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BC’s VQA Wineries showcase Spring/Summer wines at Bloom 2019 in Victoria

THE SHOW

Wine fans across Canada and now around the world are increasingly aware of
what British Columbians have known for years – BC produces some
of the world’s most unique and in some cases very best wines

* Each year BC wineries contribute $2.8 billion
annually to the provincial economy and welcome more than 1,000,000
visitors.

* There are more than 10,499 acres under vine in British Columbia with
nine geographical indications (GIs) and two sub-geographical indications
(sub-GIs): Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver
Island, the Gulf Islands, Thompson Valley, Lillooet, Shuswap, and Kootenays.
Two sub-GIs include Golden Mile Bench and Okanagan Falls, and fall within
the larger Okanagan Valley GI.

Every Spring the wineries select their showcase wines, hit the road and
gather in Vancouver and Victoria. It’s the perfect opportunity for wine
lovers to kick off the season, celebrate new wine releases, meet the actual
makers of these wines and reconnect with those who share the same passion.

This feature is for those who attended and wanted to make further notes on
their experience.(which can be a busy blur)

However, it’s really for those of you who didn’t get to taste and make
notes.

As a public service and for “research purposes” we hit the floor of the
Crystal Ballroom in downtown Victoria and tasted our way through some 40
wines.

As always, we simply didn’t have time to talk to everyone. So we sought out
winemakers, owners and growers who took the time away from home and vines to
join us.

The Team

Very much appreciated.

If you are confused by the growing number of BC wines available we truly
hope this week’s show helps you find your Wine of the Year or at least The
Summer.

There is one special story here.

Michael Mosny was winemaking in Slovakia when he became a fan of Hollywood
and Vines TV co-hosted by Jason Priestley and myself. When he and his wife
Martina saw Jason and I visiting vineyards in The Okanagan it helped inform
the decision to move here. Years later we finally get to meet.

Michael and Martina Mosny Winemakers Cut

Thank You to
Kimberly Hundertmark – BC Wine Institute

www.winebc.com

Guests  this week include:

Joe Luckhurst – GM. Road 13 (Golden Mile)

2018 Canadian Winery of the Year

Joe Luckhurst

www.road13vineyards.com

Stefan Arnason – Head Winemaker Poplar Grove/Monster Wines (Naramata Bench)

www.poplargrove.ca

www.monstervineyards.ca

Michael Mosny Winemaker and Co-Owner Winemakers Cut (Oliver)

www.winemakerscut.ca

Bobby Gidda – Owner and President Volcanic Hills (West Kelowna)

https://volcanichillswinery.com/

Jeff Hundertmark – Head Winemaker Mt Boucherie (West Kelowna)

Jeff Hundertmark Mt Boucherie

https://mtboucherie.com/

Tim Turyk – Proprietor Unsworth Vineyards (Cowichan Valley, Vancouver
Island)

Tim Turyk Unsworth

www.unsworthvineyards.com

Bob Johnson – Owner Baillie-Grohman (Creston Valley/Kootenays)

www.bailliegrohman.com

Richard Da Silva – Proprietor and Vigneron Da Silva/Misconduct (Naramata
Bench)

Richard Da Silva Da Silva Wines

www.dasilvavineyards.com

Jody Switt – Hillside Wines (Naramata Bench)

www.hillsidewinery.ca

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Tofino Food and Wine

Top Drop 2019 Victoria

Charles Smith and Rose Gathering Jet City Seattle

A special on “field blends”

Fire Season in The Okanagan

The Wickaninnish Inn reopens a spectacular cellar

Tofino mid-week experience

BC Shellfish Festival

Cowichan Valley Wine Festival

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THE THIRD ANNUAL BC CIDER FEST… BIGGER AND BETTER!

The third annual BC Cider Week, took place from April 27th to May 5th.

This week long craft cider celebration saw many cider events, tastings and
festivities throughout British Columbia with tasting events from Kelowna to
Vancouver Island, including tap takeovers, cider pairing meals, and much
more throughout the week.

The highlight for me and many others is the final event. The gathering of up
to 40 Cideries at The Pipe Shop foot of Lonsdale in North Vancouver.

It’s one of the buildings my father Pat worked in during WW2.

The first interview had to be with Shawn Pisio, who co-founded the B.C.
Cider Festival three years ago.

Glenn Ennis, Lynn Colliar and the Geo Team

Just how popular is this event? It sells out within minutes.

Cider is going through the very same revolution that craft beers did 10-15
years ago.

The opportunity to grow more cider apples in B.C. is unlimited, but BC is
already home to many excellent craft cideries.

One of the cideries we interviewed was Twin Island Cider on Pender Island.
They were voted most popular Cidery at this event.

Finally, for those of you who still think that ciders are not for you
because they’re too sweet or something…FORGET ABOUT IT..

It’s a whole new world out in the orchard.

Enjoy!!!!

