but it turns out that I never should have been worried about needing to distract Boo with the wine in the first place. Turns out I could have easily opened a bottle of Two Buck Chuck for dinner and survived any meal proclamations - because even I agreed that these were some damned fine peas.

Now, should the same scenario arise next year, re-creating my peas might be a bit of an issue since I don't know what I did that made them so tasty - but I'm going to take it as a great start to the new year. Fine Peas. Fine wine. Works for me. Here's hoping the rest of 2014 follows suit.

Vancouver Gay Men's Wine Social

I like to think that I know a lot about wine events in the Vancouver area but I was taken by surprise that there's been an event - that's right up my alley - that has been ongoing for almost a year now without my hearing about it. While chatting about the blog with one of my teammates during our curling league's Pink Broom bonspiel, he mentioned that he's ben attending Vancouver Gay Men's Wine Social events for awhile now. That announcement certainly piqued my interest, but even better, he said that one was coming up shortly and that he'd see if he could swing me an invite.

He did - and here we are.

The VGMWS was started by a couple - new to Vancouver - after moving from NYC. The monthly get togethers in the Big Apple had been a staple of their New York lives and they apparently missed them enough to try and re-establish them here. Each month, a different wine lover volunteers their home for between 25 and 50 "Wine Boyz" - experienced and wannabe alike.

The host picks a theme for the evening and everyone attending brings along a bottle matched to the theme. Our first stab at the VGMWS saw California Cabs as the theme.

Rough way to start.

1473.  2010 Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

Getting decent shots of the wines was tougher than getting a glass of wine. I had to use my phone as I didn't bring along my camera and, more to the point, I didn't want to be overly obvious since this was our first foray into this scene. No sense standing out too much or messing up the decorum, you know. I'm more than willing to sacrifice a sharper picture if it is going to play into another invite. (Of course I'm saying this just to make it clear that the fuzziness of the picture has nothing to do with the copious amount of wine that was available).

It was nice to see the assortment of wines that had been brought along - despite the fact that I hardly find there to be a great assortment of Cali Cabs at decent prices in our market. While it's certainly better than it was a decade ago, there's still something about wine crossing the border - and the prices that result from that crossing.

I didn't know anything about the Cannonball brand but the label caught my eye. The wine seemed a bit light compared to the Cabs we were trying in Napa and Sonoma back in the Spring; however, we did tend to try to go as high-end as could back then. After all, this is only a Friday night social - not a high falutin' tasting extravaganza.

1474.  2010 Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley - California)

1475.  Rock & Vine - Three Ranches Cabernet Sauvignon (North Coast - California)

We continued to try a number of wines over the course of the evening but the two that stood out for us were the Avalon and the Rock & Vine. I don't know that either would stand a chance against a real big gun from California but, then again, you could drink a whole lot more of these two than you could for the price of one of those big gun bottles.

Neither Boo nor I knew many of the attendees at this month's social but, needless to say, I'm all over this concept and I'll have to hope that I can make it to more of them down the road. I can think of all sorts of themes that could be all sorts of tasty.

A Makeshift (Hardly) Dinner Club

As if they hadn't had enough planning on their plates. Fast on the heels of last month's stylin' wedding, Tyrant and Panda Guy stepped up to the mantle - or the kitchen counter to be more specific - to host the next round of the Dinner Club.

I think everyone in the Dinner Club would have been more than agreeable to returning to Salt Spring Island and simply taking in the beauty of the happy couple's home while eating leftovers from the wedding. That wouldn't do for Tyrant, the consummate host, however. Indeed, Tyrant didn't want to subject everyone to another round of long ferry rides; so, he arranged a guest location for Dinner Club at Axel and the English Doc's gracious home back in Vancouver.

2007 Monmousseau Cuvée J.M. Brut (AOC Touraine - Loire - France)

We started off the evening with what turned out to be the only leftover from the wedding - a little bubbly. It would seem that, despite the incredible amount of wine that was downed at the wedding, folks managed to leave just enough of the Monmousseau uncorked to toast the boys' two week anniversary. As a leftover, the evening's bubbles don't make it to The List since the 2007 is already there. I think I can live with that though. Particularly since there'd be more than enough bottles added as the evening progressed.

