I had a wonderful mid afternoon tasting with Sandra Oldfield, the wine maker at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards in Oliver, British Columbia, and the gang at the Waterfront Hotel Wine Club. We had a interesting question-and-answer period where Sandra shared her knowledge of winemaking. Then we sampled a variety of Tinhorn wines.
1997 Pinot Gris.
The 1996 Pinot Gris is fermented in steel tanks. Then 47 per cent of the juice was put into old American oak barrels. The remaining 53 per cent stayed in tank. After four months the two were blended together.
Sight: Light yellow.
Nose: Light nose.
Taste: Strong fruity flavors toward the citrus and melon flavors. It is clean and easy.
Notes: This is a good summer wine for my taste. It would also make a good substitute from a late harvest wine at dessert time. The price is $12.95 Canadian which makes it possible to pick up a couple of bottles and hold on to them till the time is right.
1996 Chardonnay.
Ten per cent of the Chardonnay is fermented in new American oak barrels and the remainder of the wine is fermented in tanks.
Sight: Light yellow.
Nose: Fair Citrus and floral aromas.
Taste: This is a fruity citrus Chardonnay that is clean crisp.
If you do not like a heavy thick buttery Chardonnay than this is up your alley. Light, crisp and clean. At $12.95 Canadian it is a nice wine to have in the house.
TRIVIA.
ICEWINE To produce a Canadian icewine, the grapes must be frozen at a temperature of -9 C or below. If the grapes thaw above -9 C while picking the grapes or the crushing process, the wine is no longer considered a ice wine and has to be labeled a late harvest. To ensure frozen grapes for the whole process Sandra prefers to have the grapes harvested at 2 or 3 a.m.. When the grape is crushed frozen the ice water in the grape stays behind and the sugar gets extracted in the press.
PLANTING VINEYARD COST If you are wise or lucky enough to acquire a adequate piece of land in B.C. for the planting vines, you should expect a cost of $5,000 per acre. This does not include the fatality rate of a vines first winter and the cost to replant.
WATERING THE VINES Some times it is better not to water the vines for better grapes. When a grape vine thinks its dying it will put all its energy into the children, which are the grapes.
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