Aliens descend upon vineyards
The Aliens are coming in the form of optical grape-sorting robots.
The Alien, developed in France and currently testing during the 2018 harvest in Bordeaux and Napa Valley, was employed earlier this year in Australia. The machine is designed to sort red grape berries and remove any material other than grapes, such as stems, leaves, and green berries. You can also program it to remove lower quality/unwanted grape berries based on colour and condition.
The Alien takes ultra-fast pictures of up to 200 berries at a time. The information is used to guide the nimble, robotic arms that can suck up more than 400 individual pieces per minute, or eight tons per hour, of unwanted material as it zooms by.
As for the human sorters, there is always something else to be done at harvest.
The 11th annual B.C. Iconic ■ Reds Wine Tasting Competition is set for Nov. 14, at The Sutton Place Hotel. The tasting will feature 18-20 to red blends “in the Bordeaux style” priced from $35 to $135.
This year’s lineup is valued at north of $1,000. The wines will be served in two flights and tasted blind. There will be a short break between flights, during which the JoieFarm Quotidien Brut sparkling wine will be poured for a toast to the late John Levine and a selection of specialty cheeses, charcuterie and accoutrements will be offered as palate refreshments.
Tickets are $89 on Eventbrite, and include a $20 voucher if you spend $50 or more on a post-tasting wine order.
B.C. WINE OF THE WEEK
Clos du Soleil Estate Reserve White 2015, Similkameen Valley $59.90 | 91/100
UPC: 857088000787
It’s all Similkameen fruit, 96 per cent Sauvignon Blanc and four per cent Semillon that comes off two Keremeos vineyards. It’s fermented on its yeast in barrel for some seven weeks before aging in barrel on lees with occasional battonage for another six months. The nose is a sophisticated affair of floral, leesy citrus pear notes that spill onto the palate with more lemon and grapefruit pith flavours. The acidity is bright with stony mineral flecks throughout. This will only improve in bottle over the next five years. If you must open it, think whole roasted lemon stuffed free range chicken.
WINE FOR THE CELLAR
Mission Hill Reserve Shiraz 2015, Okanagan Valley
$25.99 | 90/100
UPC: 776545995124
In some ways Mission Hill reminds me a bit of Robert Mondavi back in the day. They don’t make any mistakes at the winery, as exemplified by this reserve Shiraz made in the Australian spirit: dense, rich and showy. The nose is open and bright, the style rich and hedonistic with pepper, blackberries, sweet plums and even some light floral notes. Weighty and dense, this requires a powerful menu item to match the richness and length. Can’t wait to see this in 2025. For now, barbecue pork.