Canadian Wine: Not As Good As Their Beer

I recently toured Canadian wine country and came home with a renewed appreciation of Washington’s producers.

Now, before I get accused of being a shameless homer, let me clarify that some of the wines I sampled showed promise. I had a couple of very nice chardonnays, some good bubbly and at least one tasty pinot gris, for instance.

It was an interesting exercise to catch a wine region in its early (at least compared with the Northwest) stages. Producers seem to still be searching for just the right grape varietal.

If you haven’t heard much about Canadian wines, that’s because they’re not easy to find in the States. Between high prices and low production, there is not much wine to import. Most of the supply is sold in Canada, and much of it is available only in restaurants. (The wine shops there even have a limited selection.)

In the Okanagan Valley, a fivehour drive from Spokane, there are at least 20 wineries making European varietals, some of which sound completely foreign.

Some of the offbeat varieties are bacchus (a cross of riesling and sylvaner), auxerrois (a white wine similar to pinot blanc), ehrenfelser (another rieslinglike wine), kerner and a Swiss grape called chasselas. More familiar grapes that are grown range from riesling and gewurztraminer to chardonnay and pinot noir.

Of the few wineries I visited near Kelowna, all seem to have spread themselves too thin, producing so many varieties that none stand out.

I liked the fragrant Alsatian-style gewurztraminer and a dry riesling at one of the best-known wineries, Gray Monk. But I found the other whites there far too acidic - tart with no trace of fruit. Maybe these would be good food wines, but they didn’t even offer a cracker in the tasting room to nibble between sips.

At Gray Monk, they grow 12 varieties on 35 acres that have a knockout view of Okanagan Lake. The lake is a moderating influence on the growing conditions, but it still seems unlikely that so many grapes could grow well in one spot given that different varieties have different needs.

A huge departure from winemaking philosophy in the States was evident when the tasting room staff proudly pointed out that the chardonnay was not aged in French oak barrels. The vintner instead chose to immerse oak staves into the wine as it aged. Though this is done in the United States, the practice is usually reserved for cheaper wines. No winery I can think of would volunteer this kind of information.

At Summerhill Winery, I got a kick out of the person pouring in the tasting room telling me that “chardonnay is for old people,” as if I would buy a bottle at that point and risk being labeled a fuddy-duddy.

This is the place where the owner, a guy from New York, ages his sparkling wine in a pyramid because, as they told me in the tasting room, “it focuses the energy of the universe and makes for wine with better bubbles.” Wait until they hear this in France!

The Summerhill “Cipes” brut was tasty, with explosive tiny bubbles and a full, toasty flavor. But I couldn’t part with $20 for sparkling riesling. I ended up with a bottle of pinot blanc, an elegant, full-bodied white.

Quail’s Gate was mentioned as one of the Valley’s rising stars, but the three dry whites and one red I tasted were forgettable. The one wine I enjoyed, and bought, was a late harvest wine called Optima. The golden liquid was bursting with fruit, but that was nicely balanced by good crispness.

I came away empty-handed at Hainle Vineyards because the wines they were pouring in the tasting room were thin on flavor. Still, I was impressed that many of their wines were made with organically grown grapes.

My final stop, at Blue Mountain Vineyards outside of Okanagan Falls, convinced me that Canadian wines will one day be a contender. This winery uses only French varietals and employs a French winemaking philosophy. They limit the growth in their vineyards, which makes for intense flavors in the grapes.

The winery’s pinot blanc, chardonnay, pinot gris and sparkling wine were exceptional.

But, be advised: You must make an appointment to visit Blue Mountain Vineyards by calling 604-497-8244. And, if my sojourn is any indication, don’t expect a warm welcome. (When I asked to try the winery’s pinot noir, the woman who ran the tasting room snapped: “We don’t have any of that left.”)

One Canadian winery that doesn’t take itself quite so seriously is Rotting Grape. No candy-coated name here. The winery calls its product what it is. There was no tasting room, but in a few of Kelowna’s wine shops you can purchase Red Rott or White Rott and laugh yourself silly reading the label.

An excerpt: “OK, so this is not a wine for stuck-up yuppie types who sit around in overstuffed Danish leather chairs in their nicely appointed condo waiting for Niles or Clay or whoever to call them on their cell phones so they can come over in their BMWs or Range Rovers or whatever and nibble imported brie and sip on expensive chardonnay and say things like ‘nice legs’ and ‘good nose.”’

Entertaining stuff and the wine’s not bad, either.

Canadian festival

The Okanagan wine country is so spread out, it could take a week to visit all the producers.

Or, you could do it in one evening at a consumer tasting that 28 British Columbia wineries attend. The popular event, in its 16th year, will be held this year on Oct. 11 and 12 at the Penticton Trade and Convention Center. Tickets are $30 apiece, Canadian. Expect a 30 percent discount when paying with U.S. dollars. To order tickets, call 604-860-1470.

The Okanagan Wine Festival is actually a two-week affair, with a variety of dinners, picnics and educational events. For a full schedule of activities, contact the Okanagan-Similakameen Tourism Association at 604-860-5999.

Closer to home: Latah Creek celebrates fall with its annual Oktoberfest from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The event will feature samples of newly crushed grapes from this harvest, hearty food such as German sausage and sauerkraut (about $2) and discounted prices on wine.

There will also be a holiday crafts sale during the Ocktober-festivities.

For additional information, call the winery at 926-0165.

Good work: Congrats to the folks at Worden’s for being mentioned four times in the September issue of The Wine Spectator.

The ‘95 riesling was rated a best buy and earned 87 out of 100 points. The winery’s cabernet-merlot blend scored an impressive 85, while the chenin blanc and the claret both were rated 81.

Because a lot of consumers use the Spectator buying guide like a bible, shop early for best selection.

, DataTimes MEMO: Leslie Kelly can be contacted via e-mail at lesliek@spokesman.com or send regular mail to The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Leslie Kelly The Spokesman-Review