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Quail’s Gate Chardonnay 2011 BC VQA
Grape Variety: it is not only appreciated by wine drinkers, vine growers love the ease in which this grapes assimilates into a variety of climatic environments. The grape can produce golden crisp acidic wines with green apple notes to rich tropical fruits in warmer climates.
Viticulture: Located on the favourable south facing slope above Lake Okanagan and below the extinct volcano of Mount Boucherie, this site is home to our most prestigious vineyards. Our vineyards are planted in soils complex with volcanic rock, rich clay, gravel and glacial till. These minerals give the wines depth, strength and character. This unique cool climate region provides good heat and ripening potential while retaining bright acidity in the fruit due to cool night temperatures. The soil composition of this location provides exceptional drainage and is ideally suited for our premium Chardonnay clones. Quail’s Gate employs a holistic ecosystem management approach to grape-growing to preserve the diversity of our natural surroundings without compromising the quality of fruit. Quails’ Gate is proud to partner with Nature Conservancy of Canada in the development and protection of important ecological sites throughout the Okanagan Valley.
Tasting Notes: sweet floral, green apple, citrus, honey and hazelnut nose, underpinned with rich tropical fruits, biscuit and sizzled butter notes. A portion of the wine is barrel fermented, for a nicely oak integrated richness and complexity, while the tank portion provides bright high notes of tropical and citrus fruits. It has a nice long finish.
Food Pairing: Dungeness Crab, deviled eggs or creamy Pecorino Risotto, also pairs well with salty/acidic foods…. a wine for your next salt and vinegar chip craving.
JoieFarm 2011 Riesling
Grape Variety: Riesling varietal exhibits a flowery, steely, honeyed and racy tartness. This varieties hardiness makes it ideal for North America’s cooler climates.
Viniculture and Viticulture: Owned and operated by Heidi Nobles, (winemaker), and Michele Dinn. JoieFarms is situated on the Naramata Bench in the Okanogan Valley of British Columbia. JoieFarms utilizes contract vineyards to produce their Riesling varietal wines. They focus on achieving well balanced vines through well time canopy management (pruning), which allows them to take full advantage of the constant breezes of Okanagan Lake. Joie Farm practices sustainable farming practices using vineyard composting material to avoid erosion, and increase nitrogen level organically by planting high nitrogen plants in between the rows.
Tasting notes: Lifted apple and pear aromas are found on the nose of this Riesling, with mineral, spearmint and a hint of lime. With 19 grams of residual sugar, it should taste sweeter that it does, but it is well balanced by crisp acidity and bright tropical fruit. Serve well chilled while relaxing on the patio this summer – Wine Access.
Food Pairing: Spicy foods, curry, freshwater fish off the grill, seafood and shellfish, chicken and pork sautéed in a cream sauce.
Vina Robles Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Paso Robles Jardine
Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc is expresses lemony and herbaceous white wines
Viniculture and Viticulture: Vina Nobles sources its Sauvignon Blanc fruit from a small lot on our Jardine Vineyard. Sauvignon Blanc heralds the beginning of the harvest in late August to early September. The fruit is hand-picked in the cool morning hours and immediately delivered to the winery. The membrane press we use to process the fruit leaves a very low level of solids in the resulting juice and therefore preserves more of the varietal characteristics and acidity in the finished wine. The wine is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve the aromatics of the variety. Following fermentation the wine is transferred into smaller tanks for four months and a lees stirring takes place to soften the wine and increase mouth-feel and texture. Our Jardine Sauvignon Blanc did not undergo malolactic fermentation to preserve the fresh, crisp style.
Tasting notes: Vina Robles Sauvignon Blanc is a brilliant straw color with green hues. On the nose it has aromas of green apple, white peach with notes of minerality. On the palate this is a medium bodied, smooth wine balanced with fresh acidity and a lingering clean finish – winemakers notes. There’s no oak on this wine, but it was aged on the lees, which gives a yeastiness to the sweet orange, pineapple, lime, green apple and vanilla flavors. Crisp acidity provides clean balance. Nice now as a cocktail sipper – Wine Enthusiast.
