La Crema Chard

I suppose drinking a California Chardy is about as far from a standard drop as it gets in our home. Chardonnay isn't generally my first choice for whites and I don't tend to buy many US wines - except when south of the 49th parallel - since I'm far from thrilled with the way our provincial government tends to force the prices through the roof as soon as anything except American bulk wine crosses the border.

That position of mine may change a bit next year since the 2013 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival has named California as its Theme Region and Chardonnay as the varietal for Global Focus.

In the mean time, we're drinking California Chardonnay tonight.

1158. 2007 La Crema Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast - California)

Given the lack of California Chardonnay in our cellar, I don't know much about La Crema or its wines. A quick look at the website reveals that they only produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - the two star varietals from Burgundy. However, they do have vineyards in five different regions in the state and produce both varietals from each region, this bottle featuring fruit from the Sonoma Coast district.

Most references online point to this wine as having good value (when being purchased in the US, no doubt) but I still found it to be a little oaky for my palate. Fairly lush and full, but a bit of a switch from the bright whites that I tend to favour.

No doubt, I'll be paying a little more attention to the whole Cali Chard genre over the next year. Guess we'll see if the number of appearances at our table has increased at all come next summer.

Wine Blogging Wednesday 75 - Single's Night

It's that time of the month again. It's the third Wednesday of month - time for Wine Blogging Wednesday - and I get to discover that, yet again, I'm still lagging behind in my posts. Do I add another bottle to The List even though I'll be out of sync - after all that's the raison d'être of the blog - or do I skip a month of WBW? As tempting as "skipping class" might be, I'm hoping that WBW can get on a roll again and build on its participation rate. If I really want that to happen, I pretty much have to play my part and get that post in.

There's that - and then there's the fact that this month's host, 1WineDude, has proposed a great theme for WBW75: "Single's Night." As Joe Roberts, our host, points out the theme "does not mean that you should be drinking alone (not that there's anything necessarily wrong if you do...we're not judging you here) {Editor's note - "phew!"}; it means we're going to taste and talk about wines that come from single vineyards."

My choice of wineries for this post was a bit of a no-brainer. When it comes to BC wines, I think it's safe to say that single vineyard designations start and end with Sandhill. I don't think anyone in the BC wine industry could be more passionate about single vineyard wines than Howard Soon - Sandhill's Master Winemaker and all-around great guy. Heck, the headplate on the home page of their website proclaims "Single Vineyard Wines - One Distinct Vineyard. One Distinct Wine Experience."

Indeed, my problem was going to be what wine would I actually choose to write about. I took a quick look back on The List and I've added just over 20 Sandhill bottles to The List since I started. That may be the most wines added from any one winery. I think it clearly speaks to the quality of the wines Howard and company continuously produce at Sandhill. We wouldn't keep going back for more if he didn't keep delivering.

A native son of Vancouver, Howard actually started out as a brewmaster at Labatt's, one of Canada's big two national breweries. Apparently, it was a wine appreciation class - and cold Prairie winters - that prompted his crossing the dancefloor to the wine cellar. That was back in 1980 when Howard started with Calona Wines. During those 30-plus intervening years, Howard has seen a cataclysmic change in the BC wine industry - from the days of Canadian jug wine to one where a bottle of his 1994 Chardonnay became the first BC wine to win Gold at the Chardonnay du Monde competition in Paris.

Since Sandhill's first release in 1997, when Howard was the first BC winemaker to release a series of single vineyard wines, he has offered nothing but single vineyard wines. He has been quoted as stating that his goal has been to capture the "unique combination of geography, microclimate and human touch" and that the "commitment to purity of place is more difficult than blending." That "commitment" has resulted in a fine collection of awards and medals for his wines. Indeed, Howard and Sandhill experienced a banner year in 2009 when Wine Access magazine named Sandhill Winery of the Year at the Canadian Wine Awards - and, oh yeah, Sandhill also won Red Wine of the Year with its Small Lots Syrah and White Wine of the Year for its Viognier - both single vineyard wines, naturally.

The Sandhill estate vineyard was only planted between 1993 and 1994. Accordingly, winemakers and growers alike are still striving to detect specific vineyard expressions of terroir but Howard and his viticulturists have tweaked growing practices enough - from more water here and less water there to canopy maintenance and the yield of fruit - that they now feel that they have enough of an understanding of the vineyard subtleties to venture into single block wines. And that's where I transition to today's wine...

(# on The List to be determined) 2009 Sandhill Block C8 Merlot (VQA - Okanagan Valley)

Since the 2007 vintage, Howard and Sandhill have released a Merlot and a Chardonnay - as part of their Small Lots Program - sourced from single blocks in the estate's home vineyard that Howard has consistently identified as being notable for rich, concentrated and intensely flavoured grapes. Limited to a production of only five barrels, I was lucky enough to nab a couple of bottles at the recent Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival. Howard was serving the Single Block Merlot as one of his wines and it immediately grabbed my attention with its intense nose and incredible integration of young tannins and bright fruit. The Merlot was a definite standout among the 800 some-odd wines that were available for tasting from around the world.

The Playhouse Festival is rather unique in that a winery is not invited to participate unless it is prepared to send along one of the winery principals - be it owner, winemaker or head of sales - to interact with Joe and Jane Public. Accordingly, I had an opportunity to chat briefly with Howard. I told him that I was befuddled as to how winemakers are able to differentiate one grape from another in order to determine which fruit should be destined for the more premium wines. Despite facing a small crowd of folks anxiously awaiting a pour of wine at the Sandhill table, he took time to explain that he separately vinifies the grapes from each block from each vineyard and that, as they age, he can identify particular barrels of wine - from particular blocks - that are just that much more intense. He added that, over the years, you notice that certain sections of many vineyards tend to consistently deliver premium fruit - and, in some instances, those unique profiles merit a unique bottling of their own.

All this goodness can come with a price though. At $40 a bottle, the Block C8 Merlot is the most expensive wine released by Sandhill (along with the Small Lots Syrah). However, when you compare that to the $85 charged by La Stella, one of Sandhill's neighbours down the road, for its icon Merlot - Maestoso - the price seems a whole lot more palatable. Particularly when I believe this is truly one of the best expressions of Okanagan Valley Merlot you can find. That is, if you can find it.

With this 2009 vintage being a new release, I've probably opened it earlier than is optimal but I simply thought that this was the perfect choice for Single's Night at Wine Blogging Wednesday. Having tried it only a couple of weeks ago, however, I knew it was already drinking beautifully. I'm certainly glad we've still got one more bottle. I only wish we had even more.

I'll end with a big shout out to Joe and 1WineDude and for the effort he's put into hosting WBW75. I look forward to checking out the wines and stories that are being posted simultaneously - and to a rocking topic for Wine Blogging Wednesday 76.

Tamaya Syrah

In an effort to ensure that Boo doesn't hate me too much for taking advantage of the loosened "No Buy Leash" during the recent Playhouse Wine Festival, I opened one of the bottles that I picked up there. My thinking was that he might forget - if only a little bit - about all the new bottles if he's actually enjoyed some of the new acquisitions.

