Tasting Room Radio

The 41st VanWineFest Part Two (Wine Royalty & The Canadians)   THE SHOW   It’s part two of this year’s VanWineFest. Last week we profiled “The Californians”. Except for the first two interviews here,   the rest of this Tasting Room is with The Canadians.   Our Guests are:  Gina Gallo – Gallo Family Wines Jean Charles Boisset –  Boisset Collection.  Raymond Wines.  Separately they are iconic/driven personalities. Together as husband and wife  they are one of the best known  families in the Wine World. Gina is a member of the Gallo family, pioneers of wine-making in California. Jean-Charles is a French vintner and owner of Boisset Collection, which operates two dozen wineries in California, France and Canada.  Has created a wine with John Legend called LVE. Gina and Jean-Charles! Met. Married. Created Twins. Ran their Empires. All the while Gina Battled and Beat Back Cancer. Honoured to welcome them both. https://www.gallofamily.com https://www.boissetcollection.com/ Chris Wyse –   President. Burrowing Owl Estate Winery Chris is the oldest son of founders Jim and Midge Wyse. Today, with its dramatic vantage point in the middle of the vineyard, Burrowing Owl Estate Winery is a winemaking facility that combines state-of-the-art technologies with proven, classic winemaking traditions. A gravity-flow system handles ripe grapes delicately, preserving their rich fruit character. https://www.burrowingowlwine.ca Barry Olivier – President/Brands  Aquilini Red Mountain Wines Aquilini Wines   headed to the Vancouver Wine Festival to introduce themselves to Canada for the very first time. They were  pouring Aquilini Horse Heaven Hills Syrah Rose 2017 Aquilini Red Mountain’s Grand Vin is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon The Second Wine, Aquilini Red Mountain Family Blend,. The Family Blend is constructed of varying levels of Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot and occasionally Petit Verdot. (If you follow Barry and Aquilini, you’ll see the birth of a  wine icon.  This is a story that will be fun to watch unfold) https://aquiliniredmountain.com   John Skinner       Proprietor/ Painted Rock Matt Dumayne  Winemaker/Okanagan Crush Pad John Skinner is a leader in and out of the vineyards. “It is now 13 years since the planting of Painted Rock’s estate and the property is living up to its potential in every regard. Winning 2014/2015 InterVin International “Winery of the Year” and recent generous reviews in Jancis Robinson’s newsletter validate the progress made by the team and steel its resolve. At Painted Rock there is a firm belief that by aiming highly and working cooperatively, British Columbia wines can compete with the finest in the world.”   Painted Rock Website http://www.paintedrock.ca/ Matt Dumayne is the winemaking leader at Haywire, Free Form and Narrative. All at Okanagan Crush Pad. As well as making articulate wines from its organically-certified home Switchback Vineyard, Okanagan Crush Pad is designed as a hub for local winemakers. Heritage techniques, modern knowledge and the spirit of collaboration fuse to form a vanguard for the Okanagan’s next generation of winemaking. Okanagan Crush Pad’s labels include the single vineyard Haywire collection, Narrative series and Campus wines. http://okanagancrushpad.com/   Chris Jentsch – Owner/Farmer CC Jentsch Cellars Valeria Tait –  GM and Winemaker  Bench 1775,     Wines from Bench 1775 are produced with the unique expression of fruit grown in the Okanagan Valle...