Our guests are:

Shawn Pisio – Txotx/ Co-Founder

Russ Johnson – Owner/Cidermaker Truck 59 Kelowna

Sydney Bottomley – Asst Cidermaker Broken Ladder Kelowna

Nick Farrer – Founder The Bricker Cider Co Sechelt

Mike Lachelt – Co-owner/Cidermaker Salt Spring Wild SS Island

Mathew Vasilev Co-Owner Twin Island Cider Pender Island

David Schneider – Persephone Brewing Gibson’s BC

Kathleen van der Ree – Northyards Cider – Squamish

Mike Petkau – Nomad Handcrafted Cider – Summerland

Glenn Ennis – Owner Geo Cider Co – Squamish

Lynn Colliar – Geo Cider Squamish

Jeff Nairn – Co-Founder Windfall East Van

http://bcciderfest.ca/

Photos by Linda C

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Melissa Etheridge and Cannabis infused wine

Bloom in Victoria

Top Drop in Victoria

A special on field blends

Fire Season in The Okanagan

Rose Day June 8th

Charles Smith in Jet City Seattle (Rose all day)

Tofino Food and Wine festival

The Wick reopens a spectacular cellar

Tofino mid-week

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New Zealand Pure Discovery 2019

THE SHOW

New Zealand is recognised as one of the world’s premium wine regions,
mainly due to the success of their Marlborough region Sauvignon Blanc

This explosive varietal introduced the world to New Zealand Wine.

In 2019 they would like to celebrate the success of their famous white
through sub-regional expressions as well as showcase the lesser known
varieties such as Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Rose.

Several weeks ago I was offered the opportunity to “speed date” a handful of
New Zealand Winemakers as they passed through Vancouver. I sat at a desk and
they showed up one at a time..each with a wine in hand.

Frankly, it was a blur.

In listening back to the discussions several things became clear.

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is World Class but now it’s time to check out
sub regions of the North and South islands.

Simon Toneycliffe GM Whitehaven. (Marlborough’s Golden Mile)

Simon Toneycliffe WhiteHaven

Whitehaven wines are grown, crafted and bottled in Marlborough. Each wine is
a powerful, elegant and consistent expression of Marlborough’s classical
wine styles. The white label is the flagship. Their growth has been nothing
short of fantastic.

Whitehaven has been successfully exporting to the United States since 2004
when its first shipment totaled just 5,000 cases. In 2015 Whitehaven
celebrated the export of its millionth case of wine to the US.

Canada is showing the same kind of growth.

The reason is simple. Affordable World class wines.

www.whitehaven.co.nz

Wayne Leadbetter – VP Sales Te Awanga Wines (Hawkes Bay)

Wayne Leadbetter Te Awanga

Planted 25 years ago by a group of friends in one of Hawke’s Bay’s oldest
wine growing areas, they dreamt of making the region’s greatest wines.
They say they’re still working on it but believe their vineyard, right by
the coast truly captures something unique.

Sitting on an elevated site in the Te Awanga foot hills, the cellar door has views down through our vines,
across the Te Awanga basin and out to the Pacific Ocean. Spectacular.

Syrah and Chardonnay are exceptional.

www.teawangaestate.co.nz

Jim Robertson Global Wine Ambassador NZ Brands – Stoneleigh/Pernod Ricard
(Marlborough)

Jim Robertson – Stoneleigh

Stoneleigh Vineyard is situated in the heart of the Rapaura area on the
northern side of the Wairau valley in Marlborough, New Zealand. The ‘Golden
Mile’ of vineyards.

Stoneleigh takes its name from the stones that cover the
vineyard – land that’s now home to some of the oldest grafted Sauvignon
Blanc blocks in Marlborough.

The stones store and reflect the sun’s heat up into the vines, enhancing the ripening process and contributing to the
unique taste of Stoneleigh wines.

Jim travels the World – a natural storyteller and what a story. NZ wines
are recognized the World over.

http://www.stoneleigh.com <http://www.stoneleigh.com/>

Joel Watson – Winemaker at Luna (Martinborough)

Joel Watson – Luna

Luna Estate has been lovingly renovated and transformed into one of
Martinborough’s premier wineries.

While their main love is Pinot Noir, they also produce elegant Pinot Meunier Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot
Gris, Chardonnay, and Syrah. It’s almost impossible to capture how
passionate Joel Watson is about NZ winemaking and Luna. It shows in his
wines.

A fierce believer in Martinborough.

www.lunaestate.co.nz

Rory Crawford – Loveblock (Wellington)

Loveblock is the home of Erika and Kim Crawford. Yup, the same Kim Crawford
who sold his namesake winery and Loveblock is what they did with the money,
honey.

This 180 acre (72 hectare) vineyard is perched on top of the hills
overlooking the Awatere Valley above Wellington..

The site is perfect for growing premium aromatic white varietals. Due to the
strong winds, the vine growth is slow and they tend to get very small
berries giving high aromatic concentration in the wine.

The main vineyard area produces Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris
predominantly, as well as Pinot Blanc, Tempranillo, Gewurztraminer, Chenin
Blanc and of course, Riesling.

www.loveblock.co.nz

Hamish McRae – Forrest and The Doctors (Marlborough)

Hamish McRae – Forrest & The Doctors

The vineyard of Doctors John and Brigid Forrest.

Forrest Wines – The first vintage for Forrest Wines came in 1990 when an
over-filled red wine fermenter “accident” resulted in a trophy-winning
Merlot Rosé.
Fast forward almost 30 years; many awards and accolades, 5 labels and
vineyards across the country. Forrest is set for generations.

Forrest is all Marlborough.

The Doctors – The Doctors’ range is about innovation and excellence.
New grape varieties, alternative winemaking techniques and select parcels of
fruit all qualify to create very special wines under this unique label.

https://www.forrest.co.nz <https://www.forrest.co.nz/>

https://www.forrest.co.nz/collections/doctors

www.nzwine.com

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

2019 BC Cider festival

Melissa Etheridge and Cannabis infused wine

Bloom in Victoria

Top Drop in Victoria

A special on field blends

Fire Season in The Okanagan

Rose Day June 8th