Tasting Room Radio

WINE OF THE YEAR: plus  Lisa Ahier (Sobo) Ned Bell (Seafood Fest) Graham Pierce (Ruby Blues)   THE SHOW I was honored to be one of the judges for the 2023 Lt. Governor Wine Awards. 500 wines and 3 days later we compared quick comments of what surprised us. Several times a judge said “that the winning wine was a Syrah from Naramata Bench and that a majority of Syrah awarded medals came from North of McIntyre Bluffs” Traditionally the Syrah of the south Okanagan always swept the awards so the shift came as a surprise. Was it  a single growing year, climate change effects,  a rebalancing of terroir or our own changing expectations? We’ll talk Syrah, awards and portfolio  with Garron Elmes The President and Winemaker at Lake Breeze. Creator  of the Wine of the Year.  2020 Lake Breeze Syrah   Garron will also take us through Lake Breeze Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, 2019 Meritage.  www.lakebreeze.ca … and we’ll have that same Syrah discussion with Graham Pierce, winemaker at Ruby Blues also on the Naramata Bench.   Graham knows very well the Syrah of the Okanagan, having been the winemaker at Summerhill, Mt Boucherie, TIME,  Kitsch, Ruby Blues and for 10 years Black Hills Estate Winery.  The man knows his Syrah. Graham will also bring tales of his  Ruby Blues Reserve Syrah, Commune Gew, Pinot Gris, Forever Young Riesling. www.rubyblueswinery.ca We’ll finish this weeks Tasting Room Radio with two interviews we did for podcast and our YouTube Channel. Chef Ned Bell  (Naramata Inn) who’s leading the charge up Mt Washington near  Courtney/Comox  Vancouver Island.  Its the annual BC Seafood Festival and it’s on right now  and ..finishes end of day Sunday.  The mountain is awash with chefs, farmers (land and sea), and seafood of every description. Ned has all the details..  www.bcseafoodfestival.com   Our wonderful last guest is Lisa Ahier… who created the food destination in Tofino called SoBo.  She brings with her, a second cookbook Together at SoBo. Its just a fantastic read. It paints a picture of the kitchen, Sobo, Tofino, Ucluelet, the very talents friends in her life and local self sustaining food sources. www.sobo.ca   You can still catch the video versions of Ned and Lisa on our terrydavidmulligan YouTube Channel and Podcast   STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON Bartier Bros Fort Berens Cowichan Wine Festival Meyer/Mayhem Releases The Neighbourhood Special Featuring our sponsors: Mt Boucherie OK Wine Festivals Unsworth Hillside Moon Curser        

    THE SHOW Good grief, it’s mid-June already!  The summer solstice is just around the corner and everyone in the world of wine is releasing new wines. So, he asked. Why are you doing a feature on Cider and Non-Alcoholic Wines? Because that’s what the wind kindly blew my way.  I’m a cider guy, fascinated by well-made low/no alcohols and a fan of Justin Wines. (And Paso Robles) Last week we started featuring our interviews from the 4th annual BC Cider Festival and ran out of time and space to include the last two interviews. Thus Part Two appears this week. I felt that both of these guests deserved time to tell their stories. Just a little room to create a flourish or is it a fuss! I can honestly say that Bruce McKinley is one of the planet’s more interesting people and he brings that character to every cider he makes at Valley Cider in Duncan. Bruce McKinley – Founder and Ciderist  Valley Cider (Duncan) The website says “Welcome to Simply Different” Cider is fermented apple juice. All the flavour and joie de vivre nature can pack into a fruit, hosting a party for millions of super social yeast. After the sugar is consumed, the curtain comes down and the band packs up. Some extraordinary chemistry happens after this point depending on the care & creativity of the cidermaker, which is what you’re going to miss if the juice quality was low to begin with or if the cider is just being made as a cheap sugar delivery mechanism. This is an unfortunate consequence of cider’s delayed & fairly recent reinvention as a valued craft product: the rise and domination of huge-scale low-cost commercial products, that unfortunately influence much of cider’s definition and public understanding. This need not be so. Cider can reflect the true heritage and at the same time continue evolving into modern ciders without being mired in unhealthy opportunism, as long as somebody cares enough to do it well. That is a craft. What’s required is thoughtfulness, a commitment to crafting quality cider, some healthy delicious apples and a place to hang out and put it all together. Check out the cider names –    Bloo/Soda Love Potion/Faeriessense/Poiple/Piqabu Pinko/Love Child /Bon Dry/Gingerella/Wait What?/Noir After listening to our interview and Bruce’s thoughts on craft, don’t you really want to taste what he makes?   www.valleycider.com   Jennifer Turton-Molgat   President.  Wards Cider (Kelowna)   Great Granddaughter to George Ward who planted the original apple trees in 1918, Jennifer Turton-Molgat carries on the family’s apple-growing legacy. Under Jennifer’s direction, Wards Cider stands out as a fully authentic cidery. Everything from growing and harvesting their  traditional cider apples to pressing, fermenting and bottling the finished ciders is done at their 5th generation, family-owned orchard. With her outgoing and creative style, Jennifer leads Wards daily operations and teams, including orchards, cellars, sales, marketing and guest services. Since 2006 Jennifer Turton-Molgat has also proudly led both The View Winery and Wards Cider to success in her role as President. Jennifer’s vision and inspiration for the winery and cidery is drawn from her family’s passion for the land as pioneering Kelowna orchardists and agriculturists since 1922. www.wardshardcider.com   (Tyler Harleton.  Ashley Wiles Marketing.  Chris Pagliocchini) Chris Paliocchini – co-founder of ONES+  No/Low Wines and Bubble  (Summerland) Chris  Paliocchini and Tyler Harleton grew up on family farms. Chris’ background led him to work in cherry and apple breeding in Summerland,

