Still Summer Here!

As we have turned the corner from August into September I have been kept busy on other matters, but wine tasting and consideration has continued nonetheless!

The BBQ has continued to be busy these past few weeks, which means sunny skies and many evenings warm enough to eat outdoors. We’ve been sampling recent Opimian arrivals and favourites, wines from our BC trip in June, and some “Last Chance” discount offerings at the NLC. Here’s a summary of some of those sips.

Pictured above are two favourites from Hastwell & Lightfoot in McLaren Vale, the Founder’s Choice from last year, and another appearance this summer of the good drinking Fat n Skinny. The Founder’s Choice 2015 is mostly Tempranillo blended with a small percentage of Barbera. This unusual combination of Spanish and Italian grapes actually works and makes a delicious wine.

Opimian deliveries continue throughout the summer. These two were no sooner in the door than we had opened a bottle to try them out.

Quality Rueda Verdejo is not common in these parts, so the Esperanza Verdejo 2017 was more than welcome on the back deck this summer. We usually associate Spain with red wine, but the Rueda region is an exception with quite cool nighttime temperatures fixing acidity and slowing maturation. This wine, with plenty of soft fruit aromatics enhanced by lemony acidity, was perfect on a warm day.

Opimian consistently brings forward interesting and unusual varietals and wines, and I usually am tempted to give them a try. Such was the case with the Dorigati Rebo 2016, from the Trentino region of Italy. Rebo is a crossing of Merlot with the not-so-well-known Italian Teroldego grape variety. I think you could see the characteristics of both fruit in this wine – plush plummy fruitiness from the Merlot, with structure as well as fruit from the Teroldego. Worth seeking out (but quite rare)!

In June we visited the Okanagan Valley, and I reported on our tastings there. One of the wineries was Desert Hills, located on Black Sage Road in the southern end of the Valley above Osoyoos. We tasted and enjoyed a wide range of wines from inexpensive but well made whites, a rather stunning rosé, and lots of different reds.

We missed out on wines from the Cactus Series, but have since had the chance with the Cactus Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2013. This question often comes up, but the answer is “yes” you can get perfectly ripe Cabernet Sauvignon in Canada, at least in the Okanagan! A smooth drinking wine showing the desired varietal characteristics of cab fruit – very good value for the price. Cactus White and Cactus Red, both blends, are the current offerings in this series.

Maybe I shouldn’t be talking about these NLC Last Chance wines since I wouldn’t want these bargains to disappear! The Lost Block Shiraz 2013 was sampled for a second time this summer with some BBQed sausages – still showing its robust and juicy character.

There seems to be a bit of a sell off of Pinot Noir from New Zealand at the NLC. I’ve spotted five different labels, all with discounts of $5 or more. The Waipara Hills Pinot Noir 2013 is from Central Otago on the South Island. It shows abundant ripe black cherry fruit aromas with a medium body – very good value.

The Groom Bush Block Zinfandel 2015 from the Barossa Valley in Australia was selected as a pairing with cedar-planked Atlantic salmon. The salmon was covered with a glaze of mustard, maple sugar, orange zest, and raspberry balsamic vinegar. The cedar smoke and raspberry/orange accents of the salmon matched wonderfully with the Zin, which was rich and powerful, without being jammy and over-wrought – another good value.

Newfoundland Whisky?!

I was caught by surprise by a voice asking me “do you like whisky” as I recently entered a local NLC outlet. I was even more surprised when I sniffed a sample of Signal Hill whisky.

I know the Newfoundland Distillery Company (the Seaweed Gin is quite fantastic) and there is another local startup called Wooden Walls Distilling, but I hadn’t heard anything about Signal Hill Spirits. The bottle indicates the whisky is “produced by Rock Spirits” for Signal Hill Spirits. Rock Spirits is the manufacturing arm of the NLC which has such products as Screech and Old Sam.

On the Signal Hill web site it indicates the whisky is made in column stills (I am not aware there are any in this province) from corn and barley. They are blended and aged in “a variable Canadian climate” which suggests to me it is not here in Newfoundland, or they would have said so. But the final product is diluted to the standard 40% with Newfoundland water and bottled here by Rock Spirits. The label declares it as a “Canadian Whisky” rather than “Newfoundland”, and I imagine those who will eventually release a true Newfoundland whisky will note that distinction.

As for the whisky itself, that sniff was surprising – it was attractive! I don’t claim to be any sort of tasting expert in whisky, but I do like a sip from time to time. The aromatics immediately impressed me with dried fruit, caramel, and vanilla. The attack was smooth and pleasant, even if the finish was a little short.