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The 41st VanWineFest Part One – The Californians!

By the Numbers..

• Over 25,000 wine fans
• 16 countries
• 160 wineries; including 53 from featured region California
• 50 participating restaurants, hotels, caterers
• 1,450 wines.
• 42,000 bottles poured and/or purchased (2018 stats)
• 82,000 wine glasses used (2018 stats)

Our Numbers …

32 interviews..
25 winemakers
7 CEO’s or General Managers.
Sleepless nights – 2
Hours budgeted for all interviews – 3
Minutes to missing last Harbour Air flight – 1

THE SHOW

41 years ago the Vancouver International Wine Festival opened their doors to the World’s wineries.
Only one showed up. Robert Mondavi brought his California wines to pour that day.
Some say California saved the show.

And so, here we are 41 years later and California is the feature region at the 41st VanWineFest.
What a line up. We couldn’t talk to them all but we did do pretty well.
Seventeen Californians and one certain Washington Red Mountain newbie.
Have a favourite California wine? Check the list below. See if it’s there or see if it’s there but go looking for a new California pal.
FYI – Next Week Gina Gallo. Jean Charles Boisset and 15 Canadian winemakers

Jon Bonne – Keynote Speaker. Author of The New Wine Rules

Here’s why I immediately liked Jon Bonne.
“ Not all pink wine need be Summer water But Whispering Angel should be cast into some Miltonian iteration of Hell”
Jon Bonné is one of the most influential American voices on wine. He is the senior contributing editor for PUNCH, and the author of The New California Wine and The New Wine Rules.
www.punchdrink.com

Jon Bonne

Bob Blue – Founding Winemaker at Bonterra, 1000 Stories and Elysian Collection.

In 2016 the Wine Enthusiast awarded Bonterra as its American Winery of the Year because of its commitment to organic farming and it’s quality of affordable wines. Bonterra is the most popular organic wine in the USA.
Fetzer’s bourbon-barrel-aged Zinfandel 1000 Stories debuted in 2014. In the five years since, production has exploded from 5,000 cases to more than 140,000 annually!
www.bonterra.com
www.fetzer.com

Craig McAllister – Winemaker at La Crema

A New Zealand native, McAllister earned a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and enology from Lincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand. His deep passion for winemaking has taken him all over the world, from New Zealand to Australia, Chile and Cyprus. Since moving to California, in addition to his work with La Crema, McAllister has also made wine for Wild Ridge, crafting elegant Pinot Noir from vineyards on the rugged Sonoma Coast.
www.lacrema.com

Randy Lange – Owner Lange Twins

Lange Twins

Randy Lange is a fifth-generation winegrower.
During the 1870’s his Great-Grandparents, Johann and Maria Lange, settled in Lodi. By 1916 they had the family’s first grape-ranch. It was on this ranch where their dad, Harold, was born in 1920.
In 1974 they decided to farm on our own. They finally built Lange Twins winery in 2006.
FYI – Lange Lodi vineyard produces spicy old-vine Zinfandel, concentrated Bordeaux-style wines and lively Rhone-style reds and whites—many from organically or sustainably farmed vineyards.
www.langetwins.com

Ondine Chattan –

Chief Winemaker Share a Slash/Cannonball/Cowboys and Angels
High Dive and Astrolabe
Ondine is a passionate Sonoma County winemaker with experience ranging from cult boutique producers to notable household name brands. Her love of the diversity of Sonoma and California at large fuels her enthusiasm for making a range of varietals from Sauvignon Blanc to Cabernet. Started her career at Cline, Beam and Geyser Peak.
www.shareasplash.com

Emma Swain – CEO St Supery

Emma Swain, CSW and CEO of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery has worked in the wine industry for more than 20 years. Emma started in finance, before joining Niebaum-Coppola Winery and later worked at Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery for thirteen years as Chief Operating Officer
“Our primary focus is on Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, “We’re a 100 percent Estate Winery, which means that we grow and produce everything that we make, without a drop of anything else coming into the process. Of the more than 530 wineries in the area, there are only a handful in the Napa Valley that are 100 percent Estate.”
www.stsupery.com

Paul Wagner – Napa Valley College

Paul Wagner was honored by the American Wine Society as the winner of its annual Award of Merit for 2018. Other recipients of the award include Robert Mondavi, Gina Gallo, Warren Winiarski, etc
“Paul has influenced the way the public drinks wine and thinks about wine”
Paul Wagner has been an instructor for Napa Valley College’s Viticulture and Enology department for the past 23 years. In addition, he teaches at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, is a guest lecturer at many universities and has spoken at more than 80 conferences throughout the world on wine, wine education, wine tourism, public affairs, and wine marketing.
www.rickandpaulwine.com

David Gates Jr – Ridge Vineyards VP Vineyard Operations

After an obligatory stint in Napa Valley he made his way to Ridge in 1989. David’s duties include managing the historic Monte Bello vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Whitton Ranch at Geyserville, and the Lytton Estate vineyards at Healdsburg, as well as monitoring and helping all Ridge growers in Sonoma, Napa, Santa Clara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.
Ridge’s fame started when it was placed fifth in the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting. At the 30th anniversary tasting in 2006 it went several steps further, with its 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet winning first place in the original vintage category and the 2000 ranking top for new vintages.
www.ridgewine.com

