Event Review – Westjet Wine Tastings
My wife and I went to the Westjet Wine Tastings @ The Delta Grand last night and both really enjoyed ourselves. I have to admit up front that I’m positive my taste buds weren’t functioning properly last night when it came to the white wines. Nothing was tasting outstanding, despite me trying a few “benchmarks” that I drink regularly. I am confident in my assessment of the reds though. I didn’t take full notes last night, but here are a few highlights.
White:
La Frenz – Both the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay were very good. Their Sav Blanc always has an incredibly fresh and aromatic nose and great acidity for pairing with creamy cheeses like Chevre and Brie. The Chardonnay is partially oaked which allows for a bit more structure and toast without drowning out the wonderful fruit flavours.
Intrigue Wines – Intrigue is a new winery in Lake Country and this was my first opportunity to try out some of their wines. The highlight was their white blend, which is called “9″. It was definitely one of the best whites I tried all night. This blend of Riesling and Gewurztraminer was very refreshing and should be enjoyed on a nice summer day like today.
Dirty Laundry – Summerland’s Dirty Laundry has a long history of turning out very good Gewurztraminer, so it was no surprise that both their “Madam’s Vines” and “Woo Woo Vines” Gews were very good. Of the two I preferred the Woo Woo, but you really can’t go wrong with either.
Hillside Estate – The final highlight among the whites I tried last night was the Muscat Ottonel from hillside. Definitely on the sweeter side (as Muscat almost always is) this wine exhibited a wonderful nose (as good Muscat always does).
Rose:
8th Generation – If you’re a regular here at ThoughtsFromMyBelly.com you’ll know how much I like the whites and roses from 8th Generation. So it was no surprise that the new vintage of their Pinot Meunier Rose was excellent. Definitely my favourite Rose on the market.
The View – My wife is a huge fan of the Gewurztraminer from The View Winery in East Kelowna, so she made a beeline for their booth when we arrived at the event. When she caught up with me, she informed me that The View had released a new Rose. I decided to give it a try and definitely wasn’t disappointed. I’m not sure what the retail price on it is, but if it is under $18 I will certainly pick some up.
Red:
8th Generation – As I mentioned previously, I’ve always been a fan of the Whites and Roses from 8th Generation. Their Reds, although not bad, never stood out to me as anything special. This year’s vintage has definitely changed that. The Pinot Noir has an elegant body, and beautiful smokey characteristics and the Merlot has bright and focused fruit flavours, but all the body you expect from a big red. Very well done!
Hester Creek – I’ve liked Hester Creek’s Reserve Reds since the first time I tried them, so I was eager for them to pour me a glass of the 2006 Cabernet Franc. The 2006 growing season here didn’t produce the big in your face reds that 2005 did, but it did create some wonderfully sophisticated and silky wines. This Cab Franc is a great example of that silky sophistication.
Painted Rock – I’ve heard lots of great things about the wines from Painted Rock and had read about them winning several awards, including winery of the year at the Fall Wine Festival. Now that I have tried their wines, I can understand what all the fuss was about. I really enjoyed the Merlot, but even it couldn’t compare to how good their “Red Icon” Bordeaux-style blend was.
