an Ode to the humble pot roast

Pot roast:

The lowliest cut of beef turned into the most succulent comfort food. I mean, what says comfort more than pot-roast? Immediately thoughts turn to Sunday evening meals; family is near, there’s good conversation amidst the bickering (it is family after all) and always a decent bottle of wine.

Well as soon as I tasted these two wines I started thinking of pot-roast, and I hope the wineries take that as a compliment! For not all red wines under $20 can actually stand-up to the richness, the intense “beefiness” that is great, slow-cooked meat. These wines deliver concentration, balance and value… perfect for your Wintery-type braised dishes.

THE WINE

2010 Milton Park Shiraz

88+ points, Very Good Value

$14.99 www.BCLiquorStores.com

… deep, dark and inky in the glass – it even looks like a wine for beef! Rich aromas of stewed cherries and blackberries, some fresh thyme and rosemary with that background of cracked pepper that is signature Shiraz. Crisp, light acid and approachable, chewy tannin, the flavors in the wine are much in-line with the aromas and are rich enough to pair with dinner but fresh enough to appreciate a glass or two on their own.

*Shiraz: a note on Shiraz; it is the exact same varietal (grape) as Syrah… no difference at all! The only thing that is worthy of noting between the two is that in the past Syrah was considered the French style of winemaking (and so more restrained, less obvious fruit and more earth tones) and Shiraz was the Australian style meaning big bold fruit, higher alcohol. Well, the times have changed and in a recent meeting of the #WineTastingCircle of Vancouver, industry professionals couldn’t tell which was Australian, American, Canadian or Spanish Syrah/Shiraz. It’s not that there are no differences, but that wine-making has grown and evolved that much in the past 10 years. If you think that you don’t enjoy Australian Shiraz but enjoy full-bodied wines with great concentration, balance and structure then you owe it to yourself to “pony-up” the $15 and give this little gem a try.

Jumilla “Las Hermanas” organic Monastrell

89+ points, Excellent Value

$15.99 www.BCLiquorStores.com

… fresh, fruity, inviting: this is the wine you open as you’re cooking and hope that you have a second bottle for dinner! The aromas are plush with red cherries, currants and young plums and the palate has just enough acid to crave a bit of fatty food but, once again, balanced enough to appreciate thoroughly on its own. A solid wine, this is already on my Top 100 list for 2014~!

*Monastrell: not familiar with it? I find that this grape is very much like Merlot, which all of us can remember as fresh, fruit-driven flavors. This is a classic to serve at social events, but when well-made can offer concentration and structure to pair with classic Canadian winter dishes like pot-roast, tortierre and Shepard’s pie/Cottage pie. As per this particular producer, it’s small wonder that the European Portfolio Manager for the BC Liquor Board (one of Canada’s three Masters-of-Wine: Barbara Phillip) has named this as an “Insider Pick”. This would be a great value even if it wasn’t organic!

THE FOOD

Making beautiful food doesn’t have to be time consuming! And while I can admire the economy of throwing everything into one pot and turning it on, when plating that food it can look sometimes like a plate for the dog rather than the (fussy) kids.

This plate of pot-roast took relatively little extra time to prepare for dinner @ 5:30:

STEP 1:   2pm:      pot-roast in the oven @ 350F (about a 4lb roast)

STEP 2:   4:30:      baked potato and spaghetti squash in the oven

STEP 3:   5:00:      sauté the whole mushrooms on medium-high for 5 minutes, then in the oven

STEP 4:  5:20       steam the carrots 5 minutes, then throw the broccolini in, continue steaming 3 minutes

Kristof’s Pot Roast Recipe

1 fl oz     canola oil

1              yellow onion, finely sliced

6              cloves garlic, finely sliced

4 lb         pot roast

1 lb         green cabbage, rough chopped

½ bottle red wine

1 L           beef stock

½ tsp        each: fresh thyme and fresh rosemary

*salt and pepper to taste

• Start by sautéing the onions in the oil on medium until translucent
• Add the garlic and continue cooking until it’s turned a nutty brown
• Add the beef, sear on all sides. When it’s on it’s last sear then add the cabbage
• When the beef is finished searing, add the wine, then stock, then herbs
• DO NOT salt the dish until it’s finished cooking… as it reduces, the flavors will concentrate. If it tastes perfect at the start then by the end you run the risk of having salty food!
• Just before serving slice the roast on your cutting board and thicken the juice with cornstarch – excellent gravy! Don't forget to rest the roast on that cutting board for a good 15 minutes to ensure it stays moist!

So enjoy your pot-roast dinner with great wine and family or friends. Treat yourself, spoil someone else, and above all: savor the moment~! Many thanks to the Christopher Stewart Wine Agency, representatives in Canada, for the sample bottles. www.christopherstewartwineandspirits.com

As always, I look forward to your thoughts, comments and questions. Here, or:

on Twitter @AStudentofWine

on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/TheChefandTheGrape

COS di Vittoria, organic/bio-dynamic wines, Sicily

www.CosVittoria.it

The first time I tasted the COS Vittoria wines, it was at a very large, very loud, very crowded industry-event. Hundreds upon hundreds of purchasers, sommeliers, writers, winemakers, merchants, etc were (by their nature) hawking their wares, politely (or not) refusing a sample they knew to be dross, smiling at everyone always, always. And in the midst of this cacophony I stumbled, quite literally, into the table of WineQuest Wine and Spirit Brokers inc.