Russ Weis – President Silverado Vineyards

In 2005, Silverado Vineyards pioneering winemaker Jack Stuart stepped down as general manager, and Russ Weis took the reins. Russ, a senior vice president with Robert Mondavi (launched Opus One), brought more than twenty years winemaking to Silverado. He is extremely passionate about the winery: “We enjoy an amazing array of meticulously cared for estate fruit. Even in the most challenging years, our vineyards guarantee us a level of quality which we can be proud to call Silverado.”
Silverado makes around 85,000 cases each year, of which 22,000 are Chardonnay and the rest Bordeaux-style wines. The vineyards are in cool climate Napa regions, Carneros and Stag’s Leap.
www.silveradovineyards.com

Harvest Duhig – Atlas Peak Winemaker/Grower Relations Wagner Family of Wines
Caymus.Conundrum.MerSoleil.Emmolo.Red Schooner

Born and Raised in Napa. In September of 2002 she tried selling grapes to Chuck Wagner. He declined the fruit but hired her to work with him.17 years later she’s Mountain Cabernet Winemaker for Caymus Vineyards. Harvest also has her own family winery Duhig, in Coombsville.
www.wagnerfamilyofwine.com

Kristen Barnhisel – Winemaker (White Wines) J Lohr

Also born and raised in Napa, Kristen brings two decades of viticulture and winemaking on three continents to making the whites at J Lohr.
Along the way she worked with mentors Zelma Long at Long Vineyard and Milla Handley at Handley Cellars.
www.jlohr.com

Ray Signorello – Owner/Winemaker Signorello Estates

Ray lost his winery to the Napa fires. The house his Father built and the buildings attached.
Surprisingly his wines mostly survived. Signorello was designed like a Bordeaux Chateau. Everything farmed in-house for the past 40 years. His surviving vines included 38 year old Chardonnay vines with the Cab vines not that far behind.

Ray Signorello

Ray was pouring his fabulous Signorello Estates Cab but also his new wines Fuse, Edge and Trim.
Signorello is Located in the heart of the Silverado Trail. Just North is Stags Leap and just West is Oak Knoll. There’s a new winery being built this year.
Ray on Social Media and Millennials
“They’re different from Gen X and Baby Boomers. They seem to be more interested in trying wines they haven’t heard of before – off-beat stuff – not necessarily the blue chip Napa Valley. So the challenge is how do we in Napa Valley make sure we’re engaging them”
www.signorelloestate.com

Randy Ullom Chief Winemaker at Kendall-Jackson

Randy Ullom

I cannot think of another winemaker who has stayed with the same winery for 28 years.
Randy oversees 12,800 acres of estate vineyards in cooler coastal California winegrowing regions. One third each in North Coast, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties.
www.kj.com

Randy Meyer Senior Winemaker Geyser Peak

A native of Santa Rosa Randy grew up tending the small family Muscat vineyard on their property.
He and his family promptly build a small cellar into a hill on their property and started production. As one does in wine country. Randy has interned at Piper Sonoma and Far Niente before spending 23 years with Korbel and Draxton Wine.
Geyser Peak was named Sonoma Winery of the Year in 2018 by The New York International Wine Competition. Farming in Sonoma plus The Russian River and Alexander Valleys.
www.geyserpeakwinery.com

Karl Wente – Wente Vineyards

Fifth generation winemaker and winegrower Karl Wente grew up working at Wente Vineyards and expanded his experience at the Peter Michael Winery in Sonoma and Brown Brothers winery in Australia. In 2013, Karl was named one of Wine Enthusiast’s “40 Under 40.
www.wentevineyards.com

Thank You to :
James Murray – Tech and production
Kristine Wilkinson (ThinkMilk.ca)
Bailey Jelinski (Milk)
Anna Stuber (Milk)

NEXT WEEK :

Part 2 : Vancouver International Wine Festival

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THREE OUTSTANDING BC WINE PROJECTS  and DEATH CAP SEASON.

THE SHOW:

Cedar Creek Vineyards

Graham Nordin GM/Taylor Whelan Winemaker

The Okanagan is trending.

The region has always attracted Social Media blasts but  this trending is different.

Our three Okanagan stories this week are about Cedar Creek, one of the first wineries in the valley but one that’s going through a transition to organic and new winery buildings are taking shape. It also has new leadership.

In February 2014, the Fitzpatrick family announced the transfer of ownership of CedarCreek to the Von Mandl family.  With this, two of the region’s pioneering winemaking families came together over a shared vision for the future of the Okanagan Valley.

On our way to The Judgement of BC a while back..we stopped at Cedar Creek and received a brisk tour through the cellars, the new tasting room  and Home Block,  their sublime  restaurant that was nominated  to EnRoute Magazines list of best restaurants in Canada.

