Life's too Short to Drink Bad Wines

Apparently not!

It may surprise you but when it comes to my e-mail the #1 question is "Why can't I find Brights ____ wine anymore"   Apparently Brights labelled wines are still a bigger seller in eastern Canada, and they are cheap! This 4000 ml sells for $35.00. The Brights wines are a Cellared in Canada product of Constellation Brands. The Brand is slowly being discontinued  with wines made under different brands.

Maria Christina  seems to be among the most popular of the Brights wines selling for $7 to  $10 depending on the province. I have never tasted the wine so it may be okay! But people do seek out cheap wines.

I will just ignore  Jesus Juice; whoever produces that is after the profit and has no passion for true wine. Schloss Laderheim is a cheaper but popular wine a little bit better in my humble opinion than Baby Duck. There is also Hochtaler and a few others first made back in 60-70s that are still around today.

Really Australia, why?  Labels like this are common in the USA seems people buy them for the label.

Okay it says Francais but no real French winemaker would do this, but it sells. So much for the idea that Life is too short to buy cheap wines.

Wine and Dine at the Family Chain Restaurant

They are everywhere, easy to find, and offer reasonable pricing  along with menu items that suit the entire family. Therefore we often find ourselves dining at White Spot, Matches, Swiss Chalet or Applebee's.

We may decide that a glass of wine will enhance the meal. The prices look okay. The question is when the menu says Jackson Triggs pinot grigio are we getting a Cellared in Canada wine or a VQA wine.

I will not order a known Cellared in Canada wine such as the one pictured above. I do not buy a Cellared in Canada wine for enjoyment at home. However, in some chain restaurants, there is often no other choice for wines listed from Canada. Restaurant chains usually do not have high-end wine lists.  In many establishments you're lucky to find any Canadian wines, but that is changing.  You can probably for $6.00 a glass, trust a name like Sumac Ridge or Jackson-Triggs to provide a good wine, even if it is their Cellared in Canada selection.

Chances of finding  wine in these restaurants or a bar like the quaility of Painted Rock is  almost zero. There are some, like Catus Club that actually have a very good wine list. What you have to do is ask the server to show you the bottle or ask if the wine is  VQA.

There are people that like and enjoy boxed wines from those early days. They are often served in small family owned restaurants. All I can say is, "I hope the food is good!" :}

Chaberton's Estate Bacchus Bistro

Valentine's Dinner Table d'hôtes.

For the third consecutive year, Barbara and I celebrated Valentine's Day at the popular Bacchus Bistro at Chaberton Estate Winery in Langley. Last year the bistro had two settings; this year due to demand there were three settings. The Bistro offered a four-course dinner at which we thought a reasonable price of  $60.00 per person.

The first course consisted of Amuse Buche, a smoked salmon tartlet, Gougere which went very well with my glass of Reserve Bacchus wine.

The second provided a choice of four options, Barbara selected the  Lobster and Butternut Squash Bisque (with sauteed prawns) I went for a Jem Tomato and Mt. Lehman Chevre Salad. Barbara enjoyed her reserve Merlot, (one of her favourites from the winery) with its notes of dark cherry and plum.

The main course offered four selections. Barbara chose the Pan Roasted Halibut with Black Olive Tapenade. I selected one of my favourites, Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs which did not disappoint.  Oh so tender, slow cooked in red wine with green peppercorn sauce. Barbara said she made the right choice, the halibut was cooked to perfection! One must toast the culinary skills of Chef Ashley and his staff.

Dessert completed the four courses superbly.  Barbara selected the Tahitian Vanilla Buffalo Milk Creme Brulee. I chose the Raspberry Frozen Nougat, both were amazing, we shared tastings. A shared glass of  Siegerrebe Dessert wine along with a fresh roasted cup of coffee finished off the evening beautifully.  Our server was adept at making our evening a memorable one.

Chaberton Estate Winery is located in the Fraser Valley, on 216th Street off 16th Ave 

Valentine's 2016

Wines of Canada

One of the most renowned regions in British Columbia's  Okanagan is the Naramata Bench . The region extents north from the city of Penticton and runs along the east side of Okanagan Lake. The vineyards of the bench provide outstanding conditions for Merlot and Bordeaux varieties and full favourite Pinot Gris and Viognier.

 

Hillside state Winery was the first to establish themselves on the Bench. In 1984 Vera and Bohumir Klockockas began establishing the vineyard. Today Hillside is a major player in the Okanagan.

 

 



Kathy Malone has been the winemaker at Hillside since 2008. The only one we know producing Muscat Ottnel. The Hillside Bistro provides fine dinning.

 In 1969 Bob Ferguson and Tim Watts opened Kettle Valley winery, named after the old railway that use run along the east shore. They produce some lively and bold reds.