I always try to go to these events with something of an agenda - mostly to keep myself from falling prey to every bottle that catches my fancy and every merchant who hires a beautiful young woman, mermaid-like, serenading sommeliers and writers to certain doom on the rocky shoals of inadequate production values. The WineQuest table had no such Siren, only two gentlemen enjoying a dram of their own wares and seeming quite pleased with the results. Now this peaked my interest... I simply had to taste the wine that the merchants couldn't help but take the odd sip of.

The wine was the COS Vittoria frapatto and I was flummoxed. True enough, Italy has over 2000 cultivated varietals of grapes and I do not profess to be  a Master of Italian wine. However, I had never even heard of this varietal and was intrigued on yet another level. Let's be honest here, how exciting is it to try yet another Chardonnay or Merlot?

Frapatto I discovered is indigenous to a small area of Sicily and has a lengthy history on the island, having been written about since the 1700's (many thanks to the iconic Jancis Robinson and staff at www.JancisRobinson.com for confirming much of my independent research). Usually blended, this grape is capable of conveying minerality with the style and elegance one would expect from Burgundy, and with some similar qualities of red berry and warm spice notes that I enjoy in craftsmen-level products.

I tasted the wine, was thoroughly impressed, and needed to move on through the throng. I gave Peter Jones of WineQuest my business card and waded through the masses to my next salubrious sampling... less then a week later, I came home from a long day to find two bottles of COS Vittoria on my veranda and their adjoining spec-sheets in my email. What I discovered in that evening's research was that my taste-buds had steered me in the direction of true artisans in Sicily~!

Giusto hard at work

 COS Vittoria has been producing a level of wine far ahead of the curve since it's inception in 1980. That was the year that a triad of wine-geeks decided that whilst pursuing their education in such lofty pursuits as Architecture and Medicine, they would spend the summer reviving an old uncle's vineyard. We all know that students, by-and-large, have no money and none knew that better then friends Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti and Cirino Strano as they did everything by hand for the meager production of 1456 bottles of Frapatto. It's important to keep in mind that, at the time, there was only one vigneron on the island who was producing frapatto as a single varietal and, in total, there was less then 1000 acres dedicated to it's production worldwide. To the unbeliever, this was a varietal on the brink of extinction; relegated to being turned to must to enhance the flavors of it's more prestigious cousins in southern France (Burgundy) and northern Italy.

But Sicilians support their own, and when the triad of brave/foolish entrepreneurs went in search of sales for their hand-crafted wine, they found merchants and restaurateurs willing to give it a try (and glad that they did). The quality spoke for itself, and soon several other producers in the region started making single varietal frapatto and bottling it. In less then a decade the trio had reached a level of success that allowed expansion of the facility as well as the importing of more expensive tools such as French oak barriques. These costly developments did not have their desired effect~!

vineyards at COS Vittoria

For when the trio (soon to evolve into a duo as Strano turned his attention solely to medicine) began to open bottles of new vintages matured in the French barriques, they found that much of the clean mineral tones and warm earth notes had been replaced or covered over by buttery, leathery oak. This was not the wine that they had fallen in love with!! Giambattista and Giusto had to find a way of maturing the wine in a manner that allowed for evolution yet masked none of the characteristics that made it so unique. At first they used older barriques and larger barrels with more neutral Slavonian oak.

It was also at this time that the winemakers understood the need for the winery and the vineyard to take a holistic/natural approach to the craft. Bio-dynamics principles were applied, the use of chemicals prohibited, and the utilization of the 400 litre ancient amphorae was introduced. Here was a maturation vessel that allow for the correct amount of contact with oxygen and yet imparted no flavors that would dilute the utterly captivating qualities of the calcareous/umber sandy soils.

These endeavors, and many more, led to COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria being award the prestigious DOCg status, the first and only wine of Sicily to do so. And is this the only proof that this labor-of-love was worthy of such extreme efforts? Not at all. Not only are there over 40 new producers of the blend of Frapatto and Nero D'Avola (Cersasuolo) in 30 years, and not only have Italian and international wine press raved about the wines, but there was the proof in my glass which spoke volumes!

2010 COS frapatto

90+ points 

*benefits from 1 hour decant or 1-2 runs through the aerator

• visual:   clear; pale ruby core to bright cherry rim, no signs of aging
• nose:   clean; fully intense and youthful aromas – much like Morgon/Fleurie – bright tones of fresh/slightly candied berries, sophisticated line of keen minerality throughout the palate, Old World funk/barnyard
• palate:   clean; dry, medium+ to full young raspberry acid, medium tannin, medium- body, medium- alcohol, medium+ intense and very youthful flavors; the minerality that lurked beneath the surface of the bouquet jumps to the surface in the palate! Very good balance, excellent structure, medium+ length
• conclusions:   the organic viticulture has allowed for a transparency in the soil or, as the French would call it, climat. This type of viticulture I find also always allows for long life-spans. Enjoy 2013-2020
• FOOD PAIRING:   as it reminded me so much of northern Beaujolais, I would use it as such. Serve slightly chilled (14/15C) and with cold smoked duck breast on wild greens, pickled Bing cherries, Boursin cheese on warm dark rye

 I adore that both of these wines are genuine, and genuinely stylized. By that I mean that the winemaker has his own sense of style and composition, and whilst following his own sensibilities has crafted wines that are still classically Italian and utterly Sicilian. Yes, I said the frapatto has Beaujolais-like qualities to the palate, but the aromas are pure Vittoria and take one instantly to an Old World way of life.

