CHAMPAGNE and sparkling wine producers enjoy a well-earned rep for coming up with clever ways to promote their product.
However, we were still intrigued a few weeks back when Summerhill's Ezra Cipes invited us to taste his 1998 vintage Ariel Brut beside nothing less than (non-vintage) Krug Grande Cuvée. We were hooked even more so by the added lure of lunch cooked by David Hawksworth.
It was never intended as a "smackdown" as (being quite different both in age and, to some degree, style) the wines are not that easily compared. But we can report that the oxidative (sometimes referred to as goût anglaise), yeasty, "biscuit-topped," creamy, slightly citrus, apple and nutty-toned Ariel turned in a more than respectable performance.
At $85 a pop, this isn't exactly your everyday sparkler, and besides unless, like Marilyn Monroe, you like to bathe in the stuff, you probably don't buy it every day. However, it does stand apart as a rare B.C. bubble from a "vintage of the century," well worthy of our attention (and based on comparable prices, not that far removed from the value of its vintage Champagne cousins).
Although the only connection to Champagne proper may well be Summerhill's vintage 1932 corker, as the winery continues to disgorge and release small batches, Ariel's unabashed nod to the classic style of aged Champagne can only serve to help its notoriety. Bottom line: if you want to celebrate in truly unique B.C. style, this special occasion bubbly is worth tracking down from the winery.
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Life sometimes has a very satisfying way of coming full circle.
Back in the mid '90s my wife Heather and I were visiting Quails' Gate and tasting with co-owner Ben Stewart (who's since relinquished tasting room for cabinet room). As Ben and I chatted about wine, Heather (a professional classical singer) was perusing some archives.
If you've visited Quails' Gate you'll know that the former tasting room used to be housed in the original home (beautifully restored by the Stewarts) that was built by the Allison family. (Susan Allison, the first European woman to settle in the Okanagan, is the subject of Margaret Ormsby's fascinating book, Memoirs of a Pioneer Gentlewoman.)
As Ben and I chatted, Heather came across the libretto of The Lake, a short Canadian chamber opera by Dorothy Livesay, set to music by Barbara Pentland, whose birth centenary is being celebrated this year. The 24-minute opera saw its sole public performance on air at CBC Vancouver in 1953.
We're firm believers in the way that vital cultural elements overlap, especially in matters of food, wine and music and, in this case, history.
You can catch The Lake's first live professional performance, Nov. 14 and 15 at the Telus Theatre at Chan Centre, produced by Turning Point Ensemble and Astrolabe Musik Theatre, with Heather in the role of Susan Allison. And yes, some Quails' Gate wines will be on offer. You can find full details at astrolabemusiktheatre.com.
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Belly's Budget Best: Arc du Rhone 2010
Looking for a medium-bodied, truly affordable, flexible food-friendly red? This well-balanced Côtes du Rhône blend (Grenache, Syrah and Carignan) over-delivers for the dollars, with forward but not extracted fruit, bright raspberry and red berry notes, easy tannins and a touch of spice, wrapped in juicy acidity BCLS $14.99 (88 pts).