One winery that produces amazing wines we do not hear enough about is D'Angelo. Sal De Angelo had an establish winery in Ontario. He visited the Naramata falling in love with the region he immediately established a second winery here.

If you like Fruits wines Elephant Island is for your. Their is actually no Island an no elephant. Try the Pear wine.

One cannot forget Nichol Vineyards producing wines since 1993. Winemaker and owner Ross Hackworth produces a very good Syrah.

Among the well established wineries are Poplar Grove, the first winery you will see as you enter the Bench . Their vineyards were established in 1993. What a reputation they have made over the years

We also must mention, Black Widow, Black Cloud, Foxtrot, Meyer Family , Howling Bluff, La Frenz, Red Rooster, Serendipity, Van Westen, Township 7 and Lang among those helping making Naramata wines famous. In recent years new wineries have popped up on the Bench.

See them all at winesofcanada.com ~ The Naramata Bench

January 23/2017

Wine, Music and Pizza

Saturday evening is the time for music, pizza, and wine at Fraser Valley's Blackwood Lane. We have been in the summer for pizza on the patio, but last Saturday was our first winter visit to the enclosed veranda, which has been converted to a cozy dining room. 

The limited food service is run under the direction of tasting room manager Kimberly Gislason who does double duty as the chef. It is aptly named Kimberly's Mini Bistro, and the food is five-star! We were not disappointed after venturing out to take in the January special of purchasing a bottle of wine which came with a free pizza.

Wines at Blackwood Lane are high on the list of being excellent.  We ordered a bottle of the 2012 Rebel, a Syrah, a complex wine with an array of flavours.

The background music was provided by Fanny and Gary. Fanny sang as well as played the harp and a flute, Gary accompanied her on guitar.  

The hospitality at the winery is always welcoming. Winemaker and owner Carlos Lee was kept busy going from table to table making sure everyone was happy. Carlos also provided a tasting of his latest project; a sparkling Sea Buckthorn wine. It certainly has potential just needs a little time.

The efficient staff saw to our comfort with outstanding service.

The Bristo is open from 6-9 pm on Saturday's, go a little early and visit the tasting bar. I recommend you try the Alliance and Reference. If you are lucky, Kimberley will have some of her homemade chocolate for sale.

Vineland Estate- Ontario

Questions

Part of every morning is spent on answering e-mail questions send to us at bell@winesofcanada.com or bobbell@winesofcanada.com.  Here are three of the most common questions.

1. I found a bottle of Brights President wine that my grandparents had been given twenty years ago....

Answer: Finding older bottles of wine from Brights and other companies such as London winery is actually quite common. The wine is mostly not suited for drinking. Also, I have never found anyone interests in collecting them.

London Winery was sold to Vincor ( who sold to Constellation Brands)  back in 1996. The brand is long gone. Brights is a different story. They too became part of Vincor. In 1993 they joined with Cartier and Inniskillian to form Vincor. The Brights label can still be found in eastern Canada. But is slowly been removed.

2. Where can I buy Icewine in my hometown?

Answer: In Canada, that is an easy answer. The provinces control the sale of all alcohol products and have government run stores. In the USA  you have to deal with import and export laws for the federal and sate laws. We do not track what states allow Canadian icewine nor what retailers may carry icewine. A rather big task.

The same is true of Europe. Canada does have a trade agreement with Europe and Britain. We just do not track the dealers.

China and Japan have Canadian Icewine. Icewine has a very big market in China. Some Canadian wineries have even opened stores in China.

3. Can you tell us what wineries we should visit?

Answer: A difficult question as we hate to feature one winery over another. We will suggest those that support us through advertising. We also invite people to look at our feature pages such as Best Wineries to Visit in 2017.

Visting Chaberton Estate

On a cold winters day, Barbara and I decided to leave the comfort of our home and take a combined photo and winery trip. We dropped by Chaberton Estate Winery, located in the Fraser Falley south of Langley.

It is a winery we have been to numerous times since it opened. We love their wines and Bacchus Bistro. It is are GO To restaurant for Valentines.

Today we had the pleasure of meeting Samatha (sam) a young day with a bright smile and charming personal. She guided us through a short wine tasting with knowledge, cheerfulness, and politeness.

Every time she left us to aid another customer, she politely excused herself and on returning apologized for leaving. Neither was necessary but impressive. Thank you, Sam you heightened the tasting experience!

I was looking for Whites for  Christmas dinner. The Valley Chardonnay with its peach notes was excellent as was the Pinot Gris. The  2014 Reserved Riesling from the Similkameen was delightful.  I decided to bring home the Reserved Bacchus and a port-style 2013 Tribute.

After enjoying our tasting experience Sam guided us to the vineyards so we could take some photos of the vineyards experiencing winter.

Merry Christmas to all and a very happy new year!