Enjoy a taste of Provence with your Provencal Rose
Wine tasting at 39th & Cambie Signature Liquor Store kicks off June events
The Wines of Provence will host a free tasting of Provencal Rose at the 39th & Cambie Signature Liquor Store (5555 Cambie) on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The tasting features Rose wines from appellations including Cotes de Provence, Coteaux Varois en Provence and Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, along with Provence-inspired canapes provided by Bon Vivant Catering Group.
Sales of Provence Rose wines at B.C. Liquor Stores are up 31 per cent from 2016.
Black Hills Estate will be part of a winemakers invitational dinner at Spirit Ridge Resort on June 16.
The four-course dinner features guest winemakers — with their wines, including Don Triggs (Culmina), Richard Kanazawa (Kanazawa), Dan Scott (Lariana) and Graham Pierce (Cellar Hand).
On June 17, the party shifts to Black Hills for the 17th Nota Bene Release Party. The evening includes the live music of Oscar Lopez and Barney Bentall, The Silent Disco in the barrel cellar with three guest DJs, and a special performance by Luki Dance honouring Canada’s 150th birthday, and more.
Tickets for both all-inclusive parties (including transport from Osoyoos or Penticton) are $199 and can be purchased from blackhillswinery.com.
B.C. WINE OF THE WEEK LaStella Moscato D’Osoyoos 2016, Okanagan Valley $19.99 | 90/100 UPC: 808755012398
While it’s true that Muscat often trumps terroir, LaStella has managed to bring a little bit of d’Asti to its d’Osoyoos, offering a stunningly elegant version of a petillant bubble. They have gone back to cork to better adjust the gentle pressure in the bottle, and they got it right. You can expect an explosion of perfumed fruit with just a hint of effervescence. Orange blossoms, nectarine skin, rose petals and more all jump from the glass. At less than 10 per cent alcohol by volume this wine is multi-dimensional. The winery suggests you try it with green curry and fish. Sounds perfect.
WINE FOR THE CELLAR CVNE Imperial Rioja Gran Reserva 2009, Rioja, Spain
$86 | 94/100
UPC: 8410591002178
CVNE Imperial is a Rioja classic, first bottled in the 1920s. The name is an ode to a special bottling for the English in a measure the Spanish called Pinta Imperial (Imperial Pint, or approximately half a litre). The vineyard, in Villalba and Haro in Rioja Alta, is over 20 years old today and is part of a new facility built in the late 1980s putting an end to several less than clean wines. The dry farmed 85/10/5 Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo vines are responsible for low yields and intense fruit, all aged in American and French oak barrels. Look for a rich hedonistic enticing nose of black fruits with a whiff of earth. The palate is silky soft, with spicy, savoury, ripe yet elegant black fruit and tobacco flavours. Impressive at eight years but will hold another decade and beyond.