Best Buys in BC – Spring into Action

With the cherry blossoms bursting here on the coast (sorry rest of Canada), daylight savings recovered and spring’s equinox this week, we are welcoming the appearance of fresh, bright wines. We’ve started to see the first of the 2013 vintage on our shelves and over the coming weeks we will share our spring release notes, from wines at home in BC and abroad.

This week, however, we’re not waiting for the wines to come to us – we’re out in the ~~field~~ vineyard tasting ourselves. DJ, Rhys and I are in California, while Anthony is in Australia as part of the Peter Lehmann Wines Mentor Awards Program. We hope you can ring in spring with some of our friendly March picks below.

DJ Kearney

Yes, the calendar says it’s Spring, but here on the best coast we never know what to expect, so I use food and wine to trick my psyche into feeling spring-like, even if it buckets in Vancouver from now ‘til the end of June.

Riesling is a very good place to start when it comes to wines that taste of verdant life and renewal. Harper’s Trail 2012 Pioneer Block Dry Riesling offers brain-rinsing acidity, edgy lime citrus and mineral essence that pairs with satay chicken skewers marinated in lemongrass, lime leaf and coconut milk. Next up, King Crab. The season started a bit late and is still going strong, so head to a great fish shop and treat yourself. To complement a simple steamed preparation I choose Jay Drysdale’s Bella West Side 2012 Sparkling wine, with its spare framework and acid verve, where pure chardonnay flavours are laid naked except for a veil of yeasty complexity. If I want to pull out all the halibut stops and pan roast with brown butter and lemon sauce, I’ll chose top oaked chardonnay like Mission Hill’s 2011 Perpetua, a wine with both heft and grace. And when a little grass-fed beef is on the menu (leaner, beneficial fatty acids and lower gluten than grain fed) and a big red calls my name, I love the (yes, still youthful, but just decant) Perseus Select Lots 2010 Invictus. There is abundant flavour, a truly scented violet character and best of all, the kind of savoury, delightful sweet green herbal element that is pure Okanagan and also very Spring-like. Bottom’s up, and in a few months, Spring might show up…..

Rhys Pender, MW

Spring is around the corner and wine thoughts turn to crisp rosé, picnics by the water and refreshing whites to counter the sunny days. But, spring is notoriously unpredictable, warm days, yes, but often followed by chilly nights. It feels as if the entire potential of spring is captured in the sun, and when it slips behind a cloud or a tree you are plunged, temporarily you hope, back into winter. The wines you choose need to be tempered for just such a situation. You may feel a little claustrophobic from an over abundance of cuddly, warming reds that have nursed you through winter. Yet the weather is not yet demanding uber-refreshing, high acid and racy white wines. Spring is a time to sit on the wine fence. Medium-bodied whites that are refreshing yet still have some weight work as do lighter reds with a little juiciness to match some meaty intensity. Rosé is a good bet too.

Chinon can be the perfect match with a few slices of salami, pâté and some firm cheese outside on a sunny spring afternoon. The Bernard Baudry 2011 Les Granges is a great example. When the snow has been swept off the deck, something like the Teusner 2012 Riebke Shiraz will warm you through a stint in front of the BBQ on a chilly spring evening and match with whatever meaty goodness comes off the grill. For white wines, Vouvray gives a little richness, often from a touch of sugar, but also through a waxy texture and matches well with chicken, quail and meatier white fish. The Famille Bougrier 2012 Vouvray is great value. And for rosé, why not celebrate spring with a bubbly version. It goes well with sunshine and Adirondack chairs before the warmth of the sun dips behind the horizon. The Louis Bouillot N/V Cremant de Bourgogne, Rosé Brut will pair with any snacks that are conjured up.

Treve Ring

With Vancouver International Wine Fest and France fresh on my mind (and palate), the first bottle that comes to mind this month is M. Chapoutier Les Vignes Bila-Haut Blanc 2012 from Côtes du Roussillon. This bright, juicy, mineral-marked wine is made in with the same terroir-respectful, biodynamic practices that are the hallmark of Michel Chapoutier’s numerous 100-point wines in the Northern Rhône. Much closer to home, though nearly as foreign-sounding to most is Calona Vineyards Sovereign Opal. At a nearly unheard of price and from a very unheard of grape, this soft, scented wine will make you think of spring’s blossoms. The sovereign opal grape is a cross of marechal foch and golden muscat developed by Agriculture Canada to thrive specifically in the Okanagan Valley.

If the last wine’s flavours make you think of spring, just looking at the Anna Spinato Prosecco Brut Organic bottle will evoke the same response. This organic prosecco’s light bright florals and citrus will have you planting lettuces for fresh-from-the-garden salad. If the evening winds are calm, fire up the BBQ (yes – we do that year round on the coast) and crack a bottle of the newly released Road 13 Vineyards Honest John’s Rose 2013. The vibrant pomegranate and structured cherry will certainly stand up to chicken burgers or veggie kabobs. And if you need a charmingly rustic, warming red to ward off the evening chill, don’t miss out on Bodegas Leceranas Evohé Garnacha Vinas Viejas 2010 from Aragon, Spain. These old vines (from 65 years through to their 2nd century!) are fermented in 100-year-old concrete vats with wild yeasts, resulting in a vibrant kirsch, red currant, fresh red, calling out for Patatas Con Chorizo.

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