Blue Grouse Winery in good hands with recent sale

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I was going to look ahead this week to 2023, but some important B.C. wine news surfaced a few days before Christmas that you may have missed. Several prominent California vintners have banded together to buy Blue Grouse Winery and Vineyards on Vancouver Island.

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The well-known Cowichan Valley producer owned by the Brunner family for the last decade is the second Vancouver Island jewel to catch the attention of the Sonoma-based Jackson family. In June 2020, Chairman and Proprietor Barbara Banke and daughter Julia Jackson acquired Unsworth Vineyards.

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The latest deal involves several family members who have banded together to purchase Blue Grouse, including second and third-generation Jackson family members Katie Jackson, Julia Jackson, Chris Jackson, Hailey Jackson-Hartford Murray, and MacLean Hartford.

The family has an impeccable record of buying small artisanal properties meant to stand alone and function as a premium brand in the real meaning of that word, not some cheap marketing speak. Today with over 40 individual properties worldwide, the family has a wealth of people and assets that will be used to help Blue Grouse reach for the stars. The purchase also reinforces the notion that British Columbia wine country has the attention of critical international players pursuing wine at the highest level.

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As the deal closed, the family said, “There is a natural alignment and shared vision between the Blue Grouse team and the next generation of the Jackson family, with their dedication to environmental stewardship and a strong outlook for the future.”

Cowichan and Blue Grouse Vineyard fit neatly into the Jackson ethos where “ownership and sustainable practices remain the key to consistent quality, and artisan winemaking underscores a steadfast commitment to making wines of character and integrity.”

The family proactively seeks to reduce carbon emissions, invest in renewable energy, deploy regenerative farming practices across all of its estate vineyards, and drive positive social impact in its local communities. In 2019, the Jackson Family co-founded the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) in partnership with the Torres family of Spain to galvanize the global wine industry and address climate change through meaningful collaborations and innovative carbon reduction strategies.

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At his death in 2011, founder Jesse Jackson left a legacy of 14,000 acres of high-altitude, cool-coastal California vineyards from which the company has flourished. Under his partner and wife, Barbara Banke, the family has expanded globally with key holdings in Bordeaux, Tuscany, Oregon, Australia, South Africa and Chile. The addition of Vancouver Island’s Blue Grouse Vineyard only reaffirms the family’s focus on cool-climate regions and the tremendous potential they see in British Columbia’s Cowichan Valley, a cool-climate maritime wine-growing area with a penchant for producing top-flight Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The family is eager “to continue the momentum set forth by the Blue Grouse team, and they intend to work collaboratively to help expand awareness of the Cowichan Valley among the wine trade and consumers while building on the reputation it has already garnered.”

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I have little doubt this will be a turning point for Island wineries should they decide to pull together and up their game in the face of this bright light shining on the region. However, it is safe to say that what the Brunner family has begun will be well looked after in the decades to come by the Jackson family, who have consistently recognized that behind every successful winery are incredible people and the family acknowledges the team’s contribution to help build one of Vancouver Island’s premier wineries.

Most importantly, while the Brunner family will step back from the business, the team at Blue Grouse will continue to manage the property and its assets into the future — a bright future it will be.

Weekend wine picks

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La Vieille Ferme Luberon Blanc 2020, Côtes du Lubéron, France 

$13.99 I 87/100

UPC: 631470000049

The Perrin family does a great job with this simple but well-made Luberon Blanc that mixes Grenache Blanc with Bouboulenc, Ugni Blanc and Roussanne. The nose offers fresh pastry, yellow pear, quince, and lemon oil that previews a dry palate with juicy, citrus fruit flavours and creamy textures — a perfect wine for chicken dishes and soft cheeses or shellfish. Terrific value.

Spier Chenin Blanc Signature Collection 2021, Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa 

$13.99 I 87/100

UPC: 00606655000299

The Signature Collection is a highly focused wine that never exceeds its stretch. Instead, look for a skinny, bright, youthful style of Chenin that is highly affordable and food friendly. It is all about freshness and value, with citrus-drenched orchard fruit that sings on the palate. Ready to drink, varietally correct, and a perfect match for fish cakes or tacos.

