Monthly Picks: June'15 - Rosé

With Summer around the corner and Spring cleaning wrapping-up, our patios and decks are getting ready to be occupied once more. It's rosé season! This month's picks are dedicated to the many fine blush wines produced in BC and already on the market waiting to be taken home to the sunny, outdoor space of your choosing.

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2014 Pinot Noir Rosé - $16
There's the usual mix of sweet red fruit and tart cranberry aromas and flavours, but there's also nice sage-y, earthy layer on the appealing nose and a steely, mineral layer on the crisp palate. Not completely dry this year, though, the finish is long and refreshing.
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Quails' Gate Estate Winery 2014 Rosé - $18
A blend of  80% Gamy Noir, 10% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Gris offering a fresh, aromatic nose of Spring flowers, strawberry, watermelon, citrus peel and peppercorn seeds. Flavours of delicate red fruit, minerals and sweet citrus with bring a smile to your face.
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SpierHead Winery 2014 Pinot Noir Rosé - $18
Produced as a dry alternative to the many off-dry blush wines on the market in BC and one to pair with spicy, Spanish tapas which will highlight the cooling effect of the crisp, citrus acidity and the bright, red fruit and mineral flavours on offer.
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LaStella Winery 2014 LaStellina Rosato - $20
An off-dry, fruity and cheerful rosé made from a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sangiovese grapes focusing on a discourse between juicy, red fruit and crisp tropical fruit characters (the juicy fruit wins the debate).
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Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2014 Oldfield Series Rosé - $20
Though consistently good over the years, this year's Oldfield Series rosé is a notch above the others and delivers memorable balance between its delicate, Provence inspired, aromas and flavours and the acid and mineral counterbalance that resolves the sweetness into a dry, mouth-watering finish.
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Le Vieux Pin 2014 Vaila - $22
A lovely, aromatic and zesty rosé produced from a blend of 100% Pinot Noir that opens with an exotic mix of kiwi, rhubarb, cranberry, raspberry seed and alpine strawberry aromas followed by a vibrant, mouth watering palate with similar flavours, added citrus and mineral notes and a touch of body that lasts through the long finish.
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Bench 1775 Winery 2014 Glow Rosé - $23
This light-salmon hued rosé focuses on a Provenciale-like balance between lightly, off-dry red fruit characters, crisp, tropical acidity and delicate herb and mineral notes. Very food friendly and refreshing.
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 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca

Best of BC: Riesling

When Riesling is done well in BC, it is done very well. The Western-most Province may not have as many top-notch Rieslings as Ontario, but the interest, and quality, is increasing.

The Riesling coming out of the Central and Northern parts of the Okanagan Valley attracts most of the acclaim and represents the largest acreage under vine for this Germanic and winter-hardy varietal. Much of the Southern Okanagan Valley is too warm for quality Riesling, but there are a few pockets here and there that are producing excellent fruit used in both blends and single varietal wines.

Below, arrange by price-point, are our favourite Rieslings from British Columbia.

$20 and below:

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2014 Riesling - $18
This single-vineyard Riesling is one to sip slowly, despite the urge you may have to take a big gulp of the finely balanced, off-dry fruit cup, cool stonefruit and zesty citrus characters.
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SynchroMesh Wines 2012 Thorny Vines Vineyard Riesling - $19
'Thorny Vines' is SynchroMesh's "other Riesling", essentially a nice companion piece to their $30, Lieutenant Governor's Award of Excellence winning Storm Haven Riesling which is produced from their home vineyard vines in Okanagan Falls.
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Summerhill Pyramid Winery 2013 Organic Riesling - $20
Fans of the "Dr. L" Riesling, and there are many of you, should take note of Summerhill's Organic Riesling as a locally made alternative, made in a similar, opulent, fruity, fully off-dry style (36.5 g/l of residual sugar).
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La Frenz Winery 2012 Riesling - $20

Off-dry levels of residual sugar are well-balanced by the mouth-watering green apple and pineapple acidity on the palate adorned with boisterous orchard and tropical fruit flavours. A nice vein of minerals runs through the palate to the long, balanced finish where just a hint of spice is perceptible.

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Stag's Hollow Winery 2013 Riesling 0 $20
The nose boasts lively apricot, white peach, lime peel and orange blossom notes while the off-dry palate preens with honeyed citrus fruit flavours off-set by mouth-watering green apple acidity through to a moderate finish
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$30 and below:



SpierHead Winery 2012 Riesling - $22
Flinty with lemon-lime citrus notes aplenty, this well-balanced wine hails from East Kelowna yet adheres to the Niagara Riesling formula of matching sweetness to acid while keeping the alcohol low and maintaining a light and mineral-y texture.
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Upper Bench Estate Winery 2013 Riesling - $22
Impressive depth on the expressive nose and the off-dry palate with added tangerine, kiwi, honeydew and flint aromas and flavours with light kerosene notes floating in the background.
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JoieFarm 2013 Riesling - $23
The palate is unabashedly off-dry, bursting with pineapple, kiwi, Fiji apple and mineral flavours, yet, finely tuned with generous amounts of lemon/lime acidity keeping the sweetness in-check, without detracting from the delicate tropical fruit characters.
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Monthly Picks: May '15 - Go Big!

This month we're going big, or going home! All the wines on this month's list are full bodied and pack a punch. Enjoy.

Rodney Strong Estate Vineyards 2012 Knotty Vines Zinfandel - $21
Hits you in the face, as many Zins do, with a powerful nose of puréed dark berry fruits, sweet peppercorn, vanilla-mocha and spicy oak aromas. Sourced from multiple Northern Sonoma vineyards, this Zin is full bodied from 15% alcohol and a touch of residual sugar, matching the intensity of the berry fruit flavours on offer.
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Domaine Saint-Damien 2013 Vieilles Vignes - $25
Big, round and bursting with aromas of roasted herbs, bramble-y red fruits and sun-soaked rocks, this blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Carignan and 5% Mourvèdre is sourced from vineyards ranging from 35-65 years of age, and offers fabulous value for money.
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Cassini Cellars 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve - $40
A nice, broody, cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon with masculine aromas  of cassis, plum, blackberry, coffee grinds and vanilla fudge with subtle oak and cooking spice notes in the background. Cool-berry fruit leads the entry on the well-structured palate with layers of savoury and cocoa flavours appearing mid-palate and through to the long finish where dusty tannins and spicy-vanilla-mint notes linger.
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Rombauer Vineyards 2011 Zinfandel - $45
A blend of 93% Zinfandel and 7% Petite Syrah sourced from vineyards in Napa Valley and beyond, this wine offers good continuity from the nose with added red fruit sweetness and peppery wood flavours on the intense, spicy palate.
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Black Hills Estate Winery 2012 Nota Bene - $52
The latest edition sees a whopping 57% Merlot mixed with 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc and despite the changes, the 2012 offers good typicity for the iconic brand suggesting the vineyard site is the most dominant influence over the finished wine and not the finite percentages of the main components.
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Viña Montes 2011 Montes Folly - $87
Another killer Folly with an enchanting, sweetly scented nose of cherry, plum, blueberry, cola and pepper aromas complimented with elegant, toasted oak and warm earth characters. The palate is equally complex and smooth with solid structure from refined, developed tannins.
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 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca