Playhouse Winefest Hits New Heights

No hockey, a ravenous demand by a sizeable expatriate South African population and a city full of filmgoers inspired by the movie Sideways have flooded the Playhouse box office with ticket requests.

It would appear consumers can't seem to get enough of the festival food and wine events and for the first time in many years, even the enormous international tasting room will be full each night.

Despite economic pressure to abandon a long-standing requirement that each participating winery send a representative to Vancouver, festival organizers have honoured founding chairman John Levine's astute directive. Consumers who get to meet winery personnel and chat about their wines really appreciate the opportunity.

It's a big commitment for any winery to send a principal to Vancouver for four or five days, but it's especially expensive for small family wineries which, under B.C.'s restrictive government-run distribution system, seldom get the amount of shelf space that would justify their spending so much time and money. Still, the little guys come, and the battle of the boutiques versus the brands should be an interesting spectacle in the tasting room.

This week, we celebrate diversity of taste and thank those principals who have made their way to Vancouver for the Playhouse festival. When you see the crowds and the enthusiasm, you'll know why your presence is so vital to the future of wine.

Export director Serge Leveque will be pouring the Serame Viognier 2003, a delicious white wine from Languedoc, France. This is first-class, inexpensive viognier with a bright floral nose streaked with honey and mineral -- all of which carries through on to the palate. It's an understated, introductory, Euro-style viognier that represents great value.

American Mark Shannon set a goal to make the world's best inexpensive wine in Apulia (Southern Italy), and he may be on his way to making it happen. Certainly, Promessa Negroamaro 2003 over-delivers for the price, as does his widely admired A-Mano label. Look for a huge black cherry, pudding, raspberry, smoky licorice-flavoured red with a long, full, fruity finish. A bit chunky and rustic, but over-all this is great value in red wine.

Martinborough Vineyard established Wairarapa's reputation for the production of high-quality New Zealand pinot noir as early as the mid-1980s. With its 1994 vintage Pinot Noir, it put New Zealand pinot on the international stage by winning the trophy for best pinot noir in the world at the International Wine Challenge in London.

Don't miss the Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 2002, poured by general manager Janine Tulloch. Look for a big rootsy licorice, barnyard and carrot-top nose streaked with candied orange rind and dried cherry nose. It's ripe and supple in the mouth with black cherry, orange peel, spicy licorice and smoky, oaky Worcestershire flavours. Great mouth feel and balance, even if it's a bit funky on the nose.

Proprietor Tony Stewart will be pouring his Quails' Gate Merlot Family Reserve 2002 with its super-spicy, vanilla, clove nose and coffee/pudding notes. A very warm year has left this pinot a bit over-ripe, but it's well worth cellaring to see how it develops. But in the meantime, many will like its big, smoky, coffee, vanilla flavours and streaks of licorice and cedar.

South African Michael Ratcliffe hails from Stellenbosch and will be pouring his Warwick Three Cape Ladies 2001, a Bordeaux-like blend that mixes traditional cabernet and merlot with South Africa's signature grape variety pinotage. I find it slightly green with olive and cassis notes on the nose, all streaked with pepper, cardamom, vanilla, leather and tobacco. The flavours are identical, but with fine structural elegance and finesse. It's more old Bordelaise than New World South Africa.

Graeme McDonough will represent the second-oldest family winery in Australia at the festival when he pours its signature red: Bleasdale Frank Potts 2001 from Langhorne Creek.

The Potts blend, featuring cabernet, malbec and petit verdot, has an attractive espresso, coffee, peppery nose with vanilla, cassis jam, cherry and minty cedar aromas, almost Bordeaux Pauillac-like. You'll love its round, supple textures and the bags of cassis, chocolate espresso and smoky black cherry/black olive flavours. You can drink it now or lay it away in the cellar for three to five years.

All of the wines can be purchased at the Playhouse festival's on-site liquor store and most can be found in government wine stores, unless noted as being available at private wine shops only.

Weekend Wine Tasting: Festival Favourites

Wine Serame Viognier 2003, Languedoc, South of France, France
Price  $11.40
UPC   3258691206646
Score 87/100
Remarks    Cool quiet understated introductory Euro-style viognier.

Wine Promessa Negroamaro 2003, Apulia, Italy
Price  $14.50
UPC   726452004334
Score 88/100
Remarks    Black cherry, pudding, raspberry, smoky red licorice.

Wine Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 2002, Wairarapa, New Zealand
Price  $50.00 (Playhouse Festival on-site store only)
UPC   9418102004023
Score 91/100
Remarks    One of New Zealand's pioneer pinot producers.

Wine Quails' Gate Merlot Family Reserve 2002, Okanagan Valley, B.C. Price        $40.00
UPC   778856202236
Score 91/100
Remarks    Ripe fruit lashed with coffee, vanilla,  licorice and cedar.

Wine Warwick Three Cape Ladies 2001, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Price  $34.99
UPC   6009639890802
Score 88/100
Remarks    Old style Bordelaise-like red with elegance and finesse.

Wine Bleasdale Frank Potts 2001, Langhorne Creek, South Australia
Price  $31.99 (Private Wine Stores)
UPC   9316475001857
Score 91/100
Remarks    Attractive coffee, cassis and smoky chocolate espresso.