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 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 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

  UNCORKED!    THE SCIENCE OF WINE The SHOW   “Uncorked: A Celebration of the Science of Wine” took place Thursday, November 14, as  a special collaboration between Science World and five of British Columbia’s most acclaimed wineries: Mission Hill Family Estate, CedarCreek Estate Winery, CheckMate Artisanal Winery, Martin’s Lane Winery, and Road 13 Vineyards.   Through seminars, tastings and  hands-on activities, renowned winemakers and viticulturists showcased  the science, craftsmanship and terroir that makes Okanagan Wines so extraordinary. As well, chefs from two of the region’s best estate restaurants — Terrace (Mission Hill) and Home Block (CedarCreek) — served amazing culinary plates to pair with the wines. Special Guests: Janet Wood – President and CEO of Science World Darryl Brooker – President, Iconic Wineries of British Columbia Phil McGahan – General Manager and Winemaker at CheckMate Artisanal Winery Shane Munn – General manager and Winemaker at Martin’s Lane Winery Taylor Whelan  – Winemaker at CedarCreek Estate Winery Corrie Krehbiel – Winemaker at Mission Hill Family Estate Joseph Luckhurst – General Manager, Road 13 Vineyards Kurtis Kolt – Wine Educator. Judge. Georgia Straight Tim Pawsey – Wine Judge. Educator    Wines poured on the night… CedarCreek Estate Winery * 2018 Estate Sauvignon Blanc * 2018 Platinum Riesling * 2016 Estate Pinot Noir * 2017 Platinum Syrah Martin’s Lane Winery * 2014 Naramata Ranch Riesling * 2015 Fritzi’s Riesling * 2014 Simes Pinot Noir * 2015 DeHart Pinot Noir CheckMate Artisanal Winery 2015 Attack Chardonnay 2015 Fool’s Mate Chardonnay 2014 Opening Gambit 2014 Silent Bishop Merlot Mission Hill Family Estate * 2017 Reserve Meritage * 2018 Terroir Sauvignon Blanc – Semillon * 2017 Terroir Cabernet Franc * 2014 Quatrain Road 13 * 2017 Roussanne * 2017 Viognier * 2017 Syrah * 2017 Syrah Malbec Seminars taking place throughout the evening included:    Synthesis: The Science of Blending Wine * Evolution: The Science of Aging Wine * Innovation: Technology and the Modern Organic Vineyard * Terroir: The Science of Soil   Proceeds  support Science World’s On the Road program, which last year brought live science performances to 41,500 students throughout BC who otherwise might not have had a chance to visit TELUS World of Science. @IWOBC https://www.facebook.com/IWOBC/ https://www.cedarcreek.bc.ca/https: checkmatewinery.com/https: martinslanewinery.com/http: road13vineyards.com/https: scienceworld.ca/uncorkedhttps: missionhillwinery.com. hiredbelly.com STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON: Holiday Wines..

  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.   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

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 . 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. 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

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.     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. “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. 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: Arrowleaf Cellars Archive Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley La Crema Pinot Noir Monterey 2016 California

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) 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) 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) 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) 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,

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 4th largest wine producer in Washington State. 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 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. 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

Fishing. Food. Friends. Fluids  The Four F’s Year Seven  The SHOW  For 7 years I have had the pleasure of gathering once a year with 3 food and wine friends to fish, eat a great meal and pour tastes of interesting wines. What’s not to like about that. Along for the fun again are: John Weber – Our host this year as we all gathered at John’s Orofino Winery in the Similkameen Valley in the South Okanagan. John’s wife Virginia was kind enough to let us stay overnight in her outstanding  Orofino Winery Suites, right beside the crush pad.   John is the real true fisherman here. He arranged a pontoon boat drift down a stretch of the Similkameen River, from just outside Hedley and almost to Keremeos.  6 hours in total. Our second day was spent just outside Cawston on a farming lake that can be seen from the highway. Its stocked,  locked and loaded. Executive Chef Mark Filatow from  came along again with his spinning rod..the one with no tip. Didn’t stop him in the least.  Caught more fish than me, that’s for sure. Mark also prepared a sensational breakfast and a dinner that I’m still telling people about. Oh, and then he created pizza’s from all the leftovers. Pies that could win awards. It’s the kind of cooking you come to expect from his Waterfront Bistro and his Catering café in Kelowna. One other thing, because he’s a certified Somm, his wine choices for all of us are  from all over the Planet! And finally Rhys Pender – Master of Wine and co-partner in Cawston’s Little Farm Winery, just around the corner from Orofino. In the two days that we’re together it’s Rhys that starts most group laughs. Plus he  comments about the wines we’ve brought to no one one in particular..I think he just shouts out tasting comments to the ceiling.   Occasionally I feel like I’m in one of his Wine Plus Classes. Enjoy the food, the wines, the fishing and what friends do when they gather. (all fish were catch and release.) Just a heads up – to all those many people who drive through Keremeos ,  Cawston and The Similkameen Valley on their way to “wine country”,   STOP and check out The Similkameen, Its where many of the other wineries wish they had vineyards. This IS wine country!! And the fishing is outstanding!!   Special thanks to: Virginia Weber Similkameen Ernie Row 14 Restaurant www.similkameenvalley.com www.orofinovineyards.com www.littlefarmwinery.ca www.waterfrontrestaurant.ca www.waterfrontcafe.ca STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON: Lft Governors Awards Harvest 2019

