Tagged : wine

in Wine & Food
Fonseca-Port-1985

Fonseca Port 1985

Well, the cork had bled through and was more or less soaked, but everything in the bottle remained intact. From bottling in 1987 to 2011 is 24 years + 2 more in the barrel = 26. This is likely the oldest wine I have ever drank. Some of the people at our dinner were younger than the wine. This gets weird!

For something this old there is still a lot going on. It has the flavour of the big, juicy, slightly overripe black cherries mixed with a bit of hickory on the finish. It is extremely smooth, and while still boozy like Port should be, it has mellowed out to the point of dangerously easy drinking.

As great as drinking this old vintage port was, the great people I shared it with are what made the evening. Cheers!

in Wine & Food
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Howling Bluff Pinot Noir

2009 Vintage – Suma Quies Pinot Noir

Tasted: August 2011

Ooh, I like this one. After loving the 2007 vintage, and liking but feeling a bit mixed on the 2008 vintage, the latest vintage — 2009 — from Howling Bluff Winery is excellent. This is the wine I’ve been waiting for, and wait I did! I actually had to track this down because it sold out so quickly after its release — likely on account of some of the big awards it won. Regardless of awards and accolades, I like this particular Pinot because it has a bit of heft to it. Fuller body than some of the Burgundian Pinots I’ve had as of late, but certainly not brutish. This one sets a nice balance between intense flavours of cherry and raspberry and light touches of earth, oak, and subtle hints of sausage. It’s a complex blend of flavours with good structure for aging and pairing with a wide range of foods from eggplant, to chicken, to a rich alfredo sauce ravioli dish. It’s too bad it will be difficult to find any more of this!

Continue reading “Howling Bluff Pinot Noir” »

in Wine & Food
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Poplar Grove Winery

Poplar Grove is one of the Okanagan’s best bet wineries. Now located on the slopes of Munson Mountain adjacent to the Penticton sign, at the start of the Naramata Bench, they command one of the most fabulous views in the Okanagan.

A fantastic Bordeaux Blend — The Legacy — is their flagship wine, but equally impressive are their Cab Franc, Syrah, and Pinot Gris. They are also related to Poplar Grove Cheese, which is now a separate business, but can sometimes still be found in the tasting room. This is a winery that really can’t do wrong and an absolute must visit in the Okanagan.

Poplar Grove Winery
425 Middle Bench Road North
Penticton, BC  V2A 8S5
[t] 250.493.9463
[w] poplargrove.ca 

MAP

Tastings:

April Sat & Sun 10am-5pm
May to Oct 7 days a week 10am-6pm
Nov Sat & Sun 10am-5pm

in Wine & Food
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Blue Mountain Pinot Blanc

A legendary wine from a legendary winery. Not too much more I can say about that! While probably not at its peak, it was a privilege to try an Okanagan white wine from this long ago. Surprisingly it was actually still showing alright. Now if only I can get in on some old reds…

 

in Video Production, Wine & Food

Interview with a Sommelier: Jake Skakun

I met Jake Skakun on a dusty back road between Joie Farm Winery and Van Westen Vineyards in Naramata, BC where he was looking stylishly comfortable and at home amongst the vines.

Jake is a Sommelier by trade and previously worked at Vancouver’s wine darling the Salt Tasting Room in its formative years. Since then he has done a serious tour in San Francisco and has since returned to the Rain City as head of the wine program at L’Abattoir in Gastown — just down the alley from Salt.

Humble in his approach, Jake is not what you’d imagine if you closed your eyes and thought sommelier as he seems content to let the wine do the talking. However, he does share some choice words with us in part one of our interview on Riesling, great wine, and life as a sommelier.

If you’re wondering what it’s like to be a sommelier this video snapshot is for you.