Speed Truth and Freshness

I thought the tasting room never looked better, and while it was darker I still had a voice left at the end of the week, so acoustically speaking it was the best ever room for me.

Of the five seminars I conducted (I really need a manager who can say no), two were in meeting room 121, a room I fondly described as SkyTrain station Waterfront, Plus Three. If you are attending meetings in the new Vancouver Convention Centre, plan on 10 to 15 minutes of walking once you enter the building.

In the spirit of full disclosure I was the co-chairman with Judith Arcand of Mark Anthony Brands of the first public speed-dating tasting. That said, it was easily the most exciting tasting I have been a part of in 30 years. The one-on-one, six-minute power tastings with some of the biggest names in wine and some of the biggest wines in the business should be a blueprint for future events in an industry that is loath to change even in the face of a major global recession.

Cleaner, fresher wines with fruit and acidity were much more mainstream in the tasting room than the plodding, dull, over-oaked wines of the past. The refusal of the latter producers to change their style not only marks them as old school in the glass, but they stick out like a sore thumb in the tasting room. Ditto those same thoughts for aromatic wines still under cork. What was once an issue with industry gatekeepers is now the mantra of the mainstream drinkers. Change or perish is the message to wineries.

At the Truth in Labelling seminar it seemed as if wineries and consumers were at opposite ends of the scale. Consumers wanted more information on the label; wineries appeared reluctant to overwhelm the customer with too much information. I noticed several consumers checking e-mail, Facebooking and generally operating their BlackBerrys and iPhones at a ridiculously high level of sophistication while tasting in the big room. I suppose there is no point in confusing them with a place name or two on the label, is there?

Two touching wine moments included: Argentine producers dropping by CedarCreek's booth to taste a firmer style Okanagan malbec that showed promise even if it lacks the sweet tannins of Mendoza's high altitude vineyards; and the young couple grasping their Vancouver Sun festival guide and arguing over which wines they should buy at the on-site wine store.

This week's picks are value wines from the ground up. These wines are not reduced in price, but rather produced with pride and expertise and sold at affordable prices.

I'm not expecting to convert you to a grüner veltliner fan overnight, but if you want something fresh, clean and different with your seafood, Grooner Grüner Veltliner 2008 is the ticket. The palate is round and crisp with a touch of sweetness; the flavours a mix of lime, slate and honey with grassy, green apple undertones. A solid seafood wine with a bit of citrus rind bitterness. Attractive styling. Good value.

Viognier fans are similarly sparse in B.C., but consider the Excelsior Paddock Viognier 2009 out of Robertson's Breede River Valley in South Africa. We love the freshness and the bright nectarine, lemon, orange, ginger, spicy mineral aromas. The palate is crisp and juicy with orange peel, ginger, apple skin, honey, slate and light sausage flavours. Fine intensity and juiciness for the money. Great value.

Knowing the Borges Meia Encosta Dão Vinho Branco 2008 is made from a blend of encruzado, assario and bical probably won't inspire you to buy it, but once you taste its juicy honey, nectarine and candied lemon flavours, all for $11, you may not be able to resist. A fine value seafood wine despite a cork closure that can only hinder its finest, most delicate aspects.

Antaño Rioja Crianza 2007 is a pleasant surprise for the price. The entry is supple and fresh, a la tempranillo, with mineral, licorice, black cherry, coffee, meaty, earthy, cardamom flavours. A good introduction to Rioja and good value. Try it with grilled meat.

Three South African vineyard sites, Malmesbury, Wellington and specifically Boekenhoutskloof, are the source of Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2008. Eight months in French oak reduces the wild character and sets up a pleasant, floral nose with bits of licorice. On the palate it is fresh, the tannins soft and the flavours a mix of meaty, spicy, savoury and black fruit with a twist of barnyard. Take it to a barbecue party and watch it disappear.

If you are looking for something new from Chile, check out the Santa Carolina Dry Farmed Carignan 2008 and its peppery, black cherry, clove, floral, sage scented fruit. The textures are supple, the palate dry with an agreeable freshness (acidity). Its orange, chalky, black raspberry jam, spicy, tobacco, herbal flavours with the light coffee notes and a savoury finish flashes the buy signal. It is well made with solid fruit expression and intensity and made from dry-framed, 80-plus year old vines. Excellent value.

Price: $18

UPC: 00089744754547

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Lime, honey, grassy, green apple flavours; a solid seafood wine

Excelsior Paddock Viognier 2009, Robertson, Breede River Valley, South Africa

Price: $16

UPC: 06004470000083

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Good intensity and juiciness for the money. Great value

Borges Meia Encosta Dao Vinho Branco, Dao, Northern Portugal

Price: $11

UPC: 5601129034041

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Floral, honey, spicy, nectarine, quince and candied lemon aromas.

Wine Antaño Rioja Crianza 2007, Rioja Alta, Spain

Price: $13

UPC: 008410261147208

Score: 87/100

Remarks: A fine introduction to Rioja and good value.

Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2008, Coastal Region, South Africa

Price: $18

UPC: 746925000786

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Take it to the next barbecue and watch it disappear.

Santa Carolina Dry Farmed Carignan 2008, Valle de Cauquenes, Valle del Maule, Chile

Price: $19

UPC: 7804350003598

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Made from dry-framed, 80-plus-year-plus-old vines. Good value.