Anthony Gismondi: B.C.’s Syrah and Pinot Noirs can compete with anyone

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There is little doubt B.C. wine has improved immensely over the past decade; quality isn’t an issue anymore.

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Of course, some might say not all the wines are great, and they would be right, but then we could say the same about Italy, France, New Zealand and, well, pick any country. Rising prices are a far more serious issue, but you could also say that about most of the world’s wines.

Today, we share some thoughts on two of the more interesting red wine varieties made in B.C. that couldn’t be more opposite in style and taste — Syrah and Pinot Noir. A shortlist of recently tasted bottles follows, some with thoughts about why you might want to try them.

Road 13 GSM ($35) isn’t strictly speaking a Syrah wine, but the Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre is a giant of a wine, amazingly spicy, with earthy savoury aromas and black plums, pepper, meaty, dark chocolate flavours and more.

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Even richer are some of our top single variety Syrahs. Labels that knocked us out include Stag’s Hollow Syrah 2018 ($32), plush with juicy, spicy, meaty, ripe blueberry fruit you can drink now or hold. The Black Hills 2019 Syrah ($39.90) is coming to life under winemaker Ross Wise with its plummy sagebrush, desert scrub, and peppery smoked meat and spice.

Other Syrahs you can buy blind include:

• Maverick 2019 Bush Vine Syrah ($34.48)

• Tightrope 2018 Syrah, ($34)

• Nk’Mip Cellars 2018 Qwam Qwmt Syrah ($34.99)

• Phantom Creek 2018 Phantom Creek Vineyard Syrah ($115)

• Burrowing Owl 2018 Syrah ($35)

• Quails’ Gate 2018 The Boswell Syrah ($69.99)

• Bench 1775 2017 Syrah ($33.20)

• Lake Breeze 2018 Syrah ($29)

Pinot Noir is having a moment in B.C. as producers do less to get more out of the finicky grape. Home runs begin on Vancouver Island this year, where Unsworth Vineyards Pinot Noir 2018 )$32.40), Averill Creek Somenos Pinot Noir 2018 ($52) and the Blue Grouse Vineyard Pinot Noir ($37.99) reveal the rising pedigree of the Cowichan Valley and its delicate, layered flavoured, red-fruited Pinot Noir.

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In the North Okanagan, a parade of Pinot producers is reaping the rewards of years of selecting suitable soils and vineyard blocks, replanting vines, matching clones and rootstocks, fine-tuning their oak sources, and reducing the amount of intervention inside the winery to great effect.

As a result, you have many choices beginning with Spearhead Winery that has announced its arrival under winemaker Grant Stanley. The Spearhead Pinot Noir Cuvée 2019 ($42) is a wonderful cool-climate northern Pinot with style.

Closer to the lake, Oak Bay Vineyard Pinot Noir Gebert Family Reserve 2019 ($35) continues down the less-is-more Pinot road.

Finally, across the lake, the Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir 2019 ($29.99) continues to intensify its flavour profile while keeping its alcohol at a modest 13-13.5 per cent.

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Winemaker David Patterson is giving Pinot Noir the same love his Riesling gets, as evidenced by the Tantalus Pinot Noir Reserve 2018 ($65.22). At the top of the B.C. Pinot Noir chain is the Martin’s Lane labels including but not limited to the Martin’s Lane Simes Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 ($100) — it rivals anything on the West Coast and much of Burgundy.

CedarCreek is another big player at all price points. We like the affordable CedarCreek Estate Pinot Noir 2019 ($26.99).

Further south, Blue Mountain has a whole new series of Pinot Noirs highlighting single-vineyard blocks among its mature vines. Nearby Myer Vineyards is releasing equally compelling labels, while further north in Naramata, we like the mid-valley Pinots coming out of Tightrope, Hillside, Roche, Howling Bluff, Carson, Therapy and Foxtrot. Across the lake in Summerland, Haywire, Garnet Valley, Lightning Rock, Canyonview are all coming into their own.

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Get shopping, people, if you hope to serve any of these with your turkey over the holidays.