1084. 2010 Viña Tamaya - Winemaker's Selection - Single Vineyard Syrah (Limarí Valley - Chile)

Tonight's wine is a direct example of how the Playhouse Festival is great for introducing wine lovers to all sorts of wineries that might not otherwise show up on the radar. Tamaya is one of the thirty-five Chilean wineries that participated in the Festival's Regional Theme. It's also a winery that I wasn't familiar with at all prior to the Festival.

Tamaya is located in the Limarí Valley, 400 kms to the north of Santiago, a region that lies adjacent to the Atacama Desert - the most arid desert in the world. Growing conditions are moderated, however, by ocean breezes that blow into the valley, approximately 20 kms, from the Pacific Ocean nearby. Situated in the foothills of the Andes, the region is probably better known for the production of Pisco - the national liquor of Chile. Wine has been made in the area for centuries, however. Despite the history of winemaking in the region, Tamaya is a relatively recent enterprise. Its vineyards date to 1997 and construction of the winery began in 2001.

Tamaya has been able to capitalize on the burgeoning regionalization of Chile's wine industry and the increasing global recognition of those regions. There was only one other winery at the Festival that hailed from Limarí; yet, the region's name was being introduced right along with Colchagua, Aconcagua, Casablanca and the others.

It didn't hurt that Tamaya was able to boast that their Syrah took the Best in Show trophy at the 2012 Wines of Chile Awards.

I particularly liked the refined nature of the wine's profile. It had a big nose to seduce you; yet, the fruit on the palate was subdued and the tannins were soft. There was no mistaking them but everything was nicely integrated and understated.

Even Boo had to admit he liked it. With this being the first bottle to be opened from the Festival, I think I might have dodged a bullet.

Playhouse Wine Fest?

All of Vancouver's arts headlines have been abuzz with the just-announced demise of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company after 49 years of regional theatre. As shocking as the announcement was, I have to admit that my immediate thoughts didn't go to the loss of one of the key production companies in VanCity. Rather, the first thought that crossed my mind was "I wonder how this could affect the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival?"

Having just sipped and savoured my way through the 2012 festival, the possibility of losing one of the foremost festivals on the continent would be inconceivably maddening. Luckily, it appears that this distressing thought needn't furrow my brow any more.

Word has now surfaced that, as much as the Wine Festival organizational committee is saddened by the "day's news," the Wine Festival wine continue. A separate society was set up years back to operate the Wine Festival independently from the theatre company and the festival will continue regardless of the theatre's continued presence.

Alas, the curtain may have fallen on the stage shows for now, but with California and Chardonnay poised to assume the feature roles next year, at least there'll be a stage still there for the wine world to play out its own theatrics.

Here's a belated toast to the Playhouse. Now, all of you finish off that glass of wine and head out to take in some theatre.

Tassie Pinot

With the 2012 Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival now behind me, I figured this would be a great opportunity to go back to one of the wines and wineries that I discovered at last year's Festival for the first time. I originally gravitated to the winery because it was new to me, but also because we don't see many Tasmanian wines here in Vancouver and both Boo and I have a soft spot for all things Tassie - having thoroughly enjoyed a short, 3-day visit a decade ago. Our stay back then was barely long enough to whet a whistle and we never had the opportunity to visit any wineries but we both agreed that it wouldn't take any convincing for us to head back again. It hasn't happened yet, and, unfortunately, we aren't able to fit it into our itinerary when we head Down Under next month.

Guess that, for the time being, we'll just have to satisfy our Tassie dreams with a bottle of wine now and again.

1074. 2009 Josef Chromy Pinot Noir (Tasmania - Australia)

Although I read that, after being established in 2004, Josef Chromy is now the third largest winery in Tasmania, it is still very much a boutique winery with current production being approximately 18,000 cases annually. Tasmania is primarily known as perhaps Australia's coolest climate wine region. Accordingly, it's not too surprising to find that the area's industry is largely based on white and sparkling wines. The island state is taking a run at becoming the epicentre of Australian Pinot Noir though - and that's what we've cottoned onto tonight.

I have to admit that I was rather intrigued to see mention on the winery website that Joseph Chromy likens their climatic conditions to BC's own Okanagan Valley. I don't know if I've ever seen a foreign winery even acknowledge the existence of the Okanagan, let alone compare its growing conditions favourably.

That being said, I was second-guessing myself a tad when we first opened the bottle. I couldn't quite identify what it was about this wine that must have grabbed me at last year's Festival. It opened with a nice big nose, but the palate was rather acidic and not entirely my cup of tea (or wine as it may be). I understood the attraction awhile later though. The wine opened up nicely after an hour or so - and it definitely went better with food.

Exhibiting classic Pinot notes of red fruit, I don't know if I'd rank it as one of my favourite Pinots of late, but I'd agree to sharing a bottle anytime, anywhere should we find ourselves Tassie-bound ever again.

Random Festival Thoughts - A Quick Look Back

Another Playhouse Wine Fest has come and gone. My participation this year was pretty much limited to the big International Tasting Room and to my favourite (repeat) seminar - Meet Your Match (as regaled somewhat in my last post). The Festival can be overwhelming - at least for me - and it'll take a bit of time to process all the experiences. To get things started, though, I figured I'd throw out a few random thoughts that popped into my head over the weekend.

1) It's not necessarily the most expensive wines that will be your favourites or excite your palate. Domaine de la Solitude, from the Rhone, may have been serving the most expensive foursome of wines in the room. Their four Châteauneuf-du-Pape's were priced at $50, $100, $129 and $250. I adored the 2001 Cuvée Barberini and had to beg forgiveness from Boo when I bought a bottle of the $129 beauty. However, at almost twice the price, the 2001 Cuvée Reserve Secrète didn't tweak my interest in the least.

2) Despite all the hoopla I see and read about wineries embracing their historical roots and experimenting with tradition and varietals that are little known outside the home region, the varietal choices being served up at the Festival got to be a tad monotonous. I don't really need to try a new Cabernet coming out of Verona. I thoroughly enjoy tasting and learning about varietals that I've never heard of before - maybe one that the winemaker's great-grandmother used to grow and make wine in the basement with decades ago. Homogeneity and monotony are not the buzzwords I get excited about.

3) I need to practice my spitting. I manage to avoid the embarrassing - and messy - splashback easily enough, but it would be something to be able to hit the bucket from a foot or more away. I was at one table when the winemaker I was chatting with heartily greeted a friend in the business and introduced him as "the best spitter in the business." Is that a badge of courage or what?

4) I don't think I'll ever understand why such a large proportion of people need to come across as knowing more about wine than they actually do. Learning something new is meant to be an integral aspect of the Playhouse Festival and a big part of its mandate is to try and excite more and more people about and introduce them to wine. It's okay to say "I know absolutely nothing about this or that." They might fool their friends with faux or meaningless phrases - but only if those friends know nothing themselves.