General Manager Graham Nordin runs a tight ship and Taylor Whelan continues his role as Winemaker.  Both join us on TRR.

Are they on the right track?  Well, Cedar Creek has been named InterVin Winery of the Year for 2019.  They know exactly what they’re doing.

(FYI – Taylor Whelan will join us on next week’s special The Science of Wine)

www.cedarcreek.bc.ca

@cedarcreekwine

Phantom Creek Estates

Santiago Cilley  CEO

One of the biggest stories in all of Canadian wine circles is the purchase of prime vineyards and the rise of a stunning new winery.   Phantom Creek Estates in the South Okanagan will cost around $100 Million when it’s finally complete. Does that speak to you about the future of BC wine?

Phanton Creek Cellar

It began in 2016 with the purchase of the legendary vineyards of the late Harry McWatters and vineyard whisperer Richard Cleave.

Driven by a love of Bordeaux-style wine, Richter Bai purchased the  Becker and Phantom Creek Vineyards.

The stated object of all this commitment is not to just be another winery on the Okanagan but rather…

“setting the benchmark in Canadian viticulture and winemaking.  Phantom Creek’s estate vineyards are now in transition to organic and biodynamic farming practices. We’ve got a foot firmly rooted in the past with our vision to the future.”

Phantom Creek Estates on the Black Sage Bench announced the appointment of Santiago Cilley as chief executive officer, and Francis Hutt as winemaker.

Santiago Cilley CEO

Phantom Creek Estates will specialize in single vineyard Bordeaux reds, Alsatian whites and the Okanagan’s benchmark varieties of Syrah and Viognier.

Santiago  started his wine career working for Jackson Family Wines in California.  After 9 years Cilley relocated to Chile to lead the renaissance of certified sustainable Via Wines.

Cilley launched the exclusive Alejandro Bulgheroni Estate in St. Helena, Napa and oversaw Zinfandel pioneer Renwood Winery in the Sierra Nevada Foothills along with Bounty Hunter Rare Wines & Spirits.

Santiago Cilley is our guest  and has the latest on Phantom Creek. They open their doors to the public  in 2020.

www.phantomcreekestates.com

District Wine Village

Matt Kenyon

Matt Kenyon – GM Greyback Construction

Mike Daley – Director of Operations

Mike Daley

The first true wine village in Canada. Located in the heart of the South Okanagan, the Village will be surrounded by vineyards and home to 16 artisan producers. Will also include a 600 person performance area.  Perfect!!

The first village of its kind in Canada, District Wine Village will bring small-batch wine, beer, cider and spirit producers together alongside unique music and culinary experiences, all in one exceptional South Okanagan location.

They’re building as fast as they can.

 Like a dream come true.

 Matt Kenyon is the fourth generation, general manager of Greyback Construction, a family-run construction firm based in Penticton, BC.

Dedicated to supporting local communities, businesses and initiatives.

Mike Daley grew up in Kelowna   Mike’s wife  and  father in-law started Okanagan Vineyards Winery in the late 80’s (back when there was only 11 wineries in our province).  They were acquired by Vincor in 1996 and Mike became the Director of Operations for Western Canada.

He  successfully created BC Cider’s  business plan, built the Cidery  and created the brand Broken Ladder. This past spring Matt & Greyback construction approached Mike  with the idea of building  a wine village in the Okanagan and in 6 short months their  plan is coming to fruition.

www.districtwinevillage.com

Chef Bill Jones – Author of 12 books, many on foraging & mushrooms.

Chef Bill Jones

We return again to Deerholme Farm in The Cowichan Valley.

I set my seasonal clock by Bill Jones.

During walks in the forests on the  west coast, this year I’m seeing a tonne of mushrooms..of every stripe and shape.  My inner me says “it’s time to talk to Bill”

Bill Jones is the owner / chef at Deerholme Farm.   Bill has  an amazing array of experiences behind him. Bill has cooked in Michelin-starred restaurants in France and England.

He is also a renowned author and expert on the foods of the Pacific Northwest. Bill’s unique specialty is wild foods from the forest, fields and oceans. Many people have visited the farm and Bill’s  goal is to leave them with knowledge, good nourishment and a little happiness.

• Local Seasonal Food Dinners (mushrooms, French country cooking, etc)
• Hands-on Cooking Classes
• Wild Food Forages in the spring and fall

Bill will walk us through the mushrooms  for foraging  during December and how to serve them. He’ll also  give you a heads up on the Death Cap Mushroom..which has had a banner year out there and has already claimed one life and several pets.

death cap

(There’s a photo on this site..check it out)

Bill also tells us about  gearing up for his amazing local truffle dinners.

Truffle Dinner I – December 14th ($125)

Truffle Dinner II – December 21st ($125)

Bill’s latest book is the Deerholme Vegetable Cookbook (Touchwood Editions, 2015) following up the successful Deerholme Foraging Book  and the Deerholme Mushroom Book (Touchwood Editions, 2014, 2013).

