Vancouver Island Hopping

While that's a good rule for rare labels and minute quantities of imported wine, it can mean some of the best local products fail to get their due. Vancouver Island's best are a good example; they don't get a lot a press. Thanks to a booming demand from islanders and island restaurants, few of these wines ever make it across Georgia Strait. So be forewarned, most of what's discussed today is not available in local liquor store. You will have to head to a private VQA wine shop, or keep your eyes peeled in restaurants with better-than-average B.C. lists. The bulk of Vancouver Island wines are grown in the Cowichan Valley, a region that Marilyn Venturi, co-proprietor of Venturi-Schulze, says "is frost-free in most years by April" and normally remains that way until November. Venturi says the area "gets more rain than the Okanagan but much less than Vancouver." Annual amounts run from 750 to 900 millimetres (30 to 36 inches) but only 50 to 75 mm (two to three inches) of it falls during the growing season. Despite some isolated early successes, my sense is island growers still have a lot of work to do. Several are on the right track and if they are prepared to work hard for a decade or two, there is certainly potential for the region to challenge the Okanagan. Helping me assess today's Island wines (five from Vancouver Island and one from Saturna) are three island wine guys: Sinclair Philip of Sooke Harbour House, Axel Binneboese of the Fairmont Empress Hotel and James Kendal of The Aerie Resort on the Malahat. All three were instrumental in arranging a series of wine tastings that resulted in the following notes. The Alderlea bacchus is typical of the variety, offering up light but pleasant floral/apple/peach aromas. Some spice and dried-apple fruit characters give it a gewurztraminer-like taste. This fun summer-style white pairs well with David Wood's fresh Saltspring Island goat cheese. The Cherry Point ortega was served to me at The Aerie, paired with seared weathervane scallops. It, too, is bright and fruity, with a mix of floral and spice flavours, and a hint of sweetness in the finish. It turned out to be a fine match for the plump scallops, although Philip suggests "it works well with chicken, turkey and pork." Newton Ridge is so small and new that I can't say anything about the Sannichton property other than its early attempts at pinot noir and pinot gris look promising. I didn't get to the vineyard, but I tried both pinots, in different restaurants. At The Aerie, grilled island organic chinook salmon with a truffled pumpkin puree was the backdrop for the 1998 pinot noir. It's light, to be sure, but it has an appealing smoky (barrel?) nose, some sour-cherry fruit and a light finish. Less wood and more concentrated fruit flavours will help in coming vintages. The gris was part of a great tasting at which David Wood joined us to pair his cheeses with the wines. Binneboese liked the smoky, popcorn nose of the gris. The finish was marked by a citrus butter flavour. Wood's cheese pick was his estate Montana, which gets 60 days' minimum airing. The Montana we tasted, at five months old, is world class in every sense of the word, and is destined to put Wood and the region on the international culinary map (perhaps well ahead of any wineries). Venturi-Schulze sets an island standard with its madeleine sylvaner, a variety also made by Langley-based Domaine de Chaberton. Philip says: "It gives off a floral aroma and a slight earthliness typical of the Cobble Hill terroir." He describes the tastes as "mild grapefruit juice punctuated by citrus tonalities." Surprisingly, it worked well with most of Wood's cheeses, which appear to absorb the acidity while taking on an added citrus tone. If he were serving it in Vancouver, Philip would pair it with rolled sushi from Tojo's. South and east of the Cowichan area, Saturna Island Vineyards is slowly but surely making progress, and the gewurztraminer, which comes off its Rebecca vineyard, is a prime example. Look for an enticing floral aroma mixed with earthy mineral scents. The flavour is less intense than the aroma, but the vines are young. There's fine balance here, which makes it a thoroughly enjoyable patio wine; or serve with lightly spiced Asian dishes. There will be a comprehensive festival celebrating island wines and most other B.C. producers at the Victoria Conference Centre from Feb. 28 to March 4. For complete details, check this website: www.victoriafestivalofwine.com, or call (250) 995-2665. B.C. ISLAND HOPPING Producer: Alderlea Vineyards 1998 Bacchus, Cowichan Valley Price: $10.75 Stock No.: 500892 Score: 13.5/20 Comments: Light spiced-apple flavours. Producer: Cherry Point 1999 Ortega, Cowichan Valley Price: $14.90 Stock No.: 715011 Score: 13.5/20 Comments: Spicy, floral aperitif. Producer: Newton Ridge 1998 Pinot Noir, Saanich Peninsula Price: $21.90 Stock No.: 707109 Score: 13.5/20 Comments: Light soft, cherry-flavoured red. Producer: Newton Ridge 1998 Pinot Gris, Saanich Peninsula Price: $21.90 Stock No.: 707224 Score: 14/20 Comments: Remarks Smoky, citrus popcorn butter. Producer: Venturi-Schulze 1999 Madeleine Sylvaner, Cowichan Valley Price: $16.95 Stock No.: 509042 Score: 14/20 Comments: Bright, refreshing, stylish. Producer: Saturna Island 1999 Gewurztraminer Rebecca Vineyard Price: $14.95 Stock No.: 708065 Score: 13.5/20 Comments: Floral, fruity patio wine. * Private Wine Shops