5) Finally, I'm rather "hoo-hum" about next year's themes. Where's the excitement in naming California as the Theme Region or Chardonnay as the Global Focus? I'm hardly an "ABC-er" (Anything But Chardonnay), but I'm no enthusiast either. As for California, I don't have any problem with it as the region, but Vancouver already has two annual California Wine Fairs. I don't know that we'll see all that much variation in the line up of participating wineries or wines. Plus, California was the Theme Region just back in 2004. I'd prefer a novel choice like Washington/Oregon or even Ontario. What's with only two wineries from each of Washington and Oregon at this year's Festival - and a lonely one from Ontario? Is there no effort being made to attract them or is there something more sinister behind it?

So, another Festival over and done - that is except for the wines that I picked up. Boo let me off the "No Buy Leash" for the weekend and there's no way I wasn't taking advantage of that. At least, we'll be able to enjoy the wines for some time to come.

Playhouse Festival - Day 3 - Meet Your Match

I'm going to have to admit that Day 3 of Vancouver Playhouse Festival's International Tasting Room was a bit of bust for me. Now, that's just me. The Tasting Room, itself, wasn't a bust. I just didn't manage to accomplish nearly as much as I'd set out to. I'd put together a hit list of 20 wineries and/or specific wines that I hadn' t managed to make it to on the first two days - and then there was that whole "I've yet to taste a single Spanish wine thing" going on as well. I think the goal was attainable - and I made a pretty valiant try - but I barely fit in seven of the pre-determined picks.

Admittedly, I didn't exactly set myself up for sure success. Boo and I attended the "Meet Your Match" seminar just prior to the start of the Tasting Room and the event didn't conclude until after the Big Room had opened to the Saturday night guzzlers. My appearance was delayed a touch longer though when I grabbed a bite to eat at the Gold Pass Lounge - where I somehow got sidelined trying some of the premium wines that had been dropped off as seminars and tastings finished. These were wines that, for the most part, wouldn't be available in the Tasting Room and, as such, it seemed a shame to pass up on them.

When you throw in a bit of a shop at the on-site liquor store (previous experience tells me that you have to nab the most popular wines at the start of the evening because they won't be there by the end of the event), I didn't even taste a first pour in the Tasting Room until after 8.30. The whole she-bang winds up at 10.00. Ooops.

All this simply dictates that my "Best of..." comments for the day will be drawn from options beyond just the International Tasting Room.

There was certainly no shortage of candidates for Most Engaging Winery Principal of the day. The whole concept of the Meet Your Match seminar is to provide an opportunity for intimate access to some bona-fide movers and shakers in the global wine world. Let's call it speed-dating with a twist. Small groups of seven or eight wine lovers are afforded an eight minute session for a combination of descriptive commentary and as much Q&A as you can fit in with each of eleven winery principals.

Jane Ferrarri, of the Barossa's Yalumba wines, is inevitably introduced as one of the most accomplished and entertaining storytellers in the business. I've heard her speak on more than a handful of occasions now and she never fails to impress with her vast collection of stories. You could undoubtedly meet her fifty times and she would likely recount different stories every time. Admittedly, I hadn't previously experienced her handing out Cadbury's Cream Eggs to nibble on along with her wines - with a wry "I don't ever think it's a worthwhile date if I can't match up my wine with a little chocolate." Having just been named Australian Wine Communicator of the Year for 2012, I don't think Jane will mind if I let someone else take the spotlight here.

It's not just me who found Paul Pender, winemaker at Ontario's Tawse Vineyards, completely engaging. Boo and others around us commented on how they thoroughly enjoyed their time with him. It seemed like our little group had barely scratched the surface of his humorous presentation when the bell to conclude our eight minutes rang out. When asked about the winery's introduction of lambs into the vineyards, as part of their biodynamic outlook on winemaking, Paul matter-of-factly stated that they don't need to worry about the lambs eating the grapes because the winery folk eat the lamb before the grapes are ripe. Talk about your circle of life.

I could (and probably should) go on about the other principals but time dictates that I move on.

An added treat, of course, is that each of the principals pours and discusses one of their winery's premium and most interesting wines. I think it only makes sense that I set out, as my Favourites of the Day, the entire line up for the seminar - principal, winery and wine. Seeing as how I misplaced all my notes from the seminar, this'll hopefully help jog my memory down the road:

- Paul Pender, Winemaker, 2010 Tawse Vineyards - Robyn's Block Chardonnay (Ontario)

- Jane Ferrari, Winemaker, Communications, 2006 Yalumba - The Signature Cabernet Shiraz (Barossa Valley - Australia)(this wine hasn't even been released yet and she told us we were the first to try it prior to its North American release)

- Stefano Leone, Global Export Director, 2006 Antinori Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany - Italy)

- Eduardo Chadwick (pictured), Owner, 2007 Viña Errázuriz - Don Maximiano (Aconcagua Valley - Chile)

- Alvara Espinoza, Consulting Winemaker, 2007 Emiliana Vineyards - Gé (Colchagua Valley - Chile)

- Andres Ilabaca, Chief Winemaker, 2005 Viña Santa Rita - Triple C Red (Maipo Valley - Chile)

- Luc Bouchard, Family Member and Export Director, 2008 Bouchard Père & Fils - Corton Charlemagne (Burgundy - France)

- Jean-Claude Mas, Owner & General Manager, 2006 Domaines Paul Mas - Mas des Mas Pézenas (Languedoc - France) (a wine that hasn't previously been seen in Canada)

- Randy Ullom, Winemaker, 2007 Kendall-Jackson Highland Estates Raptor Peak Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma - California)

- Rick Sayre, Winemaker, 2007 Rodney Strong - Brother's Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma - California) and, last but hardly least,

- Daniel Castaño, Family Member & Commercial Director, 2006 Bodegas Castaño - Casa Cisca (Yecla - Spain)

Unfortunately, I won't be able to add all (or even many) of these wines to The List. The prices started at $44 for the Tawse Chardonnay (which I did pick up) and covered a full range, topping out at $158 for the Bouchard Chardy and an estimated $200, in Canada (thanks to all our taxes), for the Raptor Peak Cab. I didn't get either of the latter two wines, much to my dismay.

Rather than pick a Most Intriguing Wine/Winery today, I think I'll use the "most intriguing" topic heading in a more expansive sense. I was somewhat surprised, and totally intrigued, by the fact that two of the Meet Your Match wines were biodynamic. We didn't get a real opportunity to delve into the topic with either of the Emiliano or Tawse reps, but both gentlemen addressed the principles and practices that embrace the concept of ecological self-sufficiency throughout the vineyard. An interesting comment was made that Rudolf Steiner passed away before he'd fully defined the reasoning of the various biodynamic preparations or their application methods. Accordingly, practices can vary between different regions and adherents.

Sometimes defined as quackery because of the mysticism that is part and parcel of the biodynamic movement, I encountered even more discussion of the topic in the International Tasting Room. Quackery or not, biodynamic methods seem to be more prevalent with each passing year.

