EverythingWINE

Pinotage is kind of a weird grape, crossed as it is between pinot noir and cinsault and custom hybridized for the South African climate back in 1925. People either love pinotage or they hate it, depending on how much paint they smell in it. Colour me crimson, but I really like pinotage.

My fondness started at a winery where I worked about eight years ago. For some reason, the winemaker got a hold of some grapes grown in California, made this wine, and when I first tried it I thought it was the most disgusting thing I’d ever tasted. Honestly, that was my reaction. I was embarrassed to pour it and appalled when customers liked it.

The next vintage came along and I had what can only be described as a wine epiphany – right there in the tasting room. With its complex nuances and supple intelligence, that wine seemed so interesting and companionable; I wanted to invite it home for a drink of itself.

That pinotage rocked my taste buds so much it made me want more. Since then, I’ve had some good ones from South Africa, especially the Beyerskloof and KWV. From the Okanagan, I’ve tried pinotages from Inniskillin and Lake Breeze, and loved them as well.

At long last, I tasted the Hillside Estates 2007 Pinotage and was not disappointed, and not just because it paired so beautifully with the yummy sausage risotto I whipped up.

The bouquet is like a cigar box full of charred herbs, black and purple fruit, dark soil and flower petals. On the palate, roasted blackberries and plums are mocha-coated and sweetly spiced, with wood smoke floating through. The velvety mouthfeel is full and rich with smooth tannins and the finish is like warm black fruit if it were soaked in root beer. That’s how it tastes after being open an hour. The next day, there are roasted coffee beans on a plank of toasted oak to look forward to. Also, with a Concerto chocolate cookie, it’s like an espresso and pain au chocolat – sublime.

The grapes are sourced from the Stoneboat vineyard in Oliver, where the largest amount of Okanagan pinotage is grown. Still, 15 acres doesn’t produce a lot. Hillside only produced 450 cases, with Stoneboat making the rest. That’s another one I have to try.

Does anyone share my affection for pinotage? I feel so all alone in this, so please tell me what you think and what pinotages you like. Do you prefer Old World to New World? I’d love to know.

Every summer, I return to Sonoma County to see friends, check on our house, and stock up on wines that don’t travel north of the border. But once in a while it’s nice to have Sonoma come to me, as it will next Thursday when the Sonoma in the City tour rolls into town. 

Thinking of Sonoma County reminds me of those old jokes I used to hear, like: "Napa is a four-letter word". Or, "Napa is for auto parts". Friendly barbs yes, but well-rooted in the envy of their neighbor’s world fame. Now, Sonoma is the new Napa.

But even the word “Sonoma” means different places to different people.

Sonoma is a County; 4579 sq kilometers of land from the ocean to the mountains that makes Napa County look like an easement. Sonoma County is also an American Viticutural Area, and contains 12 other AVAs within it - Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Mountain and Sonoma Coast among them. But the most confusion with “Sonoma” is with the City of Sonoma, an historic mission town and the capital of the Bear Flag Republic revolt against Mexico. So, when you say “Sonoma”, don’t forget to attach a designation, unless it's just your state of mind.

Sonoma in the City takes place on Thursday, September 24th at the new convention center and will feature over 30 wineries from 12 Sonoma County appellations. Many of them are well established, a few are brand new, and some old wineries have new owners.

If you are unable to attend the Vancouver event, Everything Wine is presenting mini Sonoma in the City tastings on Friday, September 25th and Saturday, September 26th. Among the wineries pouring their bounty:

Flowers Vineyards – as one of the first to plant grapes on the ridges of the pre-AVA Sonoma Coast, Walt and Joan Flowers have gained a devoted following of their exquisite pinot noir and chardonnay.

Francis Ford Coppola Winery - the filmmaker bought and revived the historic Niebaum winery in Rutherford, in Napa Valley – making traditional varietals and blends – before purchasing the palatial Chateau Souverain winery in Geyserville and renaming it after himself.

MacMurray Ranch - originally owned by actor Fred MacMurray of My Three Sons fame, the Gallo family bought it, planted grapes, and began making affordable, high-quality pinot noir with grapes from Russian River and the Sonoma Coast.

Pezzi King Vineyards – named for the mothers of owners James and Jane Rowe, Pezzi King has been making juicy, award-winning Dry Creek zinfandel and cabernet since the mid-1990s.

Rodney Strong Vineyards – founded by the Broadway dancer and now owned by the Klein family, this was one of the first Sonoma County wineries to produce a Russian River-designated Pinot Noir back in the 1970s. (See Rodney is Still Strong.)