2010 Cerasuola

91+ points 

60% Nero D’Avola and 40% Frapatto

age of vines: average 28 years

*benefits from 1 hour decant or 1-2 runs through the aerator

• visual:   clear;   pale ruby core to light cherry rim, slightest signs of aging
• nose:   clean; medium+ intense and developing aromas of warm blackberry/raspberry compote with fresh garden herbs, more of the Old World funk/barnyard (in the best of all possible ways),
• palate:   clean, dry, medium+ raspberry acids, medium+ chewy tannin, medium+ body, medium- alcohol (13% ABV), medium+ developing flavors that are much in-line with the aromas; a beautiful array of warming red and dark berries, fresh garden herbs, clean earth tones. Minerality is carried by the Frapatto, but not as pronounced as when it is single-varietal. Very good to excellent balance and structure with medium+ length on the palate
• conclusion:   this wine as well has a prodigious life ahead of it. It will cellar easily for another 5 years or longer, but should most likely be consumed before 2018
• FOOD PAIRING:   if the Frapatto on it’s own is like northern Beaujolais, then blended with Nero D’Avola it becomes more like Burgundy… I would enjoy it as such: served slightly chilled with a wild mushroom risotto or even the classic beef bourguignon although the acids are not truly high enough to prepare bourguignon a la method classique (which is very high in fat)

I had my first taste of COS di Vittoria because I was intrigued by wine-merchants who needed no gimmicks, no flamboyancy, no carnival-like show to sell their wines. These gentlemen believed in their product, and that was enough for them... I had my last taste of their wine and wondered how it was that I had never heard of it before.

Organics, bio-dynamics, ancestral-farming, sustainable-viticulture... all of these terms mean more then the sum of their parts: it is a journey, not a destination. It is my distinct privilege to have been here to witness this young winery, in this ancient place, which is reviving the most ancestral of wine-making practices to  build a brighter future. With a glass of wine, and a hefty portion of Belief I have been encouraged to see that to some winemakers, personal satisfaction means more then any score in a magazine. In the 1990's, when only a handful of wine-critics seemed to control what wines sold and which did not, these newcomers decided that the trend of oak, oak and yet more oak was - to them - an injustice to their wine. They risked offending the gods of oenology and did what they felt was right, what was best for their wines.

I hope that I have the good fortune to taste many more wines made with such fortitude.

As always, I welcome your comments either here or on Twitter @AStudentofWine

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Novas wines by Emiliana organic vineyards

Recently, I've been focused on the concept of terroir, and it's preservation. So much so, that I sent an idea for a lecture about this critical theme to the North American Wine Blogger's Conference. They have taken my idea, melded it with another theme, and will be re-packaging it into a 2.5 hour panel-lead discussion on Saturday 08th June. I'm pretty giddy about that!

But why? What's all the commotion about you say?

There is an evolution happening not only in the wine industry in general, but in our province of British Columbia in specific. Many readers know that in 1986 there were only 33 wineries in BC, and by 2011 that number had grown to over 240. We are growing faster then even the greatest wine gurus of Canada can reasonably keep up with.

But it's not just growth in numbers of wineries, or volume of production, that is so exciting to me and many others. It's the proliferation of truly world-class wines that are coming from our extreme wine region. We here at the most northerly edge of the wine-world are releasing sparkling wines rated as some of the finest anywhere. We produce truly unique and high-caliber Pinot Noir, ultra crisp, clean Chardonnay, bone-dry and fully intense Riesling... I even know a winemaker who produces small quantities of a brilliant Tempranillo. 

But will we always?

vineyard at Emiliana

As much as there is fantastic development in organics and bio-dynamics, and BC is one of the regions that is leading the foray,  there is another side to the industry. New winery owners are still being told, by some people, that it's ok when building a new winery - to bulldoze the land and then plant what is needed or wanted. There is still a proportion of the industry that doesn't believe that a natural ecosystem, well-preserved, is absolutely necessary to create a full and complete expression of terroir. 

It is that expression that creates uniquely beautiful wines. I also believe, as do many others, that it allows for greater life-span in the wines as well.

Emiliana organic vineyards (www.Emiliana.cl) is a brilliant example of these principles at work. I remember vividly the Vancouver Wine Festival of 2012, and be able to sit (in awe) and listen to the fantastically passionate Alvaro Espinoza (consulting winemaker). This man bristled with dynamic energy as he spoke of the investment of time, energy and passion into the land and the people who were producing Emiliana wines. 

There are so many things to list that Emiliana is doing well, that I would be remiss to even start the process - for you and I would be here for a long, long time. Better for you to read the company website and absorb from them directly the whats and hows of what this premium winery has done and continues to do. But let me tell you about the wines if you haven't tried them.