Finally, a Best New Find for the day. This wine might not be all that practical as a "Best New Find" since I don't believe the winery's products are normally - at least not easily - available in our market. But I really enjoyed the 2010 Poderi Dal Nespoli - Vino Bianco da Uve Stramature - Bradamante (Emilia Romagna - Italy), an intense dessert wine that is made with a blend of Albana (predominantly at 60%), Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Despite some Ports and Icewines in the Big Room, I decided to make this my final wine of the 2012 Festival. Having never heard of Poderi Dal Nespoli before, I hope to find the winery even more down the road.

It's been a tiring three days. Enjoyable and tasty days, yes - but tiring all the same. I'm going to look forward to a little relaxation and maybe a touch of detox. Besides, I still have to catch up with and add a handful of wines to The List - especially since Boo reluctantly allowed me off the "No Buy Leash" for the Festival. After all, reaching those 2001 wines is still the goal and raison d'être for this blog and I'm going to need a few more to hit that total. Being a little more than half way to 2001, I'm rather certain I'll still be writing come the 2013 Playhouse Wine Festival. Guess I'll just have to wait and see what's in store for next year with the just announced Theme Region of California and a Global Focus of Chardonnay. Could there be a little Zin about to fill a day or two of this Wine Odyssey?

Photo Credit - Andrew Chin

Playhouse Festival - Day 2

Feeling a tad overwhelmed at the moment, I am. The second day of the Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival's International Tasting Room is now behind me and, while I'm still standing, it's exceedingly clear that, par for the course, I'm going to run out of time

before I run out of wineries, wines and personalities to take in.

It's not like I slacked off with my "swirl, sniff & sip" or anything, but I didn't accomplish nearly as many winery visits as I'd hoped to. Despite the best of intentions, I've yet to taste a single Spanish wine and my Italian efforts are sadly lacking.

Looking back on the day's notes, I think I can safely say that my focus of the day - as inadvertent as it might have been - was "icon" wines. My picks for Favourites of the Day certainly reflect the higher end of the spectrum of wines being presented at the Festival. Just reflecting on the following wines leaves me gobsmacked:

- 2008 Seña (Aconcagua Valley - Chile)(a $100 cool climate Cab)

- 2008 Stag's Leap - SLV Estate Napa Cabernet (California)

- 2006 Château Ste. Michelle - Col Solare (Red Mountain - Washington State)

- 2008 Prats + Symington Chryseia (Douro - Portugal)(a mere $85 - for a Portugese table wine none-the-less) and

- 2006 Jacob's Creek - Johann Shiraz/Cabernet Sauv (Barossa/Coonawarra - Australia)

I didn't get the pricing on the SLV or Col Solare since they were both "under the table" pours and my guess is that they're in the "If you need to ask the price, you can't afford it" category. The seemingly bargain priced wine of the bunch was the Johann at $70. I don't always find that winery icons live up to the billing but these ones sure did.

If you hadn't noticed, there's a lot Cab in them there favourite wines. I'm not nearly the Cab fiend that Boo is, but I guess a surfeit of Cab makes some sense given that Cabernet is this year's "global focus" at the Festival.

Next topic on my daily round up is the Most Intriguing Wine/Winery that I encountered. I made a special effort not to miss El Porvenir de los Andes because I know that Ricardo and Lucila, of Patagonia Imports, have some real winners in their portfolio. "El Porvenir de los Andes" translates as "the Future of the Andes" and this new, family run boutique winery is located in the Salta region of northern Argentina. I've heard a bit about Salta and the Cafayate sub-region - particularly when we were visiting Mendoza a couple of years back - but I can't say that I'm aware of many Salta wines available in the Vancouver market.

Salta is home to some of the highest altitude vineyards in the world. Owner and proprietor, Lucia Romero, was a joy to talk with about their vineyards at 5,700 feet above sea level and how that elevation sees large diurnal swings in the daily temperatures. Those swings, in turn, allow for higher acidity levels in the grapes despite the heat of the day. If Lucia's smooth Cab and bright Torrontés wines are indicative of Salta. I want to find some more. With a production of only 12,500 cases, it's wonderful that a small winery like this would make the effort to attend the Playhouse Festival. A big "thank you" is definitely in order.

I could easily have picked Lucia as my Most Engaging Winery Principal of the day, but with Brian and Ros Lynn of Australia's Majella I got two thoroughly "engaging" folks for the price of one. Brian is a larger-than-life Aussie bloke. It's not often that I'll attend one of these tasting events and the winery rep will loudly admonish me for thinking about spitting out his wine. I first encountered the couple when I was only two or three wines into the tasting and it only seemed prudent to spit at this point - despite the fact that I adored the Sparkling Shiraz. As I looked to the bucket, Brian jokingly let out that I was "to chug that Shiraz back." There was to be no spitting allowed. How stereotypically Aussie.

That comment quickly grew into a discussion of the Coonawarra and a promise of some travel tips since Boo and I are scheduled to drive through the region when we hit Oz later in April. Unfortunately for us, Brian is going to be out of the country when we hit the region, but an exchange of cards led to a "we'll be sure to tell the gang to expect you and to do you right."

Majella has a limited production of about 25,000 cases but it has been a long-time attendee at the Festival. I asked Brian why they keep gracing us with his presence and he replied "Simply because of people like you." I turned to his wife, Ros, and said, "Silver tongued devil isn't he?" She said that's pretty much how he snagged her. There was an additional mention of persistence but there were plenty of chuckles all around.

"Engaging" barely scratches the surface.

As for a Best New Find of the day, I think a shout out to Ontario's Tawse Winery and its 2010 Riesling is due. I've previously pointed out, in this blog, that very few Ontario wines ever make it out to BC. Same country. Different world - or so it would seem. Indeed, as an example, there are 15 countries and 180 wineries presenting wines at the Festival but Tawse is the only participant from Ontario. I find that fact to be rather sad, but at least Tawse is one of the best. Named by Wine Access magazine as Canadian Winery of the Year for the last two years running, this is the first time I've tried any Tawse wines. It's nice to know that my first taste is of their Gold Medal winning Riesling. I'm going to look forward to adding this bottle to The List down the road.

But that tops off the recap for the day. Sadly, there's only one more day to go.

Having attended the Festival for a many of its 34 years, you'd think that, by now, I'd have arrived at a level of comfort with the fact that I'm never going to get to visit all the wineries and try all the wines that tweaked my interest in the Festival Program. I took a look at the program and realized I've got my work cut out for myself on tomorrow's final International Tasting Room. I've already identified at least twenty wineries that I had on my "don't miss" list at the start of the Festival.

Wish me luck!

Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival - Day 1

OK. It's time. The 2012 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival has arrived - and for Vancouver wine geeks, trades folk and curious newbies to wine, it's like a week of Stanley Cup Finals, Top Chef Canada and a grand wine touring vacation all rolled into one. This year is the 34th annual presentation of the Vancouver's Playhouse's primary fundraiser and, over those 30-plus years, it has become one of the biggest and widely acclaimed consumer tasting events in the world.