He’s a local legend. If one of his famous themed farm-to-table dinners is on, drop everything and go—it’s likely to be the best meal in the province that night. Local food with foraged wild fare and global technique make for revelatory plates like Chanterelle and prawn toast with hazelnut sate sauce.” Vancouver Magazine

www.deerholme.com

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

The Science of Wine

-Mission Hill

-Cedar Creek

-Martin’s  Lane

-Road 13

-Checkmate

Wine gifts.

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A Tasting of Wines from Italy  –   Year 16 !  

 The Show

Depending on who you tallk to, Canada is either the 5th or 4th largest importer of Italian wine in the World.

We flat out love Italian wines.

Doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s :

WHITES

• Arneis
• Pecorino
• Pinot  Bianco
• Pinot Grigio
• Trebbiano-Abruzzese
• Verdicchio
• Vermentino

Or REDS

• Barbera
• Corvina
• Dolcetto
• Negro Amaro
• Primitivo
• Nebbiolo
• Nero d’Avola
• Sangiovese
• Aglianico

 They come from every part of this fabulous country:

• Puglia
• Sicily
• Tuscany
• Veneto
• Piedmont
• Asti
• Barolo
• Barbaresco
• Alba
• La Morra
• Sienna
• Chianti

And  then there’s the hottest star of the show – Prosecco.

 Italians don’t just sip wines.  Every Italian wine has to pair with Italian food.  Plain and Simple.

That fact and the work of time has made their wines into liquid art.

Even though they don’t push the organic branding as much as other countries, many Italian farmers, growers and owners have always grown organically.

My co-host for this Italian Special is Michaela Morris.

tdm and Michaela

Michaela  is an international wine writer, educator, judge and speaker based in Vancouver  with frequent engagements in Italy. Besides writing for several Canadian publications including Taste and Quench, Michaela contributes to Meininger’s Wine Business International and Decanter online and print magazines.

Michaela devotes much of her time traveling to wine regions around the globe and speaks English, French and Italian.

She saved me time and time again – with pronunciations, translations and introductions.

She knew most of the wine people pouring on the day.  I got to ride shotgun and this show was better for it.

Thank you Michaela. Impressive work.

The annual 16th A Tasting of Wines from Italy event is organized by the Italian Trade Commission and co-hosted  by the Consulate General of Italy.   The event was  also held in Calgary (16th edition) and in Toronto and Montréal (24th edition).

Alessandro Guagliardi Export Manager TRAVAGLINI GIANCARLO – Piedmont www.travaglinigattinara.it

Giovanni Silvestri CASALE DEL GIGLIO – Lazio

Ida Savoia Export Manager IL POGGIO VINI – Campania www.ilpoggiovini.it

Patricia Mejia Export Manager FIRRIATO – Sicily www.firriato.it

Federica Pecorari Owner LIS NERIS – Friuli  www.lisneris.it

Matthew Fleming, North American Brand Manager MALVIRA’ – Piedmont  www.malvira.com

Nicola Guidi (Guidi Owner) – Tuscany www.guidi1929.com

Carmen David D’Onofrio  (managing partner) Stile Brands  www.stilebrands.com

Matthew Landry – Stable House Bistro.  Sommelier of the Year  http://thestablehouse.ca/

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Bill Jones – Foraging Mushrooms

Touring Cedar Creek

A primer on Phantom Creek

The Science of Wine

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TOP DROP 2019 / FIRST TIME IN VICTORIA

The press release came in loud and clear.

For the very first time Top Drop was coming to Victoria.

Frankly, that’s all I needed to know.

I’ve been happily covering this small wildly successful wine gathering for
Six Years but Top Drop in Victoria is a whole other event. Why? Because
Victoria is a great wine town.

TOP DROP is Vancouver based so they needed a Victoria Host. Turns out the
Vessel crew have been watching this independent, craft wine festival seed
and grow in Vancouver, and spread to Calgary in 2018. This was their year to
launch it in Victoria for ONE DAY .

Victoria International Marina

Top Drop is an opportunity to celebrate authenticity in farming, terroir
and wine, with winery principals from around the globe.

Mirroring Top Drop Vancouver and Calgary’s flagship experience, the public
event is a walk around, grazing-style tasting where attendees enjoy sips
and stories from the principals of international and local wineries. There
has never before been a wine tasting of this scope and caliber in Victoria.

For me and TRR, the voice and face of Top Drop has always been Kurtis Kolt.
Wine educator and Wine writer for the Georgia Straight.

Kurtis and TD

Because of the foul weather, Kurtis and his partners were delayed in
Vancouver and could not attend while I was there.

Once again Kurtis Kolt and his partner Jeff Curry and a sensational team
have convinced some of the very best winemakers to pour at Top Drop.

What they have in common is craft and care!

In Kurtis’ column in the Georgia Straight he said this:

“Each year, our process begins the same. Our team casts out a wide net to
British Columbia-based importers and wineries, asking for winery
applications to participate in the event. First and foremost, Top Drop
wineries must fit with our general philosophy: that wines, indeed, express
terroir or offer a sense of place.

