EverythingWINE
RSSWines of Olympic Proportion
After hearing all the reports about the Vancouver Olympic Committee taking a hard line in the protection of their official sponsors, I somewhat expected a deluge of signage at the Olympic venues. Instead, I found an amazing lack of in-your-face promotion and worry that fans are not getting the Canadian wine message.
The official 2010 wine sponsors are Jackson Triggs, Inniskillin, and Sumac Ridge. They have all released new bottlings with Olympics labels, such as the JT Esprit wines the Sumac Tribute Brut, and Inniskillin Commemorative Icewine. But what about their other wines, the ones that have been quietly delivering satisfaction before the circus came to town?
Sumac Ridge is one of the oldest producers in the Okanagan. They make great wines and lots of them. The Tribute Brut – New World Class Wines, October 31, 2009 - is an excellent bubbly, very crisp and clean with delicate citric fruit, and perfect for special occasions.
The Sumac Gewürztraminer, on the other hand, is a delicious everyday sipper, and – I was surprised to learn it’s the #1 seller in the BC liquor stores. Not much of a surprise, really. This gewürzt is fresh and lively on the nose and in the mouth. Lots of peaches, mango, and pineapple are wrapped into a crisp palate with a zesty, spicy finish. It goes with anything hot, spicy or sushified, and I mean anything.
Inniskillin is a large producer working both sides of the country – Niagara and Okanagan. One of the first Inniskillins I ever tried continues to be a favorite. The Dark Horse Vineyard Meritage is indeed dark - almost opaque in color - with long skinny legs that coat the glass. Its nose is full of chocolate, toffee, coffee, ripe black and purple fruit, spice and sweet oak. All of that continues on the palate, which is jammy and robust with a soft mouthfeel and chewy tannins, leading to a long, spicy finish. This is the ultimate cold 
weather wine to cozy up with steaks, stews and rich Italian food. And chocolate, natch.
Jackson Triggs is also bi-coastal, and has received particular acclaim for their shiraz from Okanagan. JT’s Proprietors Reserve Shiraz is totally opaque and actually tastes black. Black berry, black cherry, black licorice all the way, plus ripe plum, caramel and sweet oak. The tannins are soft and it has a juicy, lip smacking finish of lingering toffee. Well built and solid enough to satisfy any syrup sucker – including Stephen Colbert.
Further proof that Canada excels at more than ice wine. See you at the games!