Wine and Food Pairings

With school just around the corner, sit down dinners are coming back as well! Here's some suggestions for pairing some of my favourite BC wines with autumn foods.

Blue Mountain Pinot Noir and Duck: Especailly grilled duck. Not so much duck l'orange. Keep the sauce simple and let the wine do the talking. It's got a great voice of it's own. The fat from the duck will fill out what parts of the mouth the wine won't.

Wild Goose Gewurztraminer and Thai Noodles: Yum yum! Crank up the spice to keep yourself warm all through the fall. The sweet and spiciness of this gewurztraminer will keep your mouth from being lit on fire. Delicious combo without breaking the bank. Here's one of my favourite recipes... http://www.recipezaar.com/Thai-Noodles-Phad-Thai-22085. Ready in 15 minutes! (Pre-soak the noodles!)

Black Widow Oasis and Chicken Sausage Stir Fry: The tropical notes on the nose of the Oasis lend it to dishes that include pineapple or coconut oil. Remeber the good old days of summer with a chciken sausage stir fry and a glass of this lovely white. Scallions, Garlic, carrots, soy sauce and pineapple make a great little stir fry. Just add rice!

Laughing Stock Blind Trust with a hearty beef stew: Is there anything more reminiscent of fall then a hearty beef stew? Not only does this wine tast delicious with it, but can be added to the mixture before chow time. Try this recipe for a delicious and easy meal. http://www.recipezaar.com/Easy-Beef-Stew-57503

Hillside Estate Cabernet Franc with Chorizo and goat cheese pizza: One of my all time favourite wines with an absolutely delicious meal. Think study session with a girl you want to impress. Here's a great little recipe. http://www.recipezaar.com/Auberge-Chorizo-Goats-Cheese-and-Onion-Pizza-Thin-Crust-255453

Hope you try some of these out and enjoy them! I think I'll head home and enjoy a glass of Cab Franc with some pizza myself.

Cheers!

Blasted Church Winery

Blasted Church is one of the more beautiful places I got to visit on the bench. It's extremly touristy but with plenty of information to keep those of us interested in wine from getting bored. the T-shirts for sale are kind of silly though... makes me think Blasted is more interested in marketing than winemaking. Here's what I thought of their most recent vintage.

Blasted Church "Mixed Blessings" White Blend 2008: A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Ehrenfelser. Fragrant nose shows apple and pear. Medium body with lots of pear fruit. A little too tart for me. Short finish. 82 Points.

Blasted Church "Bible Thumper" Pinot Gris 2007: Very oakey nose. Overoaked for my palate. Palate is lacking fruit, and drowning in the oak. Very tart. Short, nutty finish. Disapointting, but not terrible. There are people that will really like this. 79 Points.

Blasted Church "Revered Series" Chardonnay 2006: Nice butter and peach on the nose with banana notes as well. Nice mouth feel. Reminiscent of Californian chardonnay. Short finish. Reminds me of banana cream pie. 84 Points.

Blasted Church Riesling 2008: Nice lime notes on the nose. Lime and apples on the nose. Finish is disappointing. Worse than the average. 80 Points. Not Recommended.

Blasted Church Pinot Noir 2007: Smokey. Cherry pie filling on the nose. Palate isn't very refined, just simple with cherry fruit. Short finish. And I hate the label. 81 Points.

Blasted Church "The Dam Flood" 2008: A blend of 60% merlot and 40% lemberger: not a cheese, but rather a light ripening varietal comparable to gamay. Spicy with cardimon on the nose, and almost a cinammon characteristic. Tasty, easy drinking red, and very gulpable. Be careful with this one! 85 Points. Recommended.

Blasted Church "Amen" Port-de-Merlot N/V: Light red in colour, with some dustiness. Interesting to look at, and I adore the bottle. Cherry notes on the nose with burnt sugar and caramel notes as well. Sharp palate full of cherry and tobacco. Hot, but decent finish. I wish this was available in half bottles. Not bad, but not great either. 84 Points.

Blasted Church is definetly a tourist trap, but still a ton of fun to visist. Average wine, with fun labels that turn any Tuesday night into a party. You can taste the fun in these wines.

Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars

The reason I got into wine can honestly be stated as Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars. I'll always remember the first glass of their Pinot Noir I had. 2005 vintage: just delicious. Quite the expirience. Obviously I was really excited to visit them in Okanagan Falls this year. Here's what I thought of their wines this vintage.

Blue Mountain Brut N/V: Nice vanilla notes on the nose, with crisp green apple and lemon. Also very crisp on the palate showing toasty apple slices and yeast notes. Elegant finish. One of BC's best sparklers for sure. Traditional method, and aged for 9 months before release. 90 Points.

Blue Mountain Pinot Blanc 2007: Pear on the nose with lemon and apple notes as well. The mouthfeel is quite soft and shows some subtle oak. Nice length on the finish. Refreshing. 89 Points.

Blue Mountain Chardonnay 2007: Slightly oakey nose, but certainly not overpowering. Ripe peach and toast with butter. Nice viscosity and concentraion in the mouth, showing fruit flavours of white peach and apple. Elegant with some nice minerality. Follows through to an oakey, delicious finish. 90 Points.

Blue Mountain Pinot Noir 2007: Light vanilla oak on this subdued but complex nose. Cherry and creme de cerise show through as well, complimented by some spice. The palate is extremly smooth with loads of cherry, ripe strawberry and spice. Nice light body too. Good finish. Delicious wine. 92 Points. Recommended.

These wines are truly delicious, and they represent, for me, some of BC's best wines. Too bad they're so hard to find! If you can get your hands on some without visiting the winery, make sure you pick some up. If you see some of the stripe reserve label for sale, buy a bottle for me!

Wild Goose Vineyards

Wild Goose was one of my favourite spots on the trip. The staff are so helpful and kind, and the really know they're stuff! Plus there's not tasting fee! Make sure you check out Wild Goose if you decide to make the trek down from Penticton to Okanagan Falls. Here's what I thought of their wines.

Wild Goose Vineyards Pinot Gris 2008: Fruity, fresh and delicious. A BC classic that always shows good form. Elegant finish, and a style that's not too fruit forward. 85 Points. Recommended.

Wild Goose Vineyards "Mystic River" Pinot Gris 2008: This limited production single vineyard wine from Wild Goose is extremly pale in the glass. Spice and fragrant pear on the nose. Very zesty. Wonderful mineral notes as well. Peaches and pears in the mouth with a crisp, long fruity finish. Excellent effort. 89 Points. Recommended.

Wild Goose Vineyards "God's Mountain" Riesling 2008: Pale straw colour. Lime and pineapple nose that also bristles with granny smith apples. Vert fruity palate with strong acidity. Peach, apple and a very nice backbone of minerality. Good structure with an average length finish. 88 Points.

Wild Goose Vineyards Merlot 2006: Great purple - red colour. Plum and cedar on the nose with nice allspice characteristics as well. Cocoa on the soft palate with plum and milk chocolate notes as well. Chewy tannins and an average finish. Good, but not super intersting. Wild Goose claims this to be their best merlot to date, and I think I agree. 88 Points.

Wild Goose Vineyards Gewurztraminer 2008: Absolute beauty of a nose. Lychee and rose petal for days. Very elegant palate showing lychees and pears. Average lenght finish, but absolutely delicious and at a really excellent price. Try this with thai food and sushi. 89 Points. Recommended.

Wild Goose Vineyards Reserve Merlot 2007: Oakey nose with spice and vanilla caramel. Smooth and plummy with lots of spice, and quite a long finish. Could be laid down for up to 5 years. Neat wine, but pricey. 88 Points.

I love Wild Goose wines. Truly one of the jewels in BC's wine crown. Delicious wines (especially for this release!) and really excellent prices. Make sure you try some of these.

Therapy Vineyards

I've always thought of Therapy Vineyards as a bit of a laugh. A marketing excersise designed to trap the consumer into buying overpriced wine. This trip didn't make me change my mind, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't still try them! Remember, these are only my views. Here's what I thought of Therapy Vineyard's Wines.