Whether we’re talking vines grown in mineral-rich soils or under
cool-climate growing conditions bringing bright acidity or in sun-drenched
regions offering generous, opulent fruit and so on, we want those elements
to be notable in the glass and for them to have arrived there authentically,
rather than via heavy-handed additions in the winery.

Sustainable farming is also key. There is a high priority on those who
employ these methods while farming their own fruit or who work with growers
who fit the mold.”

Winemaking Guests in Victoria:

(Check them out – Winners All!!)

Ross Borland Managing Partner/Vessel Liquor Victoria www.vesselliquor.com

Mitch Renaud Asst manager Vessel Liquor Victoria www.vesselliquor.com

Rhys Pender (MW) Little Farm/Similkameen Valley
http://www.littlefarmwinery.ca/

Angus Thomson Urlar/ Gladstone NZ http://www.urlar.co.nz/

Kelsey Rufiange – Echo Bay/OK Falls www.echobayvineyard.ca

Grant Biggs – Kitsch wines/Kelowna www.kitschwines.ca

Tyler Knight = Lightening Rock/Summerland www.lightningrockwinery.com

Larry Gerelus – Stags Hollow/OK Falls www.stagshollowwinery.com

Michael Shindler – A Sunday in August/Similkameen Valley
www.asundayinaugust.com

Dan Wright – Unsworth/Cowichan Valley www.unsworthvineyards.com

https://topdrop.ca/

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Bill Jones  (Deerholme Farm) – Foraging.  How, where and when.

Italian Winemakers  pour in Vancouver (co-host Michaela Morris)

The new Cedar Creek

Phantom Creek Rises.

UnCorked! A Celebration of the Science of Wine featuring

Mission Hill. Cedar Creek. CheckMate. Martin’s Lane. Road 13

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THE FIFTH AND FINAL JUDGMENT OF BC

THE SHOW

 The Wines of British Columbia were put to the ultimate test at the final Judgment of BC on Tuesday, October 29, where special guest and wine expert Steven Spurrier joined 32 top wine professionals from around the world and across the country to take part in a full-day, blind tasting of 24 of BC’s celebrated grape varieties; Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah against 16 international benchmarks.

I was honoured to be one of 32 wine judges in the room on the day.

Trust me, it was/is a humbling experience tasting wines “blind” and have a sheet in front of you that asks you to decide whether the wine is from BC or The World.

Your nose, your mouth,  your mind plays tricks on you.

For each varietal there were 6 from BC and 4 benchmarks from around the world.

We started with Pinot Noir, then Chardonnay.

Following that grueling morning we all headed for lunch and lots of talk about what was to come.

The afternoon was spent tasting and spitting Riesling and Syrah.

Paperwork was furiously filled out and collected.  DJ Kearney, the moderator and people wrangler asked for comments about what we had just experienced. Everyone seemed to have a comment, especially those from outside BC.

So many faces and memories in the room.  Most of them friends who had watched the BC wine industry grow and  work hard to be better.

Hosted by the BC Wine Institute, and curated by wine expert DJ Kearney, the final Judgment of BC took place in Penticton. Inspired by the legendary Judgment of Paris in 1976, the inaugural Judgment of BC was hosted in 2015 by the BC Wine Institute in honour of Steven Spurrier’s visit to British Columbia.

Steven Spurrier

Five years later, the BC wine industry was thrilled to welcome Steven Spurrier back to BC wine country to taste and evaluate world-class wines from the region.

DJ Kearney

“What I think is really exciting about BC wines is we’re tasting more and more like ourselves, our individual regions and individual sites. Our best examples are fresh on the palate, pure of fruit and really speak to our beautiful, cool, but hot climate.” Judge Barb Phillip, MW.

Tasting Room Radio would like to congratulate all BC wines who made the Judgment list and  the following BC wineries who took home top prizes in their categories. Arrowleaf Cellars ranked first among the Pinot Noir flight.

Terry and Manual Zuppiger (Arrowleaf)

Meyer Family Vineyards came in first for the flight of Chardonnay, with 50th Parallel Estate Winery in close second. For the Riesling flight, CedarCreek Winery came in second with St. Hubertus and Oak Bay Estate Winery coming in third.

The final flight of Syrah saw BC wines take all three top spots with Tightrope Winery coming in first, Le Vieux Pin Winery in second and Stag’s Hollow Winery and Vineyard in third.