  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 7th annual Food. Fishing. Friends. Fluids field trip This year in the and on the Similkameen Valley/River Full Italian Harvest Roundup

Two Wineries. Two Regions…Similkameen and Lillooet   The SHOW  Every day 100’s of wine fans get in their cars and drive into the Okanagan to discover wine country. Good on you. Many of them drive right through the Similkameen Valley and past some of the best vineyards in the country. Orofino, for example.   Some of those same well meaning wine fans head East through the Frazer Canyon and may have no idea that if they hang a left at Lytton they can head North into BC’s most promising new  wine region and Fort Berens Estate Wines.  John Weber – Orofino  This week we drive around with , sit down with and talk to John Weber, the co-owner and driving force behind Orofino in the Similkameen Valley.     John will take us to his latest planted vineyard, The Passion Pit. It was a gravel pit that Cawston teens hung out in. He tastes us through his blend  White Bridge, his Cab, Syrah, Gamay and his award winning Bordeaux blend Beleza!   Also a word about Row 14  the new restaurant in the neighbourhood. It’s been launched to great success by Clippers Organics. Here’s a tip:  Orofino have two of the sweetest suites anywhere. Best of all you are right in the vineyard and looking down on the crush pad. Highly recommended. https://www.orofinovineyards.com Rolf de Bruin  – Fort Berens Vineyards  Fort Berens Estate Winery is a culmination of the dreams, vision and pioneering spirit of several entrepreneurs. It was founded with a pioneering spirit and forged on the road less traveled. The winery is owned by a team of eight individuals who share a common belief in the incredible winemaking potential of British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon and a shared vision to make Fort Berens into one of Canada’s leading producers of fine wine. The voices and faces wine fans see and hear most are Rolf de Bruin and Partner Heleen Pannekoek. Just in case you missed the news and as if you needed another reason to drive up to Fort Berens…have a look at this As voted on by the public, the Best of BC Wine Country 2018 included the following regional awards for Fort Berens: Fort Berens Estate Winery Riesling – Best BC White Wine Fort Berens Estate Winery Rosé – Best BC Rosé Wine Fort Berens Estate Winery – Best BC Winery Tasting Room The Kitchen at Fort Berens – Best BC Winery Restaurant Showcasing Local Food That’s what you call a sweep! Rolf and I will talk about his Rose, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and a white blend Camels White.  The new estate  vineyards they’ve planted and  their partnership with vineyard Cliff and Gorge Rolf shares plans for a 10th anniversary bubble. Created  by winemaker  Jim Cambridge who crafted it  with a combination of fruit from Fort Berens and their neighbours. Watch for releases now labeled Lillooet VQA Fort Berens wines are well worth the drive and everything in their portfolio is priced under $20.00 at the winery. You just might want to join the wine club. http://www.fortberens.ca STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:  Next week – The Cowichan Wine Festival And soon the 7th annual Food. Fishing. Friends. Fluids field trip  