2010 Novas Chardonnay-Marsanne

DO Valle de Casablanca

$13.99 www.bcldb.com

89 points

www.PMACanada.com importers

vine age: 20 years
altitude: 370 m
vineyard yield: 6 tons/HA
maturation:  30% aged 4 months in new French oak
production: 9,350 cases

• visual:   clear; pale gold core with light watery rim, silver highlights
• nose:   clean; medium+ intense and youthful aromas; ripe pineapple, exotic floral notes, slate-like minerality, peppery finish
• palate:   clean; dry, medium+ green apple/lemon acids, medium body, medium+ ABV (14%), medium+ intense and youthful flavors that mimick the nose with a keen line of mineral throughout, starts with the lush fruit/floral and finishes with a clean light citrus tone. Very good balance and structure, medium length
• conclusion:   brilliant wine for the money. Drink now, drink often! Will not develop appreciable but can be held until 2018 or potentially longer
• FOOD PAIRING:   crisp lemon acids with love a fat roast chicken or duck! Consider poulet au quarantes l'ail (the chicken of 40 garlic) where you put generous wedges of garlic in little cuts in a whole chicken and slow-roast...divine!!

2010 Novas Cabernet-Sauvignon Carmenere
DO Valle de Colchagua
$17.99 www.bcldb.com
90 Points

vine age:   20 years
altitude:   245 m
soil composition:   colluvial; stoney with clay-loam
yield:   8 tons/HA
maturation:   12 months, 40% new French oak, 30% American, 30% stainless steel
production:   13,250 cases

• visual:   clear; deep garnet core with slightest cherry rim
• nose:   clean; fully intense and youthful aromas; pungent savory herbs; tomato leaf/bay leaf, ripe dark  plums, strawberries, bell peppers, rich dark chocolate
• palate:   clean; dry, medium raspberry acids, medium+to full chalky/chewy tannin, medium+ body, medium to medium- ABV(14%), medium+ to full intense and youthful flavors expressing deep earthy tones, savory dark chocolate, bright red berries, hints of tobacco and leather. Excellent balance and structure, medium+ length
• conclusion: whilst this is already drinking quite well, this will reward patient cellaring. Enjoy 2013-2020
• FOOD PAIRINGS:   dimension, elegance, this wine over-delivers and pairs handsomely with prime rib, but also consider seared venison flat-iron steak with maple glaze, steamed spaghetti squash and rainbow chard, "raz-el-hanout" spiced quinoa... very specifically the maple and the Arabic spices both play well off the wines dark cocoa notes and the nuttiness of quinoa will enhance the tobacco/leather tones

Though for this article I'm writing about the Novas line, I must mention the great jewel of Emiliana which is the Coyam Bordeaux-style blend. I will never grow tired of that wine! Truly elegant in it's production, it follows the principles of a left-bank Bordeaux-blend with it's high proportion of Cabernet-Sauvignon whilst creating a flavor-profile that is entirely it's own. It is unabashedly Chilean with it's richness of bouquet; the depth of the savory earth-tones, the dark floral aromas... I have never scored it less then 92 points and was un-surprised to discover that it had earned the prestigious title of "Best Wine of Chile" in 2003.

Alvaro Espinoza

This is what happens when a winery treats their land as it deserves. This is the direct result of a terrific investment of both finances and energy into allowing a natural landscape to evolve into a thriving vineyard. These ideals don't just exist on paper for wine-lovers: these ideals exist in the bottle, and the glass. Alvaro Espinoza understands and shares these ideals. He has brought the story of his land, his valleys and his people to my very distant part of the world and I will always be grateful to him for that. I look to this winery as one of the best examples of how our industry can be leaders in organics, in bio-dynamics and carbon-neutral business and can do so with heart, and spirit while building a truly prosperous business.

Well done Emiliana! I would have loved your wines enough for what was in the bottle - the back story is icing on the cake. Now I get to drink great wine and support a worthwhile company at the same time. Where are you investing your consumer dollars???

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Dominio de Punctum, Temperanillo blend from Spain

www.DominioDePunctum.com

There's always something heart-warming to me when I hear the tale of a person chasing their dream. Wine being my passion, what could possibly be more inspiring then, but a dream fueled by thoughts of a winery?

Enter the hero(s) of today's story: Jesus, Ruth and Maria-Cristina Fernandez of Dominio de Punctum organic/bio-dynamic estate and winery. Located only miles down the road from their traditional family estate on the plains of La Mancha, Spain, Jesus didn't always believe that he was destined to follow ancient family traditions. No, Jesus earned an MBA degree and worked for years in the finance sector. But, I'm told that we are all destined, more or less, to change career paths at least twice in our lifetimes.

Jesus chose his site with care, and the careful consideration that he and his family lavish upon their vineyards earned them the respectable Demeter Association certificate for bio-dynamic practices in 2005. If you are unfamiliar with bio-dynamic agriculture, please read about my local heros in British Columbia; the Cipes family at Summerhill winery in Kelowna (http://astudentofwine.blogspot.ca/2011/08/summerhill-pyramid-winery-cabernet.html ). In essence; this is a form of agriculture that celebrates a return to ancestral farming practices... it was only a few generations ago that farmers would rotate crops between fields to ensure that mineral-depletion in the soil was mitigated. These days? Farmers are taught to "impregnate" their earth with chemicals to enhance what was once natural. 

