Just an FYI, canadian vs. US is now 1.25… so an even more stunning 25% difference

QOTD: As soon as I can. My family went up that way while I was away at university, and I’ve heard so many good things that I’d really like to follow up on that.

Gary please help me. I´m gonna have my very first french wine and in the store there´s Paulliac, Medoc, Beaujelois, Margaux and a lot of chateaux I don´t know, and I´ve tried to see your shows but now I need YOUR decision: For you……what is the first french wine a person would have(must) to have????????? I leave you the web of the store. I´m Eduardo from Argentina and this is for my B-Day on feb 6. I´m going to spend like 150 u$s on one bottle and another 100 u$s on 2 extra minor bottles so is big to me…. Thanx, I know you´re going to do the best for a fan like me.

http://www.grandcru.com.ar/index.php?sec=12

QOTD: I’ve been to Vancouver, which is…bland. Seattle is a far more interesting and energetic city without the closed and parochial world view I was overwhelmed by in Vancouver. Also, as an architect, I can say it is ugly. Where it is…beautiful. What it is…uninteresting, unattractive and forgettable. I didn’t have the chance to go wine touring, but I had some wine while I was there, 5 in total, all local. Perhaps I only had some bad examples, but I thought they were all bland and the one that did let me know it was wine, tasted of sour tires and juicy fruit gum. Ugh.

Been to the Okanagan and it is a great setting. Very temperate to the north and a basically a desert to the south.

It is early years there still, but it is quickly evolving. Really still relatively small and the food scene is catching up to meet the demands of wine tourism. Worth a visit… and not far from Washington’s Columbia Valley and Walla Walla for wine geeks who want to do a road trip.

While I do find the price of wines there not to commensurate with their pedigree, there are some quality wines to be had.

Quail’s Gate is a great producer – while their Pinot is a good product, I will rate their reisling as one of the best quality/value plays in North America (and killer with a spicy curry).

Prospect Winery has some good whites, and they make a good Pinot Grigio.

Reds: Osoyoos Larose is a Bourdeaux (!) driven play that is enjoyable and age worthy. And if you have the $$$, Mission Hill’s Oculus is stunning.

BTW, they do some great funky ice-wines there, especially with red wines.

Favourite Canadian wine: Le Clos Jordanne Pinot Noir. OMG. OMG. OMG.

QOTD: No idea when, but I would love to get there.

QOTD: Been to Whistler several times and will be back. I love that place.

Previous poster is spot on. Mission Hill Oculus is far and above the best wine made in the Okanogan (and all of Canada) with Laughing Stock Portfolio not far behind. You’ve got to have both on the show. I would put the Oculus, especially the 2002 and 2003 up against the best that the State of Washington offers..ie Quilceda Creek and Leonetti.

Love the honesty on the Chardonnay! Palates differ but many of us have evolved past the oaky/buttered toast in a glass. Now, bacon smell in a glass, sign me up for the Pinot Noir! Oink, oink

Gary Veeeeee,

Who is this hoser? My brother Bob and I think that is the WORST Canadian accent we have ever heard!

Regards,

Doug MacKenzie

P.S. Kick save…and a beauty, eh?

QOTD- Major pass. As that’s where the cold air comes from.

I was in Calgary for the 88 ollys and if Van can even come close to that 2010 will be a major blast. See you there. Look up major wine lover Derrick Britt at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport where good times will be had by all.

QOTD: I live in BC so it was fun to see familiar names up there. Good call on the Tantalus riesling. From Road 13, I like the Honest John’s Blend the best so far. As soon as I saw the heading I was hoping for See Ya Later Ranch, but no cigar.

This was my first time watching winelibrary and I’ll definitely add it to my reader.

Hey Gary!

Awesome! Great to see some Okanagan wines.

Ironically we just opened a bottle of Riewurztrafelser from Rollingdale (Okanagan) and then by chance watched this episode!

We were there last summer and hit a good chunk of the 80-some-odd wineries they have there, over the course of 8 or 9 days.

Quail’s Gate was one of our favourites, and yes, the Chard is amazing (I have a 2006 in my rack right now).

We missed Tantalus, and went to Road 13 (although it was still Golden Mile then).