Therapy Vineyards Gewurztraminer 2008: Stemmy nose showing lychee fruit. Extremly light palate. Watery. Lacking flavour. Slightly spicy on the short finish. Not very good. 55 Points. Not Recommended.

Therapy Vineyards Chardonnay 2007: Nose very toasty, and lacking fruit. Too oaked for me. Slightly spiced palate shows more oak. Average finish. Not impressive. 72 Points. Not Recommended.

Therapy Vineyards Rose "Pink Freud" 2008: Rhubarb and watermelon on the expressive nose. Watery palate showing short and thin fruit flavours. Not very good. 69 Points. Not Recommended.

Therapy Vineyards "Freudian Sip" White Blend 2008: Pears and spice on the nose. The fruit lasts a little longer on the palate than the others. Simple, but refreshing. Average finish. 81 Points.

Therapy Vineyards "Superego" Red Blend 2007: The 2007 Superego is a blend of 63 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 23%, Merlot, 10%, Cab Franc, 2%, Shiraz, 2% Petite Verdot. Coffee and spice on the nose, also showing some heat and an oxidative characteristic. Fresh fruit on the palate with plums and dark berries. Nice spice notes on the short finish. 81 Points.

Therapy Vineyeards Shiraz 2007: Lots of cherry on the nose, as well as spicey peppercorn. Lacking structure on the palate: very wishy washy. Kind of boring. 82 Points.

So there we have it. I really don't have much to say about Therapy's wines except they certainly didn't make me feel any better. In fact, I might need therapy to forget them. Sheesh.

Elephant Island Tasting Notes

Elephant Island is a very special little winery on the bench: They make all their wines out of orchard fruit. I was a little turned off in their tasting room because they no longer allow customers to taste their most popular wine: their blackberry bottling. Silly, but I guess you have to make money somehow!

Elephant Island Pear 2008: Yeasty pear flesh on the nose. Extremely light on the palate, bordering on watery. Short finish, and a little bitter. Definetly not my cup of tea. 71 Points. Not Recommended.

Elephant Island Cherry 2008: Very Herbacious nose, lots of toasted basil and other herbs. Very fruity body with cherry notes. Almost sweet. Another bitter finish. Not a big fan of this one either. A dinner wine. 80 Points.

Elephant Island Black Currant 2008: Intersting nose, with lots of unexpected spice notes. Brambly. Sour on the palate, but certainly not in a bad way. Spicey on the palate too, with agressive fruit. I like this a lot. Quite sweet, but nicely balanced. Pour this over ice cream or with a blackberry crumble. Good finish, and very interesting wine. 84 Points. Recommended.

Elephant Island Crab Apple 2008: Crisp red apple on the nose. Neat colour: pale golden. Fresh smelling. The palate is slightly unbalanced, and almost cloying. Too sweet for me, and I like sweet wines. Midpalate is refreshingly sour. Very tasty and intersting. Decent finish. 86 Points. Recommended.

Elephant Island Apricot 2008: Woody on the nose, with notes of sulfur. Palate nicely balanced but light. Finish is OK. Decent, but not as exciting as the Currant or the Crab Apple. A dessert wine as well. 82 Points.

Elephant Island Framboise 2008: Gorgeous crimson colour. Honestly, buy this wine just for the colour. It's incredible. Huge raspberries on the nose. Light and sweet on the palate, but not syrupy. Lovely candied raspberries on the palate. Wonderful concentration. Not long enough on the finish, but delicious all the same. Very tasty. A dessert wine that would be lovely with a chocolate cake or mousse. 89 Points. Recommended.

Elephant Island Cassis 2008: A fortified version of the blackberry wine. Starts with a spicy nose, showing bramble and blackberry. Very intersting, with nice concentration of flavours. Sweet, but not unbalanced and quite heavy on the palate. The fortification really helps this one. Very good finish showing layers of fruit and blackberry pie filling. Delicious. 89 Points. Recommended.

Elephant Island is a wonderful little winery that does a great job at standing out from other wineries on the Naramata Bench. Really worth a try. Enjoy!