But I digress.

To me as a wine-writer, one of the greatest accomplishments that bio-dynamic farming facilitates is the ability to create true transparency in the glass (or bottle). And what do I mean by this? I mean that when the more educated palate tastes the bio-dynamic wine, they instantly get a sense of place. And when I say "educated" that doesn't necessarily mean book-educated... a man who has be drinking the wines of La Mancha for 50  years will certainly know the flavors of the region far better then I will, whether he has attended a wine class or not. He would taste the wine and it would taste of a certain region... a specific herbaceousness, or smokey characteristics, or coffee... you get the idea.

And these were the thoughts that pulsed as I tasted this little gem at under $15 CAD in the local BCLDB.com! Fresh and friendly, with some true depth to it - I had no idea of the price until I did some research and was more then impressed.

2011 Dominio de Punctum, Tempranillo-Petit Verdot

$13.99, 90 Points

Renaissance Wine Merchants

varietals:  70% Tempranillo, 30% Petit Verdot 
vineyard:   single vineyard, 110 HA
altitude: 750 m
soil:   sandy-loam, rich in limestone'

• visual:   clear; deep violet core with slightest cherry rim
• nose:   clean; moderate+ youthful aromas of blackberry, black cherry, dusty earth, cherry blossoms
• palate:   clean; dry; moderate+ red currant acids, moderate+ grippy tannins, moderate(-) body, moderate ABV (13.5%), moderately intense youthful palate mimicking the nose with emphasis on crisp red berry notes and a savory earthy background. Well balance, good structure, medium+ length
• conclusion: does well with 30 minute to 60 minute decant, this wine is drinking well now and will for several years. Enjoy 2013-2015
• FOOD PAIRINGS:  this really is a food wine. The tart acids may be daunting for the average North American consumer, but cosied up to a summer plate of cheese, bread and sausage - this will sing as wines under $15 rarely do. I personally enjoyed some as dessert with dark chocolate~! As a note, I had thought this was a very solid $20 wine my friend and colleague had sent me.

About 2 hours south of Madrid, half-way on the road to Valencia, you will find the vineyards of Dominio de Punctum. Here you can sneak a peak at a viticulture which, in many ways, is practiced as only the finest vineyards did 100 years ago. I say the finest because only great vineyards gift their wines with such love and attention, and until very, very recently - virtually no one practiced the old ways of farming. Not in the vineyard they didn't.

But we as wine-drinkers get to bear witness to this revolution. And, we get to fuel that revolution with our consumer dollars. We all are beginning to understand, in the most implicit ways, that the New Age style of farming, of living, simply does more harm then good. How brilliant then, that we have champions like the Fernandez family who will take on the work necessary to return us to something more sustainable. And when these business-people adopt modern techniques like installing a water-recycling plant (one of La Mancha's most pressing environmental issues) then we as a society are the better for it.

In a time when it seems that more and more choices are being taken away from us, this one is painfully simple and ridiculously easy. Vote with your dollars, and be the change you would see in the world.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Summerhill winery, Kelowna, BC

You ever have one of those perfect days? The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the world is your oyster...

the view from Summerhill vineyard

   I was having one of those days just a few weeks back; I was driving back from the awe-inspiring Wine Summit at the Post Hotel in Lake Louise, Alberta ( http://astudentofwine.blogspot.ca/2012/07/post-hotel-wine-summit-2012.html ) and the roads were absolutely clear. I had left first thing in the morning and was set to arrive at Kelowna's Summerhill Winery ( www.summerhill.bc.ca/ ) for lunch and a short interview with the winemaker Eric. If you're not familiar with this organic winery, you should take note: they are now the first certified bio-dynamic winery in British Columbia!

   So anyways, little did I know that I was going to meet a kindred spirit in Eric, enjoy a dozen wine samples with lunch and miss my evening class of the French Wine Scholar program in Vancouver. Ok, perhaps the extra wine made my afternoon snoozier then expected, and perhaps missing my class made my program more challenging then it already was, but I wouldn't have changed a thing.

   Eric is a very calm fellow; quite analytical in nature (seemingly) and genuinely approachable with a superbly dry sense of humor. Regardless that it was a summer day with the bottling line cranking out a new vintage full-throttle. Regardless that icewines were still fermenting and the executives clamouring for Eric to work some magic and get them into the bottle line. And regardless that this is Canada's most visited winery, which was filled to the brim with eager guests, Eric still took the time to welcome me into the inner sanctum of Summerhill's wine cellar gracefully. Of course, he may just have wanted to escape the early June 30+C heat as much as I did!

   We chatted for a bit as he led me through the cavern, about the growing conditions at the end of 2011. Everyone I've spoken to has talked about the challenges that Fall with inclement weather; too much moisture after near-drought and then low temperatures resulting in a shut-down of the vines. Summerhill was no exception to these conditions but, as a wise person I know one said:

   "Anyone can make great wine in a great year... you have to be an idiot some years not to make great wine. But the true professionals can make very good wine every year."

   Eric adapted to the challenging conditions in, I imagine, his calm and un-ruffled manner and he made icewine. Syrah icewine, Cab franc icewine, you name it - it became icewine (40 acres worth). We tasted some of those, and all were still actively fermenting.