Coverage of the 5th Annual Garagiste North – Kelowna THE SHOW  What is a garagiste? (gar-ah-jeest)?   It started out in France (of course) where it was a derogatory phrase for those avante garde and crazy mavericks making wine in their garage and outside the highly regulated system. Gradually and grudgingly came the acknowledgement that something really interesting was happening with these small case lot artisan wines, and a movement was born. Garagiste North  brings together the small guys. Wines produced from 100% Canadian grapes and under 2000 cases total production annually.   We’ve been covering this gathering of small BC producers from the beginning. We like the people, the wines and the no BS approach to farming, creating and selling. This year Sperling Vineyards was once again  the site for a gathering of the Garagiste.  Many of the favourites are returning, but with the growth of the wine industry we are excited to see new small wineries popping up. The likes of Lightning Rock, Scorched Earth and Burnt Timer all seem to have a theme!  Added to this year’s event will be a wine pairing of Sperling Vineyards and cheese, music by Glendale Avenue,  food truck service from CrAsian, a cool booth by Taste Advisor and a pop up wine store by Fairview Cellars.     This event gives you an insight into the passion, commitment, craziness and excellence that is the hallmark of a small producer.  We love that for many this is their first time showing off their wines to the public. Others have been attending for awhile, carefully crafting their wines and growing their business and reputation. Others have grown up and graduated. Former Garagiste are: Daydreamer Synchromesh Sage Hills Tight Rope Bella Wines River Stone Roche Wines Kitsch Wines Forbidden Fruit Marichel Deep Roots Van Westen Kraze Legs vinAmite   This year’s Garagiste guests are :  Schell Wines – Jennifer Schell Mayhem Wines – Terry Meyer Stone Dames Wines – Mireille Sauve Sperling Vineyards –  Ann Sperling Rigor and Whimsy – Costa Gavaris Nagging Doubt – Rob  Westbury Birch Block Vineyard – Sarah and Murray Bancroft Anthony Buchanan Wines – Anthony Buchanan Red Bird Estate – Remi Cardinal Giant head – John Glavina BC Wine Studio – Mark Simpson Scorched Earth – Anita and Peter Pasdernick  Enjoy the stories and histories!  STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON: Fort Berens Passion Pitt Vineyard – John Weber/Orofino Year 7 –  Food, Friends, Fishing and Fluids. Cowichan Valley Wine Festival Fall Wines                                

The 5th Pinot Noir Celebration in Kelowna    THE SHOW The 2019 BC Pinot Noir Celebration brings together BC’s top 35 Pinot Noir producers for an unforgettable festival-style tasting experience. The event kicked off with a reception and keynote address by Madeline Puckette, certified sommelier and author of New York Times Bestseller, Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine. To put this gathering in proper perspective, here’s an overview from writer/judge Kurtis Kolt: My big take-away is how local Pinot Noir reflects its terroir of origin, rather than its producers trying to emulate other iconic Pinot regions around the world, from Burgundy in France to the Russian River Valley in California. No matter which B.C. region it hailed from, each one had a freshness and purity of fruit, along with juicy acidity—a common trait in B.C. wine. I was quite impressed that compared to other reds—from Bordeaux-inspired blends to Syrah—the B.C. Pinot Noirs were all tasty and approachable, whether we were looking at current, more fruit-forward releases, or bottlings as far back as a 2006 from Averill Creek on Vancouver Island. It had started to exhibit those more savoury, tertiary notes like sarsaparilla and sun-dried tomato, but still had great structure and was buoyant on the palate.  Kurtis, who guests on this special,  makes the comment that Pinot Noir is the one wine that can be grown from coast-to-coast in Canada. All 35 wineries pouring at the event were accepted through a high profile sommelier tasting panel.  They were determined to be the best of the best. Our owner/winemaker guests are:  Jak Meyer – Meyer Family Vineyards/Organizer Grant Biggs – Kitsch/ Organizer David Paterson – Tantalus/ Organizer Jason Parkes – The Hatch Madeline Puckette – Keynote speech and Wine Folly Author Grant Stanley – Spearhead Ben Bryant – Mission Hill Jenn and Kent Molgat – The View Chris Carson – Meyer Family and Carson Dan Wright – Unsworth Paul Pender – Tawse and Hidden Bench Rhys Pender – Master of Wine and Panelist Kurtis Kolt – Wine Educator and Panelist Paul M Bruner – owner of Blue Grouse Andy Johnson – Owner of Averill Creek Tyler Knight – Co-owner of Lightning Rock http://www.bcpinotnoir.ca https://winebc.com/   STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:   Garagiste North – Next Week Fort Berens Passion Pit Vineyard at Orofino Cowichan Valley Winemakers Fishing, Food, Wine and Fishing  Year 7        

