Modern Palate Wine Advice

It breaks my heart to say this but there are only five more wines to go.

On their own, Riesling and Gewürztraminer make some of the world’s greatest white wines.  Put them together and you get some really cool and interesting flavours.  Every wine maker that plays with this kind of blend has their own interpretation and style.  For this reason I love to taste every example I can.  Fun, unpretentious and easy drinking… hmmm, sounds like patio wine to me.

First up I want to talk about the big two on their own.  Tinhorn Gewürztraminer, 2009 ($18.99  #55913 Specialty Stores) is a dry style of Gewürztraminer with the floral characteristics that you would expect to see.  A vibrant nose with aromas of lychee, tropical fruits, rose blossom and hints of spice.  The palate is a fruit salad of tropical fruit, peach, crisp apple and honey with a crisp dry finish.  Gewürztraminer, like Riesling, is so often associated with sweeter wines and although floral, many of the wines are bone dry.  It’s a personal taste thing and my preference is for the dryer styles, but that’s just me.  You drink whatever you prefer.

The Riesling that we tasted was also from BC.  Ex Nihilo Riesling, 2007 ($25.99  #846808 Specialty Stores) has a classic Riesling aroma of fresh lemon, apple, peach and petrol.  (The petrol or diesel smell comes from aging Riesling… it’s a good thing.  Tell you more about it another time.)  The palate is vibrant and fresh with ripe fruit flavours, citrus and rose petal.  Loads of fresh acidity leads the way to the long viscous finish.  This is BC Riesling done right by an up and coming Okanagan Falls producer.

De Bortoli Traminer/Riesling, 2009  ($10.99  #952580), the lone foreigner in the group, is from the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia.  The aroma is like a fruit salad assault on your nose.  Everything from lychee, stone, tropical and a little citrus fruit with floral hints rounding it out.  The palate is a little off-dry with more of the same fruit flavours, some nice acidity, and a long semi-sweet finish.

Rigamorole White?, 2008 ($14.99  #845552) is a blend of Riesling, Gewürztraminer and other Germanic varietals (that’s what the label says) from the Okanagan Valley.  A great dry aromatic with a nose of peach, red grapefruit, orange and honeysuckle.  The palate is crisp and dry with bright fruit and fresh acidity.  The fact that it’s inexpensive and widely available really elevates this wine’s appeal.

Now there was one wine that did stand out as the “belle of the ball”. Wild Goose “Autumn Gold”, 2009 ($18.99  #414755) is a 3 grape blend from Okanagan Falls, BC. Here, Riesling and Gewürztraminer are joined by another friend, Pinot Blanc.  A lively and fruity nose with aromas of citrus, apple, apricot and honey.  The palate is soft and round with a ton of fruit, a hint of sweetness and crisp, refreshing acidity.  Cool fact about this wine; after the grapes are crushed and the juice is taken, some of that juice is saved to blend back into the wine at the end.  The wine is fermented to be dry and the juice added at the end sweetens the wine.  Originating in Germany this process is called Süssreserve.

Enjoy the patios.

Cheers,

Josh

www.tinhorn.com

www.exnihilovineyards.com

www.debortoli.com.au

www.artisanwineco.ca

www.wildgoosewinery.com

Ok, just a short one today and then I’ll be back soon with the big grand finale of the aromatic white wines.

Asking any wine expert about their favorite wines is a funny thing.  You’ll be asked back questions like “what would I be eating with it?”, “what time of the day is it?”, “where would I be drinking it?” or “what colour would my underwear be at the time?”  If it’s me and its white wine I’ve got to lean towards the Viognier grape.  Something about the stone fruit flavours, and fruity and floral aromas.  I love the richness that Viognier can have and its versatility with or without food.  My only complaint about the grape is that it can lack acidity and if poorly made can be pretty unbalanced.

From the Rapel Valley in Chile comes Anakena Single Vineyard Viognier, 2008 ($15.96  #329755).  Golden in colour the nose is intense with aromas of peach, apricot, floral and slightly spiced.  The palate is elegant with stone fruit flavours and hints of citrus.  A rich texture and a long generous finish.  Viognier is a white grape that can take some oaking and for this wine we’re talking about 25% of the finished product has seen oak fermentation and aging.

The grape Viognier comes from the Rhone Valley in France.  The 2 other most prestigious white grapes from that region are Marsanne and Roussanne.  While those 2 grapes are natural blending partners they often invite Viognier to come and play.  Twisted Tree Viognier/Roussanne, 2009 ($21.90 #743401) is a great example from Osoyoos, BC.  Bold yet elegant aromas of peach, nectarine and orange blossoms lead to the palate that echoes those flavours.  Nice weight and viscosity on the palate with a crisp, dry finish.  No oak on this baby, its 100% stainless steel.

Viognier can be a bit of a bitch and most growers and winemakers don’t want to deal with but those that put in the time can produce some very rewarding results.  Check out some examples from the Rhone Valley and the south of France for classical French Viognier.  For some big and rich styles take a look at California and Australia.  More specifically seek out some Yalumba from South Australia.  They’ve really championed the grape down there and produce a half a dozen or so different Viognier wines.  I would also recommend checking out other BC Viognier such as La Frenz and Sandhill.

One more aromatic blast to come with five more wines that pair well with chillin’ in the back yard.

Cheers,

Josh

www.anakenawines.cl

www.twistedtree.ca

Ring the bell; it’s time for round 2 of Aromatic White wine insanity.  I’ve got some off-dry wines that are a little off of the beaten track.

The first grape is Ehrenfelser (EHR-en-fehl-zuhr) which was created in 1929 by crossing the grapes Riesling and Silvaner.  The grape is of German origin and has really caught the interest of a few wineries in BC.  Hailing from Kelowna is Summerhill Ehrenfelser, 2007 ($24.99  #440016 Specialty Stores).  A real crowd pleaser, this wine has a very aromatic nose with aromas of tropical fruit and white roses.  The palate is rich and generous with more tropical as well as stone fruit.  The acidity is low and the alcohol is a little high so be sure to serve this wine well chilled.  I really like this wine and would strongly recommend it as well as other great Ehrenfelsers from around BC.

Muscat Ottonel is a grape that comes from central Europe and produces wines that are floral, elegant and generally have a bit of sweetness.  Staying in BC, we tasted the Hillside Estate Muscat Ottonel, 2009 ($23.99 #434803 Specialty Stores).  From the Naramata Bench region of the Okanagan, this wine has beautiful light floral and citrus aromas.  The palate is fresh and floral with vibrant acidity.  This is a cool Muscat because it’s quite dry.  The flavours are there to appreciate, but the finish is crisp and refreshing.

Down in the states some producers play around with a very obscure grape called Symphony. Commercially introduced in 1981, Symphony is a cross between the grapes Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris.  Check out Ironstone “Obsession” Symphony, 2009 ($15.74  #355784) for its perfumed nose and fan friendly flavours.  The nose also shows some grapefruit and floral characteristics while on the palate there are some lavender and citrus fruit flavours.  I like the long finish with this wine as well.  I used to sell a ton of this wine when I ran a Thai restaurant up in Whistler, although I actually prefer it as an accompaniment to tropical fruit desserts like grilled pineapple with ice cream.

That’s it for today, but there are still more patio sippers coming to come.

Cheers,

Josh

www.summerhill.bc.ca

www.hillsideestate.com

www.ironstonevineyards.com