Anthony Gismondi: Hunting down wines and their true worth an art form

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As you read, I will be at the Vancouver International Wine Festival; final thoughts from the International Tasting Room will follow next week. In the meantime, a timely email from a Vancouver Sun reader — who has been reading my reviews and newspaper columns for years and considers me his “oracle” for products available in B.C. — shares some pet peeves.

“Why do your reviews always refer to wine being available in private wine shops without identifying which private wine shops? It’s annoying because the reader must do a lot of work to find out which ones. Just curious.”

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I think that question was directed at the daily releases on Gismondi on Wine because most Sun reviews are widely available in government stores. That said, I couldn’t agree more with the premise of how difficult it is to locate any wines sold in the private market, but how would you like to track down the price of 3,000 wines a year? Since the birth of private wine shops and direct delivery by local wineries, sourcing wine and how much it costs has become a shell game. It’s almost as if the goal were to keep consumers and reviewers guessing.

The issue was further compounded in 2015 when the government created its quasi-wholesale monopoly scheme. Ever since, retail prices in government stores, private wine shops and restaurants have soared, making it impossible to know the true worth of any wine. Add to that out-of-date websites, if there are any, and they have you where they want you — in the dark.

Distributors, agents and wineries have little interest in promoting the inflated retail price once they have sold their bottles, typically quoting the wine’s wholesale price as if it were anywhere near the final cost at the till. The wholesale price is bandied about like a shining standard of affordability, but that price is far from the final retail price. Add another 30 to 50 per cent cost of doing business to the tab plus the 5/10 GST/PST. Restaurants fought hard for a wholesale price, but none of those savings have made it to the wine list. Let’s face it: wine pays a lot in restaurants, which must now worry many restaurateurs as consumers back away from expensive dining out.

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Before the semi-privatization of the retail market, there was one price for wine. Since then, the selection has become broader but mainly at the bottom end, where it is easier to charge a lot for little. Also, the value or price of a new listing is mostly unknown to buyers, making it simple to jack the price. It didn’t take long for restaurants to jump on the unlisted train, allowing them to take the same healthy margins as retailers. But I digress.

Back to our reader. “Stop reviewing Terravista Albariño. It is never available to anyone other than members of their wine club … And it sells out before you even do your reviews.”

Any wine we receive, we review. Since you admit you can buy the wine from the wine club, technically, it is available — well, at least we think it is. When we receive a local wine with no pricing, we begin the search at the winery website, where we quickly learn that if it’s a club wine, you must join the wine club to see the price of what is an exclusive club listing and its elementary technical information — frustrating, you bet.

It would appear some wine sellers are embarrassed by the final price of their products. Indeed, B.C. liquor stores were a few years back when they removed the five per cent GST and the 10 per cent PST from the shelf price and added it back in at the till. It only took a few months before producers and retailers built the missing 15 per cent back into the shelf price while the federal and provincial governments levied their tax on the higher price at the till.  With the golden goose down for the count, it seems there is no shortage of people willing to stomp on it until it’s dead.

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Optimistically, our reader ended his note: “Love your work. And despite the above, will keep reading faithfully.” As always, I am grateful to those who enjoy the column and use it to increase their knowledge because knowledge is power, and you need some when you are buying any wine in B.C.

Weekend wine picks

Pieropan Soave Classico 2022, Soave, Veneto, Italy

$26 I 91/100

UPC: 00626990091028

From the volcanic limestone soils of the Soave hillside comes a classic 85/15 blend of Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave. The vines are aged 6-60, and the wine is certified organic. Pieropan is the maestro of Soave, and this wine, which sells for about $26 to $30 in private wine shops, was made for Vancouver’s wealth of local seafood and a vast array of Asian and Indian foods. The purity of fruit flavours and complex nutty — almond — marzipan notes make this the most interesting wine in the room. Bright, fresh, and food-friendly, try hunting this down.

The Wine Umbrella Chardonnay 2022, Okanagan Valley, B.C.

$35 I 88/100

UPC: 749565399890

The Wine Umbrella label is all Mireille Sauve, a former Vancouver sommelier turned winemaker and now general manager at Lakeboat Vineyards and Winery in Kaleden, just south of Penticton on the west side of Skaha Lake. The brand was developed in 2005 to inform, promote and inspire all things wine and currently is a fundraiser whose proceeds fund scholarships through Les Dames d’Escoffier, B.C. Chapter, for women’s education in the food and beverage fields. The 2022 Chardonnay was made with Oliver fruit, pitching a riper tropical note enhanced by the partial use of American oak. The nose is open and tropical, with candied lemon and freshly cut pineapple notes that spill onto the palate. It is primarily dry and fresh with just a bit of fatness in the finish — a fun style Chardonnay with one foot in California and one foot in the Okanagan Valley.