Although the Festival encompasses over 60 different tasting events, wine dinners and seminars, the centrepiece events are the International Festival Tasting Room evenings that run Thursday, Friday and Saturday - and for those three days, Boo basically becomes a "wine widow" as I do my best to taste my way through the over 800 wines (when you count the "under the table" special pours) offered by the 180 wineries from 15 countries. He's partially to blame for his loneliness, however, since he's the one that gives me the tickets for Christmas.

This year's theme region is Chile and there are 35 Chilean wineries visiting the festival - many of whom do not currently sell their wines in the Vancouver market. In addition to trying some brand new wineries, I'm excited about seeing a side of Chilean wines that we don't always get to see here - the more premium wines that lift Chile's wines out of the bang for your buck, entry level category that they are largely pigeon-holed into by our liquor board - and even by consumers. I know there are premium bottles out there and this is the perfect opportunity to actually try some.

There's no doubt that the International Tasting Room is overwhelming but I thought I'd try and focus on a couple of topics after each day's tastings - especially since I didn't write a word about last year's Festival.

One of the most unique aspects of the Playhouse Festival is that wineries are only accepted for participation if they send a winery principal - owner, winemaker or senior marketing and sales manager - to actually man the tasting booth and interact with the attendees. It's a rare occasion for Joe and Jane Public to talk to some of the biggest names in the wine industry. As you can imagine, the winery principals can be tugged in every which direction, but, if your timing is right, you can capture a bit of quality time with some of them.

I'm going to name Matt Bindel of Giesen Wine Estate, from New Zealand's Marlborough region, as my pick for today's Most Engaging Winery Principal. Matt is Giesen's Business Development Manager for North America and I thoroughly enjoyed a somewhat extended chance to talk about some new directions being taken with Kiwi Sauv Blanc and about how he sees Marlborough Pinot Noirs starting to challenge those of Central Otago (considered by many to be New Zealand's premium region for Pinot) at considerably lower prices. Being one of those stricken with Central Otago, I look forward to watching how the Marlborough Pinots develop.

I figured I'd try and pick a wine as a Best New Find each day and today's was a bit of surprise. I'm going for Pasqua's Villa Borghetti Rosso Veneto Passimento (IGT Verona - Italy). At $15, this wine took Valpolicella to an exciting level, with an abundance of flavour and body. Pasqua was serving a Ripasso and Amarone as well, but it was the value of the Passimento that just jumped out and grabbed me. I was glad to hear that this is apparently a general listing at provincial stores - meaning it should be easy to find.

It's inevitable that I'm going to run into other wine-loving friends and acquaintances at the Festival Tasting Room and it's pretty much a given that we ask each other for favourites and suggestions. I guess it's a no-brainer for me to post five or so Favourites of the Day - these wines all excited me enough to recommend them and to search them out in the on-site store:

- 2001 Domaine de la Solitude Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Cuvée Barberini (Rhone - France)

- 2009 Sandhill Small Lots Single Block Merlot (Okanagan Valley)

- 2008 Haras de Pirque - Character Cab/Carmenère (Maipo Valley - Chile)

- 2009 Wirra Wirra - Deadringer Cabernet Sauvignon (McLaren Vale - Australia)

- 2008 Viña Errazuriz - La Cumbre Syrah (Aconcagua Valley - Chile)(which I was mightily relieved to find out that it tasted as good as it did because this was the one bottle that Boo and I brought back from Chile when we passed through Santiago on our way to Argentina a couple years back)

I figured I'd end today's post with my pick for the Most Intriguing Wine that I ran across in the tasting room - 2009 Quinta do Crasto Reserva Old Vines (Douro - Portugal). Quinta do Crasto is a long time participant at the Playhouse Festival and proprietor, Miguel Roquette, always attracts plenty of attention. The Reserva Old Vines particularly struck my fancy in that not even Miguel can tell what varietals go into making this wine. It is a field blend - meaning that the wine is made from an assortment of different varietals that are interplanted in the same vineyard.

In this case, Miguel figures that there are between 25 and 35 different varietals - indigenous to Portugal and the Douro - that make up wine. He recounted that growers of old simply planted a great assortment of grapes that were all traditional for making port and they never really cared about keeping track of which varietals were planted where. Quinta do Crasto is systematically trying to identify each of the varietals though. As an old vine dies, the winery is using DNA testing to identify the varietal in order that they can replace it with the same varietal and keep the balance of the vineyard and the wine's profile the same for the future.

I surely wish that I could get a breakdown of even a good percentage of the varietals going into the Reserva because I know there are going to be some varietals that I can add to my Wine Century Club collection and application as I try to hit 200.

Despite all this wine and tasting, it pains me that I don't actually get to immediately add a bottle to The List on the blog. Boo does loosen the "No buy Leash" during the Festival though. So, a number of my favourites will make it to The List in due course. For the time being, I just have to make it through the next two days.

Novas - Playhouse Preview

The 2012 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is under way - and the big Festival Tasting Room evenings are just around the corner. This year's theme region is Chile and they're expecting 36 different Chilean wineries to pour a selection of wines in the big room - many of which aren't normally in our market. As such, I thought I'd get a bit of a head start and try one of the few Chilean wines that we have hanging around.

Despite the fact that Boo and I spent a whole 40 or so hours in Chile, I can't say as I know much about Chilean wines. On top of getting the chance to discover some new wineries, I'm really looking forward to sampling some wines from the higher end of the spectrum. For the most part, the South American nation's presence in the Vancouver market is largely predicated on decent bang for buck, entry level wines. I'm guessing that we're going to be exposed to a different side of Chile.

1073. 2006 Emiliana - Novas - Winemaker's Selection Syrah (Casablanca Valley - Chile)

Emiliana is the first Chilean winery, that I know, that has really really promoted itself as a leader in organic and biodynamic agriculture and wine production. Their website even has a neat, little interactive diagram that attempts to show how the various components of organic and biodynamic are integrated into the winery, vineyards and surrounding farm.

Although, as stated, I'm no expert on Chile, I was a little surprised to see that this wine hails from the Casablanca Valley. We are starting to see more and more Chilean Syrah on local shelves; however, I think it's mostly produced in the warmer growing regions. What little I know of the Casablanca Valley is that it's primarily coastal and considered cooler climate - at least as far as Chile goes. As such, it's mostly known for its whites. Indeed, even though the Casablanca Valley was a bit closer to Santiago, Boo and I chose to visit the Aconcaugua Valley - during our one free day to tour Chile - because it was known for reds and we didn't see any real touristic references to red wine in Casablanca.

That might be why this wine wasn't as boisterous as I'd expected it to be. Tannins were a lot softer and the wine seemed a bit reserved. I'd had some Emiliana wines previously and they struck me as being much bolder. Not sure if I like this tamer side as much. Guess I'll have a better idea at the end of the weekend as I hope to take a full tour of Chile over the next couple of days.