2011 Riesling icewine
 92+ points

• vibrant  golden straw core
• bright citrus notes, bright summer floral, yellow grapefruit zest
• stunning balance this is zip, zip, zippy! Ultra refreshing this is my kind of icewine with full acidity, candied lemon zest notes running rampant, great balance, structure  with a strong start and finish. Very good concentration

2011 Viognier  icewine
 91 points

• murky in the glass (still fermenting)
• on the nose medium concentration of rich floral and stonefruit... layer upon layer with minerality underneath
• full acids, medium+ concentration focusing on nectarines and kumquats. A little lean right now but expect it to fill out as it matures

 2011 Zweigelt  icewine
 91+ points

• also murky in the glass, rich ruby-purple tones
• slightly sea-salt and traditional red berry aromas with a hint of warm earth
• full acids balance the sugar high, bright fresh berries full of life, very inviting... it's not terribly complicated but triumphs in it's simplicity (as opposed to being monotonous). Good concentration, balance, structure

We then had a good chat about cultured yeasts vs wild yeasts and what they bring to the party. Eric loves that every yeast will develop it's own priorities in flavenoids in the wine... simply put, every yeast enhances different aspects. I had assumed that perhaps because Summerhill embraces organic and bio-dynamic principles, that they would be using wild yeasts, but Eric cautions about the volatility of doing this... he knows what he wants to develop from his vineyards and to achieve these goals is using over 25 cultured yeasts judicially.


2011 Merlot icewine
 90+ points

• murky umber-ruby core
• medium+ sugary fresh berry notes with light red floral
• full acidity with those zip-zip-zippy acids balancing the fresh red berry flavors... excellent balance and concentration but a very linear flavor at present

2011 Syrah   icewine

 90+ points

• same umber-ruby core
• classic aromas of stewed and fresh plums, a touch of cocoa powder and blueberry
• medium+ acids that are well balanced, inviting with a slightly spicy finish and a developed Irish shortbread characteristic

 And finally I came down off of the sugar-rush in time to taste some wine that was being bottled as we spoke. We spoke about how Eric perceives his Cab Franc needing American oak instead of French, and how he prefers not to fine his wines with eggwhite or gelatin (making it vegan-friendly).

2009 Cab Franc
 91+ points

• almost 2 years in American appellation oak, 10% new. Coopered in BC
• racked but not fined
• medium+ to fully intense aromas; fresh red berries, rich savory earthiness, a little Kelowna sous-bois, touch of menthol-eucalyptus
• medium+ red and black currant acids, medium+ chalky tannins, medium body, medium+ concentration of flavors red and black raspberries, old leather, a hint of red meat/roast beef. Excellent balance, structure, length

 We moved just a few feet further and Eric poured something bright and vibrantly purple into my glass... I being who I am, drank without asking any questions. "Wow" I say, "this is bright, and fresh, and lovely. What is it?"

  "Cab Sauv" responds Eric, completely stunning me. This wine drank like a young Gamay Noir; super lively and understated tannins. How could this be? It was because we were tasting it before the barrel aging and what a treat it was. I failed to take proper notes on that wine, but it did lead us into an engaging conversation about flavor profiles in different varietals. Eric commented several times on how the preference in tastes is different in every region of the world, and winemakers need the business-sense to pay attention to that as they develop what has come in from the vineyard. "Who's showing up to the party" is the way he likes to put it.

   Eric and I moved our party out onto Summerhill's large deck at the restaurant overlooking the lake. There we started a leisurely lunch accompanied by a bevvy of still and sparkling wines. A word to the wise, make the time to stop here for a bite to eat! Knowledgeable, friendly staff, organic and responsibly-harvested foods prepared with definite skill and, compared to Vancouver, incredibly reasonable prices.

2008 Zweigelt
 $35, 91+ points

•  282 cases produced
• traditional slightly herbaceous, fresh fruit with leathery undertones (French oak, nothing newer then 3 years old)
• crisp yet approachable acidity that melds seamlessly with medium- chewy tannins... flavors very similar to the nose with the minerality that I love this varietal for. Excellent balance, structure and long length. Worth every penny

    I must give a nod to the chef because now when I listen to the recording from the early part of the meal, there are extended bouts of silence; punctuated only by the occasional sigh of contentment and clinking of silverware. Eric and I moved into a round of sparkling rosé, organic Pinot Noir and I found myself quite taken with the rosé; full of life it had deep savory tones and a richness far too often missing in North American versions.

   This lead us into yet another topic of conversation: oxidization in wines. I put forward the notion that the wine textbooks pre-1960 didn't talk about oxidization as much as they do now, and they certainly didn't talk about it with the same sense of wariness. Oxidization, to my knowledge, was once looked at as a winemakers tool that could be used to great effect and it seems to me as if the mainstream industry is losing that in an effort for "purity". Eric enlightened me as to how many judges in recent competitions are reporting more reductive qualities from Stelvin enclosure or screw-top then from cork... that the "perfect" enclosure is creating it's own host of issues in modern wines. Perhaps wine, as a living entity, needs oxygen... perhaps in some instances oxidization is a necessary and useful tool. There are alot of people in the wine industry who are actively exploring this concept.