Before the end of December, generally, they experience their first thawing. Those which a month ago were sour, crabbed, and quite unpalatable to the civilized taste, such at least as were frozen while sound, let a warmer sun come to thaw them, for they are extremely sensitive to its rays, are found to be filled with a rich, sweet cider, better than any bottled cider that I know of, and with which I am better acquainted than with wine. All apples are good in this state, and your jaws are the cider-press.</> Henry David Thoreau We’re back to the 4th Annual BC Cider Festival – at The Pipe Shop, foot of Lonsdale in North Vancouver, BC. (where ships have always been built, especially for WW2) The BC Cider business continues to grow and create. BC has always had a history of tree fruits. The first thing planted seemed to have been apples and pears. The first thing the wine industry wanted was the soil the fruit farmers were growing in and started cutting down  BC orchards. Thankfully, educated minds began realizing there was value and heritage in that BC fruit. Cider has continued to rise in popularity and when craft beer revealed their playbook, the cidermakers followed. I believe there were some 45 ciders in attendance this year. Most are from BC but also Sweden and Spain. Cidermakers are crazy, fun people. Hard workers.  Aware of the history and heritage of BC tree fruit. Very passionate about making better and better cider. Every guest below is either the creator of the festival,  Cidermaker or Owner of their Cidery. Shawn and Kelly Pisio – Co-founders of BC Cider Festival Kate Garthwaite – Left Field Cider (Logan Lake) Christine Hardy – Riley’s  Cidery (Bowen) Gerta Lattey – Salt Spring Cider (Salt Spring Island) Clinton McDougall – Sunday Cider (Gibsons) Mathew Vasilev  – Twin Island Cider  (Pender) www.sundaycider.com www.leftfieldcider.com www.rileyscider.com www.TwinIslandCider.com www.bcciderfest.ca Next Week – Part Two with Bruce McKinlay – Valley Cider (Duncan) Jennifer Molgat – Wards Cider Shawn and Kelly Pisio – The Wrap-up   STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON Unsworth Vineyards Hillside Winery Moon Curser Mt Boucherie Okanagan Wine Fests Bartier Bros. The Ones Meyer/Mayhem Fort Berens Ruby Blue Wine of the year * Quails Gate Chardonnay vertical  

