Wine Festival Update

With almost every wine producing country in the midst of its worst economic downturn in decades, wine sales are under considerable strain and the worst is yet to come.

Producers are here to figure out the big question: What will you be buying and at what price? We will all know more in a week. As it stands today, the festival is 89 per cent sold out with only a handful of seats left to an assortment of events, so take another bow, Vancouver.

After some winemaker dinners on Monday and Tuesday night, the festival gets under way with a symposium on Wednesday to explore the world of eco-friendly wines. The premise: Do consumers really care about wineries that are reducing their carbon footprints, being eco-friendly, going organic and even bio-dynamic? Participants will also explore questions surrounding organic wines, including its haphazard certification process in this country.

One interested party is Owsley Brown III, president, Magnanimus Wine Group. Owsley began working in the wine industry in 1993 at Napa Valley's Mayacamas Vineyards. In 2000, he was introduced to biodynamic winegrowing at Mendocino's Bonterra Ranch and developed a passion for green wines. He recently launched Magnanimus Wine Group, a company dedicated to producing authentic wines that reflect not only a sense of place, but also the highest standards of quality and environmental stewardship.

Brown will be behind the Magnanimus booth at the festival pouring several selections including a sustainably-farmed, field blend of zinfandel, petite syrah and charbono. Talmage Pija Blend 2006 takes its character from the practice of many old Italian vintners who planted several varietals in one vineyard block, except in this case Brown blends grapes from different vineyards. It's been termed a sophisticated peasant wine, but at $36 I think you will be impressed with spice and wild, black fruit flavours that finish with bits of coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Try with grilled meats.

The Santa Margherita /Ca' del Bosco/Kettmier booth will no doubt attract the many B.C. producers interested in tasting the runaway, top-selling Italian pinot grigio in North America, but the big star here is the best European sparkling wine made outside of Champagne. Ca' del Bosco N/V Cuvee Prestige Franciacorta (partly owned by Santa Margherita) is a chardonnay/pinot bianco blend with a fair amount of reserve wine from previous vintages blended in. It has an attractive smoky, toasted-hazelnut nose and baked pear, green apple, peach, cooked melon, strawberry flavours. Delicate style with finesse and richness. Super.

Galil Mountain and Golan Heights wineries are the first Israeli wineries to be in Vancouver at the festival in 20 years, and one of the few Eastern Mediterranean producers at the show. Drop by the booth and check out the Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 from Galilee and selected in the Spectator's Top 100 wines in 2008. This latest Yarden cabernet is relatively firm with peppery, black berry fruit and smoky, black cherry, black olive fruit flecked with savoury herbaceous notes. Good, but not as expansive as you might expect for a Spectator selection.

Pinot noir is one of the underlying themes at this year's festival, and the Chilean producer who owns the under-$10 pinot market in British Columbia is Cono Sur. Drop by the booth and meet Jose Luis Lavin and taste four very different Chilean pinot noirs expressing the latest in Chilean viticulture and technology. Among the quartet is the Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir 2007. Its Casablanca fruit has a spicy, black fruit nose with bits of barnyard, celery salt and herbal notes with flavours of balsamic and sour cherry fruit and a soft silky finish.

The country/regional theme is British Columbia in 2009, and there is a massive 55-winery strong B.C. section. I'm guessing there will be some angst and jitters in this section, at least the first night. So be sure to visit as many locals as you can and give them a boost.

One B.C. winemaker you should not miss is Quails' Gate's Grant Stanley. The Quails' Gate Pinot Noir Stewart Family Reserve 2007 has been a work in progress since Stanley arrived in 2001. Red fruits, black cherries and spice, with a one per cent drop in alcohol, make this a winner to say the least. The wild ferment also adds another dimension. At the moment it's easy to like its fat, muscular edge, but expect it to lean out a bit. We love the density and mouthfeel, which is what pinot noir is all about. Bravo; the best yet.

Joe Dobbes is the man behind Wine by Joe Pinot Noir 2006 and numerous other Oregon labels. Now in his third decade of winemaking, Dobbes will present a serious table of pinot noir. His value pick is screwcap finished and brimming with soft supple fruit. This is pinot noir in all its simple glory. The tannins are soft and slippery; the black fruit is mouth filling with just a hint of sweetness. Well, the room is full of pinots, your job is to find a better one for $30.

Enjoy the room and respect the effort and money spent by every winery to appear in Vancouver in a clearly challenging sales year.

FESTIVAL PICKS

Talmage Pija Blend 2006, Mendocino Ridge, Mendocino County, California, United States

Price      $36

UPC       00895791001066

Score     89/100

Remarks              Wild black fruit flavours that finish with bits of coffee, chocolate and vanilla.

Ca' Del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Prestige N/V, Lombardy, Italy

Price      $55 private wine shops

UPC       008032727260117

Score     91/100

Remarks              Smoky, toasted hazelnut nose with baked pear, green apple, peach flavours.

Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Galilee, Israel

Price      $40

UPC       00736040011798

Score     88/100

Remarks              Rich dark cabernet fruit with plenty of life ahead.

Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir 2007, Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile

Price      $32

UPC       07804320401102

Score     88/100

Remarks              Sweet entry with just a hint of balsamic and sour cherry fruit.

Quails' Gate Pinot Noir Stewart Family Reserve 2007, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Price      $45

UPC       77856207200

Score     91/100

Remarks              Red fruits, black cherries and spice.

Wine by Joe Pinot Noir 2006, Oregon, United States

Price      $30

UPC       00180937000004

Score     89/100

Remarks              This is pinot noir in all its simple glory. Good value for Oregon.