An evening of red, white and blue indulgence
God Bless the USA by Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery happens March 28 at 6 p.m. It will be an evening of red, white and blue indulgence hosted by Mt. Boucherie's cultural attaché, Steven Lane, offering a rich selection of wines from the Sonoma Coast to the shores of Okanagan Lake. Expect buttery Chardonnay, complex and haunting Pinot Noir, and big, bad Cabernet Sauvignon from north and south of the border paired with oozy and opulent cuisine that could only come from one place: Murrica.
Available online, tickets are $150 for the night.
B.C. Distilled, Canada's premier artisan distillery event, returns April 10-14. This year's festival will take place at the Italian Cultural Centre. The festival will feature 30 distilleries, alongside several non-alcohol vendors, and the return of Legacy Liquor's pop-up retail shop on Saturday, April 13. Tickets are $64.99 from bcdistilled.ca/tickets with a $10 early discount applied to the first 100 sold. The public tasting runs on Saturday, April 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. Partial proceeds from the festival will be donated to B.C. Distilled's designated charity partner, Pacific Assistance Dogs Society, whose staff and fourlegged friends will attend the show.
WINE OF THE WEEK Clos du Soleil Fumé Blanc Sauvignon Blanc — Sémillon 2022, Oliver, Okanagan Valley $25.90 I 90/100
UPC: 857088000862
The 2022 Fumé Blanc comes off four sites in Oliver and Keremeos in late September with a final blend of 69/31 Sauvignon Blanc/ Sémillon. The style is lively and fresh with big aromatics. Grapefruit and Meyer lemons, dusted in Similkameen desert scrub, dominate the nose. It's juicy and fun to drink solo or with fish tacos, crab, or spicy tuna rolls. Post ferment, the wine is aged on its lees in stainless steel tanks and French oak puncheons for four months. Perfect now. Winery direct.
VALUE WINE OF THE WEEK Wild Goose Gewürztraminer 2022, Okanagan Valley $19.99 I 89/100
UPC: 688229310225
Look for exotic orange and melon, sweet honeysuckle, and spicy ginger streaks underneath. Juicy, sweet flavours glide down the palate through the finish. Real Gewürztraminer you can buy at a fair price. Up its value with squash curry, cumin/turmeric/ paprika-spiced chicken, or spicy noodle dishes. The Wild Goose style is always a bit sweeter and rounder, attracting many fans. It is a blend of estate and grower fruit that, as alluded to, is picked later with higher sugar content and more intensity. It was aged five months post-ferment and bottled fresh, ready for release.