Oscar & Kiwi Savvy

We treated ourselves to some seared tuna for dinner tonight as we plopped down in front of the TV for the Oscars. Given the high-ended hijinxs of the red carpet (and our dinner choice), I figured it only made sense to treat ourselves to a well regarded Kiwi wine. Considering that our last bottle was a classic vintage 2005 Cru Classée Bordeaux, we kinda needed to make that 180° turn and go to a refreshing white - while keeping up with a nice level of sophistication.

I'm not sure that we saw more than one or two of any of the nominated movies this year. I think I've probably spent too much time at wine tastings or in front of the computer blogging to head out to the movies. Accordingly, I wouldn't have much riding on any of the winners. But, if nothing else, I'd have a good response on the red carpet if anyone asked, "What are you drinking?"

1071. 2007 Staete Landt Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough - New Zealand)

This boutique Kiwi winery has some intriguing stories to tell - starting with its name, Staete Landt, which came from the original name that Abel Tasman gave to the lands when he first discovered New Zealand in 1642. "Staete Landt" meant the lands of the state (the Dutch Republic) upon who's behest Tasman was exploring. Touching upon both their Dutch heritage and their ties to New Zealand, winery founders and owners, Ruud Maasdam and Dorien Vermass, thought Staete Landt was a perfect combination of their past and future.

The winery is located in New Zealand's "Golden Mile" - a strip of land located on old riverbed soils in the Marlborough subregion of Rapaura. It's a relatively small area with a unique microclimate that proves agreeable to the growing of premium grapes. Some of the oldest and most famous Marlborough vineyards are planted in this area. Indeed, some of the original Marlborough Sauv Blancs that helped create the buzz heralding the emergence of the Kiwis on the international wine scene originated from this region.

That being said, Staete Landt itself is a relatively new enterprise, its first vintage having been produced in 2000. Interestingly, they decided to tackle the premium end of the spectrum right from the start, however, and they've adopted a boutique "approach of producing single vineyard estate grown wines only." They've identified 24 different parcels of soil profiles in their vineyard, with each one of those parcels providing a "distinct favour and textual component" to the wines. Their website provides that the Sauv Blanc is planted in 6 different blocks, thereby providing six distinct flavour profiles that can be used as components for a layered and flavourful wine.

To add to the complexity of the wine, the fruit from each parcel was handled differently in the winery. Each bottle contains a combination of hand-picked, whole-bunch-pressed, machine harvested, natural, indigenous and/or cultured yeasts, early harvest fruit together with some later harvest grapes, some ageing on the yeast lees, some with a bit of ageing in old French oak barriques - all in all a complicated and involved process to try and reach the best end result that they can.

I don't tend to drink a lot of New Zealand Sauv Blanc as I often find it to be a little too one-dimensional and predictable - you know, the well-discussed grassy, gooseberry, cat's pee with bracing acidity. Well, all the dedication and varied approaches going into this Staete Landt takes the wine to a different level. One that I enjoyed a lot. This was no subtle French Sancerre (perhaps the original home for stars of the Sauv Blanc persuasion) - there was no mistaking the wine as a Kiwi Sauv Blanc but it had extra dimensions, particularly a bit of sweeter tropical fruit, on the palate that just aren't normally evident to me with Sauv Blanc.

I discovered Staete Landt at the 2010 Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival when New Zealand was one of the featured regions at the festival. That's where I picked up this bottle. Looks like I might need to keep an eye open for it on the everyday local shelves.

Now, as for getting out to see a movie...

A Playhouse Festival Favourite

The brochures for the 2012 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival are available now and they're always good for some reading - not that I can take in nearly as many events as I'd like to. I figured I'd use the brochure's appearance as an excuse to pull out one of the wines that I picked up at a previous festival. I don't always remember the wines I grab at the Festival on-site store but there wasn't much question about this one. I don't know that I would have picked it up otherwise as the $30 price tag is a bit much for a Portugese white that otherwise would have been of unknown quality.

1017. 2008 Touquinheiras Alvarinho (DOC Vinho Verde - Portugal)

When I see a bottle of Vinho Verde, I generally think of the young, light, fresh wines that add a little summer pétillance to your glass. Although this wine is still from the Vinho Verde appellation in Portugal, it is from the sub-region of Monção in the very top of the north-west corner of the country near the border with Spain. In this region, a Vinho Verde known as Vinho Alvarinho is made as well. This wine is made from strictly Alvarinho grapes and is higher in alcohol and has none of the fizz.

This was one of my favourite white wines from the 2010 Playhouse Fesitval. I quite enjoy looking for the new dry wines coming out of Portugal as many producers are following in the footsteps of some of the New World wine regions and introducing some serious modernization into their winemaking. Quinta do Touquinheiras is part of the Wines and Winemakers by Saven group. Saven's concept is to identify "innovative craftspeople who are at the forefront of modern technology, while staying true to the unique flavours, characteristics and personalities of each region" and then working together to market and get the wines out into the world.

Touquinheiras only produces three wines, the Alvarinho, a Vinho Verde closer to the lighter wine I've come to know and a brandy. I haven't seen or tried the other two wines but the Alvarinho was big with fruit and citrus. I saw one writer proffer a tasting note of "lemon butter." I kinda like that.

And I definitely still liked the wine - even if it took almost two years for me to finally open it. So, here's to the finds that are still to be discovered at this year's upcoming Playhouse Festival. I can't wait.

Mexican Cooking Class

A month ago or so, I blogged a couple of wines that we finished off at our neighbour, GatuBela's, Mexican Cat Dance - her annual fundraiser. It's taken us awhile but we finally worked out a night to make use of one of the silent auction items we won at last year's party. Our winning bid had garnered us an "at home" Mexican cooking class with one of her chef friends but we hadn't been able to queue it up yet. GatuBela was getting ready to head back to Mexico for the winter; so, it was now or potentially never.

We invited Mr. D. and Tyrant to come over and join up with us for a bit of fun and frivolity - and, naturally, wine and booze. Seeing as how it was to be a Mexican cooking class, GatuBela offered to mix up her trademark Margaritas to start off the evening. After a decade of annual pilgrimages, you get to be bit a bit of star when it comes to tequila. We'd have been fools not to take her up on her offer and I'm pleased to say that, as far as guest alcohols to this blog go, GatuBela's margaritas take second place to none. Her shaking and her squeezing arm was put to great use. Good thing she'd taken in a few Boot Camp classes prior to the dinner.

The plan was to put each of the guests to work in the kitchen to assist in the preparation of one of the dishes. Some of us got off easier than others in terms of the degree of difficulty in our skills that were called upon. Mr. D., indeed, had to mix things up, but not so much that he couldn't still pose and look pretty.

Despite the guest appearance by our frenemy, tequila, we still managed to throw a couple bottles of wine into the mix. Believe me, I don't do nights of endless tequila anymore. Some memories of university days haunt me to this day.

