Penfold's Bin 2 Shiraz Mourvedre

I'm a big fan of the Cline Ancient Vine Mourvedre I've had in the past, and I'm always looking for Mourvedre to try, and rarely find it. Lately, it seems to be showing up as one of several grapes going into red blends, but I was drawn to the secondary billing Mourvedre gets on the Penfold's Bin 2 Shiraz Mourvedre, even though it's only an 80/20 blend.

There was an unusual combination of flavors when we smelled it. Kelly and I paused, looked at each, and pondered. "This will sound strange," I said. "But this wine smells like a BLT." Instead of ridiculing me, Kelly agreed. So there you have it: BLT on the nose: smoky, meaty, toasty, a crisp lettucey on the edges, a sweet sour promise of tomatoes. No mayo, though. No, we never said we were sophisticated with the language of wine, but we do promise honesty.

Even after letting it breathe for a while, it lacked real complexity for me. Okay, but ultimately dull, thin on the finish. This, sadly, did not warrant a cleavage shot. I continue my search for Mourvedre in the meantime.

Little Straw Sauvignon Blanc 2006

The first of the 2006s for me!

I spent three days bumbling around the Kelowna and Penticton area, tasting wines, taking photos, buying wine. I'll be reporting on the trip in whole but first, I have to share this wine, the bottle we couldn't leave long enough to bring home.

Little Straw was one of the most welcoming wineries we visited, and we came away with a bottle of their newly released Sauvignon Blanc. After spending a weekend running around to various wineries and tasting their offerings, I felt like a bit of an expert on how a winery can make people feel welcome -- and even more, how they should make people welcome, because if you do, folks will certainly buy a few bottles.

Here's the view from Little Straw, looking east down the slopes to Okanagan Lake.



A confession: Before this bottle I never met a Sauvignon Blanc that I could stand. Generally the varietal hits me with too much acid and too many overpowering grassy notes. I actually passed this by when we were at the Little Straw tasting room, and just stuck my nose in my honey's glass. What I smelled surprised me, and then I tasted it and fell in love.

The nose was strawberries and alfalfa, and on the palate, oh! So heavenly, so well balanced, so interesting and scrumptious. Some people might find this a bit sweet (it's rated as a 1-2), but for me it was perfect. Also, it didn't taste new, like a lot of the 2006 whites we tasted. Complex and heavenly, bright and utterly flavourful.

Little Straw is just across the lake from Kelowna, a mere 10 minute drive from downtown. They're in the same area as Mt. Boucherie, Mission Hill and Quail's Gate, and just a mile or two from the B&B we stayed at. Here's a shot of their tasting room:



Cheers to you, Little Straw. I'll be searching out your wines from now on.

Waterfront Wine Bar and a few glasses of yummy

I'm back in Kelowna, land of BC wine, and this time I get to stay for a few days and visit some wineries. Later today I'm going to start on that! First visit, Mt Boucherie, my oft-mentioned fave winery.

But last night my honey and I had a little taste of foodie heaven at the Waterfront Wine Bar, right next door to Waterfront Wines. It's just a tiny little bistro, five tables and a bar, with the eentziest little open kitchen I ever saw. What a lovely little place, and comfortable too -- with little half moon tables and comfy booths.

Foodie heaven, yes. We had: a lovely fresh pear and greens salad with walnuts, and an appie of strips of tender calimari with eggplant and tomato vinaigrette. The calimari was utterly delish, best I've ever had. Then I had a flatiron steak, rare, cut into tender strips, with garlic mash potatoes and green beans. Very nice, the steak was crusted with peppercorns, just enough bite but not punitive. My honey, though, struck gold: she had the rack of lamb and it was something special. I have no idea what spice they crusted the lamb with, something like a cross between cinnamon and cumin. Wow, so amazing.

Dessert: Warm chocolate tart with orange ice cream for me, and for my honey, the most delish cherry creme brulee.

Wines: We had a terrific glass of Oak Bay Gewürztraminer, a local wine, and it was so good, spicy and a bit salty on the nose, with great balance and soooo tasty. I'll be finding a bottle of this to go home with, for sure. We also had a little glass of a local muscat liquier for dessert, and the lovely server comped us a glass of muscat wine to compare with. Mmm, I do love muscat so much.

My only complaint about this great little bistro is that they have a TV over the bar, and it's visible from every table because the place is so small. TVs naturally attract the eye, and when I'm having a meal like that I want to concentrate on the food and the company, not find myself drifting to the TV all the time.

Hillside Estate 2004 Cabernet Merlot

I was down with flu and then pneumonia for all of March, knocking out my wine tasting senses and much of my will. Kelly taunted me all month with the promise of a bottle of mystery BC red wine, fetched from her last trip to BC's wine region. So, it was with great delight that she came over for Peruvian lamb stew the other day, finally bearing the Hillside Estate 2004 Cabernet Merlot, a gorgeous little BC red. Fruity and light, a little spicy, a faint sense of bitter chocolate to keep it from being too jammy. Second best BC red I've had, behind Mount Boucherie's Summit Reserve Syrah, which has become a bit of a holy grail for us as we search the province for it. Alas, it's all sold out, but Kelly has promised to investigate this weekend when she visits the winery in person.