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by Manos Angelakis
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Even though California is considered the epicenter of North America’s viticultural universe, I can see how the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, could handily compete with the better California viticultural regions in the production of quality white and red wines. The quantity might not be as high, but the quality is certainly there.
Lush vineyards grow in a mostly cool and dry climate, at approximately the same latitude as the German Rhine Valley. Yes, one would expect Riesling and Gewürztraminer grapes to flourish here, and they do. But in the vineyards I visited, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and other European vinifera grape varieties also thrive; mostly because of the wide diversity of microclimates encountered in the valley. VQA wines from British Columbia have done extremely well in major international wine competitions.
Crisp, high quality, dry white wines made mostly from Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc and dry reds from Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot were the most successful monovarietal wines I tasted during my visit to the wineries. Many of the red blends were truly outstanding. Even though they are not widely available in the US, I highly recommend the wines of Mission Hill, Quail’s Gate, Tantalus, Cedar Creek, Gray Monk, Sandhill, Burrowing Owl, Nk’Mip – a vineyard owned by an indigenous tribe – Black Hills, Golden Mile, Tinhorn Creek, and Sunrock. There are many more wineries in the area, but these are the ones whose wines I tasted and liked, courtesy of the British Columbia Wine Institute. Most of these wineries, with a few exceptions, are small family owned and operated concerns; however the Mission Hill Family Estate Winery is a much larger company that outmondavies Mondavi.
Even though most of the vineyards are quite young, most from the mid-1980s, the wines they produce are second to none. Not every bottle I tasted was exceptional; there were a number of wines that were a little better than ordinary. Nevertheless, there were treasures to be found from practically every vintner, especially in the Reserve and upper tier samples.
Very exciting were: the 2005 Cabernet Franc from Burrowing Owl; 2006 Note Bene from Black Hills – a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot; the 2006 Pinot Noir Black Arts and 2006 Syrah Black Arts from Golden Mile; the 2007 Riesling and Qwam Qwmt Riesling Ice-wine from Nk’Mip; the Small Lots Syrah of Sandhill; the 2007 highly aromatic Ehrenfelser and the soft and alluring Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir, both from Cedar Creek; and the luscious 2005 Sandhill two, a Bordeaux-styled blend. All the reds, especially the Pinot Noirs and Syrahs were full bodied, well balanced and almost ready to drink, though still very young.
As I mentioned in this month’s Restaurant section of LuxuryWeb Magazine (see Restaurants) only a miniscule amount of the wonderful Okanogan Valley wines, less than 2%, makes it into the U.S. market. It is a real pity, because many of these wines are so good, I would love to have them available to wine imbibing friends and relatives, and, of course all my readers.
Revolutionary Glassware: We have talked before about wine-specific glasses and how well they work depending on the type of wine they are used to serve. A New Jersey glassware manufacturer Taste of Purple, has come up with a variation on the theme i.e. a dimpled glass called VINO2 with an indentation on the side of the glass forming an agitating obstruction, causing the wine to breathe and oxygenate, releasing aromatics, while the liquid inside is swirled. We tried a sample glass and found it to be rather effective, especially on older, heavier reds such as Spanish Riojas, Italian Tuscans and of course older Burgundies and Bordeaux. The older the wine, the better the glass seemed to work. Taste of Purple Glasses are available at restaurants, wineries, wine, and cookware retailers. www.tasteofpurple.com
To your health!
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