Food Pairing: Crab Cakes with Fresh Lemon Dressing, or a Crab Meat Salad with Pear and Mint. Fresh shucked oysters with a soy-wasabi dip, and Seared scallops with a mango or papaya salsa.
Domaine Des Cedres Cote Du Rhone
Grape Variety: 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Carignan. Most Rhône red wines are made with a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, and Cinsault. Each grape is grown in its own vineyard and each soil type contributes a unique characteristic to the grapes. Each winemaker in this region creates his own particular style and blend of grapes but in general these wines are known for their easy drinkability and lively fruit flavors. It is a popular blend of three dark-skinned grape varieties used extensively in Southern France and north-eastern Spain. The blend is differentiated from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend by the inclusion of Carignan, which is not one of the permitted grape varieties of that appellation.
Viniculture and Viticulture: Grapes for this wine come from specific local areas with the best exposure and deep mineral sub-soil that produces a more structured, complex wine. It is aged in new oak barrels for more than a year before bottling. Domaine des Cedres uses fining agents that are suitable for vegan diets.
Tasting notes: Showing loads of red fruits, cedar, ground pepper, and spice characteristics on the nose, it is medium-bodied, chewy, and mouth filling on the palate, with plenty of tannin emerging on the finish. Slightly one dimensional, this nevertheless shows good fruit and has plenty to like. It should drink nicely for 2-4 years – Jeb Dunnuck
Food Pairing: Perfect with grilled meats, pizza, hamburgers, and Mediterranean foods and sauces.
Michele Chiarlo Barbera D’Asti Superior Le Orme
Grape Variety: Barbera is one of the most famous wines from the Piedmont region in north-western Italy. The Barbera d`Asti covers the area around the Town of Asti, and exclusively focuses on red wine made from Barbera. It is softer and more approachable than a Nebbiolo.
Viniculture and Viticulture: Vineyards are located in the hilly area of the Asti on the eastern boarder of Piedmont. The vineyards range in altitude from 300 to 1000ft. According to DOC regulations an Barbera d’Asti must contain at least 85% Barbera, the remaining can be comprised of Freisa, Grinnolino and Dolecetto. Bottle must not be released for sale before March 1st in the year after harvest, and it must have a final minimum alcohol level of 11.5% by volume. Superior designation requires a minimum of 12 month of aging and at least 6 months of this time is to be spent in a barrel.
Tasting notes: the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and is then aged a least one year in oak. The result is a brilliant ruby-red wine with an intense yet airy, vinous bouquet and a medium-bodied, bone-dry robustness that is exceptionally pleasant on the palate. The best vintages, with age, tend to garnet in color, and show a velvety, harmonious quality of considerable elegance.–Winemakers Note. Sweet blackberry, plum and pomegranate fruit is fresh and vibrant as this red unfolds across the palate. Hints of flowers and spices intermingle, but this is more about the juicy fruit. Drink now and through 2018. —Wine Spectator
Food Pairing: This is a good red for fish, pizza, Chinese duck, dishes that feature tomatoes, Thanksgiving dinner and rabbit.
Arboleda Carmenere 2009
Grape Variety: 92% Carmenere, 5% Syrah, 3% Mourvedre. Carménère wine has a deep red color and aromas found in red fruits, spices and berries. The tannins are gentler and softer than those in Cabernet Sauvignon and it is a medium body wine. Although mostly used as a blending grape, wineries do bottle a pure varietal Carménère which, when produced from grapes at optimal ripeness, imparts a cherry-like, fruity flavor with smoky, spicy and earthy notes and a deep crimson color.
Viniculture and Viticulture: The grapes for the Carmenere Arboleda 2010 were rigorously selected in our vineyard, located in the Colchagua Valley, 200 kilometers (120 mi) south of Santiago. The region features rainy winters and dry summers. The grapes that go into this blend came from the vines planted in 1997 in the deep, clay-loam soils typical of the Colchagua Valley. The vineyard is vertically trained and drip irrigated, which allows for strict control to achieve balance and keep yields low. The grapes were picked and closely inspected by hand, then gently crushed and deposited in stainless steel tanks. Fermentation took place at 24–28°C (75º–82°F), and three pump-overs were performed daily with 50–150% of the tank volume to suit the desired level of extraction. Maceration lasted from 15 to 30 days, depending on the development of each lot. The final blend was aged for 12 months in 83% French and 17% American oak barrels, 28% of which were new.
