Victoria Wine Week - Part One

More than a few wine tasting events occurring last week in in the city, including the Victoria Festival of Wine. We attended a few, and I've assembled some quick tasting notes to review a few key product lines, mostly from BC. Here's part one:

Pentage Winery Penticton, Okanagan Valley, BC

2006 Gewurztraminer: Intense rose petal and ripe, fragrant tropical fruit. Slightly oily mouthfeel, slight sweetness, low acidity. Like liquid Turkish Delight. Not the balanced, spicy Euro-style, but a certain crowd-pleaser. Serve chilled all summer long. Good value at $17.

2003 Pentage: The winery's big, signature red blend doesn't disappoint with typical Okanagan plummy fruit, cherries, and spice. Not as big and tannic as some, slightly lower acid as well. More of a "drink now" wine. Tasty, but maybe not quite worth its $28 price tag.

Didn't get to try the 2006 Pinot Gris, but I'm looking forward to its release in 3L box format. I'm a fan of boxed wines, as long as the quality is there. On its release, I'll review the box-format Gris and, if it shows near as well as the Gewurztraminer, Pentage Pinot Gris just might be my summer house wine.

Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery Westbank, Okanagan Valley, BC

Estate Semillon: Un-oaked, oily mouthfeel, dry, but ripe and tropical with guava & lemon. Serve chilled. Very good value at $15.

Estate Ehrenfelser: Typical floral, orange blossom Ehrenfelser aromas. More rosy, honey and tropical notes on the palate. Similar to the Pentage Gewurztraminer in that it has that "instant gratification" of flavour and sweetness. 14% alcohol is well hidden. $16.

We also tasted a trio of uncommon reds, all new to Mt. Boucherie.

Summit Reserve Blaufrankisch: aka Lemberger. Soft, plum and berry, with a touch of spice. Tasty, and likely the best example of this rare grape I've tasted, but certainly not $25-good.

Summit Reserve Zwiegelt: similar tasting notes, but I don't have price info at the moment.

Summit Reserve Melange Noir: An unlikely blend of 30% Merlot, 30% Marechal Foch, 30% Michurinetz and 10% Gamay. Wait a minute... Michurinetz? What the Hell is that? Apparently, Michurinetz is a variety of Russian origin that exhibits (according to Mt. Boucherie's winemaker) characteristics similar to Cabernet Sauvignon. Certainly unique and a well-made wine, but I can't get over the hints of Marechal Foch, my old arch-nemesis. I just can't get into that grape.

Mt. Boucherie also produces the more traditional Summit Reserve Merlot and Summit Reserve Summit (Bordeaux-style blend), which I've greatly enjoyed in the past. The new vintages featured at the Victoria Festival of Wine failed to impress, however. Perhaps a bit more time on the bottle is necessary for those two.

Estate Late Harvest Chardonnay: Sweet (55.9g/L residual sugar). Tasty apricot-honey aroma. Good value dessert wine at $16 (375mL)

Estate Late Harvest Pinot Noir: Sweet (55.9g/L residual sugar). Rich caramel aromas, stone fruit, honey and a touch of spice on the palate. $17 (375mL), but worth the extra dollar.

Victoria Festival of Wine

Tomorrow is the Victoria Festival of Wine! Robyn & I will be attending, so check back this weekend for our Best of the Fest blog, where we single out the most outstanding offerings of more than 100 wineries.