Winery Spotlight: Fairview Cellars

Describing the wines of Fairview Cellars is a little like describing the man behind the winery, proprietor and winemaker Bill Eggert: lively, intense, charming with layers of discreet refinement and a whole lot of outward character. The winery is located at the northern end of the Golden Mile Bench’s alluvial fan, just outside of Oliver and its unique terroir produces cool-climate Cabernets with impressive ripeness and complexity. The signature wines are Cabernet Sauvignon-based red blends that, should they accompany you home, will make a proud and lengthy addition to your cellar or wine rack as they are built to age gracefully. For directions and contact information (occasionally appointments are needed) visit http://www.fairviewcellars.ca/.

Eclectic Credentials

Conversations in the small, wood-cabin tasting room, decorated with nostalgia and fan-written poetry, can range from the government’s enforcement of tax collecting to intricate details of how Cabernet Sauvignon responds to the unique terroir of the Fairview site through to the lack of depth on the Canucks blue line. Anything goes and opinions are free of charge. Repeat patronage will be rewarded with samples of rare library wines normally reserved for the wine lists of BC’s top restaurants and which serve the added goal of showcasing the developing longevity of BC reds. You may be asked to taste these blind and you’d be wise to subtract 5 years to your vintage guess to score a second pour. A visit to Fairview cellars is sure to be memorable.

Key wines to try:
The Bear
Two Hoots
Sauvignon Blanc

 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2012 IconWines.ca

Winery Spotlight: Hidden Chapel Winery

The folks behind Hidden Chapel Winery, including the owners, Lanny Kinrade and Deborah Wilde, and the host of family and friends credited on the winery’s website, are all down to earth people and completely unpretentious. Rich with a diverse background of previous careers and experiences, it is mutual love of wine and adventure that turned the dream of opening a winery into a reality. A visit to the North Oliver winery will ignite everyone’s inherent appreciation for family-run small businesses: they are happy to see you. Tour the small grounds that are lovingly gardened stopping at the wine cave and namesake chapel for photo ops. www.hiddenchapelwinery.com/

Eclectic Credentials

Clocking in at only 1400 cases total production with a portfolio that includes 3 red blends, 1 white blend, a rose with two names and 4 single red varietal releases, this is a boutique winery with a capital ‘B’. The first publicly available vintage, 2009, is still on sale and makes up the bulk of the available product with new 2010 reds being released soon. Clearly the winery is still trying to work-out what works best with their terroir and the grapes they source each year and there’s something sweet about this experimentation/coming-of-age being all on display that is honest and charming. Taste the full line-up and choose the ones you like best, pass on the rest – simple as that. You won’t regret stopping for the visit and you’ll likely love at least one of their many wines.

Key wines to try:
Trilogy
Cabernet Sauvignon
Malbec (just released)

 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2012 IconWines.ca

BC Wine Deal: May 10th, 2012

The following wines have been reduced in price at participating VQA wine shops and BCLDB stores.

Calliope Figure Eight 2010 was $19.99 is now $17.99
Chaberton Gewurztraminer was $15.99 is now $13.99
Dunham & Froese Amicitia Red was $27.91 is now $25.99
Gehringer Dry Riesling was $14.99 is now $12.99
Inniskillin Zinfandel was $29.99 is now $25.99
Kraze Legz Black Bottom Stomp was $31.89 is now $28.85
Kraze Legz Charleston Chardonnay was $22.90 is now $19.85
Kraze Legz Pinot Blanc was $22.90 is now $18.85
Kraze Legz Speak Easy Rose was $22.90 is now $19.85
Larch Hills Gewurztraminer was $16.40 is now $14.90
Larch Hills Madeline Angevine was $15.40 is now $14.90
Larch Hills Marechal Foch was $16.40 is now $14.90
Larch Hills Marechal Foch Reserve was $19.40 is now $16.40
Larch Hills Ortega was $16.40 is now $14.90
Larch Hills Siegerrebe was $16.40 is now $14.90
Prospect Fats Johnson Pinot Noir was 17.99 is now $16.99
Noble Ridge Pinot Noir was $27.90 is now $24.90
Sumac Ridge Cabernet/Merlot was $14.99 is now $13.99
Sumac Ridge Gewurztraminer Private Reserve was $14.99 is now $13.99
Sumac Ridge Merlot Private Reserve was $15.99 is now $14.99
Sumac Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Private Reserve was $13.99 is now $12.99
Summerhill Cipes Pinot Noir Brut was $29.95 is now $24.95