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Question: Sid with so many forest fires in the Okanagan the last two decades I wondered which years you thought resulted in the smokiest wines?

Answer: Yes the wild forest fires in the Okanagan have been a continuing hot topic (pun intended) for the BC wine industry. I would offer my opinion that the worst vintages for smoke taint are 2003, 2015, and 2018. There were also lots of wild forest fires in 2009 but they started quite early on because of above average temperatures and lower precipitation resulting in fewer grape issues. Luckily the 2003 fires were localized more around the environs of the Cedar Creek Estate Winery. In 2015 the fires were much more widely spread out (including extensive Washington State damage) and your scribe has noticed in some of these now bottled wines an extra smokiness with a difference in the tannins particularly in the reds having extended skin contact during the fermentation. Caveat Emptor. 2018 was another bad season with multiple fires but it is still early days for these wines from that year and the final results are still to be assessed after bottling. Always be careful in your selection.

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Question: Do you prefer Syrah or Shiraz?

Answer: I like both but don’t feel it is as easy as that simple alternative choice. It is the same grape that produces full-flavoured big bodied wines with lots of polyphenols. You see the Shiraz name used more in Australia & South Africa but it can turn up anywhere. Look to compare two fantastic examples from South Africa of Leeuwenkuil Syrah 2015 with Luddite Shiraz 2014. Syrah is historically more French Rhone-like in style often with less ripeness and more elegance and is the grape name used most commonly today. When Mission Hill Family Estate released their first wines they had two distinct bottlings one called Shiraz in a big rich full spice almost jammy style and another called Syrah in a somewhat lighter less ripe white pepper style. Both were popular. Note that these roughly defined styles can cross over. Better to taste each wine and find the style of wine you prefer regardless of the name used. Enjoy the experiment.

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Question: How much wine is there in a Jeroboam size bottle?

Answer: Yes this is rather confusing. Generally you think of a Jeroboam as being the same as a Double Magnum containing 3 litres or the equivalent of 4 standard 750 ml. bottles. This is the situation for example in Burgundy and Champagne. However, in Bordeaux they refer to a Jeroboam (or Rehoboam) as the rather unusual 4 1/2 litre size or the equivalent of 6 standard bottles. Depends where you are and who you ask!

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Question: Which celebrity in your opinion has the best winery or endorsed wine?

Answer: Wow is that ever a tough subjective question! It certainly seems a popular thing to do these days with an ever expanding list. In Canada we have lots of them including famous hockey player Wayne Gretzky, actor-comedian Dan Aykroyd, and the latest one rapper Drake endorsing MOD Champagne. Chateau Miraval Cotes de Provence Rose by Brangelina often tops most lists you see on line. Actor Sam Neill’s Two Paddocks pinot noir from Central Otago would have to be up there together with singer Boz Scaggs Mount Veeder GSM. However my vote in a close contest would go to golfer Ernie Els with his classy cabernet based wines in Stellenbosch. In fact he has temporarily closed his South African winery for extensive renovations to focus on even a better smaller scale boutique-style operation. Looking forward to taste the new wines. What is your fav?

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Question: At a wine tasting last week our group leader went on about two of the wines in the line-up being a bit short. What is that?

Answer: Yes wine nomenclature includes those words “short” and “long”. Not a height factor but a reference to the lingering  length (and often the amount of time) on the finish of the wine after you spit or swallow a mouthful. Don’t know what wines you were tasting but I wouldn’t get too hung up on those words – unless it refers to a short pour. A light delightful refreshing wine will always be shorter than a big dense more alcoholic one. So what? It depends on the style of the wine to a certain degree though lower grape yields with more concentration usually results in a wine with more length. An impressive lasting impression –short or long- is important no doubt. However, for me more important still in your assessment should be the balance of fruit, acid, tannins and alcohol. Does it all come together in an admirable way with elegance, texture and complexity inviting you to try another sip. Enjoy.

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