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GEEKING OUT ON ISLAND PINOT ( with 6 winemakers))

THE SHOW

Somewhere in the middle of last weeks interview with Mike Neirychlo from Emandare Winery I heard him mention he was hosting  a Pinot Noir  panel coming up  at Victoria Wine Festival.

”I’m sorry, what panel, what pinot, what wine fest?”

Turns out it was  a 90 minute panel with 6 winemakers, all pouring and talking about their Island Pinots.

2018 Rathjen Pinot Noir

The island wineries,  which includes Vancouver island and the Gulf Islands,  have been telling  anyone who would listen that they have the perfect soil, climate and all round terroir to specialize in the creation of   “the heartbreak grape”

Not just in The Cowichan Valley but Saanich outside Victoria, Deep Cove close to the Victoria airport, Salt Spring Island and up island in Courtney-Comox

Each Pinot is different from the one before it. Even if they are grown side by side.

Cherry, raspberry, mushroom, hibiscus and clove.

Famous in France, New Zealand, Germany and the USA (lead by California & Oregon)

Now comes Vancouver Island and The Gulf Islands.

The PANEL

Mike Rathjen – Winemaker. Rathjen Cellars (Saanich)

Daniel Dragert – Winemaker Kutatas (koo-ta-tass)  (Salt Spring Island)

Dan Wright – Winemaker Unsworth  (Cowichan Valley)

Layne Craig – Winemaker  40 Knots  (Comox)

Brent Rowland  – Winemaker  Averill Creek (Cowichan Valley)

Mike Neirychlo – Winemaker  Emandare (Cowichan Valley) and panel host.

The first three segments are taken from their panel comments. A total geek out.

The last segment features all 6 winemakers exchanging thoughts with me outside in the courtyard.

Part of the geek out was the exchange of clonal structure..

Wine Wranglers Mark and Mitch from Storied Wines and Spirits

So when those number go by 115-667-777 that’s telling pinot lovers what they might expect in the bottle as each clone carries its own flavour signature.

When you find your favourite clone, then you can follow its growth and availability all around the World.

Links:

rathjencellars.com

kutataswines.com

unworthvineyards.com
40knotswinery.com

averillcreek.ca

emandarevineyard.com

www.storiedwinesandspirits.com/

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

New releases from Sperling Vineyards

Bartier Brothers

The Hatch

Black Swift – new winery and new wines

Fort Berens

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FEATURING  SAM ROBERTS, EMANDARE AND TIGHTROPE WINES

The Show

We start with Sam Roberts.

Singer, Songwriter, Husband and Father.

Sam Roberts

The leader of The Sam Roberts Band.  They’ve just released their 7^th studio album All of Us.

Ranks as his best yet.

He had the songs written and recorded but decided to follow the voice talking inside his heart and head and re-wrote/re-recorded them all.

It paid off.

sam roberts band

As an aside, when Jason Priestley and I were shooting our TV series Hollywood and Vines we found ourselves in Ribera del Duero in Spain.

We were in  a winery known for its house band and concert series.  One of the barrels in the cellar was signed by Sam Roberts.

I’ve interviewed Sam a number of times.  Usually about his music and tours  but we inevitably  end up talking about wine.

He lives in Montreal and has access to lots of European wines, some Ontario wines and almost none from BC.  That  of course is  what we talked about.

I can think of nothing better than a glass of big red wine and listening to The Sam Roberts Band’s new album All of Us.

www.samrobertsband.com

Mike (and Robin) Nierychlo  (near-ich-low)  Emandare Vineyard.  (Cowichan Valley)

Mike Nierychlo

 “It all starts with the farm, we truly believe that wine is not made, wine is grown. Being blessed with this beautiful piece of land in the Cowichan Valley, it has become our responsibility to steward it to the best of our ability. For that, we look to the old world. They all farmed organically, not for marketing or because it was trendy, but simply because that was how they farmed. Not against nature, but with it. It is our goal through bio-diverse and sustainable farming practices like dry farming, composting, mulching and animal husbandry to breathe abundant life into our land. The beautiful byproduct of farming this way will be a healthy balanced vineyard”.

I’ve known Mike since he interviewed me for his wine video show in 2008 or 9.

I’m thinking he went to school on all the information that passed through his microphones.  He and Robin were meant to become what they became – farmers and winemakers.

Mike came by the other day to talk about two of their new wine releases.

Emandare 2019 Pinot Noir and their 2019 Marechal–Cabernet Foch!

The Pinot features a balance of neutral oak, dark cherry, cranberry etc.  A few years in a cellar will reward the patient wine fan.

The Marechal-Cabernet Foch is a field blend.  89% Marechal Foch and 11% Cabernet Foch.  Looking for tannins in your big reds?

Tastes of ripe fruit – plum, cherry and blackberry.

One of the reasons why Mike and Robin bought this particular home vineyard was because of the heritage Pinot vines that had been planted and in the ground for a number of years. They have since continued to lovingly watch over and farm those vines and expand in other areas of their acreage.