1437.  2009 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon (Yountville - Napa Valley - California)

From bubbles, we ventured straight into a big gun. I don't generally think of a Cali Cab as a cocktail wine and, interestingly enough, the girls seemed to like the heft of the wine even more than the guys but there were no complaints on any front. Charles Krug is part of the Mondavi wine universe and the '09 vintage was fleshed out with small percentages of Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cab Franc, Syrah and Malbec. Boo and I didn't take in Charles Krug when we passed through Yountville and Napa this Spring. We might need to consider another road trip.

As much as I could have just lounged around in the boys' comfy living room or wandered downstairs to watch the Canucks' game on the giant projection screen, it took no coaxing on Tyrant's part to make our way to the table and settle in for the evening's repast. Tyrant had announced that he was dialling things back a notch and subscribing to a "less is more" mantra this time around. After you take a look at the evening's fare, you'll wonder what might have hit our plates if this was toning things down.

1438.  2010 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling (Mosel - Germany)

1439.  2010 Wild Goose - Stoney Slope Riesling (VQA Okanagan Valley)

A duo of Rieslings were matched to the first course of Roasted Sweet Pumpkin Soup. You'll note that a good portion of the soup was already gone before I took a picture of the wines. Sometimes, the food can be so tasty that I forget my primary aspiration should be to document the wines over all thoughts of enjoying a meal. Silly me.

The pairing of the two Rieslings provided an interesting comparison between a couple of wines that, I think, are pretty representative of classic stylings of Riesling from both Mosel and the Okanagan. As much as I love the bright acidity and citrus of Okanagan Rieslings, I think the more honeyed German wine paired a little bit better with the evening's soup. I'll have to remember this St. Urbans-Hof. Riesling might be my favourite white varietal but I don't know much about German producers. I guess that's just another task to consider moving forward.

1440.  2009 Soter Vineyards - North Valley Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley - Oregon)

1441.  2010 Evesham Wood - Illahe Vineyard Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley - Oregon)

Next up was a duo of Willamette Pinots matched to a Seared Duck Carpaccio with Fennel and Hazelnuts. I'd be willing to order this up every night of the week and pay a pretty penny for it. I guess there's some method behind the madness when it comes to perennially pairing Pinot with duck.

Since attending the Wine Bloggers' Conference in Portland, there's been more Oregon Pinot on my horizon recently than ever before. I wasn't yet familiar with these two, however. I recall having run across the Soter name previously but I wouldn't have been able to tell you anything about them. I don't think I've even heard of Evesham Wood before. I am quite happy to be cognizant of them now though. Both wines were a pleasure to drink but I noted that the Evesham Wood won the "Pinot Round." I see that the Illahe Vineyard is a warmer site in the Willamette and that may lend the wines from that source to exhibit a bit more fruit on the palate - and that's generally not a bad profile for this guy. I have no memory of who brought the wine or where they found it locally but I'm saddened to learn that there wasn't much of it made. The current 2011 vintage was only 250 cases big.

If this was to be my only foreseeable chance to try these Willamette babies, we luckily had a bit of time to sit back and savour the Pinots. Tyrant and Panda Guy gave us a bit of break before the next course and a refill of the Evesham Wood was welcome indeed - as was the opportunity to head back downstairs to the theatre room and discover that the Canucks had managed to pull the game out of the fire. That favourable result was more than a worthy of a toast at the dinner table.

1442.  1998 Château de Beaucastel - Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe (AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe - Rhône - France)

1443.  2010 Grant Burge - The Holy Trinity (Barossa - Australia)

One of the side benefits of having Tyrant as part of the Dinner Club is that he has a healthy cellar - and some of his collection is starting to reach its "best before" date. A decided perk for all of us is that Tyrant often likes to us the Dinner Club as an "excuse" to bring out one of his aged beauties. Tonight's offering was the '98 Beaucastel. Beaucastel is one of the most celebrated red wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the 1998 vintage is apparently considered to be one of the best of recent decades for the region.

Who wouldn't be up for helping Tyrant out of his predicament of having to drink this wine?

