Moon Curser

Moon Curser Wall of WineMoon Curser Vineyards is one of the most highly regarded wineries in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, both for its impressive wines and its number of “firsts.” At least half the wineries on our fall tour lauded Moon Curser for being the first winery to grow Tannat in the valley, the only one to plant Arneis and Touriga Nacional, and the only winery in Canada to blend all six permitted Bordeaux grapes in its Border Vines wine. Its flagship Syrah-Tannat blend, Dead of Night, is also one of a kind (and our favorite). Named after moonlight-evading gold rush smugglers, Moon Curser has a unique story to share. Read on for details.

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Beautiful British Columbia-Part 4

Screen Shot 2014-11-02 at 5.58.19 PMTo wrap up this series on B.C. wine country, we wanted to tell you about the Wines of British Columbia dinner that we were invited to a few weeks ago at Dahlia Lounge.

Each of the six delicious courses by Chef Brock Johnson and B.C. Chef Trevor Bird of Fable Restaurant in Vancouver were paired with B.C. VQA wines that are now available exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores in Washington and Oregon.

This was the amazing menu:

First course: Chef Brock Johnson, Dahlia Lounge
Canapés: Bacon jam and apple on toast
Tantalus Vineyards, 2012 Riesling

Second course: Chef Brock Johnson, Dahlia Lounge
British Columbia lingcod fritter, tarragon aioli and olive
St. Hubertus Estate Winery, 2013 Pinot Blanc
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, 2013 Pinot Gris

Third course: Chef Trevor Bird, Fable Kitchen, Vancouver, B.C.
Grilled fruit salad, Fable made ricotta, pickled berries, radish, end of the season strawberry vinaigrette
Quails’ Gate Winery, 2012 Pinot Noir

Fourth course: Chef Trevor Bird, Fable Kitchen
Confit Point Grey salmon, beet carpaccio, crispy business, herbed yogurt, pickled fennel and dill
Meyer Family Vineyards, 2012 Chardonnay

Fifth course: Chef Brock Johnson, Dahlia Lounge
Beef tenderloin and wine braised beef heart, smoked wild mushroom, parsnip and nutmeg
Black Hills Estate Winery, 2012 Nota Bene
Nk’Mip Cellars, 2012 Merlot

Sixth course: Chef Brock Johnson, Dahlia Lounge
British Columbia cheese plate, roasted fig, pecan flax toast
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, 2011 Cabernet Franc

As mentioned, wines from these participating wineries are now available at Whole Foods, so if you can’t visit Beautiful British Columbia’s growing wine country, you can still taste the wines right here.

Thanks for inviting us to the delicious dinner and introducing B.C. wines to Washington and Oregon, Wines of British Columbia.

Other posts in this series:

Beautiful British Columbia Part 1
Beautiful British Columbia Part 2: Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
Beautiful British Columbia Part 3: Fairview Cellars

Cheers!

Tinhorn Creek-Beautiful British Columbia Part 2

Screen Shot 2014-10-19 at 11.43.53 AMTinhorn Creek Vineyards, quite simply, is a must-stop destination for any visit to British Columbia wine country. September 23rd marked the 20th anniversary of Tinhorn Creek, which has grown from barrels of wine in the basement of a house to 150 acres of vines on a beautiful estate in Oliver Osoyoos wine country, in the south Okanagan’s “Golden Mile” region.

Over the years, Tinhorn Creek has also become known in Canada as one of the most progressive wineries, focusing on sustainability and being environmentally friendly.

This winery is the epitome of what we consider a top pick: Good juice, good people and good events such as concerts and winemaker dinners at their onsite restaurant, Miradoro.

Sandra Oldfield, co-owner, president, CEO, and the face and voice of Tinhorn Creek, has been active in the wine community on Twitter for years. She embodies the experience declared on their website:Screen Shot 2014-10-19 at 11.11.39 AM

“We grow grapes and we make wine. There are many steps between the field and the bottle, but at the end of the day it’s about farming the land responsibly, having fun, and making wines to share with family and friends. Because that’s what we are: friends, family – and friends who become family.”