Sonoma Cutrer – An august chardonnay house using fruit from almost every corner of the county, you would be hard pressed to find a more meticulous producer of Burgundian wines.

These events may be Canada, but I'll see you in Sonoma!

Ok, summer is over, the traveling has stopped and my last bit of discretionary spending was enjoyed at the Elvis Costello concert. Time to think free or cheap or at least bargain. While paying off the credit cards, I'll be sticking to value wines that are as well balanced as my bank account. Here are a couple I’ve found.

There was a time when I thought the Sonora Ranch wines were only good in a pinch, a by-the-glass wine available at places like the Vancouver Art Gallery café, good for when there is nothing else on the menu. But the bottle of Sonora Ranch Chardonnay I had this week made me rethink my bias.

This non-vintage, second-label wine produced by Mission Hill is more than serviceable; it’s tasty. Moreover, it has what the expensive chard producers want to imitate: that “French style” fresh fruit and zippy acid the public thirsts for as opposed to big, buttery oak bombs. It starts with ripe green apples, gently baked in brown sugar, and evolves into lemon/pineapple meringue, with the slightest hint of vanilla on the finish. Crisp, clean, appealing and pleasingly affordable. Not just a by-the-glass wine anymore. Good for anything fishy or Asian spicy.

The other discovery is Giacondi 2008 Nero D’Avola, Sicilia. The designation is IGT, which apart from Indicazione Geografica Tipica, for me means, It’s Good Too. Sicily is about as hot as Italy gets, and the fruit grown there gets super ripe and almost burnt to a crisp by the sun. If you’re one of those people who see colours on their tongue, this one would look black with a deep purple edge.

Because of its deep concentration, tight tannins and youth, the Giaconda is a tough quaff soon after opening. Even with a half hour of breathing and two spins through a Vinturi, it made me feel like hair was growing on my chest. But, 24 hours later, it became so soave, it could have sung an aria. With a nose of smoky, burnt blackberries, the palate showed dusty black cherry, plum, sage and smoke, and finished on a nice baked fruit note. The tannins smoothed out and the acids become juicy and lip smacking. We drank it with barbeque chicken, which was excellent, but I could see it standing up to spicy chorizo – or anything Italian. With enough time to breathe, it's a satisfying drink.

What other good values can I save money with? If you have a suggestion, please post it here. Or, twitter me up @marikane. 

Labour Day Weekend should be a warm, dry chance to do some last minute beach sitting and patio cooking before school starts, yet who can count on the weather? In contrast to the smoky, but idyllic conditions of last weekend, the impending forecast calls for rain and below average temperatures, so it might be more of an intro to fall than a farewell to summer. Winewise, preparation is key.

This is a perfect time for a big heavy red, the kind you remember fondly on those hot nights when you’re reaching for a chilly white. Many times in the past four months the thought of a meaty, beefy, big and bouncy red made me want to dash into the kitchen and cook a crock of risotto, but in reality I've always ended up making a salad and pouring a glass of riesling. This weekend will be different.

The Rhone Valley produces some great cool weather wines, made to warm you from the inside. Domaine d’ Ameillaud’s 2007 Vin de Pays De La Principaute D’ Orange is one that offers a core of intense, ripe plum that is beautifully balanced with earth and wood, and the nice round tannins make it unusually elegant for a “country” wine. The nose is as inviting as a freshly baked pie and the mid palate has good acidity with a touch of mineral that leaves the finish clean. It’s the kind of wine you can sip while watching storm clouds gather and smirk, thinking, bring it on.

The day after I opened this wine, I noticed it had gained more complexity. We took the half-full bottle on a camping trip, and as I sat in our campfire-banned site, watching storm clouds gather over a mountain ridge, I noticed that the mouthfeel had turned velvety and there were stronger notes of flesh and smoke. These flavours paired perfectly with the wild weather swirling around me.

Domaine d’ Ameillaud is in the Southern Rhone town of Cairanne and has been in the Ameillaud family for over 200 years. The grenache, syrah and carignan grapes in this blend come from neighboring Orange, a galet’s throw from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region. After years of disrepair, the new blood – Nick Thompson and his wife, Sabine Ameillaud - have upgraded the domaine’s vineyards and winery, and are now making some amazing wines. Their Cote du Rhone is also available and I would love to get my hands on a bottle of their carignan.

So, don’t mourn the end of our warm, dry weather. Embrace the moisture with a good, heavy red.