The Châteauneuf-du-Pape was paired up with one of the better known Aussie versions of the classic Rhône blend - Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre or GSM in Australian. The '98 Beaucastel was "heavy" on the Grenache and it contains all thirteen varieties permitted in C-d-P and, being a decade older, it might not be all that comparable to the Burge Holy Trinity but, once again, it was an interesting exercise in tasting similar but contrasting wines. The newer Aussie was the more powerful and fruit forward of two - as might be expected - but the Beaucastel was still surprisingly lively for a '98. The latter was the more elegant of the pairing but the Holy Trinity was a popular pour - and is likely far more accessible nowadays.

Since the Beaucastel incorporated all thirteen grapes that are allowed by AOC regulations, I think this is an appropriate time to add the remaining varieties from this baker's dozen that haven't been added to my Wine Century Club tally. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Picpoul were already counted in my first 100 but I'm taking the opportunity to increase the total by seven - please welcome Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourbelenc, Terret Noir, Picardin and Vacarèse. They may be minor components to the final blend but they're in there and I'm not likely to find varietal wines that feature any of these grapes. Certainly not in our BC market - and, if I'm ever going to make it to 200, I'm going to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself.

Oh, and by the way, the Asian Spiced and Braised Beef Short Ribs wasn't too shabby either.

1444.  2003 M. Chapoutier - Cigala (Vin de Pays d'Oc - France)

We might have been well into our dinner by now but it didn't take long for the last two wines to disappear. Tyrant just happened to have another Syrah blend for trying though. This Syrah/Grenache based blend is from the well known - and well regarded - M. Chapoutier but I'm not sure if the wine is still be produced under this name. I couldn't find any recent or easy references to Cigala online. As a Vin de Pays wine from Southern France, it rather paled to the previous two GSMs. I quite enjoy some of Chapoutier's wines but I don't know that I'd search this one out. It might have shown better had it not followed the line up of fine wines that it did tonight.

1445.  2012 Mission Hill Late Harvest Vidal Reserve (VQA Okanagan Valley)

The final treat for the night was a Baked Yoghurt with Candied Lime and Ginger paired with the Late Harvest Vidal. This was a lucky find from our pre-amble to this Fall's BC Wine Appreciation Society's Bus Tour
collection. While visiting Mission Hill, we were advised that the stellar dessert wine could only be called a Late Harvest wine because the grapes were picked and pressed at only -8.5°C instead of the minimum -9°C required to qualify as an Icewine. The variance of 0.5° in temperature may make little difference in the resulting wine but it leads to a huge difference in price - that extra 0.5° would have more than doubled the price of this bottle. Sad news for the winery's bottom line but it means we can buy twice as much - and I'm all in favour of that.

As the evening closed out, Tyrant and Panda Guy were heartily praised for another stellar repast - and the "negotiations" started to try and figure out a date for the next Dinner Club. The task was to find a date amenable to all before Jeaux and Matinder were scheduled to take off for their annual winter in the Caribbean. Here's hoping that we can work it out. Lady Di and She Who Must Be Obeyed are no slouches on the entertainment front themselves. Do I foresee some Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey on my dinner plate? One can only hope.

Turkey or not, I always look forward to the array of wines that the gang manage to dredge up for these little affairs. With wine lists like we had tonight, who needs food?

A Little Rehab For Some Real Housewives of (East) Vancouver

As far as guilty pleasures go, rich girls behaving badly can't be all that bad can it? I've got to admit that I've been truly counting the days until the Season 2 première of the Real Housewives of Vancouver. Catching up with the nasty antics of Jody, Mary and Ronnie is definitely part of the allure but an even bigger draw has been the fact that I finally got my hands on a couple bottles of castmate, Ronnie Negus', Rehab wine.

No easy task I might add because I don't believe the wine was ever released for sale. The bottles I have even say "Nor For Resale" on the back label.

I've been waiting for the new season before going for a little Rehab. Seeing as how I was somehow missed from the invite list for the official party, we invited some of the Real Housewives of McSpadden Park over to sip right back and catch the show. The fact that none of neighbours are really "housewives" doesn't matter - particularly since I doubt any of the ladies on the show are "real" housewives either.