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Pietrame Edizione Limitada Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2019, Abruzzo, Italy 

$14.99 I 88/100

UPC: 8002001083350

Founded in 1960, Abruzzo’s Cantina Tollo has grown into one of the foremost co-operatives in Italy, working a massive 3,000 hectares of vineyards. They bottle 30 per cent of their wine under the Cantina Tollo trademark and sell the remainder as bulk wine. The Montepulciano comes from 25-30-year-old vines that grow over clay/limestone sites around Tollo. After an extended maceration and warm fermentation, it spends 18 months in French barriques before getting an additional six months in a bottle. Rich, firm, black cherry and dried leaves pair well with their juicy character and bright acidity before a touch of dry tannins invade the finish. We like this with pork meatballs, mushroom pasta or pan-roasted root vegetables.

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Anciano No. 5 Crianza Rioja 2018, Rioja, Spain 

$15.99 I 87/100

UPC: 5060108907118

Anciano Rioja Crianza No. 5 is a big step up from its No. 3 brother. The grapes are hand-harvested from 100 hectares of vineyards from mid-September, including a selection of 20-year-old-plus bush-trained vines. Post-fermentation, it spends a year in American oak barrels, followed by another year in bottles. Expect more intensity than No. 3, with more decadent flavours of red and blue fruit dusted in milk chocolate and dried herbs. Easy sipping, it has a lovely silky Tempranillo texture allowing the wine to slip down easily. Perfect for grilled lamb chops, barbecue ribs, or a simple charcuterie plate.

Monte del Frá Bardolino 2018, Verona, Veneto, Italy 

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$15.99 I 88/100

UPC: 838547000180

Bardolino is the next-door neighbour to Valpolicella, and as you might expect, they share similar grapes and styling. Monte del Fra, a favourite Vancouver Wine Festival exhibitor, blends 65 per cent Corvina with 30 per cent Rondinella and a tiny amount of Sangiovese. The style is juicy, the alcohol low and the fruit front and centre with a twist of spice that makes it quaffable, and it is price reduced until Jan. 31 for $15.99. Pizza, anyone?

Recipe match: Three Cup Chicken

A popular Taiwanese dish, this recipe for Three Cup Chicken was share by Torafuku Chef de Cuisine, Baker Hsu. The “cup” in the name refers to the use of equal parts of three ingredients: rice wine, soy sauce and oil, according to Hsu. The “thick, dark and glossy sauce” adds a touch of sweetness to the chicken while a bit of herb adds a bright bite.

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1 whole chicken

3/4 cup (180 mL) soy sauce

3/4 cup (180 mL) sugar

3/4 cup (180 mL) Taiwanese rice wine

1/2 cup (125 mL) sesame oil

3 nubs ginger, sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 Thai chili, sliced

1 bunch Thai basil

“Butterfly” the chicken. Cut off feet and neck. Cut off the backbone of the chicken so you have two halves of chicken that sit relatively flat. Air dry in the fridge for a couple of days.

Roast chicken bone from butchering in a heavy bottom skillet until golden brown. Drain the oil and return bones back into the pan. Reserve the oil for mind-blowing omelettes. Add ginger, garlic, chili, sesame oil. Toast all ingredients along with chicken bone until golden brown. Add sugar. Keep tossing to make sure the sugar cooks and everything looks glossy.

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Deglaze with rice wine. Reduce wine by half and make sure there is no alcohol left in the sauce. Add soy, and rip Thai basil. Turn off heat and let all the ingredients steep in the sauce. When it’s cool enough, strain through a fine mesh.

Roast chicken in an oven at 400F on a wire rack. Brush chicken with sauce every 15 minutes until chicken is cooked (meat thermometer registers at 74C). Turn the oven to the highest setting or broil for the last 10 minutes of cooking to crisp up the skin.

Serves 3-4. 

Recipe match

Three Cup Chicken with Asian spicing takes us to Pinot Gris or Cotes de Rhone red to keep it comforting.

LaStella Vivace Pinot Grigio 2021, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia ($22.99)

Vivace is not your grandmother’s Pinot Gris. Full of life and zesty it is dusted in citrus fruits, minerals, and a twist of salt.

Cellier des Dauphins Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône 2020, Rhone Valley, France ($18.95)

A ready-to-drink red that is as pleasant as its price. Slick, smooth and mouth-filling Grenache and Syrah spill across the palate spreading black fruit, licorice and spice. It is a chicken slayer.

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