Okanagan Wine Fests, Top Drop Vancouver & Calgary Plus  Wednesday The Hatch Punks pour in Vancouver.   THE SHOW Such a crazy week.  Between BC fires, the smoke and bud break, its nutty these days. So. We come to Top Drop, The Hatch and The Okanagan Wine Fests Kick off.  All in one show . Also: Kimberly Hundertmark – GM Okanagan Wine Fests The Okanagan Wine Festivals returns with a new look, feel and time . For many years the Spring festival was held in May, this year its been moved to June  to celebrate the release of new vintages. New GM Kimberly Hundertmark takes us through the reimagined Okanagan Spring Wine Festival which kicks off June 3 with a WINE Garden Party  at the Cove Lakeside Resort in West Kelowna.   Also, Friday June 9  the festival continues with a private reception to complete the BC Lt Governor’s Wine Awards by announcing the Wine of the Year at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre. Then the doors open to host the Okanagan Spring Grand Tasting featuring wineries from Summerland, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Falls, Oliver and Osoyoos. Kimberly brings all the background on the newly launched TASTE Passport.   On June  10/11 holders will explore the South Okanagan. On June 11 the District Wine Village will offer the TASTE Passport in the Village. Speaking of taste..check out Ward’s Wine Country Kitchen.   Kimberly invites you to join her June 3rd to 11th to celebrate the craft of winemaking, get familiar with the wonderful communities of the Okanagan and perhaps find a new favourite. Info and tickets through www.thewinefestivals.com   Top Drop 2023  (Vancouver and Calgary)   It is , quite simply, the best small wine festival each and every year. Organized,  in part, by wine educator Kurtis Kolt,   Top Drop brings together a platform for terroir-influenced, handcrafted wines and the people behind them. They’re connected by a passion for sustainability and a very high standard of viticultural practices. They believe in wines that are honest, wines of integrity and transparency. Top Drop is a time and place to gather,  celebrate and have their stories told. Several of the Top Drop principal winemakers  found time to talk with us, just before the doors opened.   Guests include: Severine Pinte – Le Vieuw Pin (South Okanagan) Hannah Stuart – Lightfoot and Wolfville (Nova Scotia) Kurtis Kolt – co-founder of Top Drop. Wine Educator Kelsey Rufiange – Echo and Else Wines. (Okanagan Falls) David Patterson – Tantalus Wines (East Kelowna) All the winery details at www.topdrop.ca Develyn  Barker – The Hatch/Jason Parkes Customs The EVENT POSTER SAYS: “from the punks who brought you The Hatch. Blackswift Vineyards. Crown & Thieves. Screaming Frenzy” This Wednesday ( 5:30-9:00pm) at Mahony’s Tavern (False Creek) Vancouver.   You, lucky wine fans, can swill and buy some great Okanagan wines from The Punks. Join us for “And Out Come The Wines,” a Jason Parkes Customs wine-tasting & library wines collecting event, taking place on June 7th from 5:30-9:00 pm at Mahoney’s Tavern in False Creek. At this exclusive event, you’ll get to sample some of the most delicious wines from The Hatch, Black Swift Vineyards, and Crown & Thieves Wineries, poured by the bearded man himself, Jason Parkes. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn more about Jason Parkes Customs and our unique wines from the Okanagan Valley. Dev takes us through what’s being poured and why some of these wines are years old and hugely drinkable. www.thehatchwines.com  

THE SHOW 2023 Lt Governor’s Wine Awards. TerraLux Estate First Pours & Ned Bell on BC Shellfish Festival     2023 BC Lt. Governor’s Wine Awards (Penticton) The intense competition recognizes the top varietals produced in BC across 21 distinct categories and was held over 2 ½ days in early April at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre. After 3 days of tasting and spitting we couldn’t wait to get out of the building for a burger and a beer. I setup my trusty microphone, recorder and talked to several of the judges about their thoughts on the competition. Brad Royale, Rhys Pender, DJ Kearney, Kurtis Kolt, Emily Walker, Mathew Landry, Sid Cross, Tim Pawsey, etc.   Some very interesting comments along the way. We also include comments from Kimberly  Hundertmark GM of Okanagan Wine festivals and event organizer Alana Dickson.     Next –  an invitation came from Jennifer Tocher at Terralux  Estate Winery to taste the new releases from a winery still being built.  * 2019 Reserve Viognier – retail $35 * 2020 Reserve Chardonnay – retail $40 * 2018 Syrah – retail $35 * 2019 Meritage – retail $35 * 2019 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – retail $59   The tasting was moderated by BC’s Best Sommelier 2023 Kelcie Jones alongside Geoffrey Moss, MW and representing Terralux will be the Vineyard and General Manager Kevin Rossion. As for case production, they are currently sitting at about 3,000 cases per year and have planted a few additional acres over the past few years so this number will continue to grow. The new winery build in West Kelowna will comfortably handle 16,000 cases plus.   The winery is currently under construction with the production facility due to operate for Harvest 2024. The design of the winery pays tribute to the name “Terra” meaning earth and “Lux” meaning light. Gravity Fed winemaking facility. Chef  Ambassador Ned Bell And to close the show – Executive Chef Ned Bell once again joins the leadership team at the BC Shellfish Festival. This year at Mt Washington    The 15th annual BC Seafood Festival returns with a new home atop Mount Washington from June 23 to 25, 2023. The three day festival boasts over twenty sea-foodie events with an all star line up of chefs. Attendees are invited to taste the bounty of the West Coast through a variety of events, happy hours, MasterClasses and friendly competitions.   Festival highlights are the elaborate Gala Dinner, Shucked! Canada’s largest oyster bar happy hour led by a World Champion Oyster Shucker, Kitchen Party with the Junior Culinary Team Canada, Clam it up! Happy hour and more. This year the Festival is led by Chef Ambassador Ned Bell.    STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON   Top Drop Vancouver and Calgary The Ones Bartier Brothers Moon Curser Mt Boucherie Unsworth Cowichan Wine Festival BC Cider festival Hester Creek Sipster’s Two    

The Third and Final VanWineFest Feature – Masters and All-Stars!!   THE SHOW Welcome to the third series of interviews from the 44th annual Vancouver Wine Festival. One of the Wine World’s outstanding events.   These interviews mixed Masters of Wine/Master Sommeliers  with winemakers, owners &  founders! A field blend of Napa, Sonoma, Okanagan Valley and  Mendoza Argentina. Guests include –   DJ Kearney – (co-host) Wine Director Terminal City Club. Wine Authority/Educator. Mark de Vere – Master of Wine. Robert Mondavi Winery. Napa Garron Elmes – Winemaker and President of Lake Breeze Naramata Bench Ray Signorello – Owner. Signorello, Edge/Trim/S  Napa Valley Ben Pon – Co-Owner Bodegas Salentein, Mendoza Arg. Evan Goldstein – Keynote Speaker. Master Sommelier. Full Circle Wine Solutions. Master Sommelier for SF Giants.     Harry Hertscheg – Executive Director of Vancouver Wine Festival.   Thank you to DJ Kearney for the brilliance and support. She’s the Wine Director at Terminal City Club and a leading wine educator & judge. Thanks also to Ruby Gillett  Milk Creative Communications   STORIES WERE WORKING ON   Hillside Estate Moon Curser Mt Boucherie Okanagan Wine Festivals Unsworth Vineyards Sipster’s Two Noble Ridge Bartier Brothers Justin Vineyards – Napa            

Winemakers from Aquilini/Beringer/Laughing Stock/Michael David/Nk’mip/Osoyoos LaRose/Vina Carmen/Santa Rita   THE SHOW   Welcome back to the 44th annual Vancouver Wine Festival. Cutting through the clutter with world class wine smarts is our co-host DJ Kearney (Wine Director Terminal City Club. Speaker, writer, wine judge, noted authority) This is our 17th year of covering this wildly successful wine gathering. As always, we make a wish list of who we’d like to talk to and try to shape a tale of climate, regions, wines, winemakers and what’s ahead for an ever changing business. At some point the wish list gets thrown out and it’s a sprint to the finish line. Exhausting but memorable. This week’s guests are:  Justin Hall – Winemaker Nk’Mip Cellars Osoyoos, BC Michael Kullmann – Winemaker and GM Osoyoos LaRose Osoyoos, BC Sandy Leier – Winemaker Laughing Stock Vineyards  Naramata Bench, BC Ryan Rech – GM and Winemaker Beringer Vineyards  Napa Valley, Ca. Tyler Tennyson – Consulting Winemaker Aquilini Wines Red Mountain, Washington Dave Phillips – Co-owner and President Michael David Wines Lodi, Ca. Oscar Salas – Winemaker  Santa Rita Maipo Valley/Limari Valley  Chile Pablo Prieto – Winemaker Vina Carmen  Various Locations Chile   NEXT WEEK – PART THREE DJ Kearney – Co-Host with the Most Ray Signorello – Signorello, Edge, Trim  Napa/Alexander valley Garron Elmes – Winemaker/Pres. Lake Breeze Naramata, BC Ben Pon – Co-owner Salentein   Mendoza, Arg. Joe Spellman – Master Sommelier  Justin Vineyards and Winery Paso Robles, Ca Evan Goldstein – Keynote Speaker Harry Hertscheg – Executive Director VanWineFest Mark deVere – Master of Wine Robert Mondavi  Napa   STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON   Township 7 Lt Governors Awards New Releases Moon  Curser Hillside Unsworth Mt Boucherie Okanagan Wine festivals Noble Ridge Cowichan Valley Wine Festival  