Black Widow Estate Winery Tasting Notes

Black Widow is one of the weirder spots on the Naramata Bench. It's open whenever the winemaker feels like pouring, and closed most of the time. Honestly, it's not unusual to drive by on a Saturday afternoon in July to find this place closed. Maybe it's an artificial demand thing? Here's what I thought of Black Widow's most recent releases.

Black Widow 2008 Pinot Gris: Orchard fruit on the nose, with strong aromas of pear. Fresh, fruity wine on the palate. Totally average, but not a bad start to this tasting. Short finish. 81 Points.

Black Widow 2008 Gewurztraminer: Perfumed nose showing lychee notes. Off dry on the palate, and nicely balanced. Showing some slight effervescence. Short finish, not bad though. 80 Points.

Black Widow 2008 Oasis: This wine blend is composed of Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Shonburger (tastes like Muscat, but it's German). Off dry. fruity, showing peaches and pears. Nice body weight on the palate. Tart finish. Nice wine, a good summer sipper. 85 Points. Recommended.

Black Widow Hourglass 2008 (Barrel Tasting): A blend of 60% merlot 40% cabernet sauvignon. This wine shows simple fruit aromas of blackberry and currant on the nose. Shows some nice concentration on the palate with nice flavours of cassis, and not too in your face tannins. Decent wine, but expensive for what it is. 82 Points. Not Recommended.

Black Widow Mirage 2008: Hard to say what exactly this is supposed to be. A desert wine for certain, but made completly from the Shonburger grape, and aged in Hungarion Oak, which makes me think this might have been Widow's attempt at making a Tokaji... Scary. This wine is sherried and very sweet. Nutty, with a little oxidation. Short finish, and quite hot. I think there's too much fortification here. 80 Points. Not Recommended.

There we have it. Black Widow. I don't have much to say about this place except don't be upset if it's closed while you're on the bench... it's much to do about nothing. It does have a cool name though.

Laughing Stock Vineyards

My trip through Naramata took me into the Laughing Stock Vineyard on an incredibly hot day. Tasting wine in shorts and sunglasses is one of the greatest pleasures in life... Here's what I thought of this years Laughing Stocks.

Laughing Stock Pinot Gris 2008: Refreshing. Not too crisp, but shows good citrus fruit and acidity. Nice kiwi notes on the palate. Average finish. 81 Points.

Laughing Stock Blind Trust White 2008: Simple nose. Fresh and citrus-ey on the palate, with grapefruit and lemon. Tangy and refreshing, but not all that interesting. I enjoyed guessing at the blend, and then revealing it by removing the neck foil. A fun party wine for sure. 80 Points.

Laughing Stock Chardonnay 2008: Mild oak on the nose, with hints of pineapple cream. Pineapple and citruc juices on the palate, with very nice structure and body. Very good lenght. Delicious Chardonnay, but a little bit expensive at $26. 87 Points. Recommended.

Laughing Stock Blind Trust Red 2007: Beautiful nose of cocoa and dark berries. Well structured palate showing cassis, blackberry, and dark chocolate. Very smooth, with well polished tannins. Lovely wine. The best Laughing Stock wine I've ever tasted. 90 Points. Recommended.

Laughing Stock Portfolio 2006: Bubblegummy nose makes me think this wine has been overly extracted. Extremely fruit forward, but with decent structure. Harsh tannins lead this wine to be slightly unbalanced. Could use some time to come together, but shows some real potential. Another of the BC Bordeaux style blends. 89 Points.

Laughing Stock is a wonderful little winery with a very cute tasting room. They consistently produce some of my favourite BC wine, and they don't make the mistake of producing too many wines. By focusing on quality over quantity, Laughing Stock has ensured their share of the market.

Hillside Estate Winery

One of my most enjoyable visits this year was to the Hillside Estate Winery in Naramata. The food was delicious, and the staff were wonderful. Also, the wines were spectacular. I really think HIllside has improved in the past few years, and is certainly worth a taste. Here's what I thought of their wines.

Hillside Estate Pinot Gris 2007: Soapy. A little hot on the palate. Orchard fruit shows nicely. Fruity, but delicate. Finish very peachy, and a little bitter. Good effort. 84 Points.

