Lately, I have been trying some really good white wines. It is funny how you can go from wanting red wines, to be needing crisp, refreshing white wines as the weather warms up.
This weekend, I tried a fabulous Ros from Road 13 winery, along with a German Pinot Grigio and topped it all off with an enjoyable Late Harvest Riesling from Gehringer
Brothers.
I would buy all three of these wines again, and no corkscrew is needed making these wines very versatile for any of your upcoming summer
adventures.
Road 13
Honest John's Ros (357327)
BC VQA
$15.99
Road 13 Vineyards is a family owned and operated winery located between Osoyoos and Oliver. If you don't already know this area is called the Okanagan's Golden Mile, We are so lucky to have an area like this in our beautiful province. If you haven't been and experienced it, then I urge you to go.
The Golden Mile is an agricultural paradise with the wine terroir or soil to match.
The name on the bottle's label of this Ros is a tribute to Honest John Oliver, BC Premier from 1918 to 1927.
Honest John epitomized British Columbians' pioneering values hard work, self-reliance,
dependability and neighbourliness.
His greatest achievement was the construction of the irrigation canal that transformed the (Golden Mile) South Okanagan and areas into outstanding farmland.
Road 13's motto is and always will be "It's all about the dirt." After working in the lumber and hardware business for years Road 13 owners Mick and Pam Luckhurst sought out the Okanagan for a more relaxed laid back lifestyle.
What a surprise it was to them when they purchased the winery in 2003 at just how much work it was really going to be.
Happily, they both took on the challenge and they haven't looked back. On Road 13's 23 acres of vineyards, the Luckhurst's are continually producing quality wines that we can all be proud to call B.C. wines.
Honest John's Ros is produced using Pinot Noir, Gamay, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec and a pinch of Viognier. In the glass, this wine has a deep red colour that matches the rich aroma of fruit.
Your first sip will be filled with the sweet taste of strawberries, cherries and hints of spice. This Ros definitely has a long dry finish. Try pairing it with grilled meats or a spicy dish as it can work well with bolder food.
Palataia
Pinot Grigio (163584)
Germany
$18.95
Pinot Grigio from Germany is rather rare. It is not very common to see this grape varietal on German wine labels. We were featuring this wine on our German display last month so I was interested to try something new and different.
This wine was my choice.
Germany is well known for its aromatic and tasty white wines and this one is no exception.
The vineyards responsible for producing such a fruit forward wine are located in the Pfalz region of Germany.
After the name you might see a long name and wonder what this means, Qualittswein is a German wine category. Determining a wine's quality is a priority for Germans. Simply put, this wine is considered to be a good quality but not premium German wine.
I would recommend enjoying this wine on its own to enjoy all the characteristics it brings. In my glass, I noticed this wine had a beautiful golden yellow colour.
This is an unoaked Pinot Grigio which make it not heavy at all. If you're like me, the words crisp and fresh will come to mind after your first sip.
The acidity is awakening your taste buds for sure.
The enjoyable aroma and flavour of melons and apples are enhanced with a zesty lemony finish.
Gehringer Brothers
Estate Winery
Late Harvest Riesling (624429)
BC VQA
$17.99
Also located in the Golden Mile wine area is the Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery.
The Gehringer Brothers Walter and Gordon were born in British Columbia and had a dream to open a winery in the Okanagan.
In the 1970s both of them studied winemaking in Germany and brought their knowledge and training back to the Okanagan. Today, they have turned their winemaking knowledge and experience into great wines.
Gehringer's vineyards are located on 45 hectares of land on southeast facing slopes which consist of sandy loam and broken rocks.
In this area, the average growing season is 170 days.
When I visited the Gehringer winery, I enjoyed sampling some of the wines over lunch. When it came to the dessert wines I was impressed by this Late Harvest Riesling.
Late harvest grapes are picked sometimes months after the grapes used in table wines have been picked.
The fruit becomes more shrivelled or raisin-like and very dehydrated. As a result, the fruit is much more concentrated.
The finished product reflects concentrated flavours of peaches, kiwi with a touch of honey and just enough acidity to balance it out. What better way to treat yourself?
Sip this wine on its own or after a great dinner.
See if you have the discipline to not try a little bit more.
Kim Cabral is a product consultant at the B.C. Signature Liquor Store, Pine Centre. The bracketed numbers are the product codes for the B.C.
liquor stores.
