Over the 5 days both passengers and crew enjoyed Shannon's wonderful home cooking! In her spotless galley she was helped by Katherine - both cheery lassies from the local area.
Apparently the owner has a tie-up with Sumac Ridge Winery* so for the whole trip we were served, may I say .... excellent Own Label Merlot and Pinot Blanc wines!
Apparently the owner has a tie-up with Sumac Ridge Winery* so for the whole trip we were served, may I say .... excellent Own Label Merlot and Pinot Blanc wines!
Being a wine drinker in the U.K. and having no less than 5 outlets selling wine within a mile of our house in the suburbs, I am aware that Canadian wine is never on offer for sale. Also when reading or hearing people talk about Wines of the World (I'm now talking of, say, the last 5 years) Canadian wine is simply never on the radar.However, Jancis Robinson, here, highly respected Master of Wine and world-authority wine writer was addressing this very topic earlier this year. Basically she says ""Canadian wine? Accept with curiosity" !
In an article by a Canadian freelance wine writer** in GoodDrink, January 19, 2007, entitled Jancis Robinson Helps Soothe Canadian Wine's Inferiority Complex, here, Sumac Ridge gets high praise.
Here are some relevant excerpts from the full GoodDrink article:
"Why is it human nature to worry so much about what others think of us? This happens in the wine world too, as up and coming regions look for endorsement, not just from consumers, but also from the heavy hitters in the industry. There are only a handful of world famous wine celebrities whose positive review of a wine, even if it’s a mere mention, can send sales skyrocketing, and thus prices and profit for the winery.
"Why is it human nature to worry so much about what others think of us? This happens in the wine world too, as up and coming regions look for endorsement, not just from consumers, but also from the heavy hitters in the industry. There are only a handful of world famous wine celebrities whose positive review of a wine, even if it’s a mere mention, can send sales skyrocketing, and thus prices and profit for the winery.
One is busy British wine journalist Jancis Robinson, best known, perhaps, as the author of the Oxford Companion to Wine.
The Canadian wine industry is currently abuzz due to a Jan 13, 2007 article in the Financial Times, and reviews posted on Jancis's "Purple Pages" (you must pay to read those), that dealt 100% with Canadian wines.
"Canadian wine? Accept with curiosity" was the title of the published article, and, as a legion of Canadian winemakers breathed a sigh of relief, her assessment was largely complimentary.
Jancis tasted over 70 good quality wines, from coast to coast. One of my personal picks that she loved was a 2003 Sumac Ridge White Meritage from BC, which she scored 16.5/20, a very high score for Jancis. We can buy the 2004 (600240, $19.99), which is a nice, rich but balanced blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with some oak treatment. It is reminiscent of premium white Bordeaux.
There's no doubt that positive press from a writer of Robinson's pedigree bodes well for the future of our relatively fledgling industry...."
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*Sumac Ridge Wines, located in Summerland, B.C., has a website here.
** "The Wine Guy on CBC Shift"
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