(Complete results at the bottom of page)

Guests on this edition of Tasting Room Radio  include:

• Gurvinder Bhatia – Edmonton Journal/Quench Magazine
• Daenna van Mulligen – The Wine Diva
• DJ Kearney – New District
• Dr. Jamie Goode – Wine Journalist/Wineanorak.com
• Laura Kittmer – Wines of BC
• Steven Spurrier – Decanter
• Mark Filatow – Waterfront Bistro
• Kurtis Kolt  – Georgia Straight
• Rhys Pender – Master of Wine
• Anthony Gismondi – Vancouver Sun/Best of Food and Wine
• Sebastien Le Goff – Cactus Club Canada
• Manual Zuppiger = Arrowleaf Vineyards
• Larry Gerelus – Stag’s Hollow
• JAK Meyer – Meyer Family Vineyards
• Lyndsay O’Rourke –  Tightrope

www.winebc.com

PINOT NOIR RESULTS:

1. Arrowleaf Cellars Archive Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

2. La Crema Pinot Noir Monterey 2016 California

3. Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Estate Dundee Hills 2015 Oregon

4. Sperling Vineyards Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

5. Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

6. Louis Jadot Beaune Grèves Premier Cru 2015 Burgundy

7. Shaw + Smith Pinot Noir Adelaide Hills 2016 South Australia

8. Tightrope Winery Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

9. Quails’ Gate Winery Richard’s Block Pinot Noir 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. CedarCreek Estate Winery Platinum Block 2 Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

RIESLING RESULTS:

1. Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof Wiltinger Alte Reben 2014 Mosel, Germany

2. CedarCreek Estate Winery Platinum Block 3 Riesling 2018 BC VQA Okanagan Valley
3. St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Vineyards Family Reserve Riesling 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

4. Tightrope Winery Riesling 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

5. Culmina Family Estate Winery Riesling Decora 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

6. Upper Bench Estate Winery Riesling 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

7. Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling 2015 Columbia Valley Washington State

8. Rieslingfreak No. 3 Reverence of Riesling 2018 Clare Valley, South Australia

9. Martin’s Lane Winery Fritzi’s Vineyard Riesling 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. Nigl Dornleiten Riesling Kremstal 2015 Austria

CHARDONNAY RESULTS:

1. Meyer Family Vineyards Chardonnay Tribute Series Donovan Tildesley Old Main Road Vineyard 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

2. 50th Parallel Estate Winery Chardonnay 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

3. Craggy Range Chardonnay Kidnapper’s Vineyard 2017 Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

4. Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

5. Chartron et Trébuchet Pouilly Fuissé 2017 Macon, Burgundy

6. Laroche Chablis Premier Cru La Chantrerie 2016 Burgundy, France

7. Tantalus Vineyards Chardonnay 2015 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

8. Monte Creek Ranch Winery Chardonnay Reserve 2016 BC VQA British Columbia

9. Culmina Family Estate Winery Chardonnay Dilemma 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley
10. Bethel Heights Vineyard Chardonnay Estate Eola-Amity Hills 2015 Oregon

SYRAH RESULTS:

1. Tightrope Winery Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

2. Le Vieux Pin Winery Cuvée Violette Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

3. Stag’s Hollow Winery & Vineyard Syrah Amalia Vineyard 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

4. Saint Cosme Crozes-Hermitage 2016 Northern Rhône, France

5. Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz Barossa Valley 2017 South Australia

6. Time Winery Syrah 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

7. Painted Rock Estate Winery Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

8. Domaine Jamet Syrah Collines Rhodaniennes 2015 Northern Rhône, France

9. C.C. Jentsch Cellars Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. K Vintners MCK Syrah 2015 Washington State, USA

… and the winners below!

JUDGMENT OF BC JUDGES:

• Gurvinder Bhatia
• Jenna Briscoe
• Sid Cross
• Dr. Janet Dorozynski
• Mark Filatow
• Zach Geballe
• Anthony Gismondi
• Dr. Jamie Goode
• Christina Hartigan
• Lingzi He
• John Isacs
• Kelcie Jones
• Kurtis Kolt
• Sebastien Le Goff
• Bryant Mao
• David McIntyre
• Sharon McLean
• Michaela Morris
• Terry David Mulligan
• Tim Pawsey
• Rhys Pender, MW
• Barbara Philip, MW
• Iain Philip
• Rod Phillips
• Treve Ring
• Brad Royale
• John Schreiner
• Dawn Smith
• Steven Spurrier
• Shane Taylor
• Daenna Van Mulligen
• Matt Wentzell
• Jason Yamasaki
  

  STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

  Phantom Creek Rises

  The Italians pour in Vancouver (Michaela Morris co-hosts)

  Chef Bill Jones – Foraging and cooking at Dearholme Farm

hello

New Zealand Pure Discovery 2019

THE SHOW

New Zealand is recognised as one of the world’s premium wine regions,
mainly due to the success of their Marlborough region Sauvignon Blanc

This explosive varietal introduced the world to New Zealand Wine.

In 2019 they would like to celebrate the success of their famous white
through sub-regional expressions as well as showcase the lesser known
varieties such as Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Rose.

Several weeks ago I was offered the opportunity to “speed date” a handful of
New Zealand Winemakers as they passed through Vancouver. I sat at a desk and
they showed up one at a time..each with a wine in hand.

Frankly, it was a blur.

In listening back to the discussions several things became clear.

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is World Class but now it’s time to check out
sub regions of the North and South islands.

Simon Toneycliffe GM Whitehaven. (Marlborough’s Golden Mile)

Simon Toneycliffe WhiteHaven

Whitehaven wines are grown, crafted and bottled in Marlborough. Each wine is
a powerful, elegant and consistent expression of Marlborough’s classical
wine styles. The white label is the flagship. Their growth has been nothing
short of fantastic.

