Date: 31 Aug '10

Liam Peckham
I am a 31 year old Irish-Canadian. I have been a bartender, a brewer of fine beers, and now sell wine. I have dedicated a good portion of the last decade to making, developing, drinking and finding the perfect adult beverages, and will continue to do so as long as my liver will permit ( which as an Irish Canadian, essentially born to drink, shouldn't be until I'm in my 80's). I have found my beer (Guinness), my wine (2005 Petite Syrah from Pelltier Station), my spirit (Bombay Sapphire Gin), and now, at long last my cider. As a young child I began my eternal quest for the perfect drink. For years flipping between milk and apple juice, one fateful trip to my grandparents house in Toronto sealed the deal for me. Coming from a very small town in Ontario (Toledo, population: about 6 people, 20 cats, hundreds of cows, three churches and a furniture store) and arriving in the big city, I discovered a whole world of apple juices I had never tried. My grandfather favoured the juice of the Gala apple, a love that did not die with him. Crisp, sweet and tart at the same time, a taste of the sun in every sip. I was hooked. This is almost 25 years ago now, but that first sip could have been 25 seconds ago. I was almost wondering if I would ever find that simple joy again, that joy of giving yourself over to bliss by the mouthful. Well, I have. Hailing from the sun kissed hills and orchards of Modesto, California, Hornsby's Crisp Apple Cider is the perfect drink for a beautiful Vancouver day. When you first lay eyes on this unassuming bottle two things immediately jump out at you; a havoc wreaking Rhino, and a promise of Premium Quality. I was more than delighted to taste that quality, and ecstatic when my ever developing pallet didn't pick up on a single hint of Rhino. Instead, my mouth was rewarded with absolute joy. The first two words I managed to utter were "God" and "good", and not necessarily in that order.		Cold and clean, this crisp cider will delight and intoxicate. Bursting the bubble of pretentious drinks designed to taste like this, or infused with that, this gem tastes like apples, happy, and youth. Very fun and refreshingly easy to drink, Hornsby's Crisp Apple Cider literally tastes like crisp autumn apples. Sweet and savoury, light and quenching, it will delight your senses and invoke simpler times. Now, don't be confused about what this product is. Sure it tastes just like the most delicious apple juice you have ever had....if the most delicious apple juice you have ever had had 5.5% alcohol by volume! This beauty is all flavour, with the alcohol content merely a shadow to the overall taste profile. There is a hint of carbonation, but a very welcomed one at that. One definite benefit for the image conscious man, once this cider is poured into a pint glass it looks just like a lager...no one needs to be the wiser. The only real downfall I can find in this drink is it has that uncanny ability to quench and refresh, while at the same time making you even more thirsty for another bottle or four. As this gorgeous summer starts to wind down, you should do yourself the small favour of watching the sun retire for the night with a cold, crisp Hornsby's Cider. Although I do apologise in advance if the elegance of your glass outweighs the beauty playing out before your eyes. This stuff is that good. Good enough to share with your friends, good enough to share with your spouse, good enough to share with your favourite wine store employee, heck, good enough to make you want to go to Toronto. Well, maybe not Toronto, but it really is good!

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The third, far less common method is to simply blend a red and white wine together, but really if this is your preferred method, perhaps sangria or a wine cooler is more your speed.

Once upon a time (the mid 70's) in a galaxy far, far away (America) pink wines were something of an embarrassment. White Zinfandels ruled the roost, and honestly, didn't do much for the rep of the rosé. In those early disco years, the demand for white wine in California was beginning to exceed the availability of white wine grapes. Thus was born the 'Blush wine.' The term blush refers both to the pinkish tint of the wine, as well as the salmon hue of the horrified cheeks of most men when caught drinking it. I was once this horrified man who believed a man could only hold a purse when instructed to at the mall (and of course this is done holding said bag at shoulder height and arms distance away, as if it were a bomb or worse yet, a used diaper....kind of like if a sassy young lady swung her bag onto the outstretched arms of Frankenstein), should always eat his meat medium rare (is there any other way?) and should never drink a pink coloured alcoholic beverage. I'm glad to say that I have grown up (some) and as I embark on my early 30's I can say with all sincerity that rosé wines aren't too shabby. Layered and complex, aromatic and delicious, rosés aren't just for your girlfriend anymore!

The term 'blush' is generally restricted to wines from North America, although you may find some French or Australian wines with this unfortunate moniker. Originally 'blush' was used to describe the colour of this inbetweener of a wine, but now the term is almost primarily used to describe sweet pink wines. In Canada, dry pink wines are usually marketed as rosé. In France pretty much anything pink is termed a rosé, and these pink wines are now beginning to outsell white wines.