967. 2010 Luis Felipe Edwards Signature Series Sauvignon Blanc (Chile)

Both dinner guests arrived with wine in hand, but both admitted that they'd had no luck in locating a Mexican wine despite trying. Mr. D. brought along this Chilean bottle and because he thought that "at least the winemaker still speaks Spanish." Funny that we drank Chilean last night and I commented on how Boo and I don't pop too many Chilean corks.

True to Chile's and my relationship, I don't really know this producer but the Signature Series simply shows up on the winery website as a label that they produce for specific markets. The winery now has a capacity of up to 25 million litres; so, my guess is they can put out a number of labels if they want to. I did see that this particular label only shows up in private stores in the Vancouver market and that Marquis Cellars calls it a "perfect party wine."

It certainly went nicely with our ceviche. Maybe not so well with the watermelon cup that was fashioned but, then again, who chooses a wine to go with the dishes and cutlery?

I think we might have "put" Tyrant to the most work during the "class" portion of the evening - but then we knew we could trust him, if anyone, with the empanada filling. We continually trust his taste in wine; so, why not leave the main course in his hands. That was, so long as we kept a glass of wine in his hands at the same time (I mean when the recipe wasn't there).

968. 2004 L.A. Cetto Private Reserve Nebbiolo (Valle de Guadelupe - Baja California - Mexico)

There aren't a lot of Mexican wines in our market. Then again, are there many Mexican wines in any market outside of Mexico itself? I did, however, pick up this bottle a couple of years ago at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. At the time, I thought a Mexican Nebbiolo was about as wild of a find as there was - but, you know, it tasted good at the Festival and it still tasted good here. Everyone was downright shocked at just how tasty it was. If memory serves though, this was a pretty high end bottle for the winery and it clocked in at about $30 - not exactly a throwaway price for a wine you likely know nothing about from an unlikely source.

As difficult as it might be to find Mexican wine in our market though, if you're going to find one, there's a pretty good chance that it will be an L.A. Cetto bottle. I've previously added three Mexican wines to The List (some time ago at #'s 250 and 436) and two of them were from L.A. Cetto. I think on each of those earlier occasions, I'd specifically gone out looking for the bottles - because one was for Cinqo de Mayo and the other was for a Day of the Dead celebration.

Seems we don't tend to drink a lot of Mexican wine on an everyday basis. I can tell you that, if it was all as good as this Nebbiolo, I'd be inclined to drink a lot more.

It was probably a good thing that there was only one bottle of the Nebbiolo to be had tonight though. That wine would have kept going down easily, but it was a school night and an early morning wake up call after all. Between the tequila and the wine and the tasty food, we were all in fine spirits. The test is going to be to remember what the recipes were and all the little tips that were passed along and quickly forgotten.

Anakena Ona

I suppose we don't really drink a whole lot of Chilean wines around here - and those that we do are usually one of the many "bargain" wines that have become rather prominent in the Vancouver market. I can't say that I have many premium wines from Chile waiting to be plucked our wine rack.

Admittedly, there are a few that we picked up last Fall when Boo and I stopped briefly in Santiago on our way to Argentina, but we're trying to let those age for a bit.

This all might change next Spring when the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is going to feature Chile in its regional spotlight, but that's still months away. In the meantime, we've had tonight's bottle waiting around for a little bit and it looked like a good choice for the evening.

966. 2005 Anakena Ona Syrah (Rapel Valley - Chile)

Anakena is a label that I don't know a whole lot about but I picked up this bottle when it was prominently displayed at Everything Wine a ways back. At $26, the price is a step above most of the Chilean wines on local shelves, but I think it's still entirely reasonable for a wine that's supposed to be from one of the most lauded producers in the country.

The winery was only established in 1999; however, it appears to have tried to bypass the bulk wine market and move directly into a more premium mode - and it quickly expanded to the point that it was producing 400,000 cases a decade later. The Ona label is supposed to be the winery's top label series and it is named after the indigenous inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego, the island situated at the southernmost tip of South America. I'm fairly sure they don't actually grow any grapes (at least not for making wine) that far South and, indeed, the grapes used for this wine are grown in the Rapel Valley, one of Chile's best known growing regions.

Our market is starting to see more and more Syrah and Shiraz coming from Chile, but it still isn't as common as the Cab Sauv or Carmenère that our market was first introduced to. The wine was definitely more refined than the regular Chilean bargains, but there's no doubt that higher end Chilean wines are starting to make there presence known in Vancouver. I think I'll wait until I can do a more comprehensive comparison at the Wine Festival before I decide if the bottle is worth the extra bucks.

Elephant Hill Viognier

I now have yet another reason that I'd love to visit New Zealand. I picked up this bottle at the 2010 Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival when New Zealand was one of the year's theme regions, but it just sort of got tucked away. Luckily, it's resurfaced and I took a look at my notes from the festival and saw that the Viognier certainly piqued my interest back then.

I didn't know anything about Elephant Hill beforehand and I wasn't all that familiar with Viognier as an emerging varietal from New Zealand. Like most people, I think Sauv Blanc and Pinot Noir when I think Kiwi wine. But, after this bottle and a bit of research on the winery, I think a visit has vaulted up near the top of the Kiwi Wish List.

907. 2009 Elephant Hill Viognier (Hawkes Bay - New Zealand)

The Elephant Hill winery only opened in 2008, having been started by a couple of Germans who fell in love with the winemaking possibilities of the country during a visit in 2001. By 2003, they had returned to find and plant their Hawke's Bay vineyard. Located on the East coast, half way up the North Island, and right off the beach, the afternoon sea breezes temper the warm temperatures of the day.

This 2009 is part of the winery's third vintage and there were only 740 cases produced. With such limited quantities, we were privileged that Elephant Hill came all the way to the Playhouse Festival. The owners are clearly going for a premium, boutique feel to the wines and winery. This Viognier involved seven separate hand picks of the vineyards in order to capture all the best qualities of the ripeness of the grapes - hardly a cost-cutting means of producing a wine.

The winery also features a celebrated restaurant and has an accommodation wing as well. Sounds enticing to me.

As for the wine, after pressing, the juice was fermented in a combination of stainless steel and oak puncheons, remaining on "light lees for four months" prior to be bottled. Interesting that this is the second reference to "puncheons" I've seen in the last couple weeks - the other being with the Laughing Stock Chardonnay. I doubt I could have pointed you to the use of oak puncheons (or larger barrels) a month ago and here we run into them twice in a couple of weeks.

The use of oak and lees likely contributed to the fuller body of the wine but the fruit still shone through with an intense nose. While profound, those aromatics weren't overwhelmingly fruity or floral as some Viogniers can be though. Everything about the wine was integrated and delicious at the same time.

Both Boo and I loved it! I don't think you can label a winery as a "favourite" after only one bottle, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for more wines from these new kids on the Kiwi block.

Ole! Wine Blogging Wednesday is Back!