Whitehaven has been successfully exporting to the United States since 2004
when its first shipment totaled just 5,000 cases. In 2015 Whitehaven
celebrated the export of its millionth case of wine to the US.

Canada is showing the same kind of growth.

The reason is simple. Affordable World class wines.

www.whitehaven.co.nz

Wayne Leadbetter – VP Sales Te Awanga Wines (Hawkes Bay)

Wayne Leadbetter Te Awanga

Planted 25 years ago by a group of friends in one of Hawke’s Bay’s oldest
wine growing areas, they dreamt of making the region’s greatest wines.
They say they’re still working on it but believe their vineyard, right by
the coast truly captures something unique.

Sitting on an elevated site in the Te Awanga foot hills, the cellar door has views down through our vines,
across the Te Awanga basin and out to the Pacific Ocean. Spectacular.

Syrah and Chardonnay are exceptional.

www.teawangaestate.co.nz

Jim Robertson Global Wine Ambassador NZ Brands – Stoneleigh/Pernod Ricard
(Marlborough)

Jim Robertson – Stoneleigh

Stoneleigh Vineyard is situated in the heart of the Rapaura area on the
northern side of the Wairau valley in Marlborough, New Zealand. The ‘Golden
Mile’ of vineyards.

Stoneleigh takes its name from the stones that cover the
vineyard – land that’s now home to some of the oldest grafted Sauvignon
Blanc blocks in Marlborough.

The stones store and reflect the sun’s heat up into the vines, enhancing the ripening process and contributing to the
unique taste of Stoneleigh wines.

Jim travels the World – a natural storyteller and what a story. NZ wines
are recognized the World over.

http://www.stoneleigh.com <http://www.stoneleigh.com/>

Joel Watson – Winemaker at Luna (Martinborough)

Joel Watson – Luna

Luna Estate has been lovingly renovated and transformed into one of
Martinborough’s premier wineries.

While their main love is Pinot Noir, they also produce elegant Pinot Meunier Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot
Gris, Chardonnay, and Syrah. It’s almost impossible to capture how
passionate Joel Watson is about NZ winemaking and Luna. It shows in his
wines.

A fierce believer in Martinborough.

www.lunaestate.co.nz

Rory Crawford – Loveblock (Wellington)

Loveblock is the home of Erika and Kim Crawford. Yup, the same Kim Crawford
who sold his namesake winery and Loveblock is what they did with the money,
honey.

This 180 acre (72 hectare) vineyard is perched on top of the hills
overlooking the Awatere Valley above Wellington..

The site is perfect for growing premium aromatic white varietals. Due to the
strong winds, the vine growth is slow and they tend to get very small
berries giving high aromatic concentration in the wine.

The main vineyard area produces Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris
predominantly, as well as Pinot Blanc, Tempranillo, Gewurztraminer, Chenin
Blanc and of course, Riesling.

www.loveblock.co.nz

Hamish McRae – Forrest and The Doctors (Marlborough)

Hamish McRae – Forrest & The Doctors

The vineyard of Doctors John and Brigid Forrest.

Forrest Wines – The first vintage for Forrest Wines came in 1990 when an
over-filled red wine fermenter “accident” resulted in a trophy-winning
Merlot Rosé.
Fast forward almost 30 years; many awards and accolades, 5 labels and
vineyards across the country. Forrest is set for generations.

Forrest is all Marlborough.

The Doctors – The Doctors’ range is about innovation and excellence.
New grape varieties, alternative winemaking techniques and select parcels of
fruit all qualify to create very special wines under this unique label.

https://www.forrest.co.nz <https://www.forrest.co.nz/>

https://www.forrest.co.nz/collections/doctors

www.nzwine.com

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

2019 Judgment of BC – The Final One

The spectacular Phantom Creek Winery

Checking out  Cedar Creek Winery

The Italians pour in Vancouver – Michaela Morris co-hosts

hello

Charles Smith ‘s Third Jet City Rose Experience in Seattle.

( Ann Sperling stays home and makes New Direction wines)

THE SHOW

Charles Smith – Founder Wines of Substance

Charlie is the founder of Washington’s largest winemaker owned winery and the 4^th largest wine producer in Washington State.

Charles Smith

He created and then sold Charles Smith Wines, and five other wines to Constellation.

His new  company, Wines of Substance made 53 different wines last year in their Seattle Jet City facility. 51 were single varietal.

Today he has a portfolio that includes

 K Vintners – The original. Royal City. The Creator. The Boy.

SIXTO – High Elevation Chards. Uncovered, Moxee Vineyard, Frenchman Hills

CasaSmith –  Italian inspired. CasaSmith Sangiovese, Barbera, Primitivo

Substance – Cabernet Sauvignon is the star.

B Leighton  –  By winemaker Brennon Leighton. From Olsen Hills in Yakima.

