LAST week's nod to Alsace turned out to be a fortuitous coincidence with the release of Joie Farm's latest crop of whites and ever popular rosé.
Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn - who moved from Vancouver to the Okanagan to establish Joie a decade ago - have always drawn their inspiration from Alsace, as they feel the varieties are best suited to their goal of making foodfriendly wines.
The flagship Joie Farm A Noble Blend 2011 is, once again, a stunner that blends predominantly Riesling (38 per cent) and Gewurztraminer (33 per cent) with Pinot Blanc (14 per cent), Pinot Auxerrois (11 per cent) and Schoenberger (4 per cent), sourced from nine sites mainly from the central Okanagan. They add up to a seductively rubenesque drop on both the nose and palate, no doubt the result of longer hanging fruit, apropos the cooler (though for some very challenging) 2011 vintage.
Look for fresh floral notes and sweet spice on the nose, followed by distinctive limecitrus and tropical flavours supported by the plush and spicy Gewurz, all wrapped in juicy acidity and layered complexity with a lingering end. Pad Thai, please. It's a deal at $23.90.
Those who've been around since the arrival of free trade helped resurrect the B.C. wine industry may recall the time when Pinot Blanc was the Okanagan's most widely planted grape. In fact, the first ever official BC Wine Institute pairing promotion (considered nothing but daring at the time!) featured salmon and Pinot Blanc at a handful of local restos who were sufficiently forward thinking. Acres of Pinot Blanc were yanked in favour of the new Cali-Oz ingenue in town, Chardonnay, as the industry blithely pursued the latest trend.
BC Liquor Stores portfolio manager (and Master of Wine) Barbara Philip has long been a champion of B.C. Pinot Blanc and in recognition of that Joie dedicated their inaugural release to her.
The Joie Farm Pinot Blanc 2011 is also more Alsace inclined. It's a clean, racy and vibrant expression of the varietal (thanks in great part to its old vines fruit sourced from Kelowna and Naramata) with a backbone of crisp acidity under apple and tropical notes with a hint of mineral. We'd be putting some pork tenderloin on the barbecue, or just kicking back with a glass when the sun comes back; $22.90.
Both available online at joiefarm.com and at some private stores. More joy to come from Joie in coming weeks.
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Better move quickly if you fancy tix to any events at this year's Vancouver Craft Beer Week (May 18-26) -they're selling fast. The region-wide festival, which features no less than 60 craft breweries, offers a variety of events that include a number of dynamic beer pairing dinners. Full details at vancouvercraftbeerweek.com.
This year Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will again kick it all off by tapping the first keg of Collaborative Beer on May 18. It all wraps up with the big show, May 25 and 26, at The Salt Building in The Village on False Creek.
But if you want in on any special events, better hop to it.