Weekend wine picks

Fitzpatrick Runabout White 2020, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

$16.50 I 88/100

UPC: 626990252917

Runabout hits all the right bells, blending Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, and ehrenfelser, fermenting the Greata Ranch fruit in stainless. The style is light and refreshing at a mere 10.5 per cent, perfect for an aromatic off-dry white. Look for bright, crunchy orchard fruit with a light spicy finish. So well made and balanced, it will be a friend to many South Asian dishes.

Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand

$33.99 I 91/100

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UPC: 9421018110016

The Dog Point style is slightly more reductive or Burgundian — less overt fruit, more complexity — giving it a different look than many Marlborough peers. The nose is a moody, smoky mix of intense juicy lime and lemon grass that spills across the palate, injecting its creamy textures with a hit of electricity. The finish is equally complex, featuring yeasty, nettle, mineral notes. It is very food-friendly if you can wait for the food to get to the table. Drink or hold; there is no rush to drink an excellent white wine finished under a screwcap.

Roche Pinot Noir Texture 2019, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

$26.90 I 90/100

UPC: 784672468732

I love how this organically farmed Naramata Bench Pinot from Kozier Organic Vineyard coats the palate with a silky smooth texture from front to back, thanks in part to ten months of aging in neutral oak barrels. The fruit is equally interesting, with ripe plummy black cherry leading the way, underpinned by a savoury, scrubby B.C. herbal note that balances the wine in the finish. The winery suggests matching their Pinot with duck confit or lamb ragout with root vegetables.

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CedarCreek Estate Pinot Noir 2019, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

$26.99 I 89/100

UPC: 778913032523

Sourced out of the Home Block in East Kelowna, the regular edition of CedarCreek Pinot Noir checks all the boxes in 2019, but with a little less fruit and a lot more earthy undertones. The attack is savoury and woodsy with sour cherry, blackberries, and mushrooms that come with a density from front to back. A solid effort in a year that was marginal in September. Duck pizza, anyone?

Hester Creek Syrah 2019, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

$29.99 I 89/100

UPC: 626990222064

The fruit is a mix of hand-picked Syrah from the Golden Mile Bench estate and a longtime grower on the Black Sage Bench: Eagles Nest Vineyard. The Syrah was co-fermented with a small amount of Viognier to lift the aromatics. The attack is full and ripe, more Barossa than Rhone with spicy, floral, rich black cherry/blueberry fruit flecked with bacon, smoke, and a rich dollop of oak. You can drink or hold this wine through 2024 and beyond. Lamb burgers sound just about right as a pairing.

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Recipe match: Galician-style octopus

Pulpo Gallego, or Galician-style octopus, is a simple Spanish tapas recipe that celebrates simple, quality ingredients. This recipe, shared by Antonio Romero Casado of ARC Iberico Imports, is best when the finest olive oil is used. Although, a familiarity with octopus also helps. “Look for frozen octopus as the freezing process has tenderized the product,” Casado suggests. “If you’ve purchased fresh octopus, freeze it at home for 2-3 days to tenderize. If you are using cooked octopus, simply slice, reheat in the oven until warm for 3-5 minutes and sauce.” To make this dish a meal, Casado suggests serving it with cubed boiled potatoes to better soak up the oils and spices.

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Galician-style Octopus

1 raw octopus, cleaned and defrosted

Spanish paprika (you can use hot, sweet or a blend of both)

Extra virgin olive oil

Maldon salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Dunk the octopus a few times and ensure it’s submerged. Simmer and cook the octopus until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. When cooked you should be able to pierce the octopus with a toothpick.

Let octopus rest for 15 minutes.

Cut the tentacles into slices with kitchen scissors, discard the rest of the octopus. Plate and add Spanish paprika, olive oil, and Maldon salt to taste.

Serves four. 

Recipe match

This simple recipe for boiled octopus requires equally simple white wine for the best match. 

Aveleda Casal Garcia Vinho Verde N/V, Portugal $12.49

Just off-dry, with fresh white peach and lime flavours, this is a great value, classic Portuguese match with octopus.

Domaine Bernard Defaix Chablis 2019, Chablis, Burgundy, France $37.95 

Strong citrus, grapefruit, mineral undercurrent flecked with bits of resin, wet stone and creamy lees, tailor-made for a simple octopus dish.