Wines of Substance showcases Charles Smith’s dedication to producing the very best  wines. From vineyard to glass.

Charles built and opened Jet City in Seattle.  It’s the largest urban winery on the West Coast.

When I saw the artists that would take the stage in the cellar..Rev Horton Heat and Har Mar Superstar – I realized none of my questions or their answers would be heard.

Guests from this wild ride include

Charles Smith  http://winesofsubstance.com/

Chef Stuart Lane http://www.spinasse.com/about/chef-bio/

Andrew Latta – Latta Wines  http://www.lattawines.com/

Ann Sperling –  Winemaker Sperling Vineyards

Sperling Vineyards (Tourism Kelowna)

Note – Sperling Vineyards 2015 Old Vines Riesling Estate Bottled.  95 Points Decanter Wine Awards.  The only Gold medal winning still wine from BC

 A true original.

Ann Sperling creates wines in Ontario, Nova Scotia and most importantly in her family’s home vineyard in Kelowna at a special piece of land called Pioneer Ranch.

It was established and planted in 1929.

Ann grew up in those vineyards but found herself pulled away as more and more vineyards sought her expertise.

She spent several years at Cedar Creek. Then headed back East to the organic and biodynamic vines of Southbrook Vineyards in  Niagara.

Ann Sperling

Finally in 2008 Ann and her immediate family members decided to launch  Sperling Vineyards at Pioneer Ranch.

So..here we are 11 years later and the wines are  pushing the outer edges of what we know BC wine to be.  Wines to keep an eye on.

Their portfolio has specific series called Heritage, Market and Late Harvest/Icewine.

The one series that is really game breaking is The Vision Series of wines.

That’s what Ann and I are going to be talking about .

Organic Natural Amber Pinot Gris 2017 – Like no other Pinot Gris you’ve tasted. Orange and made from 40% whole cluster, 40% whole berry and 20% pressed juice. Nothing added. Nothing taken away.

Vision Chardonnay  2016 (BC Left Gov Award)  . Large French Oak barrels. Minerality and structure.

Organic Pinot Noir 2014 – Hand harvested Dijon clones  144. 777. 828

And the star of the show  Speritz Pet Nat 2018.  (Love and Labour)

Perle of Csaba grapes planted in 1934 – Honouring the Past.

8.3% alcohol.  No fining, No filtration. Wild ferment. Bottled with lees.

Seek and enjoy!!

www.sperlingvineyards.co

Many thanks to our great pal Tim Meeks, who suggested this event and ferried  us around Seattle!

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

Tofino Food and Wine

A special feature on “field blends”

Fire Season in The Okanagan

The Wickaninnish Inn opens a spectacular cellar

Tofino mid-week experience. Chefs and more chefs

BC Shellfish Festival / Courtenay-Comox

Cowichan Valley Wine Festival

Chefs speak out on their/our  role in saving fishery

hello

THE SHOW

The Cowichan Valley Wine Festival came and went.  I missed it due to a road trip.

However, it’s an ongoing story that I just couldn’t pass up. Many thanks for photos to: Corey & Heather Wood

By all accounts, it was a huge success,  with many comments about the “new faces” showing up.

A whole new wine fan has discovered this  region just North of Victoria on Vancouver Island!

Let’s face it, if you’re not The Okanagan Valley, you just have to try harder to get people’s  attention.

That’s exactly what Cowichan  Valley is doing.

I sent a message to Mike Nierychlo at Emandare to ask if he could wrangle a gaggle of winemakers all in one spot to get caught up on 2019.

Wrangle he did. On the crush pad at Emandare. (And he even brought the sandwiches)

I will admit that during the last interview with Joe Busnardo I had real trouble understanding what he was saying..his accent was thick and he really rambled. I just kept nodding and smiling. I hope you do better with Joe. He’s a real treat!

Today’s guests are:

Mike Nierychlo –  Winemaker/co-owner Emandare  https://www.emandarevineyard.com/

Brent Rowland – Winemaker at Averill Creek and joue https://www.averillcreek.ca/

Garrett Deol– The next winemaker at Deolhttp://www.deolestatewinery.com/

Zack Brown – co-owner/winemaker at Alderlea http://www.alderlea.ca/

Mark Holford – co-owner/winemaker at Rocky Creek http://www.rockycreekwinery.ca/

Marilyn Venturi – co-proprietor at Venturi Schulze https://www.venturischulze.com/

Lorin Englis – GM at Enrico https://www.enricowinery.com/

Dan Wright – Winemaker at Unsworth https://www.unsworthvineyards.com/

Michael Abbott – Vineyard Manager/Raisin Rancher  at Blue Grouse https://www.bluegrouse.ca/

Joe Busnardo –  Winemaker/owner/legend at Divino http://www.divinowine.ca/

https://www.tourismcowichan.com/eat-drink/

https://www.tourismcowichan.com/cowichan-valley-wine-festival/

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

FFFF  – the 7^th annual Food. Fishing. Friends. Fluids field trip

This year in the and on the Similkameen Valley/River

Full Italian

Harvest Roundup