Severine Pinte  Winemaker at La Stella/le Vieux Pin Ross Wise – New Winemaker at Black Hills Plus Pouring in Parksville    THE SHOW It’s the annual Untapped and Uncorked Craft Beer and Wine Festival in Parksville, Vancouver Island. The featured winemakers are the charming Severine Pintewho was pouring La Stella for a winemakers dinner at Beach Club Resort and for his first ever interview Ross Wise, the brand new winemaker at Black Hills.  Home of Note Bene. Before we get to those prime feature interviews..let’s head to the “untapped” part of the weekend.                 Dave Paul – Head Brewer/Owner Love Shack Libations We start with the craft beer makers at Tigh-Na-Mara and a guy I’ve been waiting a whole year to reconnect with.  When I interviewed Dave Paul from his Love Shack Libations, just up island from Qualicum Beach, he was about to pour his first beer at his first event EVER.  Like an opening night. Love Shack is a very popular small brewery that the locals all love and tourists are starting to discover. Dave makes a new beer every month..so depending on when you walk in,  your choices may be different from month to month. Dave was pouring his latest brew, with the zeal of a mad scientist. It’s called Juicy Juice – Northeast style hazy IPA.   Love Beer. Love Shack. www.loveshacklibations.com Dave Woodward –  Head Brewer Mount Arrowsmith Brewing  A local Dave headed to the UK to start his brewing education.  His career took him through the UK, 5 years at Whistler Brewing,  then Tofino Brewing and  Axe & Barrel Victoria. Mount Arrowsmith brings him full circle.  Back to where it all began. All that craftwork resulted in Mount Arrowsmith winning Best Amber Ale in the World, at the 2018 World Beer Awards.  https://arrowsmithbrewing.com/ Kev Ward – Wolf Brewing Nanaimo Kev Ward, a  Liverpool lad,   has been brew master  for about 6  years. First thing he did was change all the recipes. Wolf Brewing still uses old-school techniques in its brewing. Check out the line up. Golden Honey Ale, Porter, Scotch Ale, Black and Tan, IPA! He says “hey” to all his buds back in Liverpool listening on The Net!  http://www.wolfbrewingcompany.com/  Clay Potter –   Brew Master Moon Under Water Clay’s brewing career started at  University of Victoria for Biology & Chemistry and Heriot Watt University in Scotland for the Brewing & Distilling Master’s Program. He was lucky enough to work with and be mentored byPaul Hoyne. With his family, he took over the Moon Under Water Brewery in 2012. In 2014, Moon Brewery introduced two new programs: a sour series featuring the beloved Copper Kettle Sour, and line of limited-release barrel-aged beers, such as The Crow’s Nest. These highly-sought after beers are small-batched and aged for 18 month In December 2017, Clay opened a distillery within the brewery. The Moon Distillery has recently launched their first wave of products, featuring Citrus Gin, Orange Vodka and Espresso Vodka, all made with local malts, fruits and botanicals. http://ww.moonunderwater.ca/about.php  Ross Wise – Winemaker  Black Hills Eric Edwards – Executive Chef    Cedars @ Tigh-Na-Mara Black Hills is the home of one of Canada’s greatest wines Note Bene. A huge Bordeaux blend and a spectacular portfolio. It includes one of my three favourite BC wines, their Carmenere!   The sale of the winery to Peller sent the Canadian wine industry sideways. The new winemaker has to follow in the footsteps of the legend...