Hillside Estate Gewurtztraminer 2008: Melon and honeysuckles on the nose. Palate not as rich as the nose would lead me to believe. Nice apple notes on the finish. 84 Points.

Hillside Estate Muscat Ottonel 2008: Beautiful floral noce. Crushed grapes and crisp apple on the palate. Slightly off dry. Absolutely delicious wine, and at an excellent price. 90 Points. Recommended.

Hillside Estate Syrah 2006: Soft with blackberry and raspberry. Peppery palate for this lighter style of syrah. I don't love this wine. It's lacking a certain je ne sais quoi. 82 Points.

Hillside Estate Cabernet Franc 2007: Elegant and spicy noce showing tobacco and dark chocolate. Very expressive. Palate has elegance. Lots of black pepper, cassis, and blackberry on the palate. Delicious wine. Long finish. Excellent. 91 Points. Recommended.

Hillside Estate Merlot 2006: Milk chocolate nose that lacks elegance. Too much oak for me, and a little too in your face. Tons of cherry and chocolate cream on the palate. Too rich for me, but there are people who would certainly enjoy this. Lacking structure. 89 Points.

Hillside Estate Pinotage 2007: I hate Pinotage. I always have. I've never had one I've enjoyed, and unfortunatley this one didn't do anything for me either. Spicy on the nose. Rubbery on the palate. Not my cup of tea at all, but not poorly made either. 80 Points.

Polar Grove Winery

So Poplar Grove has two different levels at which it releases its wines... One label is the Poplar Grove bottlings, and the other called Monster. Here's what I thought of their wines at my recent visit to their winery.

Poplar Grove Pinot Gris 2008: Nice and fragrant. Orchard fruit and honey on the nose. I have expirienced a soapiness to this gris before, but not on this bottle. Excellent fruit and complexity. Nice pear finish. 89 Points. Recommended.

Monster Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2008: Lots of gooseberry on this nose. Simple. Fresh and fruity style, but I've had better for less. 82 Points.

Monster Rose 2008: Smokey and bland. 62 Points. Not Recommended.

Poplar Grove Merlot 2005: A blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Malbec. Smokey with a little too much oak for me on the nose. Very good structure on the mouth, with good strong tannins, that makes me think this merlot could last another 5 years. Chalky finish of average length. Could use some food. 87 Points.

Township 7 Vineyards 2009 Tasting Notes

As I mentioned before, I recently returned from my BC wine trip! Below are my opinions on Township 7's wines at the time of this writing.

Township 7 Viognier 2008: Nice orangey yellow colour. Nice peach notes on the nose. Tad bitter on the palate, almost like the pit off a peach. Good length on the finish. 85 points.

Township 7 Semillon 2008: Lacking fruit on the nose and palate. Acidity is pungent. Not recommended. 70 points.

Township 7 Rose 2008: Rhubard compote on the nose. Nice, elegant fruit on the palate. Good length. 85 points.

Township 7 Unoaked Chardonnay 2008: Simple nose and palate with peach fruit. Well balanced though. 82 points.

Township 7 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007: Good concentration. Nice cassis and sour cherry on the palate. Decent structure. Quite soft, with polished tannins. 89 points.

Township 7 Syrah 2007: Ripe red berries on the nose. Good concentration and decent length. Soft. 87 points.

Township 7 Merlot 2006: Deep, red plum. Good structure and a long finish. Lovely. 90 points

BC Wine Trip

I recently returned from a trip I took to BC wine country, (I stayed in Penticon, and explored the Naramata Bench and the Okanagan Falls areas) and had a really great time! Definetly a trip I would recommend to anyone interested in wine, or anyone thinking about getting interested in it!

I've compiled my tasting notes, and I'll be posting them in little segments, in different blog posts! Photos will be coming soon from the trip as well...

Cheers!

Welcome to Young Vines!!

Welcome to my wine blog!

Me being Stephen Young... an avid wine nerd, enthusiast and wine retailer! I created this blog to share some of my opinions about the wine world with everyone out there on the world wide web. Hope you enjoy it!

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