Our global pallet pendulum has begun to make the swing back to "big", structured, dry rosés, and away from the travesty that was the White Zinfandel. Although one in every 10 bottles of wine opened in the States is still a White Zinfandel, but we should be gentle on our friends to the south, these are the same people who couldn't figure out how to use a blanket until adding arm holes to it... but they'll come around.

As wine goes very well with seafood of all types, you could easily go with a Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc or crisp Rosé if you we so inclined. For out little feast, we decided to try a BC wine, the Le Vieux Pin 2008 Sigma Rosé. This is a dryer style Rosé that has enough acid to cut through the aromatic, creamy dipping sauce used for the prawns. It cleansed our palates while not competing with all of the beautiful flavours of the prawns and sauce. Overall it was a very good pairing.

2008 “Petit” Le Vieux Pin Sigma Rosé $23.85
Production: Just over 100 cases

Winemakers Notes
We decided to bleed 3 different clones of Syrah to give us a spicy, fruity and balanced Rosé.

The nose of this wine is a lifted mélange of sweet fruits and spice, so typical to that of the syrah it was made from. It speaks of sweet cherry pie, white peppercorns and peppermint sticks, layered with golden honey and fruit salad. The soft entry on the palate bursts with syrah’s signature spiciness, and immediately broadens over the tongue with a balanced acidity that tingles the cheeks. Delicate and refreshing, it teases the senses with a lingering finish of forest fruits and the thoughts of the perfect picnic.

Another good pairing would be...

2008 "Petit" Le Vieux Pin Sigma Blanc $23.85

Winemakers Notes
This wine tours you on the aromatic map. It's bright floral nose suggests elderflower and citrus blossoms: light and lifted, the florality coats complexities of minerals, marmalade, and musk.

The texture of this blend is soft and fleshy, with subtle viscosity that is mouth filling yet refreshing. It has a beautifully balanced acidity and a quiet sweetness that voices white fruits of pineapple, pears, and starfruit.

Varietals uses: Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay.

The 1st winery out the gate with their 2009 vintage hitting our shelves is from JoieFarm. We tried all of the wines about a month ago and to summarize, they are fantastic and of very high quality. We are big fans of their French stylistic leaning and total adherence to what they believe to be the best varietals to work with from BC. The husband and wife team of Michael Dinn & Heidi Noble have been living their dream of owning and running a top BC winery and the many accolades are a reflection of just that. One thing to point out is that JoieFarm was just named "2010 BC Winery of the Year" by Wine Press Northwest, in their spring edition of the magazine. Beyond that, they have won many gold medals and have been featured at prestigious restaurants not only in Vancouver, but in the USA as well.

"We tried all of the wines about a month ago and to

summarize, they are fantastic and of very high quality"

2009 JoieFarm, A Noble Blend — Okanagan Valley, BC
Winemaker’s Notes: We make A Noble Blend in the spirit of Edelzwicker or Gentil,  the traditional Germanic-varietal blend of the Alsace region of France.  The literal translation of Edelzwicker is “a noble blend” – Noble, also happens to be Heidi’s family name.  Our original intent in choosing to produce this proprietary blend was our knowledge that many of the oldest plantings in this valley were Germanic varietals which have proven to be extremely successful in this climate. Blending allows us to utilize the different characteristics of each variety (or of the same variety from different sites) in order to help us achieve natural balance as well as adding greater complexity to the wine. The 2009 Noble Blend is a blend of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Auxerrois, and Riesling.

It was an informal tasting, no big lecture/slide show where they forced the hard sell, with Martin saying just a few words and allowing his wines to be the true stars of the event. After going through each wine, it was refreshing to talk with him as to why he does what he does. I can relay that he is a passionate man who puts his heart into making the best possible wines the Tuscan soil will allow. He is proud of the Il Blu brand, and after tasting the wines his quiet confidence is well deserved.

The vintages covered by this tasting spanned 14 years, starting with the 1994 and ending at the 2007. A good analogy for this experience is to imagine sedimentary rock. Many distinct layers that make up a whole. Throughout the vintages you could taste shifts in fruit, tannins and acidity which gives each wine their individual uniqueness. What really stood out the most for me, was the consistent quality from first bottle to last. These were some seriously well crafted wines. To summarize, these were elegant, complex and intense offerings. Big wines made to take home to age in a cellar, or enjoyed at a later date, preferably with a fantastic dinner or a special occasion. Ideal food pairing would include a rich and bold dish along the lines of duck or venison.

Inniskillin Malbec — Okanagan Valley, BC
It is a bold red, richly dark in colour. There is an intriguingly earthy aroma, with hints of chocolate and vanilla. Full-bodied and even chewy in texture, the wine shows flavours of spiced plums, coffee and chocolate with the slightest hint of bitter tannins on the finish. That should tell us that this wine wants to be cellared for a few years to achieve its full potential.
$25.85