This is our first ever BC Field Blend Special. What is a field blend, who makes it and why don’t they put the words on the label? Over thirty different opinions in this one hour.   THE SHOW   A couple of years ago a gaggle of winemakers from Portugal came through Vancouver. Our interviews always ended up in the same place..their famous field blends. In the Duoro Valley they plant, grow, harvest and bottle 20-30-40 different varietals. All Together! It’s a true field blend. What’s in the field IS the blend. I was fascinated by the process and the final results. These wines were complex, elegant and surprisingly balanced. True Field Blends are still made in Germany and Australia. Over the course of a year, the questions I asked over 30 winemakers were.. What is your concept of a field blend? Do you make a field blend and what’s in it? If you do make a field blend..do you put the words on your label? If not, why not? The answers were passionate, surprising and highly opinionated. Most wines we drink today are made of grapes harvested from various vineyards throughout a province , state, or even country, fermented in separate lots, and then blended together into a finished wine. Field blends are single-vineyard wines whose grapes are grown, harvested, and vinified together—the blending is done in the vineyard, not in the winery. Field-blended vineyards are interplanted with multiple grape varieties—sometimes all red or all white, and sometimes both red and white—without apparent rhyme or reason. A zinfandel vine might be growing with carignan on one side and petite sirah on the other. The whole field is then picked at once. Timing is crucial and calls into play the winemaker’s skill and artistry. All of the grapes are fermented together. Some old World winemakers or growers may have no idea what the exact blend is. I don’t expect everyone is going to have the same interest as I do but the winemakers here all have a very strong opinion (all except my pal Dell Halliday who’s answer was “Meh”). The responses were really good and just kept getting better and better. Especially about the question Why do you not put the words Field Blend on your bottles? Are we, the consumer not trusting of the term? (Several winemakers here actually believe in field blends and some years have put the words on their labels Michael Schindler from A Sunday in August Grant Biggs from Kitsch (Block Party) Brent Rowland from Joue at Averill Creek Mike Nierychlo from Emandare) Here’s the Guest List for the Field Blend Special (Yes, some were asked twice over the course of a Year)) Rhys Pender – Master of Wine Kurtis Kolt – Wine Writer and Judge. Co-Organizer of Top Drop in the West. Val Tait (Bench 1775) and Senka Tennant (TerraVista) Brent Rowland – (Joue and Averill Creek) Mike Nierychlo – (Emandare) Stephen Arnason – (Poplar Grove and Monster Wines) Richard da Silva (Da Silva and Misconduct) Rhys Pender – (Little Farm Wines) Ann Sperling – (Sperling Vineyards) Larry Gerelus (Stags Hollow) Paul Gardner – (Pentage) Andrea Sartori – (Sartori Family Vineyards. Verona Italy) Jeff Hundertmark – (Rust and Mt Boucherie) Michael Schindler – (A Sunday in August) Ann Sperling (Sperling Vineyards .many months later) David Gouge – (Sea Star) Ike Seaman – (Wine Director at The Wickaninnish Inn) Grant Biggs – (Kitsch Wines. Makes Block Party as a field blend) Kelsey Rufiange – (Echo Bay) Senka Tennant – (TerraVista) Joe Luckhurst – (Road 13) Galen Barnhardt – (Monte Creek) Kathy Malone – (Hillside) Lindsay O’Rourke – (Tightrope) Gustav Allander – (Foxtrot) Garron Elmes – (Lake Breeze)