The future looks bright for Emandare!

www.emandarevineyard.com

Lyndsay and Graham O’Rourke – Tightrope Vineyards ( Naramata Bench)

Graham and Lyndsay O’Rourke. Tightrope

Lyndsay is the winemaker  and Graham the viticulturist. They arrived on the Naramata Bench the same Summer as my wife Meg and I .  2007.

Tightrope is one of the most successful small wineries in Canada.

2019 National Wine Awards.

Top 10 Small winery in Canada

Top 25 winery in Canada.

At the final Judgement of BC in 2019 the Tightrope 2016 Syrah won the entire Syrah tasting against 5 other BC Syrah’s and 6 World class Syrah’s.

They also placed 4^th in the Riesling and 8^th in the Pinot Noir.

In the 2019 Intervin awards – they placed 14^th in Canada.

In this two part feature we taste and talk our way through…

2018 Riesling – tropical fruit, citrus, Granny apple, lemon, melon and minerality.  Perfect for cellaring to 2024.  $21

2018  Chardonnay – vanilla, spice, apricot, nectarine  Cellar to 2014.  $28

2018 Pinot Noir – Rubis.  The nose will love the vanilla & strawberry notes along with flavours of cranberry, dark fruit and a hint of saddle. Cellar to 2026  $32

2018 Pinot Noir – Fleet Road.  Starts with Strawberries, and dark fruit. Then comes vanilla, spice and the same saddle notes. Cellar to 2026  $32

2018  Syrah – Opens to black pepper, blackberry and floral notes. Flavours of anise, current and dark fruit. Cellar to 2029 $34

2018  Cabernet Franc Opens with a medley of rich dark fruit. Flavours of chocolate, blackberry, ripe plum. 12 months in 50% new oak.

Cellar to 2027  $28

Graham and Lyndsay started this partnership in a pet store. I kid you not .

We’ll give you that early beginning story and then discover

why that vineyard and why Naramata?

Future plans?

www.tightropewinery.ca

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

Zoom tasting at Yalumba

Sandra Oldfield – Back Again!!

Fonseca Zoomathon from Portugal

Lock and Worth/Nichol

Taylor Fladgate – Zoom from Portugal

A return to Hillside

Doin’ The Douce in North Vancouver.  Douce Diner

Bartier Brothers

Geeking out on Pinot

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There was a time when we humans could get on a plane,  fly 14 hours to New Zealand and  travel about the Islands. shake hands with   farmers, growers, winemakers and owners. Dine in wonderful restaurants,  bistros, tasting incredible wines at World famous wineries and fly back to your home with 300 other people – for fourteen hours and still be healthy for the rest of the year.

Let us take you back 5 years to 2015 and DO JUST THAT.

TRR presents New Zealand in an Hour 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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THE SHOW 

Last March I had the pleasure of touring various outstanding wine regions in NZ.
What drove the various stories was New Zealand’s remarkable sustainability record.

New Zealand in an Hour!!   

Yealands by the Sea

94% of all NZ wines are farmed under sustainable practices.
It’s not so much a program as a way of life. New Zealanders are all about being green..
We start in Auckland, then Hawkes Bay, Marlborough and finally Central Otago.
 Our guests include
Auckland:
We talk to our “host” Phillip Manson, the man in charge of New Zealand’s Sustainability efforts.
He’s proud of New Zealand’s reputation. So he should be. www.nzwine.com

On the Ferry heading for  Waiheke Island..just off the coast from Auckland..we visit Mike Spratt at Destiny Bay, maker of only three wines.  three Bordeaux influenced red blends..one of which,  Magna Praemia,  is the most expensive wine in NZ.  Mike, his scientist wife Ann and winemaking son Sean lead a stellar team.  http://www.destinybaywine.com/

mike-spratt

mike-spratt-destiny-bay
Before we leave the dormant volcanoes of beautiful Auckland we visit just one more winery.
The most awarded winery in all NZ – Villa Maria!!  www.villamaria.co.nz

Sir George Fistonich

Sir George Fistonich has spent five decades at the forefront of New Zealand’s wine industry
that he helped develop. As an icon of the New Zealand wine industry, Villa Maria is known for
bold and industry-changing moves such as moving to 100% screw cap through to the
emphasis on sustainable practices in every area of the family owned company.
Villa Maria Estate was named the supreme winner at the New Zealand Sustainable Business Network awards in November 2012
Here’s  the man himself, Sir George Fistonich.    

 Pask     Hawkes Bay    
On our tour of NZ #1 we talked to Kate Ranburnd the famous winemaker  at Pask.
Hawkes Bay is a short flight from Auckland. http://www.hawkesbaynz.com/
Hawke’s Bay’s long, hot summers and cool winters offer the best weather for growing grapes. The climate is dry and temperate. Hawke’s Bay is renowned for its horticulture with large orchards and vineyards on the plains.

