Anthony Gismondi: B.C. wine for the week of Oct. 13, a bottle to cellar and calendar items

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The City of Penticton has officially proclaimed Oct. 14-22 as Penticton Beer Week 2022.

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The city’s seven craft breweries are working together to showcase Penticton’s exciting and dynamic craft beer scene. The collaborative feature beer, Do Good, will be available at breweries and select local restaurants in Penticton and the surrounding area during Penticton Beer Week.

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This limited-release collaboration beer is a fundraiser with some proceeds donated to a local non-profit charity. It is an excellent time to see why the Lonely Planet folks named Penticton Canada’s Craft Beer Capital.

If you want to get your harvest grape stomp on Oct. 22 and 23, Township 7 in South Langley will host your team of grape stompers from 11 a.m. to 4 p,m. All stompers must be 19+ years of age, and teams can consist of six to eight participants competing for fun and charity. Each team gets a bottle of Township 7 wine and a table in the vineyard for the day, and there will be live music to keep everyone entertained for the afternoon. Spectators are welcome with admission set at a donation to Ronald McDonald House B.C. & Yukon. A food truck will be onsite at an additional cost. You can register at township7.com/events/. Team fees are $320.

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B.C. wine of the week

Seven Stars Equinox Rosé 2018, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada 

$51.97 I 93/100

UPC: 626990264361

Equinox, a name inspired by the date when day and night are of equal length, is a single vineyard Brut Rosé. It’s all Pinot Voir from the acclaimed Sperling Vineyards in Kelowna’s Mission District. The site has been home to grapes since 1925; the Pinot was planted and grown organically by the family in 2008. The colour is perfect pale salmon. The nose is alive with strawberries and rhubarb sitting over creamy citrus; the biscuit underside snaps in the finish, and the same fruit and acid tension spill onto the palate: lovely depth and delicate complexity. It spends nearly three years on its lees, adding depth and complexity. Could it be better than last year? We think so — buy from the winery direct.

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Wine for the cellar 

Blandy’s Madeira Duke of Clarence Rich N/V, Madeira, Portugal 

$28.99 I 89/100

UPC: 5010867600027

The Duke of Clarence is more of a side table wine than a cellar wine, but it will keep in the bottle both opened or closed. Look for a classic amber/gold/brown colour with just a hint of green at the edge. The nose is ripe and sweet with nutty floral, rancio, and honeyed raisin notes. The palate is creamy and full of caramelized brown sugar, raisins, and tobacco, with just enough underlying acidity. Think fruitcake here with the best match, likely ginger or coffee, or enjoy it solo after dinner.