Catching one last glimpse of summer, my wife and I spent a couple of days sightseeing on Saltspring Island last week. There is much to recommend the island this time of year: the weather is golden, farmers markets are bountiful, tourist hordes dwindle and tie-dye is always in fashion. This is also the time of year when local vineyards are at their most gorgeous.
GARRY OAKS WINERY
Located in the Burgoyne Valley on the winding road from Fulford Harbour to Ganges, Garry Oaks Winery covers three hectares of terraced slope at the south foot of Mount Maxwell. Owned and operated by Elaine Kozak and Marcel Mercier, the winery produces remarkably clean and complex wines, all made with their own grapes.
I was impressed with all Garry Oak's wines, but two standouts are their Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir:
Pinot Gris 2011 750 mL, 12 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV), $24
Notwithstanding the miserable summer we had last year, Kozak and Mercier somehow managed to make an exceptional Pinot Gris, and they did so without tenting their grapes.
Pale gold in the glass, this white has invigorating fresh floral aromas and crisp, dry flavours of pear, melon and lemon citrus, combined with traces of minerality and bracing acidity in a short, sharp finish. A great mate for delicate white seafood, chicken or pork.
Pinot Noir 2010 750 mL, 12 per cent ABV, $25
Few grape varieties are fussier than Pinot Noir and so most wineries on the coast have not had success with the varietal since the glorious hot, dry summer of 2009. It was a pleasant surprise, then, to discover Garry Oak's success with its 2010 vintage.
Garnet in colour, it has characteristic aromas of red fruit, cedar cigar box, mushroom and funky barnyard (in a good way), revealed on the palate with raspberry and black pepper. Balanced and complex with moderate tannins, this wine is quite drinkable now, but will get even better with a few more years in the bottle.
SALT SPRING VINEYARDS
Owned and operated by Joanne and Dev McIntyre, Salt Spring Vineyards is just up the hill from Garry Oaks, sharing the same microclimate as its neighbour. Even so, the two wineries couldn't be more different.
Garry Oaks is a meticulous, no-nonsense winery that takes a scientific approach to making flawless wine, even in bad years. Alternatively, Salt Spring Vineyards is the slightly wild artistic neighbour, infusing its wines with panache and whimsy.
(If proof be needed, compare their labels: Garry Oaks opts for elegant minimalism; Salt Spring Vineyards' labels look like Hieronymous Bosch renderings.)
The contrast is enjoyable, particularly so when sampling the latter's sparkling white and Millotage.
Karma 2008 750 mL, 12 per cent ABV, $35
This classic riff on sparkling white in the Traditional Method involves handriddling wine on the lees for two years. When the genie is released from the bottle, it emits aromas of pear, apple, lemon and brioche, all revealed in the mouth in a creamy mousse that leaves a trace of minerality in a medium finish. Pair with oysters if you can't wait till New Year's Eve.
Millotage 2008 750 mL, 12.5 per cent ABV, $20
A blend of estate-grown Leon Millot and Marechal Foch grapes, Millotage has some of my favourite red wine characteristics - oxblood colour, heady aromas of black fruit, oak, leather and pepper, and flavours of black currant, spice and minerality, all packaged with moderate tannins. Easy to drink on its own, this red is also a good match for anything tomatobased.
MISTAKEN IDENTITY VINEYARDS
On the other side of Saltspring, walking distance north of Ganges, is Mistaken Identity Vineyards. The realized dream of three couples, this manicured winery, with its tidy rows of various cool-climate grapes, is a picturesque place to do a tasting or have a picnic.
Mistaken ID makes some impressive reds with grapes brought in from the Okanagan. In particular, their Debut 2009, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, is worth seeking. But my focus on this trip was local terroir, so I singled out their Abbondante Bianco and Charmela for my Saltspring wine collection.
Abbondante Bianco 2011 750 mL, 12.2 per cent ABV, $21
A blend of estate-grown grapes creates this jazzy white, offering lots of grapefruit, green apple, and tropical flavours with nice acidity that would lend itself well to most any seafood pairing.
Charmela 2011 750 mL, 11.8 per cent ABV, $24
This curious wine is a combination of juice from estate-grown apples and Chardonnay grapes. A real treat with fruit and cheese on a late-summer afternoon.