   Speaking of exploring, Eric then chose a world-class sparkling Chardonnay for us to delve into as we ate:

2005 Cipes Gabriel sparkling Chardonnay 
(blanc-de-blancs)

$65, 94 points
*winner* Best International bottled-fermented Sparkling Wine, IWSC - London, England December 2009

• dry; bright, crisp, fresh carrying strong minerality throughout the palate
• tiny pearl-like bubbles; effervescent, rich/creamy mousse
• vibrant lemon-lime zest acidity, long notes of ripe apricots and almost-ripe pineapple
• stunning concentration and balanced my salmon entree perfectly, very long length on the palate and the structure is impeccable... truly Champagne quality for half the price

   I was stunned at the quality. I had tasted the Gabriel before at industry events, and always been impressed, but sitting in the sun with a bit of properly prepared food in front of me brought this wine into a new light. A true heavyweight contender in the international arena, it was sheer pleasure each and every drop.

   So then it begged the question: "What do you drink when you're not drinking your own wine Eric?"

   The answer was brilliantly simple: "Everything". Eric believes strongly (as the best businesspeople do) that he needs to know what his competition is up to and, without seeming trite, he says he "just loves wine".

   Bravo. So do we!

   And these days it seems like, more then just about anything else, what I'm loving about great wines whether they be a great $15 bottle or a great $150 bottle is the story they tell. Great wines have an immense capacity to open the senses to another place; they speak of the warmth of the sun, the way the slope rolls to the riverbank, the way someone hand-selected each cluster of grapes. Great wines speak of terroir; that inexplicable mix of land, grape and spirit (pun intended).

   Eric and I spoke of that at length, reminiscing over wineries and vintages we both knew where the winemaker and vineyard met in a moment of co-operation and told the story of where they were from. Pierre Henry-Gaget, the winemaker for Maison Louis Jadot, once told me that "Great wines are trying to tell a story. It is our job to listen."

   It occurred to me then, sitting with Eric von Krosigk, that I was with someone who truly understood that. And I also knew that I had figured this out several hours earlier at the beginning of the interview when I tried Eric's first wines and heard him talk about them. Here is a winery that understands, or perhaps they would say that they are starting to understand, their terroir. This is evidenced as much by the impeccable balance of their $20 white wines as by the rich layers in their $35 reds... there is as much local story to the award-winning sparkling wines (worth several times their cost) as there is to the dazzling array of icewines.

   Summerhill organic winery, the first certified bio-dynamic winery in BC, has a story and it's a good one. It's filled with hardwork and dedication to something bigger then themselves. Perhaps when you taste the wine, all you will taste is wine, but I can honestly say that it is some of the best wine of it's kind that I've had.

   The proof? In the vineyard, in the restaurant, in the staff and most definitely... in the glass my friends.

(left to right: Gabe Cipes, Ezra Cipes, Ari Cipes, Eric von Krosigk, Stephen Cipes)

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Fonseca Terra Prima Porto

Someone recently asked me what the real difference between winemaking and organic winemaking is. In simplest terms, all farmers need to fertilize their crops; whether it be grapes or corn.... organic farmers won't use artificial fertilizers, they use natural fertilizers (and preferably produced on or very close to their own farm).

   And what does this do for the wine we ask? Well nothing really. Nothing you say? But that's the point I say~! Artificial fertilizers use non-organic compounds, they rely on man-made chemistry to do the work of Mother Nature. These compounds leech into the soil, and thus into the food (grapes) and thus into the wine; changing  the wine.

   Organic practices also severely limit the amount of sulphites allowed, which is of vital importance for those of you who find red wines in particular give you a bit of skin flush, headache or a sore tummy. Yes, the sulphites are still there: it's a natural part of the winemaking process. But! But it is severely limited and you should be able to consume organic wines with limited reaction or no reaction at all.

   The patriarch of the port community, Fonseca Guimaraens (http://www.fonseca.pt/) is the first winery in the Douro region of Portugal to adopt certified organic practices for it's port production from start to finish. This includes the aguardente (similar to brandy) that is used to fortify the red wine. And why would House Fonseca make this bold move, years before anyone else in the region is ready to do so?

   Because they are innovators.

David Guimaraens

   (read a recent article of mine of port production if you wish to learn more about the Douro region: http://astudentofwine.blogspot.ca/2012/01/porto-hutcheson-colheita-1999.html ) 

   Even though Fonseca Guimaraens has been in continuous operation since 1822, 6th generation family winemaker David has launched into the unknown not just with organic principles, but also through technology. Fonseca recently showcased their newest addition to the staff, a device of their own invention: a piston-paddle vat known as "Port-Toes". It has been created with the purpose of more efficient temperature control  during fermentation thus allowing for a gentler touch with greater results.

   And the results? As always my friends... in the glass.

