ADD FLAIR TO FRITTATA
Serve dish up with a juicy red
The Judgement of B.C. wrapped up last week, closing out an annual event that has been running for five years, comparing B.C. wines against “benchmark” labels (by price) from around the world. It was never quite best against best, but a useful exercise nonetheless to see just where we stand against the competition.
For those of us tasting every day, there were no real surprises (we know B.C. wine is good and getting better), but it is fun to review some of our best under blind conditions alongside foreign stars without all the rah-rah, over-the-top, home team hype that is a big part of the local wine scene.
Thirty-two tasters, led by a majority of Canadians, mixed with folks from the U.S., China, and England, sat the full day, tasting four separate flights of wine highlighting Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. Each set of 10 wines contained six B.C. labels and four international labels. I couldn’t help thinking the slightly tilted field in favour of the locals mirrored the real-life market conditions, yet we crave the praise that comes from comparing favourably against imports that are fighting huge roadblocks to make it to the shelf in B.C.
Note to organizers: We don’t need any help, British Columbia wine is perfectly capable of speaking for itself. In the end, the results proved it with local wines taking the top spot in three of the four categories. That said, imports are not the enemy; they make for a healthy, competitive market.
Arrowleaf Cellars, a specialist in translating every drop of fruit and terroir in its grapes into the bottle, beat out the Pinot Noir field with its Arrowleaf Cellars Archive Pinot Noir 2016 ($25.99). Second place went to La Crema 2016 Pinot Noir,
Monterey, Calif. ($36.45). Third place went to Sokol Blosser 2015 Pinot Noir Estate, Dundee Hills, Ore. ($42). It was a challenging flight, given its evenness of quality. Not much separated the top five wines. My top three: Shaw and Smith 2016 Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills, South Australia ($68), Arrowleaf Pinot Noir, and Cedarcreek 2016 Platinum Block 2 Pinot Noir ($65)
I think the Chardonnay flight was transformative for anyone who thinks oak and baked fruit is still the story. The group selected Meyer 2016 Chardonnay Tribute Series Donovan Tildesley Old Main Road Vineyard ($30.50), 50th Parallel 2016 Chardonnay ($28), and Craggy Range 2017 Chardonnay, Kidnapper’s Vineyard, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand ($33). I was in sync with Meyer in first, but swapped the Craggy Range into second place ahead of 50th Parallel.
The Riesling flight was all over the place in style and vintages,
and I think it affected the final standings. The top three in order were Nik Weis 2014 St. Urbanshof Wiltinger Alte Reben, Mosel, Germany ($35), Cedarcreek 2018 Platinum Block 3 Riesling ($30), and St. Hubertus & Oak Bay 2014 Reserve Riesling ($26). My one, two, three picks were: the St. Urbans Hof, followed by the Rieslingfreak 2018 No. 3 Reverence of Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia ($40) and Martin’s Lane 2016 Fritzi’s Vineyard Riesling ($65).
The Syrah flight was a B.C. blitz, and a coming-out party for the No. 1 pick, Naramata-based Tightrope 2016 Syrah ($37), followed closely by Le Vieux Pin 2016 Cuvee Violette Syrah ($38), and Stag’s Hollow 2016 Syrah Amalia Vineyard ($29). They were all close, but my picks differed beginning with Saint Cosme 2016 Crozes-hermitage, Rhone Valley France ($59), followed by the hedonistic, crowd-pleasing, K Vintners 2015
MCK Syrah, Washington state ($48), and then the Tightrope.
But enough navel-gazing; the real judgment is out in the international marketplace, or anywhere outside of B.C.
We are ready, but so far few B.C. wineries have been willing to or able to sell outside the country, especially when they are selling everything they make out the cellar door. We await the next chapter.