Hawkes Bay is one of New Zealand’s warmest, driest regions and this has made it one of the country’s leading producers of wine; notably red wines – cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah – but also with some quite stunning whites.
They are working on being the Syrah Capitol of NZ.  www.winehawkesbay.co.nz/
Pask Winemaker and Managing Director Kate Radburnd is one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed winemakers. She commands an international reputation for her extensive record of award winning wines and her vision and contribution to the industry.
Pask’s 59 hectares of vineyards are located on Gimblett Road where Chris Pask was first to plant in the region now known as the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District®.

Kate Randburnd Pask

Formed over 100 years ago when the Ngaruroro River changed its course, the light, stony soils of the region are low in nutrients, completely free draining, and create the perfect environment for growing premium quality grapes. Their  very first vintage of 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded 5 stars in Cuisine Magazine. Since then Pask wines have consistently enjoyed gold medal and  trophy success in London, Australia, Asia, the United States, Canada and New Zealand across a range of varietals and winestyles.
 Kate holds the role of Deputy Chair of the Wine Institute of New Zealand, has been a Director of the Wine Institute of New Zealand and New Zealand Winegrowers since 1999, and is Chair of Judges at New Zealand’s oldest wine competition, the New Zealand Royal Easter Show Wine Awards.
Kate has also been instrumental in the development of the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand program and led Pask to be among the first group of wineries in the country to secure ISO environmental accreditation.
Kate  spent five years as Chair of the SWNZ advisory/working group, which at that time saw the introduction of the winery programme under the scheme.

Four of her  labels command the wine world’s attention :
Declaration
Gimblett Road
Roy’s Hill
Kate Radburnd
 Loved this interview. Enjoy!!  http://www.pask.co.nz/ 
 
 YEALANDS  Marlborough   

You want Character?
You want baby goats in the vineyard?
How about a visit to one of NZ most successful organic wineries Yealands. Named after the character owner Pete Yealands.  
Peter’s trademark “can do” attitude is the stuff of legend.
Peter has a track record of making pioneering, innovative plans come to fruition – and his successes have been recently chronicled in a book “A Bloke For All Seasons – the Peter Yealands story”.

He has developed seven of his own vineyard sites in Marlborough, plus several others under contract for other companies. However his entrepreneurial vision extends well beyond grapes. Early on, Peter recognized the potential to farm Greenshell mussels commercially and in 1971 was issued with New Zealand’s first marine farming license. Thanks to his efforts in designing innovative technologies and helping establish aquaculture in the region, marine farming now contributes $160 million a year to New Zealand’s export earnings.
In the mid ’80’s Peter established one of New Zealand’s most successful deer farms, specializing in stud animals and embryo transplants. This 2,000 hectare property in Kaiuma Bay in the Marlborough Sounds won a rural environment award in 2003. 

Peter, wife Vai and son Aaron now focus their energies on building Yealands Estate into a global brand.
Pete was on the road when we got there so our guest today is Michael Wentworth the General manager.
FYI  Yealands makes 1.2 Million cases. All sustainably grown.

STAETELANDT –  Dorien Vermaas  Co-Founder  Marlborough.
While Ruud is hands on in the winery, Dorien has had her finger on the pulse of the marketing / sales of StaeteLandt Wines since the beginning. Her background as a marketing manager in larger companies and her love for wine has certainly given her the edge when it comes to understanding this intricate side of the business.

Her bright and bubbly personality are a true asset to the company. Along with Ruud, her philosophy is to produce wines of character and integrity – words that sum up her attitude to all she has done for StaeteLandt Wines

 
FELTON ROAD  Central Otago  

One of the world’s finest Pinot Noirs. No Question.
 This Central Otago icon produces stunning biodynamic wines year after year. These guys really know their stuff.
In 2010 Felton Road was designated a Grand Cru winery of New Zealand. This Grand Cru status, currently only held by two other wineries (including Ata Rangi), recognizes the premier producers of Pinot Noir in New Zealand.
Winemaker Blair Walter is a master of less is more, Pinots are unfined and unfiltered and challenge the very best the world has to offer.
Felton Road is situated on warm, north facing slopes of glacial loess soils in Bannockburn, in the heart of Central Otago. The modern gravity fed winery receives 100% estate grown fruit from its three vineyards that are all farmed biodynamically and are fully certified by Demeter. Minimal intervention in the winemaking with such practices as wild yeast, no fining or filtration, allow the unique vineyard characters to further express their considerable personality.

Since the first vintage in 1997, Felton Road has acquired a formidable worldwide reputation.
Felton Road is one of the legendary names in New Zealand wine. They’re probably the most famous of the Central Otago wineries, making some highly regarded Pinot Noirs.

It was my great pleasure  to spend a number of hours talking to Owner, part time chef and team leader Nigel Greening.

Nigel Greening Felton Road

Looking for one of the best wineries anywhere in NZ?  you’ve just found it.  Felton Road.
 www.feltonroad.com  

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Zoom tasting at Yalumba

Sandra Oldfield – Back Again!!

Fonseca Zoomathon from Portugal

Sam Roberts – Music and Wine

Tightrope

Lock and Worth/Nichol

Taylor Fladgate – Zoom from Portugal

A return to Hillside

Doin’ The Douce in North Vancouver.  Douce Diner

Bartier Brothers