Sumac Ridge Tribute -- what to drink during the opening ceremonies

This evening I had a couple of glasses of Sumac Ridge Tribute with winemaker Mark Wendenburg, and he shared with me his passion for the wine. This methode classique sparkler was harvested in 2007 and made especially to be released in conjunction with... something that's about to happen in Vancouver in a few days. Maybe you've heard of it? The Winter Olympics?

Okay, I'm being an idiot. I live in Vancouver, and we've been hearing of nothing BUT the Olympics since... well, it seems like forever now! I remember walking to work about ten years ago -- when I heard sudden honking from all the cars around, I thought, "Oh, my, I guess we won the Olympic bid."

Mark Wendenburg, Jason James, and their team at Sumac Ridge have been preparing for the release of this wine for a long time. And however people might feel about corporate involvement in the Olympics -- and yes, those Coke and MacDonalds ads drive me crazy too -- what it comes down to is this: Passionate people doing their best work, and trying their darndest to make something special to be part of this special event.

Tribute is a lovely, dry yet fruity Chardonnay-based sparkling wine with fine, persistent mousse and fine, compelling texture. Over an hour's conversation, Mark shared with me his long winemaking process. Because I am a nerd, I am more than interesting in the minutia. But to spare you, I'll just say that like all methode classique wines, it involves a hugely complex process from harvest, first fermentation, bottling, aging in bottle, hand riddling, disgorging, and dosage to capping, labeling and packaging. Each bottle is handled at least 42 times from start to finish.

$1.25 from the sale of each bottle goes to the Canadian Olympic team and the 2010 Olympic and the Paralympic Winter Games, which makes it the perfect beverage to toast the opening ceremonies!