2023 QUICK FACTS  (Ever Changing) 44th annual (founded 1979) 8 days, April 22-30 18,000 admissions 17 countries 147 wineries » 44 wineries from South America 36 events at 19 venues » 26 public events; 10 trade-only events 25 participating restaurants, hotels, caterers 1135 wines, including:  800 wines in the Tasting Room –  335 wines at special events (dinners, seminars, etc) 15,000 bottles poured and/or purchased THE SHOW  This is our 17th year of covering the  adventure  of The Van Wine Fest! For the Executive Director Harry Hertscheg and his top flight team of organizers,  it’s their 44th annual. (Harry and keynote speaker Evan Goldstein will close our series in a couple of weeks) Although it’s still a amazing “blur” I think we did at least 20 interviews in just under four hours. A mix of winemakers and founders from Chile, Argentina, BC, Lodi, Napa, Sonoma and  Washington! We could not have made this journey without the help of media/marketing support from Ruby Gillett (Milk Creative Communications) and Danielle Giroux (Director- California Wines Canada) Thank you both.   Here’s Part One of this years Festival  We begin with the most amazing friend – Wine Director at Terminal City Club and much admired wine educator, speaker and wine judge,  DJ Kearney. DJ and I were judging the Lt Governor awards last month and between flights I whispered “will you join me at VanWineFest for a couple of interviews. I love your questions and observations?” She nodded OK!  How lucky I was to know her? As promised,  DJ sat down for the first two interviews and to my complete surprise and delight,  she stayed for almost the entire series of chats. A small grouping of chairs – knee to knee –  because the crowd noise gets louder as the minutes click by. A lot of collective chatter.  In the chairs, we all found ourselves leaning in to listen and comment. Tasted many outstanding wines the guests brought. Loved it.  Best of all, this is just Part One of 3 weeks of interviews. This weeks guests are:  DJ Kearney – Wine Director  (Terminal City Club) Wine Educator, Judge, Writer,  Speaker and great friend. The one and only DJ Kearney with her observations about Van Wine Fest history, the line up of this years wineries and general opinions about the state of today’s winemaking. She brings so many memorable stories and details. https://www.tcclub.com/ @djwines   JJ Dowell – Winemaker Lake Sonoma, Plume Wines. (Russian River, Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Napa Valley) Jaime started her career “in the arts” at her family’s art gallery. The art of wine came calling. Crooked Vine, Stony Ridge. Then off to New Zealand making high end Pinot Noir at Villa Maria. Back to California in 2011 to join Bonny Doon, Alpha Omega, Round Pond Estate in Napa and finally joined West Coast Wine Partners – which included the Stewart Family at Quails Gate – to oversee Lake Sonoma and Valley of the Moon Wines.  Plume Wines were soon added to the portfolio. All that experience shows in her wines.  https://lakesonomawinery.com/   Christa-Lee McWatters – McWatters Collection GM/Family (Penticton) Tony Holler – Co-Owner Poplar Grove (Naramata Bench) DJ and I knew this was going to be fast, informative and lots of fun. Christa-Lee and Tony LOVE talking about wine. Theirs and many others. But they also have new events and growth. At Time Family of Wines in Penticton Christa-Lee has opened OROLO Restaurant with Damian Cole as Head Chef.  Fine dining friends. She was also pouring her Father Harry’s last vintage. A  2017 Brut! Cheers to Harry McWatters. www.

Our yearly Pinot Noir Geek Out – with  15 top experts and a  Pinot  Blind Tasting! THE SHOW  Bordeaux is made by man, Pinot Noir by God. Pinot Noir may not be the most planted grape in the World but no other varietal even comes close to the dialogue that takes place between winemakers and wine fans about the place of Pinot in today’s wine world. Whether they love Pinot Noir or not, wine people all have an opinion on this grape. Described as “the diva of the wine world”, it takes a really focused winemaker and farmer to grow, harvest, and cellar this beauty. The payoff is spectacular. Notes and flavors of Clove, Cherry, Mushroom, Floral, Soil, Tea, Vanilla, blackberry, and plum. Lush and lengthy. High acidity and lower tannin make Pinot Noir perfectly paired with pork, mushrooms, duck, and chicken. I’ve been doing Pinot Noir interviews for 15 years and I’m still learning from the many stories being told. I’ve gone back into the Tasting Room Radio files to share some of the stories and people who’ve stayed with me over the years. Check this out: Nigel Greening – Owner Felton Road Winery (Central Otago NZ) Grant Stanley – Spearhead (South East Kelowna) Mike Rathjen – Rathjen Cellars (Saanich) Daniel Dragert – Kutatas (Salt Spring Island) Layne Craig – 40 Knots (Comox) Barb and Ian Phillip – wine educators  (Vancouver) Christina Coletta –  Okanagan Crush Pad/Haywire (Summerland) Chris Turyk – Unsworth (Cowichan Valley) JAK Meyer – Meyer Family Vineyards (OK Falls/Skaha) David Patterson  – Tantalus Vineyards (South East Kelowna) Kurtis Kolt – Wine Educator – Judge – Sommelier (Vancouver) Vikram Vij –  Chef – Author  (Vancouver) This pinot noir  special concludes with a Blind Tasting of 2018 Pinots It was organized by John Glavina – the owner of Giant Head Winery in Summerland. John wanted to include several of his pinots to discover how they stood up to the competition. (He didn’t tell anyone that his wines were in the mix) Tasting on the day were two of the very best wine minds.  Great guys. John Schreiner – The Dean of Canadian wine writers (15 books in total) Master Blogger. Brent Gushowaty – A Pinot specialist. Founder of  bcpinotnoir.com I was delighted to be judging in such fine company. The discussion went on for several hours and I’ve done my best to edit the prime points down into a segment of the show. I couldn’t get all the comments on the blind wines when revealed but we did talk about the top two and several others not in the room. The Pinot Noir poured on the day were… 2018 Giant Head Estate Winery Flagship Pinot Noir 2018 Fox and Archer – Brent G. choice 2019  Canyonview Wines Brand – CVW – Pinot Noir 2018 Spearhead- Saddle Block Vineyard 2018 Lake Breeze Aura 2018 giant head Pinot Noir Reserve The segment is memorable just to hear the conversation between John Schreiner and Brent Gushowaty. I thank John Glavina for the invitation for myself and the microphone plus John & Brent for the Pinot Masterclass. I also thank Harbour Air for the beautiful trip over and back.       STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON Next Week Hillside The Hatch/Jason Parkes Customs Moon Curser Unsworth   Clos du Soleil Aug 4 Cowichan Pour Sperling Vineyards Scorched Earth Robert Belcham /Cooks Camp Bill Jones – Shrooms    

