1. The bottle that get me appreciating wine again was a Chianti and it’s been a while since I tried one
2. The bottle received a 90 point rating recently
3. The bottle was on sale for $14.99 (down from $21.99)

Look
The Antinori Peppoli 206 Chianti Classico has a great ruby color with a slight edge of pink. I thought that the color of the wine was a very nice change from the deep purple wines I’ve been drinking lately.

Aroma
The initial aroma is wonderful on the nose with soft blackberry and raspberry as well as highlights of floral, wood and mineral.

Taste
The wine has a very smooth entry into the mouth and doesn’t overpower with too much alcohol or acid. It’s a medium to full body (which surprises due to the lighter aroma) and fills the mouth nicely. It’s a silky smooth wine with ample amounts of flavour. Long to medium finish.

Summary
I would allow this one to breath about 15 minutes before you have your first taste. I’m the type of person that likes to have a try right when the bottle opens so I can experience the change. If that’s you as well, go for it. You’ll be happy either way.

Lewis Wine Rating: 90 points

The wine is a very dark purple/crimson color that gives a sense of boldness in the glass. It is a fruit forward wine that instantly shows great dark berries and chocolate/caramel along with subtle oak and light red fruits. One comment that came from the group was “saltwater taffy!” which could have been a combination of the crisp earthy and sweet combination. The flavour held a thick cassis and slightly oaked mouth but was smooth to taste and held a nice finish.

Rating: 87 points

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Look
The color is a very light pink/auburn color. It’s a beautifully light wine that leaves a nice rim on the glass, distorting the inside wonderfully.

Aroma
There is a refreshing fruit forward aroma in the glass. I can smell some light watermellon, cassis and almost a choke cherry or subtle dark berries. Although the bottle suggests that there should be chocolate somewhere in there, I haven’t been able to find it - maybe in an hour or so.

Taste
The initial flavour is light on the tongue but not overpowering. With three years in the bottle and cask I’m happy with how this Pinot Noir has developed. It smooths out on the finish and holds a great fruit flavour in the mouth.

I really liked drinking this wine. I added it to a light pasta tortellini filled with Brie cheese and topped with tomato sauce. Neither overpowered the other and both added flavours. I really enjoyed the combination.

My rating: 88 points

It’s a great buy especially knowing that it’s grown just up the road from Quail’s Gate and the Mission Hill winery.

Cave Spring 2006 Gamay

Ever since I began drinking wine in the mid 1990’s, the Cave Spring cellars has been a favorite of mine. It may be because while working at the restaurant I was able to successfully recommend the wine more often than not!

Although I’ll admit, I was a little green towards the Gamay varietal, I was also very interested in sharing a bottle of this wine.

Look
The Cave Spring 2006 Gamay displayed a red-brown/blackberry color combination but it was clearly a very light wine. The swirl indicated a spotty rim but I didn’t expect a lighter wine to hold as well.

Aroma
My first reaction to this Gamay was, “Interesting.” I caught a charred wood and light smoky smell followed by a unique aroma of sawdust. After a few moments there was also clearly a light fruit and cherry to it as well. I thought that it had a great character only because I had never smelled some of these aromas in wine before!

Mouth
The taste was a little strange mainly because I found very little initial flavour and very little tannin at all. The wine is light bodied with a peppery, fruity taste in the mouth. Being new to Gamay, it was interesting that the first idea that came to mind when drinking this was of the popping candy I ate as a kid. This wine seemed to be bubbly in the mouth and the more I drank the more I liked it.

I was caught off guard by the color and the aroma. Not being used to drinking Gamay I clearly didn’t know what I was getting into when I started drinking this one. That being said, I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it and learn a little more about the varietal.

Lewis Wine Rating: 87 points

Some other information:
Description
Two thirds of the cuvée was barrel aged for 7 months in 75% older, and 25% new French and Hungarian oak barrels.

Type: Red Wine
Vintage: 2006
Winery: Cave Springs Cellars
Varietal: Gamay
Alcohol (Volume): 12.50%
Region: Canada > Ontario > Niagara Peninsula

Quails' Gate tasting room

The Wines

After the tour I had an opportunity to taste a number of the wines they had for sale. As part of the tour you get to sample (and I mean slightly) three different wines. The offered the Quails’ Gate 2008 Rose, 2007 Chenin Blanc (the Obama wine) and the 2006 Merlot.

After the tour, my wife and I also tasted the premium flight including the Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay, Reserve Pinot Noir (and the QG Pinot Noir to compare) and the Old Vines Foch Reserve. All great wines but all three didn’t grab me the way I thought the would. Obviously, the reserve Pinot Noir had much more fruit and depth than the QG variety but we didn’t grab a bottle on this stop.

Quails' Gate Old Vines Foch

Anyone for Old Vines Foch?

