Airport wine
What does 2017 taste like? Well, it’s reminiscent of the sun, if the sun could be savoured.
It’s fresh and contemporary and definitely has aromas and tastes of citrus, peach, pear and minerals.
The first Okanagan wines made from grapes harvested in the fall of 2017 are starting to appear on store shelves.
This week, I embraced the kick-off of new-release season by tasting three 2017s from Oliver’s Hester Creek Winery.
The Pinot Gris-Viognier ($21.50) is the most interesting because it’s an unusual blend resulting in a complex, juicy and refreshing white with aromas and flavours of lemon, lime, melon and pear.
The stand-alone Pinot Gris ($19) is also zesty with some additional apricot and flinty limestone nose and taste.
Creamy peach and nectarine is what you sniff right off the bat with the Pinot Blanc ($18) before settling in for some stone fruit, pine and even sage flavours.
Unoaked white wines are always the first to be released because they are ready to be enjoyed shortly after fermentation and bottling.
That’s why these crowd-pleasing whites are making their debut just five months after the grapes were picked.
If you really want to geek out about the 2017 vintage, you’ll remember the growing season last year was one of contrasts.
Remember the heavy spring rains that contributed to flooding?
Well, it prompted rapid early growth, which necessitated aggressive grapevine canopy management in the late spring.
Summer was a classic, hot and dry Okanagan one, which ensured grapes ripened beautifully for an outstanding harvest and incredible wines.
While Hester Creek is one of the first Valley wineries to the newrelease party, expect many more 2017 vintage appearances from scores of other wineries in the next couple of months.
Many wineries aim to have their latest-release whites and roses out in time for the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival, which starts May 3.
You may also see some new-release reds before the fest, but they will be 2016 and 2015 vintages because reds generally have to spend some time aging in oak barrels and the bottle before they hit store shelves.
Of course, you may have been sipping 2017s for months now if you’re a fan of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, Argentinian Torrontes or South African Chenin Blanc.
Being in the Southern Hemisphere and having seasons opposite to us, new-release whites from those countries were ready last fall after the grapes were picked from February to June 2017.
Casino wines
The casino in Kelowna has upped its wine game with the opening of Match Eatery & Public House.
Match is a new-concept comfort food restaurant for the refurbished and renamed Playtime Casino (formerly Lake City Casino) at the base of the Delta Grand hotel downtown.
Match general manager Amy Clive took me through the wine list, pointing out it’s half Okanagan vintages.
For instance, five of the nine white wines are Okanagan, including house white Open Sauvignon Blanc, JacksonTriggs RieslingGewurztraminer, Sumac Ridge Cellar Collection Sauvignon Blanc, Wayne Gretzky Pinot Grigio and Nk’Mip Owam Qwmt Chardonnay.
Six of the 12 reds are Okanagan, including house red Open Merlot, Jackson-Triggs Reserve Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Sumac Ridge Cellar Collection Merlot, Wayne Gretzky Cabernet-Syrah, Black Sage Cabernet Sauvignon and Road 13 Malbec.
The wines start at the favourable price point of $7 a glass or $30 a bottle.
“We built the list to be diverse so locals could order local wine and tourists can get a great introduction to Okanagan wines,” said Clive.
Her personal favourite wine on the list is the Road 13 Jackpot Malbec, which sells off the menu for $58 a bottle.
“It so smooth and can be paired with our (appetizer) Wagyu beef sliders or (main event baseball striploin) steak,” she said.
The most expensive wine on Match’s list is famous French Champagne Dom Perignon for $340 a bottle, presumably placed on the menu for those celebrating a big win in the casino.
More Dom
Speaking of Dom Perignon, I had my first glass of the haute couture of the champagne world last weekend at an Oscar-viewing party my wife and I were hosting.
Usually, guests arrive with bottles of Okanagan sparkling or wine in hand.
But, this year, Dr. David Hawkins showed up with 2009 Vintage Dom Perignon, which was leftover from his 60th birthday celebrations.
At $220 retail, Dom is easily priced three times as much as a standard French Champagne such as Moet & Chandon, Lanson or Pol Roger, which you can snag for $65 a bottle.
Last weekend’s Spring Travel Show at Kelowna airport touted how easy it is to fly from here to Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton or Seattle to catch a flight to Europe.
And Europe means French, Italian, Spanish and German wines.
So, among the booths for airlines, travel agents and destinations, Public Liquor was pouring samples of two French wines to get people psyched for European travel.
Both were affordable and approachable vintages – Les Fleurs de Mal ($14), an aromatic white blend from the Cotes de Gascogne made with Colombard, Gros Manseng and Sauvignon Blanc, and La Vieille Ferme ($13), a Rhone red blend of Grenache and Syrah.
Public Liquor’s store is located across the highway from the airport in a newly expanded space in Airport Village, beside Nester’s grocery store.
Steve MacNaull is The Okanagan Weekend’s business and wine reporter and columnist. Reach him at steve.macnaull@ok.bc.ca.