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Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Montmains 1er Cru 2021, Chablis, Burgundy, France

$62.99 I 92/100

UPC: 03436801109111

Montmains sits on the Serein River’s left bank, on chalky soils. Its mineral-rich terroir significantly impacts the wine, contributing to its stony character and floral undertones. The coolish 2021 is a saline mineral affair pitching citrus and licorice, all contained in its subtle, taut, leesy textures. It is a beautiful food wine that is only beginning its life. Oysters, anyone? Delicious.

Goats do Roam Dry Rosé 2022, South Africa

$16.99 I 87/100

UPC: 6002291000138

The Goats do Roam Rosé is everything you want in a simple, inexpensive pink that you can drink anytime. Fairview Vineyards is a highly reputable producer of Rhone-style wines, and this blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre is reminiscent of the famous French valley style. The grapes are fermented separately, blended, and left on fine lees before bottling. Look for floral rose petal notes and citrus-bathed red berries with a hint of lees and minerality. Clean, fresh, and ready to drink at a giveaway price. Private wine shops only.

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Giovanni Rosso Nebbiolo Langhe Rosso 2020, Piedmont, Italy

$31.99 I 91/100

UPC: 8028981037091

The Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo comes off various aspects between 340 and 520 metres above sea level. It is all hand-harvested, crushed, and fermented on the skins in concrete tanks for 15 days. It gets daily pump-overs and one délestage at the halfway point. The aging is done in large 50-hectare French oak barrels for a few months. The result is a charming floral cherry affair with mostly elegant tannins and bloody red fruit. Stylish and food-friendly, serve this with a touch of coolness, and you will not be disappointed.

Calendar items

God Bless the U.S.A. by Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery happens on March 28 at 6 p.m. It will be an evening of red, white and blue indulgence hosted by Mt. Boucherie’s cultural attaché, Steven Lane, offering a rich selection of wines from the Sonoma Coast to the shores of Okanagan Lake. Expect buttery Chardonnay, complex and haunting Pinot Noir, and big, bad Cabernet Sauvignon from north and south of the border paired with oozy and opulent cuisine that could only come from one place: Murrica. Tickets online are $150 for the night.

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•••

B.C. Distilled, Canada’s premier artisan distillery event returns April 10-14. This year’s festival will take place at the Italian Cultural Centre. The festival will feature 30 distilleries, alongside several non-alcohol vendors, and the return of Legacy Liquor’s pop-up retail shop on Saturday, April 13. Tickets are $64.99 from bcdistilled.ca/tickets with a $10 early discount applied to the first 100 sold. The public tasting runs Saturday, April 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. Partial proceeds from the festival will be donated to B.C. Distilled’s designated charity partner, Pacific Assistance Dogs Society, whose staff and four-legged friends will attend the show.­­­

Wine of the week

Clos du Soleil Fumé Blanc Sauvignon Blanc – Sémillon 2022, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, B.C.

$25.90 I 90/100

UPC: 857088000862

The 2022 Fumé Blanc cames off four sites in Oliver and Keremeos in late September with a final blend of 69/31 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon. The style is lively and fresh with big aromatics. Grapefruit and Meyer lemons, dusted in Similkameen desert scrub, dominate the nose. It’s juicy and fun to drink solo or with fish tacos, crab, or spicy tuna rolls. Post ferment, the wine is aged on its lees in stainless steel tanks and French oak puncheons for four months. Perfect now. Winery direct.

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Value wine of the week

Wild Goose Gewürztraminer 2022, Okanagan Valley, B.C.

$19.99 I 89/100

UPC: 688229310225

Look for exotic orange and melon, sweet honeysuckle, and spicy ginger streaks underneath. Juicy, sweet flavours glide down the palate through the finish. Real Gewürztraminer you can buy at a fair price. Up its value with squash curry, cumin/turmeric/paprika-spiced chicken, or spicy noodle dishes. The Wild Goose style is always a bit sweeter and rounder, attracting many fans. It is a blend of estate and grower fruit that, as alluded to, is picked later with higher sugar content and more intensity. It aged five months post-ferment and was bottled fresh, ready for release.

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