If you’re looking for an interesting bottle to try then I would recommend the Quails’ Gate Reserve 2006 Old Vines Foch. It is a real rugged flavour that carries those hints of chocolate, blackberry jam, smoke and spice. Of course, with so much meat to it I would think that it’s a great choice for real strong meats such as Elk or Bison or hard cheeses.

To fee or not to fee?

One thing I did not like about the Quails’ Gate tasting is that they do not refund your tasting fee when you buy the wine. I understand it’s only $5 but hey, I’d rather it be my $5 than theirs! I completely understand the need to charge an up-front fee to bus loads of wine tourists but with no transportation costs why not give back the money back with purchase. Isn’t selling a bottle (or two) the whole point? I guarantee that I would have walked out with more wine knowing that I was going to get a slight “discount.”

Final Thoughts

Quails’ Gate is definitely one of the most beautiful that I encountered and, with the views from the Old Vines Restaurant, a perfect place to dine out. Although it does not compare in pure magnitude to some other large vineyards in the region, it is a more relaxed and personal winery that still has a great international reputation.

Read Quails’ Gate Winery review Part 1 here

You really need to take two tours in the northern Okanagan Valley. The first is at Mission Hill where you will see a world class facility that will compete in both grandeur and stunning beauty with almost any winery in the world. The second, is a trip to Quails’ Gate vineyard where you will have a great in-depth (yet inexpensive) winery tour, tastes of beautiful wines and one of the most scenic restaurants in the valley.

Quails' Gate entrance sign

Luckily, both wineries are located about 5 minutes from each other with Mission Hill on top of the mountain and Quails’ Gate at the bottom.

Ever since I tried the Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir back in the early 1990’s I have held a special place for the vineyard (plus their Pinot Noir was an easy recommendation in the restaurant).

Our first stop in Kelowna was at Quails’ Gate and we decided to take the facility and vineyard tour. After purchasing tickets in their old tasting room (the original Allison Family Homestead) we met our guide Isaac on the front lawn.

Quails' Gate Vineyard

The Vineyard

After a quick visit to vines we learned about the use of drip irrigation, regional use of roses as a “canary in the mine” indicator of healthy vines and the sloped and rocky soil. All in all, this tour was much better than the similarly prices tour at Mission Hill who basically show you a movie and their cellar.

Quails’ Gate produces about 200 acres of grapes including Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and even an Old Vines Foch (40+ years).

One very interesting fact is that in 2004 there was a huge fire on the West side of the valley that devastated at least one vineyard and threatened the city of Kelowna. Apparently, the 2004 vintage for the region retained a level of smoke mainly due to this event. Unfortunately, I was not able to buy a bottle of 2004 to taste but now I’m on the hunt!

At Quails' Gate Vineyard

The Winery

I’m not sure if I was a little stunned because it was my first winery visit but seeing barrels of wine stacked to the roof is a really great experience! Going into the production and bottling facility was also a great lesson about the different methods used to produce white and red wine – removing stems and leaves as compared to simply extracting the juice.

One memorable discussion was around the large steel vats that hold the wine during fermentation. The spout that drains the wine is about 2 feet up the body (the entire structure is about 20 feet high) so there is a huge volume of wine wasted with each batch.

The comment back was, “in each triangular bunch of grapes there are a lot of things that you never want to find in your wine. Some examples are spiders, insects, dirt and other objects that simply don’t look good floating in your wine.” Interesting to hear but not so great to think about when tasting!

Quails’ Gate is another vineyard that is following the trend of ending their relationship with corks and will be moving to all screw caps within a year or so. I’m still unsure of the presentation of the wine when this begins and I’m also a little unclear on what keeps a bottle more secure in transit. I suppose that time will tell.

Continue to Quails’ Gate winery and vineyard tour - Part 2

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All that doom and gloom aside, he wrote an interesting blog post called What does the wine market say about the economy? It’s worth a quick read but basically says that the Asian markets are keeping the fine wine market at their current level although down about 25%

I guess this means it’s a great time to fill up your cellar with key vintage bottles of the world’s best!

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Wine Tasting

Fine Dining
Life really is about having fun and being happy. When you add in great food and wine it just tops the cake! I’ve always held an image of myself and my family sitting on an Italian balcony overlooking the Mediterranean. It’s completed by the water’s breeze, the fresh food and the fine wine served with the meal. When I dream big, enjoying great restaurants is always at the top of the list.

Collecting
Wine. You can spend any amount possible for an elusive bottle of wine (although the 1787 Thomas Jefferson Château Lafite tops them all) or age your own stock with a personal cellar. Collecting takes on a whole new meaning when you start to add bottles of wine to the mix. Then, after years of dedicated aging, temperature control and care you pull the cork and destroy the entire financial value in one evening of drink.

It brings back the fascination with owning something that gains value and enjoyment with time.

Real Estate
If you enjoy wine and tasting new vintages then you will eventually want to visit a winery. Driving past the rows of beautiful vines, sitting down with your tasting host to a great afternoon sample and looking out across the valley would make anyone want to own a piece of heaven.

