33 years of Wine in Vancouver

There will be few tickets left by the end of this week, so if you are a procrastinator the time to stop is now. After looking at what's left, we offer some insight into some of the more interesting events still with available tickets.

I'm a big fan of the International Tasting Room ($95) and tickets are still available for all three nights Thursday, March 31, Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2.

Tasters love Thursday nights because the capacity is guaranteed by organizers to be 25-per-cent lower than the other evenings.

With room to move, navigating the giant-tasting room is easier and quicker. Friday night tends to attract groups and the after-work crowd, while Saturday night attracts a different, date-night style crowd that keeps the room lively and most of the restaurants and bars around the venue equally busy.

While you are in the room be sure to check out Bodega Vistalba Corte A 2007 from Mendoza, Argentina.

You will love the its floral, smoky, black fruit aromas flecked with bits of licorice and garrigue. On the palate, it is round, dry and supple with fine grained tannins. The flavours are a mix of coffee, vanilla, pepper, blackberry, tobacco and savoury flavours with good fruit intensity. Grilled steaks anyone?

North Shore residents should consider Get Fraîche with Miner Wines ($150), a Wednesday, March 30 dinner at Fraîche restaurant in the British Properties. The 6:30-9:30 p.m. dinner combines the talents of Dino Renaerts, chef/owner of Fraîche with winemaker Gary Brookman of Miner Family Vineyards of Napa Valley. Expect a stellar lineup of Oakville, Napa wines and many of those from the famed Stagecoach Vineyard.

My pick here is the Miner Napa Valley Chardonnay 2009. Made from a mix of vineyards, it spends about 10 months in oak barrels: 45 per cent new French and 55 per cent neutral French. The style is fresh and crisp thanks to partial malolactic fermentation that helps retain the freshness. Lovely honey and orange flecks complete this eminently drinkable white.

There are still a few tickets to The Legacy of a Spanish Visionary ($75) a conversational tasting and a talk by Miguel Torres described by Decanter magazine as "undoubtedly the driving force behind the modernization of Spanish wine." Torres is will discuss the modern evolution of wine in Spain and around the world as expressed by his family of wines from Spain, California and Chile. The presentation takes place Thursday, March 31 from 5 to 6:45 p.m.

One of the feature wines will be the Torres Salmos Priorat 2008 from Priorato, Spain. Expect a ripe, full, supple palate with fine acidity and freshness. The palate is awash with plum jam, black cherry, boysenberry flavours with bits of licorice, orange and chocolate on the finish. Warm but fresh with good fruit and finesse. Drink now or over the next five years. You can Raise a Glass to Argentina ($69) on Saturday, April 2 at V Yaletown Upper Level, 1095 Mainland. Those at the sleek private room upstairs at V Yaletown and enjoy a standup, grazing-style lunch with 15 Argentine principals who will pour two of their best wines.

Sure to be poured is Finca Decero Cabernet Sauvignon Remolinos Vineyard 2008 from Luján de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina. I'm always impressed with most Argentine cabernet sauvignon and the Decero is equally beguiling. The Remolinos (little whirlwinds) vineyard is 3,500 feet above sea level. Love the spicy, pure mineral, floral, plummy-black cherry fruit flavours. A lovely ripe style of cabernet with fine structure, bright acidity and lovely depth. Impressive red wine for the price.

Salud Chile! ($69) Moves to Monk McQueens Fresh Seafood & Oyster Bar on Saturday, April 2, from 1-3 p.m. This Wines of Chile shindig features 11 wineries at Salud and 22 wines. You can meet visiting principals and sample a white and red wine from each winery in another standup grazing format.

My pick is the Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Apalta Valley, Valle del Colchagua. The grapes are grown on the La Finca de Apalta estate in the Apalta Valley, Colchagua. The cabernet is picked at just under seven tons per hectare and mixed with some 10 per cent of merlot to temper the tannins and acidity and aged for a year in French oak. Best over the next three to five years or serve now with grilled lamb or steak.

Finally The Devil Is In The Details ($150), Sunday, April 3, will be a very cool evening of Josef Chromy Tasmanian wine and L 'Abattoir chef Lee Cooper's multi-course menu featuring French-influenced West Coast fare. This should be crazy good.

Do not miss the Josef Chromy Pinot Noir 2009 from Tasmania. The nose is complex with hints of cherry jam, smoke, spice and celery salt while the palate is dry, supple and juicy. Look for more celery salt, smoky, herbal, cherry, rhubarb flavours spiked with vanilla, tobacco leaf and orange peel notes. Fine fruit and intensity for current drinking. Solid value.

Go online at www.playhousewinefest.com or call the ticket office at 604-873-3311 before it is too late.

Vistalba Corte A 2007, Vistalba District, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
Price      $55
UPC       007798121940031
Score    90/100
Remarks              Spicy, blackberry, plum, coffee, liquorice savoury flavours.

Miner Family Chardonnay 2009, Napa Valley, California, United States

Price      $45

UPC       N/A

Score    90/100

Remarks              Lovely honey and orange flecks complete this eminently drinkable white.

Torres Salmos Priorat 2008, Priorato, Catalunya, Spain

Price      $39

UPC       08410113003416

Score    90/100

Remarks              Plum jam, black cherry, boysenberry and spicy herb flavours.

Finca Decero Cabernet Sauvignon Remolinos Vineyard 2008, Agrelo District, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

Price      $26

UPC       00812105012204

Score    89/100

Remarks              A ripe style of cabernet with fine structure, bright acidity and lovely depth.

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Apalta Valley, Valle del Colchagua, Chile

Price      $25

UPC       715126000116

Score    88/100

Remarks              Look for fresh red berry fruit with savoury, black olive bits and tobacco.

Josef Chromy Pinot Noir 2009, Tasmania, South Australia

Price      $30

UPC       9339091000820

Score    89/100

Remarks              Cool smoky, celery salt, cherry, rhubarb, pinot fop food.