1253. 2011 Rehab Sauvignon Blanc (Napa - California)

If you caught the last season's shows, you might recall that there were a couple of episodes that honed in on Ronnie and her vinous venture - even if she seemed to know more about drinking than making wine. In her own words, "I really don't know much about wine. I drink wine. I had the idea for the name, and that's as far as I can go." You mean everyone doesn't drink wine out the glass with a straw? Probably not unless you're testing that old high school myth that drinking through a straw speeds up the buzz.

Now, to be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the wine. After all, there were scenes in the show that even pooh poohed it as plonk. But, you know, it wasn't nearly as bad as we expected it to be. I don't think the Kiwis have to worry about Ronnie commandeering their stranglehold on the Sauv Blanc buzz (let alone those in Sancerre) but I've been served far less palatable wines through the years.

I don't know that I'd go so far as to say that this is a testament to the wine's pedigree but, when we didn't finish off one of the bottles during the show itself, we corked it to finish it off later - rather than pouring down the sink. And finish it we did.

To be truthful, it's not a wine that I'd buy by the case - even if it were available for purchase - but it might have enough cachet that I could see buying it as a gift for that special event or housewife down the road. I understand that, even if Ronnie does end up marketing a wine down the road, it will have to be under a different brand name as "Rehab" had been trademarked by Monster Energy Drinks before she tried to do so.

As for the show, I had to drink a little extra Rehab to drown my sorrows that neither Christina nor Reiko returned for Season 2. The jury's definitely out on Amanda but I think we might be quick to sign up as card-carrying members of Team Robin. Guesses are that Ioulia's going to be worth a story line and a few toasts as well.

So, cheers ladies and, Ronnie, anytime you want to set up a focus group for your next wine, keep me in mind. I'll bring my own straw!

Gangnam Style Gourmet

It's taken awhile, but the gang has finally managed to assemble for the latest edition of our Dinner Club.  We were scheduled to gather at Tyrant's island hideaway back in August but life got in the way and we had to postpone.

Tyrant had planned his original menu to use as much local and seasonal produce as possible.  Given the extended delay, his garden choices needed a thorough revision - but, as guests, we certainly didn't suffer any.  Dinner was extravagant and tasty.  Having been the lucky recipient of many a Tyranical treat over the years, I wouldn't have expected anything less though.

Hors d'oeuvres included black cherry tomatoes (straight from the garden) with goat cheese and a rhubarb grapefruit compote, panko crusted tofu and wild mushrooms in brandy cream.  And that was just to start!  Tyrant chose to start off the evening with a cocktail based around a Vancouver Island cider - as a a "guest liquor," it's not a bottle that I can add to The List, but it was tasty all the same.

The Sea Cider Kings & Spies is a traditional sparkling cider that uses a blend of local heritage apples - predominantly Kings and Northern Spies.  I love the fact that the proceeds from this cider help "support Lifecycles, a Victoria organization that promotes local food security."

1261. 2011 Calliope Viognier (VQA British Columbia)

2007 Alderlea Clarinet (Vancouver Island)

Our first course of homegrown carrot and ginger soup was accompanied by something familiar and something new.  I'd added the 2007 Clarinet - a Vancouver Island Maréchal Foch - to The List all the way back at #216.

I knew that the Calliope brand is a newish, second entry level label for BC fave, Burrowing Owl, but I hadn't tried the Viognier at all.  The varietal can be a bit of hit or miss for me, but Lady Di is a big fan and she brought along the Calliope as a new discovery.  I think it's safe to say that the Viognier was a hit - which shouldn't be a surprise considering it was named as one of the Top 25 Wines under $25 by Wine Access magazine.

1262.  2011 Fabulous Ant Pinot Noir (Hungary)

When Tyrant announced that the next course was a Five Spice Rubbed Duck Breast with Julienned Root Veggies, we went straight for a bottle that I'd heard mentioned in the Vancouver wine press lately.  It's not often that I hear of or see a Hungarian wine in our market - let alone a value priced Pinot Noir - but Fabulous Ant seems to be making a bit of name for itself.