Tasting notes: Carmenere displays a deep violet-red color, with a spicy, sweet, and enjoyable nose of black fruit notes, nutmeg, roasted red peppers, smoke, and coffee. On the palate, the black fruit mingles with exquisite sweet spices, tobacco, and dark chocolate notes from the barrel aging. A balanced, vibrant, juicy wine with smooth tannins that are as inviting today as they will be several years from now, owing to the wine’s promising cellaring potential, — winemakers notes.
Food Pairing: Teriyaki beef, Sheppard`s pie, lentil soup, fettuccine Carbonara, lamb with mint jelly, beef tacos.
Chakana Malbec 2011
Grape Variety: Malbec is a black-skinned grape variety native to southern France (specifically the area around Cahors), but now better known as the icon wine grape of Argentina. Through its success in the vineyards of Mendoza, in a few short decades Malbec has shot from relative obscurity to international fame, simultaneously bringing new-found attention and respect to Argentina as a wine-producing nation.
Viniculture and Viticulture: Vineyards are situated in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains. Mendoza benefits from a dry climate and high average temperatures. The warm dry harvest periods means the winemakers can pick their grape according to ripeness rather than when the weather allows them.
Tasting notes: 100% Malbec. Colour: Deep purple. Nose: reveals plum, strawberry, fine spices and dried flowers melded beautifully together. Flavour: Fruity, intense with velvety tannins. This range of fruity wines offers a wide variety of young wines with a short ageing in oak. These wines are specially designed to be consumed within one to two years after being produced.
Food Pairing: The medley of mushrooms, oregano, basil and thyme provide the ideal starting point to mingle Malbec with lamb. This unique red wine varietal craves mushrooms and delights in herb-based dishes surrounding hearty meats.
Hillside Estate 2009 Syrah
Grape Variety: Syrah (Shiraz) is a deeply color wine, with full body, firm tannins and aromas of dark fruits, smoked meats, black pepper, and tar.
Viticulture: Hillside Estate is a small lot winery and prides themselves in producing terroir driven wines. More traditional techniques are applied to the reds involving open top fermentors, French and American oak barrels, and a very hands-on winemaking team, resulting in rich, classic style wines that have consistently won accolades
Tasting Notes: Crafted from grapes grown in our Hidden Valley vineyard, our 2009 Syrah opens with black raspberry and notes of clove, pepper and espresso which interweave with black currant, black cherry, sage, a touch of cardamom and chocolate on the palate. Elegant, fine-grained tannins lead into a powerful, juicy finish. Youthful tannins to dissipate but it’s well balanced and should age well for 2-4 years.
Food Pairing: Grilled lamb, steak, spicy sausage, and rich cheese eggplant Parmesan, or burgers topped with Blue cheese.
Hillside Estate 2009 Syrah
Grape Variety: Syrah (Shiraz) is a deeply color wine, with full body, firm tannins and aromas of dark fruits, smoked meats, black pepper, and tar.
Viticulture: Hillside Estate is a small lot winery and prides themselves in producing terroir driven wines. More traditional techniques are applied to the reds involving open top fermentors, French and American oak barrels, and a very hands-on winemaking team, resulting in rich, classic style wines that have consistently won accolades
Tasting Notes: Crafted from grapes grown in our Hidden Valley vineyard, our 2009 Syrah opens with black raspberry and notes of clove, pepper and espresso which interweave with black currant, black cherry, sage, a touch of cardamom and chocolate on the palate. Elegant, fine-grained tannins lead into a powerful, juicy finish. Youthful tannins to dissipate but it’s well balanced and should age well for 2-4 years.
Food Pairing: Grilled lamb, steak, spicy sausage, and rich cheese eggplant Parmesan, or burgers topped with Blue cheese.
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