Chris Waters (Globe and Mail) interviews  Jason Priestley. Michal Mosny and TDM     THE SHOW What started out as a Zoom interview for a story Christopher Waters was writing on Q&A Wine for his Easter Globe and Mail wine column has now become  a Tasting Room Radio show, a Podcast and video interview for TDM YouTube Channel. Full Disclosure : Q&A wine is a new partnership in the South Okanagan between myself, Jason and Winemakers Cut winemaker/owner Michal Mosny. How this came to be is a wonderful story that starts the interview. Make no mistake…  this interview is lead by Chris Waters. As someone who has done countless interviews,  it was such a treat to watch someone else carry the load and just enjoy the conversation. The surprise in the dialogue  were the outflow of words, opinions  and thoughts from Chris,  who was completely open and engaging. I kept thinking “this would be a really good TRR and podcast” So.  Here we are. With the help of Olivia Siu and Chris himself,  this weeks Tasting Room Radio is a friendly war of words about the wines of Canada, BC’s place in wine, Michal’s and Martina’s story of moving from Slovakia to Oliver BC and starting Winemakers Cut, Chris’s thoughts on Q&A Red and the just arriving Q&A RMV White , about wines that pleasantly surprise and Pink Floyd. The Red is a blend of 45/Cab 38/Merlot 13/Cab Franc 4/Petit Verdot The White  RMV a blend of 58/Rousanne 34/Marsanne 8/Viognier Christopher was kind enough to award the Q&A Red Blend 91 Points and the Q&A White Blend  92 Points   Christopher Waters  is a WSET certified instructor. He is the acclaimed wine and spirits columnist at The Globe and Mail. For 21 years, Christopher was the editor/co-founder of Canada’s largest circulation wine publication, VINES, and author of the nationally syndicated column, Waters & Wine. An internationally recognized wine judge, Christopher represents Canada for the Globe Fine Wine Challenge in Sydney, Australia and served as head judge and organizer of the InterVin International Wine Awards from 2009-2019. Michal Mosny is the co-owner and winemaker at Winemakers Cut in Oliver, BC He and his wife/winemaker Martina moved from Slovakia to BC in 2004 after seeing the Okanagan featured on Hollywood and Vines TV. The hosts were Jason Priestley and TDMulligan. Producer was Chad Oakes... he has his own wine.   https://www.theglobeandmail.com/ www.qa.wine www.winemakerscut.ca @jasonpriestley     STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON Van Wine Fest Moon Curser Hillside Wines Mt Boucherie Okanagan Wine Festivals Unsworth Vineyards Lt. Governor’s Awards 2023 The Ones Township 7 Lake Breeze Cowichan Wine Festival     Chris Waters awarded: Q&A Red (Bordeaux Blend) 91 Points Q&A RMV White (Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier) 92 Points    

Barnyard Natural Wine Fest Part 2 & Natural Winemaker Ann Sperling   THE SHOW  Last week we happily presented a feature story on the first Barnyard Natural Wine Festival in BC. As promised here’s the rest of the featured interviews. Matt Cooke We decided to start with a shortened version of the interview with Matt Cooke. Matt conceived and organized  the Festival at his home base of Save-On Arena in Victoria.  Matt has a history of supporting natural winemaking through various restaurants  where he’s lead the wine program. The Rogue Kitchen and Wet bar in Vancouver, Tableau Bistro, Homer St Café, Ancora and finally  the wonderful OLO restaurant in Victoria. He featured natural wines all the way. Completing the natural story are:  Murray Fontaine and Aaron Goddard from the much admired Scout Vineyard (Similkameen) Kesley Rufiage   – Winemaker  Else Wines,  Echo Bay and jocko (OK Falls) Alex Thornley – Thorn and Burrow  (Various Locations) Annelise Simonsen – Creek and Gully (Naramata Bench)     Ann Sperling – Winemaker and family member Sperling Vineyards  (East Kelowna) Certified organic in 2017, Ann is the fourth generation of Sperlings tending the vineyards on the East Benches of Kelowna. Ann created: Natural organic Amber Pinot Gris Organic Heritage Rose   Organic Pinot Blanc Organic Vision Pinot Noir Reserve Vision Series Brut Natural Organic Old Vines Foch   STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON   Van Wine fest Moon Curser Hillside Unsworth..              