Fonseca Porto Terra Prima n/v

$30 http://www.bcliquorstores.com/  89 points

• 
  visual:   clear; fully intense inky purple core with slight cherry rim, no bricking
• nose:   clean; moderate+ to fully intense and developing aromas of ripe red cherries, succulent plums, blackberries, dark chocolate and warm earth
• palate:  clean; sweet, fully intense (red and black cherry) acids, moderate+ (well integrated and soft) tannins, moderate+ body, moderate+ABV(20%), fully intense and youthful flavors relying heavily on fresh red berries and light floral notes to make a heavy impact. Moderate structure and very good to excellent balance with only medium length
• conclusion:  the youth of the vines is apparent. Whilst there are rich flavors, they are somewhat monotonous, however the finesse of the structure leads me to believe that future vintages will rival some of the truly great ports of the world. Drink now, holds to 2017.
• FOOD PAIRINGS:   with wines of this sweetness, it's a bit of folly to pair with anything even close to the same sweetness. Consider a Savory dark chocolate torte with lemon whip cream and stewed plums

the "Port-Toes"

   And so a bit of a dichotomy; House Fonseca. Almost two centuries old, they utilize state of the art facilities and "ahead-of-the-curve" techniques in the vineyard to create purist flavors with sublime structure. I can only imagine that Manuel Pedro Guimaraens, the man who bought controlling interest in the  Fonseca & Monteiro Company in 1822 and started this port house which is all about family, is looking down and watching this new generation with pride.





                As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!   CHEERS~!!!

Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Cabernet Franc

Many of you know the immense respect I have for organic farmers (of all varieties). Organic farming is a real and genuine commitment to the land (and the consumers) to treat it with respect and approach it with some level of understanding.

   How much more then, can I say for bio-dynamic viticulture? Or wineries who adopt zero-carbon emission standards, or make efforts to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint? The obvious answer is that I have the utmost respect for any business person who makes the effort, who takes the time to address our immediate and growing concern of limited resources on this planet and too few people grabbing at what there is.

   I had thought that our government in British Columbia was forward thinking enough to share these sentiments.

   Perhaps I was wrong.

Ezra Cipes, general manager

   Summerhill Pyramid winery (www.summerhill.bc.ca) is a true destination-location in the south Okanagan Valley DVA. Stephen Cipes first came to this region in 1986 and felt that he had found the place to call home for himself and his family. 35 years later, the family has bound itself to the land and says categorically that they are lucky to be able to do so. Ezra Cipes, Stephen's son says:

   "At Summerhill we have so much to celebrate. The quality of wine, food, and service that we are known for, and the good conscience we share knowing the care that goes into our products, truly brings us together as a family. I spend a lot of my life at work, and the love and friendship I share with the team at Summerhill helps me feel whole and like my life is well lived."

   So knowing these sentiments from the Cipes family, knowing that they have worked diligently on their organic certification for all of the farms who provide the winery with it's grapes and also work towards bio-dynamic certification... knowing all of this and knowing the vast array of awards that have been earned by these craftsmen I was well and truly stunned to learn this month (August 2011) that the winery will be losing it's VQA status on one of their wines.

   Why? What terrible thing could Summerhill have done?

   They created a 3-Litre box for their wine.

   Oh the (mock) horror of it all~! It's clearly stated in the province's Agricultural Food Choice and Quality Act, only bottled wine can be VQA. Never mind that Summerhill is using the exact same wine that goes into their bottles, or that there is a 76% reduction in the carbon footprinting vs bottles and corks for that same volume.

Stephen Cipes, owner

   Just never mind.

   ...

   Well actually I do mind. And so should you.

   When business-people make the time and take the effort to be environmentally responsible, without encouragement from the government, we the people should be cheering them on~! The government should make a point of recognizing forward-thinking rather then castigating it.

   But I imagine that Stephen Cipes and his family will continue to do what they do, and do it in their responsible and conscientious manner. They will continue to be the most-visited winery in Canada, and will continue to take their wines around the world garnering recognition from winemakers and sommeliers where-ever they go. They will continue to do business as they see fit, though without the support of the body that has the most reason to be supportive: when a single BC winery is this pro-active and produces this level of quality, it is the entire BC wine industry that gains standing in the global arena.

2007 Summerhill Pyramid winery small lot Cabernet Franc

Okanagan Valley DVA, British Columbia

$28.95 @ the winery

92+ points

93 points - Best of Class, Gold Medal - Los Angeles International Wine and Spirit Awards 2011

450 cases produced

• visual:   clear with trace sediment; medium+ to fully intense bruised plum core with slight cherry and slightly brick rim
• nose:   clean; medium+ to fully intense developing bouquet of red and black raspberries, red and black currants, old worn leather, slight savory herbs such as thyme, traces of drying summer flowers and pink peppercorn
• palate:   clean; medium+ (lively red currant) acids, medium+ (slightly chalky and well integrated) tannin, medium body, medium ABV, medium+ to fully intense and developing flavors mimicking the nose with emphasis on the red berry flavors opening the palate; dark berries are still developing; excellent balance and structure with long length
• conclusion: an excellent display of Okanagan terroir and the Cabernet-Franc varietal; drinking well now this wine will cellar for years and develop slightly in bottle over the next 24 months. Enjoy 2011-2016+
• FOOD PAIRINGS:   the acids on this are very, very well balanced and as such have no need of excess fats. Consider a butter glazed beef tenderloin with grilled leeks and sweet-pea risotto

   The plantings of Cabernet Franc come from Knollvine farms in the Okanagan Falls region. Summerhill was instrumental in many vineyards achieving their organic certification and after this beautiful showing, I look forward to sampling more of the honest work behind Canada's most-visited winery.

As always, I welcome your questions and comments.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!