Thoughts From My Belly

Wow!!! That’s the best way I can describe my day in the Similkameen Valley tasting wine. I was blown away by the consistently high quality of the wines we experienced. If you didn’t follow my tweets throughout the day, I’ve made a brief summary below.

Robin Ridge – Our first stop of the day was Robin Ridge. The staff at Discover Wines had been telling me how good their Pinot Noir was for a few weeks, so I was eager to try out their wines. Their Pinot was good, as was their Gamay Noir, but my favourite wine was their Merlot. For the price ($20-24) all three wines exhibited a lot of body.

Orofino Vineyards – This was a hell of a winery!!! While I liked the Riesling, the Pinot Gris was out of this world! While the nose and the flavours fantastic, it was the mouthfeel that really stood out for me. This is without doubt the best Pinot Gris I’ve ever had the pleasure to enjoy and at $19.90/bottle is an incredible bargain. What I can’t believe is that the grapes were sourced from three year old vines, I can’t wait to taste the wine made from these grapes once the vines have had a chance to mature. Their reds were also nice. The Pinot Noir had a great smokey character, but the Bordeaux-inspired “Beleza” is without a doubt their top red. Fantastic fruit, but the tannins are still tight right now. After a few years of cellaring this wine should be top notch.

Crowsnest Vineyards – Crowsnest Vineyard was our third stop of the day. I found their wines to be fairly average, but their Taj spiced wine was extremely interesting. This wine has a base of Pinot Auxerrois that has been infused with a variety of Indian spices like Cinnamon, Ginger, Cumin, etc… This wine is so different from anything I have ever tried before. I don’t think it’s something I’d drink on its own, but I would really like to try it with some good Indian food.

Eau Vivre – At Eau Vivre we got to sample wines from their innaugural 2007 vintage. Their Chardonnay was my favourite. Done in neutral oak this wine exhibited a nose of apple juice and butterscotch with butter and straw on the palate with toasty hints. I also really like the Gewurtz which exhibited a great balance and flavours of stone fruit and melon.

Benja Thai Restaurant – For lunch we stopped at Benja Thai Restaurant in Keremeos (thank you to the folks at Eau Vivre for the great recommendation). I had a combo with red curry and pad thai. Both were delicious and I would highly recommend stopping here to anyone who finds themselves near Keremeos.

Herder Winery and Vineyards – Visiting Herder was the original inspiration for my visit to the Similkameen. My friend Joe Maclean, the Real Food Warrior, had recommended it to me as being one of the best of the best in B.C., so I wanted to check it out. I was not disappointed. To start, I thought that their Napa-inspired Chardonnay was phenomenal. Their reds, the Meritage and Josephine (both Bordeaux-style blends), were equally as delicious, especially the Josephine. It is still a little young, but its already showing a great level of complexity. Add one of the most beautiful tasting rooms I’ve visited to the uber-delicious wine and you’ve got a great experience.

Forbidden Fruit Winery – This winery is a great choice for the final stop of the day. Their fruit wines are fantastic. My favourite was the white peach dessert wine, but everything I tried there was very good. To add to the experience they had a complimentary tray of cheeses, appetizers and mini-desserts for visitors to sample. If you like Elephant Island, you should definitely check out Forbidden Fruit.

Again, I can’t convey how much I enjoyed my day in the Similkameen. The valley was beautiful, the wine was delicious, and the people were extremely friendly. I would recommend this not just to people looking for a wine tour off the beaten path, but to anyone who wants to try some of the best Canadian wine there is.