I can't say that the Fabulous Ant rocked my world but, then again, I tend to like a little more heft and body on my reds.  Even Pinots.  This was a lighter bodied, fruity version that will likely find lots of fans - especially at the $14 price point.

Tyrant gave us a bit of a break before the next course and, somehow, the dinner turned to all things Gangnam.  Half of the gang had never heard of the latest cultural sensation, but there was no stopping the commentary and dance moves once we pulled up a couple of videos on the net.  There were more than a couple of attempts to master the dance steps, but Lady Di was the unlucky one to have been captured best on film as she showed us her happening Gangnam Style.

Everything Gangnam just built up everyone's thirst and the next couple of bottles ended up being a couple favourites of the evening.

1263.  2008 Foxtrot Pinot Noir (Okanagan Valley)

1264.  2010 Nagging Doubt - The Pull (Okanagan Valley)

I'm in debt to whoever brought the Foxtrot because it was my fave for the evening.  A perennial favourite of local wine critics as well, it's one of the few wines that I'm willing to pay $60+ for vintage after vintage.  It's just that it's not a wine that I run across very often as there isn't  much of it made.

While talking of limited productions, there were only 100 cases of The Pull produced.  That may be why I'd never heard of Nagging Doubt - even though it's an Okanagan wine.  Once again, it was the Lady Di who found this one.  She's a bit of star when it comes to bringing wine to our Dinner Club events.  She regularly checks the blog to see if I've added a bottle to The List before she picks one for the evening. (Actually, you know, I think everyone in the Dinner Club is pretty good on that front nowadays.)

The Pull is a new-ish project of Vancouverites, Rob and Abbey Westbury, and is made at the production facilities of Alto Wine Group, a boutique winery and "wine incubator" (as writer John Schreiner calls them).  The wine is a bold Bordeaux blend or Meritage that leans heavily on the Merlot component (43%) and is completed with Cab Sauv (25%), Cab Franc (15%), Petit Verdot and Malbec (at 8% each).

I don't think there's much doubt that Nagging Doubt will end up on our dinner table again.

I'd be remiss in not mentioning that the mains joining these wines on the dinner table were Grilled Veal Chops stuffed with wild rice, pine nuts, dried cranberries and goat cheese - but don't forget the Calvados demi-glace with poached pears and figs.  And, oh yeah, since Tyrant grew the potatoes as well, I have to mention the blue potato patties filled with a Moonstruck "Baby Blue" cheese centre.  Having spent just shy of $100 on Moonstruck cheeses myself in the afternoon, I welcome any course that features any of their fabulous Island cheeses.

1265.  2003 Burrowing Owl Meritage (VQA Okanagan Valley)

1266.  2005 Del Dotto Caves Merlot (Napa Valley - California)

There was enough food on those plates to keep us occupied for more than a couple bottles of wine.  So, corks were popped on another couple big boys.  It was nice to see that the '03 Burrowing Owl had weathered the years.  The Del Dotto Caves was another new label for me.  Tyrant had pulled the latter from his cellar and, perhaps unfortunately, it might have been enjoyed more as a featured wine at a somewhat more intimate occasion - rather than being the seventh wine of the evening.

Don't get me wrong though.  I'm more than willing to partake in one of Tyrant's cellar wines at any time.  Having known him for over three decades now, I know darned well that a lot of wines don't see the light of day until late in the night.  The good thing is that the big Napa fruit was a nice foil to the season's last wild blackberries that adorned Tyrant's Almond Crusted Custard Flan with Chambord Yogurt.  After all the work and effort that Tyrant put into the dinner, it was grant to see our chef and host still standing and smiling as we dove into the dessert.  I'm not quite sure how we fit in all that food.  Guess it's a testament as to how tasty it all was.

1267.  2010 Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

Our last wine of the night was an interesting nightcap - a bottle of Two Buck Chuck.  Lady Di and She Who Must Be Obeyed picked up a bottle on one of their shopping trips to Trader Joe's south of the border.  They'd actually brought it with them to Tyrant's for the Dinner Club last year but we never got around to drinking it.  I'd mentioned, at that time, that I was disappointed that we never got around to the bottle because it's unlikely that I'd run across another bottle in order to blog it.  Lo and behold, Tyrant just put it aside, knowing that we'd all be back eventually.