The best part is if you have the money you can start your own winery and vineyard. Although it takes time and lots of skill you can get in the game. Look at legends such as Wayne Gretzky, Dan Akroyd, Greg Norman and Francis Coppola – all winery owners.

Wine is so unique and diverse that just enjoying a bottle can lead to a world of new experiences. Enjoy!

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Kalala Organic Winery

The Kalala Organic Estate Winery is located at 3361 Glencoe Road just off Highway 97 (take Paynter Road to Glenrosa road and follow the signs for about 1 1/2 km) and it is definitely worth a visit.

As you drive up the hills toward the vineyard, there is a great view of the valley and a much more forested area than the surrounding vineyards. When I got out of the car, there was a massive wave of fresh pine blowing in from the mountains - a great start to the visit.

Our tasting host turned out to be the owner of the vineyard - Karnail Singh Sidhu - who was very excited about the wines and have us some background on the vineyard.

A Unique Story
Especially interesting was in the origin of the 2004 Pinot Blanc Aspire. This desert wine is no where near as sweet as a late harvest or icewine but it does have a nice sweetness to it in a full bottle 750 mL form.

Kalala 2007 Merlot

Karnail told us that the wine was not able to be certified an icewine because when the grapes were picked (below -8 degrees) the buyer never came to pick up the grapes that night. Soon afterwards, the temperature rose and was then ineligable for icewine. Fortunately for us, they were able to make a nice refreshing drink. Of course, we drank a bottle that evening and it went well with some assorted cheeses, crackers and the movie Sideways!

Tasting the Kalala wines
We had the opportunity to taste seven different wines during this visit. Karnail served the 2007 Riesling, 2007 Pinot Noir Rose, Kalala 2007 Cuvee Noir, 2006 Zweigelt, 2004 Pinot Blanc Aspire and the 2006 Zweigelt Icewine.

Each had some very interesting and refreshing aromas and flavours but we decided to take home two bottles of the Kalala 2004 Pinot Blanc Aspire ($14.95) and a Kalala 2007 Cuvee Noir ($14.95). Maybe it’s because the northern Okanangan doesn’t get the sun but I began to enjoy Pinot Noir and Bordeaux type blends much more on this trip.

Going from Good to Great
On our way out, I noticed a few of the stainless steel containers were labelled with different grape varietals. On one I saw “Merlot” and asked about the container’s contents (since there was no other Merlot on the list.)

Karnail serving the 2007 Merlot

Karnail was very excited with this wine and told me that he would be bottling the next week and could we come back? Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option so he grabbed a glass and gave me my first drink “straight from the barrel.” It was a very smooth and delicious Merlot which I am going to be happy buying when it’s released.

My recommendation? Make sure to stop in and try some unique organic wines. Altough I hit a great day with my Merlot tasting, I think the smaller wineries have much to offer that large shops just can’t.

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Original tasting notes:

This wine has a real burgundy/ruby color with a slight purple rim. It nicely coats the glass and may even have a touch of oxidation when swirled. A fine yet bold aroma that is well rounded with cassis, big dark fruits and a light smoke. There is no overpowering alcohol maybe due to the age of the bottle. The mouth gives a full experience with light acidity, tannin but smooth all around. As I draw in oxygen, the wine lightens up and brings out a cherry or light strawberry breath to the glass. Althought the flavours mixed well, I was hoping for a slightly longer finish. This one felt a little flat at the end.

Rating: 88 Points

Second Tasting additions:
Still very fruity but added to a hearty pasta with tomato sauce it does not have the smooth character that I found in the first bottle.

Third bottle tasting (Corked and ready to go):
I opened the third bottle right after the dinner party finished the second. Unfortunately, I opened it in a dimmly lit breakfast room and didn’t take a proper look or smell before I tasted. The wine was corked! I couldn’t believe it so I brought it back into the room and had a look in better light.

The color was a solid light brown mess of oxidation completely removing any of the deep purples from the wine. It smelled of old rotten port or that harsh fermentation odor that comes from leaving fruit in the heat for too long.

Of course, I had to drag the entire wine tasting group in to see and smell the wine. After a great round of laughter and discussion I poured the wine back into the bottle, re-corked and put it back in the bag for it’s return trip to the store.

Fourth bottle:
Tastes as good as the original but watch out for the sediment. I would definitely suggest a quick decant before serving this wine!

Recommendation:
Obviously I enjoyed this wine as demonstrated by the purchase of 4 different bottles of it. The cost is about $22 and it is a unique experience tasting the 2001 vintage along side all the 2006 and 2007 that seem to be out right now.

I would recommend this wine as a nice buy but I’d be sure that you have a backup! Although it is fun to have a corked bottle to discuss, smell and talk about, the fun dies pretty quickly if it’s the only bottle on hand! Grab it and check my Top Wine Picks page for other well priced recommendations.

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