Fall Storms Threaten Okanagan Harvest

The weather was ideal, the grapes were putting on sugar like nobody's business, and phenolic or physiological ripeness - that time when the grape skins, seeds and pulp all reach maturity in harmony - seemed only a matter of a few weeks and in some cases only days away.

Fast forward to late October and, my, how things have changed.

An early spring start pretty much assured the grapes would get ripe in 2013, and a mostly picture-perfect July and August brought the harvest to the edge of the finish line. Then all hell, I mean nature, broke loose: Isolated hail storms along with some significant and clearly unanticipated rain events threw a large wrench into what was until then a fairly bucolic growing season this year.

The hail and rain led to sour rot among the affected bunches, attracting fruit flies into the tight wet bunches, and in essence making vinegar on the vine. The damaged fruit was also an attractive home for wasps that were as persistent and damaging this fall as any ever seen by most veteran Okanagan winemakers. In short, the thinner skinned grapes, Pinot Noir in particular, have suffered, but not everywhere. As October comes to a close, there is some spectacular Riesling, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc about to be picked all over the valley. It will be an excellent year for those producers who dodged the bullets. Many will have shorter crops, but what's coming in is expected to be excellent.

The challenges of 2013 only remind us that with global warming the Okanagan Valley may be gaining some muchneeded warmth earlier in the season, but it seems the trade-off may well be violent weather events of the kind we have never seen before. As 2013 wraps up, save for the icewine, the only major problem left is the birds and bears. Both can be voracious grape eaters at this point in the season and it will take the usual diligence to keep them at bay until the grapes are picked. As one grower said to me last week, "let's hope the fat lady sings and soon."

If all this harvest talk is inspiring you to drink some local wine this weekend, you are in luck. Earlier this month BC Liquor Stores launched their annual Best of B.C. release in all Signature BC Liquor Stores. It is difficult to get your hands on some of the more soughtafter wines made in B.C., so twice a year BC Liquor Stores offer a small collection of B.C. wines which are in limited supply and high demand.

The wines were released on Oct. 12, across the province, but a quick check this week tells me that a small number of most of them are still on the shelves. Today we feature a selection of some of the best of the best, most of which I have tasted several times this year.

All of these wines will benefit from a bit more aging. So if you have the time and patience to hold onto these wines, they will improve further in the bottle. Case in point, I served (blind) a 1998 Mission Hill Shiraz to a room full of wine geeks last weekend and everyone pegged it as an older European red. Origin aside, it looked pretty good in the glass for a 15-year-old B.C. red.

Painted Rock Syrah 2010, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price $40

UPC 00626990105855

Score 88/100

Remarks: Open chocolate, vanilla, blackberry, white pepper, tobacco nose with meaty, leather and sage aromas. Dry, fresh, somewhat lean entry marked by youthful tannins. The flavours mix coffee, pepper, prune, smoked meat, blackberry, poultry spice and rosemary. Fine concentration but as usual showing a lot of oak. This will need two to three years of bottle age to round out and integrate.

Le Vieux Pin Syrah 2010, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price $45

UPC 00808755009206

Score 88/100

Remarks: Big white pepper, poultry spice, ginger, sausage meat, tobacco, cherry, vanilla, chocolate, savoury, black olive and menthol aromas. Dry, fresh, slightly lean palate with light tannins. Gingerbread, poultry spice, sausage meat, peppery, coffee, licorice root, tobacco leaf, vanilla and tea flavours. Elegant with solid complexity if a bit tart and short on the finish. Should improve with one to two years aging.

Nk'Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Syrah 2009, Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price $35

UPC 836909004098

Score 88/100

Remarks: Not quite up to the very fine 2008, it still has better richness than most of its competitors. Look for a fresher version with savoury, black and red fruit aromas. The attack is round and mouth-filling if a touch skinny with more licorice, dried herbs red fruits and pepper with impressive sweet tannins in the finish. You can drink this now or hold it for three to five years. Serve with roasted or grilled meats.

Poplar Grove Cabernet Franc 2010, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price $35

UPC 00626990125525

Score 88/100

Remarks: A cool, late vintage where the grapes hung five weeks passed the 10-year average, before warm weather in the last half of September and the first half of October saved the harvest. Harvesting about 30 per cent of the normal crop was required to get the quality in this wine. There's 12.5 per cent Malbec in the mix to add some flesh and colour, and it works. Look for a soft round smooth red with savoury black fruits, resin and bits of dark chocolate. An excellent effort in a tough year. Try this with roast beef.

Jackson-Triggs Shiraz Gold Series SunRock Vineyard 2010, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price $35

UPC 00063657013496

Score 89/100

Remarks: This wine/vineyard continues to impress each year. The grapes come off a single vineyard site tucked up against a massive rock face on the east side of the south Okanagan that heats up all day and acts like a furnace throughout the night. Expect a dark colour and a fresh, peppery nose with bits of smoked meat and black fruit. The attack is dense and glossy with more peppery, meaty flavours tailor-made for grilled meats and aged cheeses.

LaStella Fortissimo Selezione di Famiglia 2010, Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price $35

UPC 808755009107

Score 88/100

Remarks: Cranberry, black cherry, coffee, vanilla, tobacco leaf, black olive, savoury, celery salt and roast pepper aromas. Dry, round, fresh, slightly tannic palate. Cassis, prune, cranberry, smoky, resin, espresso, tobacco, compost, black olive flavours. The finish is a touch cedar-y and astringent but offers solid finesse for the vintage. Needs two to four years in the bottle to reach its peak.