BARNYARD  (Part One)  –  BC’s First Natural Wine Festival (Victoria) THE SHOW NATURAL WINE: “Wine unplugged. It’s the unfiltered, untamed, unphotoshopped version of what we know wine to be. Hand picked, no additives, little or no sulphites. It flies against the status quo. Challenges what people think is good wine” Madeline Puckette /Wine Folly   This first natural wine festival was organized by Matt Cooke . In 2016 Matt moved to Victoria and joined the management team at OLO Restaurant, where he quickly took over the bar, and then wine programs. The food at OLO screamed natural – which inspired him to create a largely natural wine list, which over his nearly 5 years there, grew to become arguably the most natural list in Victoria. Matt’s passion was really in finding new and exciting wines/regions/varietals to pair up with the food and encourage OLO guests to try. Then in fall 2021 he became the Food & Beverage General Manager at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. It was a major career shift, from a 40 seat farm-to-table high end restaurant, to a 7000 person arena, but loved it. Over the course of two hockey seasons now, Matt has become confident in his role – but missed the aspect of educating people on wine, and  missed his connection to the wine world. Which is where the idea for Barnyard came from.   In Fall of 2022 Matt started reaching out to his contacts from his  buying days at OLO, and suggested this gathering. The response was immediate and highly supportive. For BARNYARD they had 35 wineries/agencies attending, including 18 BC wineries and 1 Ontario winery – all with principals, and 16 import agencies. The import agencies presented  a range of products from their portfolio, which allowed the festival  to showcase wines from 17 other countries.   The full list of wineries and agencies is up on their website: https://barnyardwinefest.ca/wineries   The guest line up for Part One:   Matt Cooke – Founder of Barnyard www.barnyardwinefest.ca <http://www.barnyardwinefest.ca>   Rajen Toor –  Winemaker Ursa Major (Black Sage Road)  https://ursamajorwinery.com <https://ursamajorwinery.com/> Mathew Vasilev – Co-founder/cidermaker Twin Island Cider (Pender Islands) https://www.twinislandcider.com/ <https://www.twinislandcider.com/>   Jay Drysdale – Bella Vineyards (Naramata Bench)  https://www.bellawines.ca/ Louise Fedyk – Massey Wines (Pouring Eastern European Wines) https://www.masseywines.com/ <https://www.masseywines.com/>   David Eiberg – Therianthropy (Ontario) https://therianthropy.wine/ <https://therianthropy.wine/>   Anthony Buchanan – Anthony Buchanan Wines (Kaleden) https://www.anthonybuchananwines.ca/ <https://www.anthonybuchananwines.ca/>   For a complete rundown of what everyone was pouring please head for https://barnyardwinefest.ca/wineries       STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON: Natural Wine fest Part Two VanWineFest Hillside Moon Curser Mt Boucherie

Meet the Makers Culmina & Laughing Stock     THE SHOW It was just another Friday morning when the happy invitation came in from the delightful  Lindsay Kelm. Come celebrate the harvest season with Culmina Family Estate and Laughing Stock Vineyards. Join Winemakers Jean-Marc Enixon and Sandy Leier for an elegant afternoon sampling their latest releases and chatting about the 2022 harvest. We also have a couple of special sneak peeks in store, including the unreleased 2020 vintage of Laughing Stock’s signature Portfolio, and 2017 vintage of Culmina’s flagship Bordeaux blend, Hypothesis   Sandy Leier–Winemaker Laughing Stock (Naramata) Here’s what I knew. I hadn’t spoken to Sandy Leier for years. At the time she was working with the legend Howard Soon at Sandhill and Calona. In 2018, after 15 years as a great team,  she took over from the departing  Howard.  Then a series of projects with Andrew Peller, Gray Monk and Gretzky Wines. Then, this year, a major move to Senior Winemaker at Laughing Stock on the Naramata Bench.  It’s the home of seriously great wines including a Syrah that makes hearts flutter and their red blend Portfolio.  Sandy brings six wines to taste and discover. (List below)   (tdm and Sandy Leier) Jean-Marc Enixon – Culmina Winemaker – (Oliver) (tdm and Jean-Marc)   Jean-Marc Enixon’s wine career took flight in Toulouse, France. JM gained international experience in Sonoma County, China, then  back to France at Chateau Puy Guilhem in  Saillans as senior winemaking director. At the suggestion of his wife saying something to the effect of   “how about making some new world wine” Jean-Marc joined the Culmina Team  as Vineyard Manager and Winemaker in 2016.  Today he pours 7 wines. As good as he is, perhaps his greatest accomplishment is welcoming two new children to the family while in the Okanagan. “they’re taking French and I’m taking English”  Sandy, Jean-Marc and I  tasted and talked about Laughing Stock Vineyards. 2021 Viognier 2020 Chardonnay 2020 Pinot Noir 2019 Syrah (new release) 2019 Portofino (new release) 2020 Portofino (unreleased)   Culmina Family Estate Winery 2019 Decora 2021 Unicus 2018 Dilemma 2019 Malbec 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Hypothesis 2017 Hypothesis (unreleased)   www.laughingstock.ca www.culmina.ca   STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:   Kitten Swish – with Brad Royale Van Wine Fest Lt Governors Awards Mt Boucherie Okanagan Wine Festivals Oaxaca Mezcal and Food Osoyoos Le Rose Haywire

