|
|
Hellllooooo Sunshine!
Summer wines are those crisp, refreshing
sippers that are easy to quaff on the patio,
and they pair well with lighter seasonal fare
- more than 40 suggestions!
This weekend I will be at EAT!Vancouver
for the fifth year in a row!
Come see me
on the Grapes&Hops stage in the Wine&Beer
pavilion along with the dudes from Just
Here for The Beer, Jay Jones and David
Wolowidnyk
And this weekend on my Tasting Room Radio
segment I talk about last weeks Pinot
Noir tasting presented by Quails' Gate,
featuring the wines of Fiddlehead Cellars,
Ata Rangi and Ken
Wright...
Cheers,
Daenna
 |
|
|
Hunter Valley Australia
Located in the southeastern portion of the
great island continent of Australia and home
to the stunning harbor city of Sydney, is New
South Wales. However, NSW is not necessarily,
foremost in consideration of international
wine drinkers. Yet it's here that the first
vines, brought to Australia were planted, in
Sydney, and it's also here, just two hours
drive north, the historic Hunter Valley lies.
Hunter Valley became a wine region based on
its proximity to Sydney - not due to its
perfect growing conditions. A flat valley in
the Brokenback Range (the coastal mountain
range) Hunter Valley is, without question a
beautiful destination and is a favorite
weekend destination of Sydneysiders.
Ironically this is traditionally a mining
region. And ,there is a fairly obvious
disparity between the perceived prestige of
the wine industry (and those who travel to
wine regions to enjoy the finer things in
life) and the understated blue-collar locals....
Read about the wines and wineries of Hunter here...
|
|
|
|
|
Summer Wines
Hillside Estate Un-Oaked Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, 2008
Of a recent line-up of Pinot
Gris' I tasted,
the Hillside Estate really stood out, and not
only for its gorgeous peachy hue.
Vibrant fruit on the nose - crisp pear, stone
fruits, and juicy sweet pink grapefruit with
chalky/mineral tones. Very expressive on the
palate, clean fruit flavours, peachy-pear,
more pink grapefruit and a long zesty finish.
It has a lovely soft, roundness on the
tongue.
Well-done.
$19
More than 40 more summer wine reviews here...
|
|
|
|
|
Fresh off my palate
Domaine Gayda
Tim Ford made a return trip to Vancouver last
week bringing some of his wines from the
Languedoc, and, some positive news....
Not
only are we going to be able to purchase his
Cuvee Occitane at specialty BC
Liquor Stores but his very tasty Three
Winds Syrah will soon be available in
Earl's Restaurants.
I first met
Ford
and his wife last summer when they made their
inaugural trip to Vancouver in hopes of
introducing British Columbians to their
Vins de Pays d'Oc, so it was good news upon
his return.
Domaine Gayda sits at the foot of the
Pyrenees in Languedoc, France. They are an
estate winery (and restaurant) with a firm
belief in organic agriculture and
sustainability. But in the end, if the wine
doesn't hold up - people understandably won't
drink - but the Gayda wines do, and you'll be
thrilled with them if you have a taste for
the elegant and complex...
Domaine Gayda Cuvee Occitane, 2007 is
an aromatic white blend of Marsanne, Grenache
Blanc, Roussanne and Viognier. It's fragrant
with peaches, honey, candle wax and white
floral notes, the palate is slick, laden with
mineral and citric flavours...
The Domaine
Gayda Cuvee Occitane, 2006 is a red blend of
Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Mourvedre. It
has aromas of mixed, dark and red berries,
loads of pepper and savoury undertones. The
palate shows bright fruit, spice and
supporting flavours of leather and earth.
Lovely acidity and finely textured...(both
Occitane wines coming soon $26.99)
And the
Three Winds Syrah, 2007 has plush berry
aromas, crushed floral and peppery spice. The
palate has sweet, juicy berry fruit, lots of
spice - it's very fresh and easy to drink.
Look for this wine coming to Earl's Restaurants.
|
|
Coming next: More from Australia and more new
wine reviews...
Don't
forget to visit
winescores.ca
and winediva.ca for new wine reviews
every
day!
Pink and Cheeky...
|
|