Sandra also was the winemaker until this year, when Andrew Windsor joined the team, after after spending the past eight years in wine regions of Australia, New Zealand and France.

The winemaking team works from vines on two very distinct parcels of land:

  • 50 acres at the Tinhorn Creek Vineyard on the west bench, which benefits from sunrise and morning light, and is perfect for Gewürztraminer and Muscat
  • 100 acres on the Black Sage bench of the Diamondback Vineyard across the valley, which soaks up the intense afternoon heat, and therefore works well for Cabernet Franc and Merlot

Screen Shot 2014-10-19 at 12.02.23 PMSo let’s talk about the wines, starting with Tinhorn Creek’s Cab Franc, surely the best in Canada. We’ve tasted two vintages and enjoy the rich flavors that exemplify the varietal characteristics. This is a fantastic food wine, particularly with hearty beef stew or prime rib.

Earlier this year, the B.C. Wine Appreciation Society held a blind tasting of eight B.C. Cab Francs against four from other wine regions of the world. Tinhorn Creek 2010 Oldfield Selection Cab Franc, the winery’s first reserve version, won by a wide margin.

Going back several years, our first taste of Tinhorn Creek wine was at Whistler, back in the late 1990s — a 1995 Pinot Gris that set the bar for all the Pinot Gris we tasted in the following years.

More recently, last month, we visited the vineyard and tasted the 2013 vintage, which is crisp, balanced and brimming with citrus, pear and apple aromas and flavors.

In the late summer heat, we were also wowed by the Oldfield Series 2013 2Bench White, a delightful blend of Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc that screams for seafood to pair with it.

Tinhorn Creek is also known for its Merlot; the 2012 vintage is not at all jammy, and has a bite at the front palate that will taste marvelous with steak.

And yes, most of us in the U.S. can enjoy Tinhorn Creek wines here too – Tinhorn Creek is one of eight B.C. VQA wineries that offer wine exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores in Washington and Oregon.

Screen Shot 2014-10-19 at 12.17.56 PMIn addition, Tinhorn Creek now ships wines direct to consumer in 34 states.

Of course, it’s more fun to visit.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll see the newest member of the Tinhorn Creek family. Right after our visit ended, the winery became home to a new puppy, Sam.

How cute is he?

Yes, he’s grown a lot in the last two months, but he is still adorbs (a word that has never been used on this blog since it launched in 2007)!

According to Sandra, one of Sam’s favorite things to do is to nap on the cool tiles in the shower (without the water)!

So what are you waiting for?

Cheers!

Beautiful British Columbia-Part 1

Screen Shot 2014-10-05 at 6.48.00 PMEight B.C. VQA wines are now available exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores in Washington and Oregon, and we were invited to taste them at a special dinner last week at Dahlia Lounge.

Chef Brock Johnson and B.C. Chef Trevor Bird of Fable Restaurant in Vancouver (and Top Chef Canada) created west coast cuisine perfectly paired with the eight featured B.C. wines.

Coincidentally, this amazing evening came on the heels of a trip we took to parts of BC wine country in mid-September.

We will be writing in detail about both of those events in the future. In the meantime, we wanted to share the names of the wineries where we tasted some pretty good B.C. wine. I was born and raised in B.C., and I can truly say, “B.C. wine, you’ve come a long way, baby!”

Wines from these participating wineries are now available at Whole Foods:

  • Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
  • Nk’Mip Cellars
  • Tantalus Vineyards
  • St. Hubertus Estate Winery
  • Meyer Family Vineyards
  • Quails’ Gate Estate Winery
  • Black Hills Estate Winery
  • Burrowing Owl Estate Winery

Additional BC wineries we visited in Osoyoos and Kelowna:

  • Fairview Cellars
  • Gehringer Brothers
  • Hester Creek

Stay tuned for more details in future blog posts. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit Beautiful British Columbia and its growing wine country.

Cheers!