I'm not sure that many folks ever toss back a bottle of Two Buck Chuck that's actually seen a year's ageing.  Another special treat for the Dinner Club.  Okay, not really, but I am glad to be able to finally blog a bottle of the California phenomenon.  I doubt we'll ever see a similarly priced wine-for-the-masses on Vancouver liquor shelves, but I might be able to live with that fact.  Indeed, the wine wasn't quite enough to keep my attention going for long - as I'm told that I fell asleep in the living room while balancing a glass of Chuck on my chest.  If nothing else, I must have thought enough of it to not let it spill.

All told, it was a grand evening- and Tyrant has raised the bar yet another level for fellow Dinner Clubbers.  Good thing it's Lady Di and SWMBO that get to host our next get together.  In the mean time, I have some blogging to catch up with - and some Gangnam dance moves to practice.

Picnic Time on the Banks

Having recently gone on the annual Miss Jaq Wine Picnic, I realized that we haven't made much time to get out and enjoy the summer weather now that it's actually arrived and stuck around for a bit. What better excuse could there be - than a sunny Sunday - to throw some odds and ends into a basket and hunker down for a bite, a few sips and a sunset? Particularly since we had to head downtown already to register for the upcoming curling season.

I gave Boo the choice of locations and he surprised me by deciding to head out to Spanish Banks to grab a log on the beach. It's definitely been some time since we've wandered out in this direction for something as decadent as a picnic or a walk. By the time we actually made the drive, found parking and settled on a spot to set up shop though, we were starting to lose the sun a bit. It may have taken us years to make it back to Spanish Banks, but, regardless, we were going to have to jump straight into the picnic and finish it off before we were surrounded by the dark.

Finishing off a bottle of wine - sooner than later - is rarely a problem for us though.

905. 2000 St. Supéry Merlot (Napa Valley - California)

My re-jigging of our wines at home resulted in a few surprises. I'm not entirely sure how we had a 2000 Napa Merlot hanging around. I know nothing about the winery and have never been one to grab many Californian wines. It could be that someone brought it by the house and we never got around to opening it, but I suppose we'll never know now.

Given the age of the bottle, I wonder if it was picked up and given to us as a bit of joke and nod to the 2004 movie Sideways? Could anyone who had seen the movie ever look at California Merlot without thinking of Jack and Miles' banter about never drinking Merlot - not even in order to get lucky?

Seeing as how Merlot is the pretty much the "go to" red grape in BC, we've never been as driven to avoid the varietal in our household. But then, I seem to recall Miles as quite the pretentious fool anyhow. I don't generally think of Napa when it comes to Merlot. There might be a ton of it available in the States, but I tend to think more of the Cab's, Zin's and maybe even the Pinot Noir's when it comes to California reds in our market.

I'm not even sure that St. Supéry puts a lot of emphasis on the varietal. Their website refers a lot to Cab Sauv and Sauv Blanc but it doesn't exactly extol the virtues of its Merlot.

The wine was approachable and entirely suitable for our occasion though. I don't know if it's even available locally, but I'm not sure that I'd be quick to reach for another bottle - maybe if I were going to re-watch Sideways, but I think I'll save my American buys for a varietal that isn't as available locally - or even as mass-marketed by other global regions.

How can you go wrong with a bottle of wine and a beach sunset though? Maybe Miles just needs to re-think his limits a bit.

Thrills, Chills, No Spills

This is a bit of an interesting entry because it's going to take a number of venues and events into account all at once. The picture above was from the Thrill The World annual dance. I'd heard about the zombie event which is staged simultaneously around the world - when everyone starts dancing the choreography from Michael Jackson's Thriller at the same time.

Since I was heading downtown for dinner that night anyhow, I thought it would be great to check it out. I was NOT disappointed! There must have been close to 250 zombies, in all degrees of costume, rocking the show. If I hadn't headed there on my own, it would have been an incredible spot to add a blood red wine to The List.

The wine didn't happen, but I did think that it would be amazing to take part next year.