I agree with you 100% about the Jackson-Triggs. Way overpriced. That particular Shiraz was so thin…not worth half of what they charge. The Jackson Triggs here in Ontario (Niagara) produces even worse garbage. That’s what you get when a huge corporation buys the winery I guess…

If you get a chance to make it out to the Okanagan, you must go to Silver Sage Winery.
They have some unbelievable and very unique wines. I think they would bring some SERIOUS THUNDER to your palate.

…not to mention your dollar would stretch a bit further 🙂

Yo Guys, Nice Show! Nice ta see some Canuk Vino !!

qotd: Me Mamee was born about 90 Northeast of Edmonton, Alberta
& i got about a Zillion Relatives between Vancouver, B.C. & the
Edmonton area. So i been up there a few times…. Beeeauuutiful
Country!!!

What can I say? Colour me impressed. Excellent show – and really pumped to see some BC wines!

QOTD: I’ve already been.

I truly wish the BC wines were less expensive – some of them are even cheaper to buy in Alberta, because of the 117% mark up by the Liquor Control Board. Mission Hill’s Oculus is an excellent wine, as it should be for $70 Cdn. Osoyoos Larose is excellent too at about $45 Cdn. I agree with GV that in general I have had little exciting BC Chardonnay, Riesling does better here in general.

The Okanagan is well worth visiting, and the golf courses are every bit as good as the top wines.

Very good show. Was nice to see our local stuff presented, especially the Quail’s Gate. Thanks GV.

We need a new episode Gary!!!

Great ep G …. Need to try more Canadian wine.
QOTD- Been to Victoria BC .. a great place to visit.

As others have said, much of the price of alcohol here is all tax so you can generally buy Canadian wine/beer/cigarettes much cheaper in the States. Sucks! 🙂

Niagara wines rule. BC wines drool. Come to Niagara and check out some wines that will knock your socks off. We ain’t all ice and snow. Besides, watching polar bears stomp grapes is mad funny.

QOTD: I live in Canada!!!

I see that Rhys is just one step (dissertation, a giant step I’d think) away from being a Wine Master. You should have him back when he achieves that pinnacle, Gary. Get him to bring some Mission Hill and Sumac Ridge stunners then, and something from the Naramata bench.

That pinot noir sound like something worth talking about. Get the president on the horn. We’re going to defcom 4!

Great show Gary, especially since this episode focusing on my home country!! Okanagan valley is definitely one of the best Canadian wine regions. The problem is, as Rhys mentioned, very few of their wines are available outside the BC market! For example, I live in Quebec where the SAQ is considered the largest importer of wine in the world, and I can not still find any of these 4 wines here!! Hopefully the production will eventually increase. Another great Canadian wine area worth mentioning is Niagra Ontario.
One great Okanagan valley wine that seems to be more available (maybe even present in US) is:
Osoyoos Larose; Their red (75% Merlot, 11% Cab Sauv, 6% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Cab Franc) is impressive…The 04 is selling now in Quebec at 41 C$.
I am hoping to visit BC very soon (maybe March), maybe then I could get some of these wines 🙂
Cheers

QOTD: Hey Gary and the Vayniaks…why wait for the Olympics? Come to Vancouver at the end of this March for the 31st annual Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. BC is the theme region so there will be over 200 BC wines from 58 producers in the Festival Tasting Room. In total, 1700+ wines by 183 wineries from 15 countries in 61 events for 25,000 attendees.

Gary, you mentioned you wanted to meet everyone in the world. Well, here’s your chance to rack up some serious numbers in a short period of time. So, which event do you and the Mottster want to tape from? “Icons of BC” or “Pinot-Rama!” or “Bourgogne: Tour de Terroir” or “Icewine, Well Thawed Out” or “Blind-Blind” or “Gaga for Gewurz!” or “A Great Big Kitchen Party” (we Canucks love to party in the kitchen) or “The Century Mark” (wines from vines over 100 years old) or “Eco-friendly Wine: Over-hyped, Over-priced? Green Wine Symposium” or how about having Georg Riedel on the show as part of his “Riedel in the Home: The Glory of the Glass” seminar at the Festival.

From March 23-29…the wine world is here in Vancouver, and so should the Thunder Show.

Check out the brochure…
http://www.playhousewinefest.com/page220.htm