Every Chef Needs a Farmer   Every Farmer Needs a Chef!  The SHOW   We were invited to the third annual Chef/Farmer gathering.  This year at Church and State Winery in Central Saanich. It was presented by Buy BC. The entire concept was created by Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food. It’s a great fit because she WAS a farmer when the idea came to her. As Minister, she oversees the  Buy BC program. It continues to highlight the many unique and engaging products coming from our own backyards. It’s a direct link between consumers and the creators behind each and every label. (Lana Popham) Our pal Chef Ned Bell is the chef ambassador for Buy BC.  As long as I’ve known Ned, he’s always been pushing the boundaries between Kitchens and Farmers.  There’s nothing he likes more than uniting and collaborating with other chefs, fishers, farmers, and influencers. The man is a game-changer. If you’ve ever dined at his Naramata Inn, you’ll know that he’s also one of our very best chefs. His panel was titled – The Future of Food; Sustainable, Indigenous, Farmed, and Wild. (Ned Bell and TDM)   NOTE:  We couldn’t possibly interview all the Farmers. I think there were over 20 in the room but we will reconnect and do stories on many of them ! Our Special Guests this week are:  Robert Belcham – Chef’s Table Society. Chef and Owner Popina Shawn Dirksen – Owner Northstar Organics. His panel was Selling Food to Our City. Small-Scale Diversified Organic Farming. Jared Qwustenuxun Williams – Indigenous Foods Chef, Writer, and Storyteller Ian Tostenson – President and CEO, BC Restaurant and Food Services Assn Michael Verbrugge and Victoria Lake  – Canadian Seafood Processing Chef Ned Bell – Naramata Inn Lana Popham – Minister of Agriculture and Food www.buybc.gov.bc.ca @EatDrinkBuyBC #buyBC #everychefneedsafarmer   STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON: Meet the Makers Culmina  and Laughing Stock Winemakers Kitten Swish – with Brad Royale Van Wine Fest Lt Governors Awards Mt Boucherie Okanagan Wine Festivals Oaxaca Mezcal and Food Haywire Osoyoos le Rose                

The National Wine Awards of Canada – 2022 With Co-Founder Anthony Gismondi.   THE SHOW:    Our guest is the highly respected wine writer, reviewer, and industry leader Anthony Gismondi. Anthony Gismondi is a Canadian wine journalist and one of North America’s most influential wine voices. His twice-weekly column in The Vancouver Sun, which he has written since 1989, is read across Canada through Postmedia Network, reaching close to 10 million readers. His comprehensive wine review website www.gismondionwine.com, one of the first such sites on the internet, features over 30,000 tasting notes, added daily. It is an important resource for trade and consumers in Canada and 114 other countries. Anthony hosts BC Food & Wine Radio Show the longest-running, weekly wine and food show on Canadian radio for 25 years. The one-hour show is broadcast on 20 radio stations across British Columbia and is available everywhere as a podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, and more. Gismondi is the co-founder of the annual National Wine Awards of Canada, the largest and broadest competition for Canadian Wine since its inception 21 years ago. Anthony continues to run the annual event as co-chair. He is also the editor of the Canada wine section in the world’s best-selling wine book Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book. In addition, Anthony is a much sought-after moderator and consultant.   He will occasionally post as ‘The Spitter” The 21st running of the National Wine Awards of Canada wrapped up on June 23 in Niagara.  After much deliberation and number checking,  the results rolled out on July 15th, starting with Sparkling Wines.