I was late discovering Wine Blogging Wednesday - the online wine gathering conceived over six years ago by a New York blogger, Lenn Thompson, as a monthly, virtual conclave. The concept is simple enough. It's been previously recapped as, "people interested in wine, the world over, would coalesce each month around a single theme." Each month, a different host blogger determines a topic for that month. Anyone interested submits their postings or e-mail comments to the coordinator. Those musings are then consolidated and shared.

WBW had already been around for five years before I stumbled across it while surfing. I'd only participated a whopping three times before WBW seemed to lose its steam. WBW69 saw everyone revel in the Grenache varietal. Then it simply disappeared.

So, it was with great enthusiasm that I discovered that Gabriella and Ryan Opaz, of the Catavino blog, after liaising with Lenn, announced that they were going to host WBW70 and take a chance that there'd be enough interest to resurrect one of the web's longest running online wine events. They've called upon everyone to "seek out Spanish wines that you've never had before," to be creative and to "hunt for unique styles" and "unheard of regions."

My only "problem" is that I am way behind on my postings for the bottles that we've already emptied but that I haven't added to The List - that List more-or-less being the raison d'etre of this blog. Oh well. I'll just have to take a bit of a leap over those three or four dozen wines that are patiently waiting to be posted and work my way up to giving these bottles an actual number on The List. Unfortunately, it's not the first time that's happened. (Editor's Note: I've finally caught up with those earlier wines and I'm now amended this post to give the WBW wines their numbers on The List. Phew!)

As for Spain and the task at hand, you can't seem to pick a more topical theme than that for a wine-lover nowadays. I'm not sure that I'd say the Vancouver market is flush with unique styles and unheard regions, but we are seeing more and more Spanish offerings on the local shelves - and everyone's biggest drawing point is that there's plenty of bang for buck. Indeed, we had some fun trying some of the local offerings when Spain won our World Cup of Wine last summer.

In a way, though, WBW70's Spanish adventure may be a tad early for us Vancouver types. At the end of March, the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is happening and this year's featured region is Spain. We'll be awash with dozens of Spanish wineries and hundreds of their wines. But, that'll be then, this is now.

I decided to go with three wines for this posting and ended up trying wines from three different regions. Not normally being one for three bottles in one night, we needed to make a bit of an event to accomplish this feat. Boo and I managed to coerce Mr. D. to join us for dinner and we opened a different bottle for each course.

725. 2006 Marques de Gelida Brut Exclusive Reserva (D.O. Cava - Spain)

Paired up with some Manchego and Gran Capitan cheeses, assorted olives and serrano ham, we started the evening off with some bubble. I wanted to try something other than the Freixinet or Cordoniu Cava's that tend to dominate our bottle shop shelves, but I'd always shied away from this particular wine previously because I thought the bottle was maybe a little too gimmicky - what with the shrink wrap and all. I needn't have been wary.

Marques de Gelida is found in Penedes, part of the Catalonia region in North-East Spain and the traditional home of Cava production. Although the Cava denomination is a little quirky in that it is the only Spanish D.O. that isn't necessarily tied to one region. So long as the D.O. regulations are followed - in particular, that the traditional method of making sparkling wines (Methode Champenoise) and the permitted grapes are used - Cava can be made in a number of regions in the country. That being said, 95% of all Cava is still made in Penedes.

This Marques de Gelida Cava (they have a number of them) uses the three original varietals - Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada - but it also adds some Chardonnay, now that the latter varietal has been allowed since 1986. Aged 3 years in order to merit the "Reserva" label, the wine didn't have the most exciting of mousses or endless bubbles, but it did have a much brighter palate of lively fruit than we'd expected. Boo is not one for yeasty, biscuity sparklers. So, this was more up his alley and all three of thought it'd be worth grabbing another bottle down the road.

726. 2005 Bodegas Abadia Retuerta Rivola Sardon de Duero (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon - Spain)

I figured we'd try making paella for the first time. Having made my fair share of jambalaya over the years, I thought what the heck. Our main course red was one Mr. D and I picked up the other night on the recommendation of one of the sommeliers at an Everything Wine tasting. There was no doubt here; we had another hit in our glasses. I'd never run across the winery before but it appears to be making quite a name for itself as an up and comer among Spanish producers.

Only founded in 1996, the winery consists of 1700 acres in the North central part of Spain - spaced out over 54 separate blocks - it's also the home of a 12th Century Romanesque monastery. Indeed, local records from the 1600's show that the resident monks of the day produced 125,000 litres of wine and monopolized the regional market. The estate is located just outside the boundaries of the prestigious D.O. Ribera del Duero and, therefore, is required to produce all of its wine under the "Vino de la Tierra" denomination - much like Vins de Pays wines in France or IGT wines in Italy. Regardless of the denomination - or lack thereof - Abadia Retuerta is located on the region's "Golden Mile," a strip of influential wine estates along the Duero River. The winery is happy to point out that Spanish superstar, Vega Sicilia, is only two miles or so down the road.

The Rivola is a 60/40 blend of Tempranillo and Cab Sauv and we were pleasantly surprised by the heft and structure we found for a Spanish Tempranillo. We figured that it could easily pass for a Bordeaux blend of nice pedigree. At $33 in our market (high I know), it still comes across as a good value.

727. N.V. Alvear Pedro Ximenez Solera 1927 (D.O. Montilla Moriles - Spain) (375ml)

I'm not so sure that we needed the creme brulee because this fortified wine could easily have been dessert by itself. With this bottle, we've moved down to the South and to Andulucia. Not for everyone, it's thick and unctuous but this PX (as it's also known) hits the spot for a "sticky" lover like me. Once again, I didn't know what I was buying when I picked up this half-bottle some time ago while in Seattle. It turns out that Alvear is the oldest producer of wines and sherries in Montilla Moriles.

The wine is made from 100% Pedro Jimenez and the dark amber colour belies the white grape varietal that is its origin. The varietal is an early ripener that likes the heat of Andalucia and the grapes are very high in sugars. Once harvested, the grapes are left to dry in the sun until they're raisined. The juice that is pressed, therefore, starts concentrated and rich and the winemaker needs to add grape alcohol during fermentation to preserve sweetness and prevent too much conversion of the sugars into even higher alcohol levels.

The wine is then added into a solera system - the production method that is generally reserved for sherry. The key concept of a solera is fractional blending - a solera being the collection of barrels used in the process and it sees a mixing of the barrels such that a portion of the wines produced over each of the years makes it into the finished product. The "1927" contained in this wine's name refers to the year in which the solera was initially started. There won't be much of that vintage left in the solera, but there will be some and the longevity of the blend can't help but add to the complexity of the wine.

You don't need a lot of it, but, if you like some pure sweetness at the end of a meal, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything sweeter. I'd say we were three for three on our bottles - and I celebrated a further benefit. I get to add the Pedro Jimenez varietal to my application for the Wine Century Club. I'm getting up there now.

All in all, a good night. So, welcome back WBW. Here's my hope that you stick around for another 70 (or more) editions. Now, if only I can get caught up on The List before WBW71 comes around.