Rather, the wine had to wait until I arrived at Tyrant's happy little condo. He had asked a couple of the old fraternity brothers over for cocktails before dinner because, Kavanator, one of the University Arizona Dekes that we've known for years was in town for a brief visit.

Turns out that Tyrant didn't wait very long to open one of the bottles that we'd picked up the other weekend while on the Naramata Bench.

239. 2007 Marichel Syrah (Naramata)

I hadn't expected to add this wine to The List so quickly. Marichel Vineyard was one of the wineries that Tyrant, Taylor and I visited the other week in Naramata. I guess Tyrant picked up a few more bottles than I did and he felt that he could open the first tonight - to our distinct benefit.

I'll find another time to talk more about Richard and Elisabeth Roskell and their winery. I first came across them at the Naramata Bench Spring Release Party a couple of years back. It was their first vintage and we found them to be one of the "finds" of the night. I'd been looking forward to actually visiting the winery and being able to buy some of their wine.

Finding their wine may always be a task. Their intent is to only produce wine from the grapes grown on their estate of 7 1/2 planted acres (with perhaps a few supplemental grapes from their neighbours on the Bench). They only grow two Rhone varietals - Syrah and Viognier - and their goal is to produce a BC Syrah that will both reflect the Bench's terroir and make people take notice at the same time. They doubt that they'll ever exceed production of a thousand cases and they were completely sold out of the Viognier when we visited. We managed to pick up some of the remaining Syrah though.

The limited amount of wine plays a big role in the price of $44. So, it may never be your everyday house wine - even if it were readily available. But, it was grand of the Tyrant to break out this big red for us to enjoy before heading out for dinner.

Once we'd polished off the Marichel, we moved on for dinner. Luckily, we didn't have too far to go that night. The skyline is a picture from the Tyrant's balcony and we were heading to Lift, the restaurant that just happens to be the building in the bottom right corner of the photo. I'd never been before and was looking forward to seeing what it was like.

240. 2006 Edge Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa - California)

With eight of us at the table, the dishes being ordered went all over the map. Choosing a wine to match everything wasn't going to be easy - particularly with a lot of fish on the menu. So, we just went with a bottle we were pretty sure that we could enjoy, with or without the accompanying food.

The Tyrant is a West Vancouver boy and, as it happens, so is one of the original folks behind this Napa Cab. Edge started out as a side project of Ray Signorello and three of his boyhood friends. The idea was to produce a premium Napa Valley Cab at non-Napa prices.

Their website says that 2006 saw an addition of about 12% Merlot to the Cab to help smooth out the wine. Not being a regular tippler of Napa Cabs, I'll never be the one to say how whether this bottle has the edge over its competition in value and price but it didn't take us long to polish off a couple of bottles.

Dinner topics went all over the map; however, there was no end of checking up on the score to see just how badly Kavanator's beloved Wildcats were losing on the football field. Not only did he have to put up with the American jokes but his team was getting trounced. He may well have been happy to see the last wine bottle empty so that we'd all pick up and move out.

Moving out, however, simply meant heading on back to Tyrant's - where there was more wine at non-restaurant prices. We were pretty good to our host though. With work for some and travel plans for others, we only drank a quick night cap from his cellar.

241. 2002 Paradise Ranch Late Harvest Chardonnay/Riesling (VQA Okanagan)

Paradise Ranch is a bit of a rarity in that it is one of only three wineries in Canada (at least as of last year) that only make Icewines and Late Harvest wines.

Reading from John Schreiner's writings, there appears to have been a fair bit of change happening with the winery over the decade since it was established - ownership, production levels and even having an estate vineyard or production facililites. But, then, pinning your business hopes on making your premium product one that requires good growing conditions during the spring and summer and then minus 8 degrees C. temperatures before you can harvest, doesn't necessarily lend itself to continuously restful sleeps.

This was a Late Harvest, as opposed to an Icewine, so the -8 temperatures weren't required, but favourable growing conditions are still needed in order to allow the "sweetness and varietal flavours to intensify."

I'm a real sucker for dessert wines and this was a fine way to end my evening. I don't know how many of the boys stuck around after Boo and I left or how much trouble they got into, but, hopefully, The List didn't suffer too much from our "early" departure.