Enjoying The View; and I am not referring to a TV show featuring a bunch of annoying women

A short break from the Okanagan trip report, sort of.....tonight's winery tasting at Sardis Park VQA was The View, which we had intended to visit last weekend but missed it. Had we visited it, it would have fallen right about here in the trip report anyway, so here we go.

The View, unfortunately, lost their entire crop in the hailstorm a few weeks back, meaning not only do they have to buy grapes for this year's vintages, they lost all the income from the grapes they sell to other wineries. Ouch. That development notwithstanding, Jennifer Molgat, the Proprietor, came down to Chilliwack to pour seven of her wines.

I walked in knowing darn well that even if the wines weren't any good, I was going to buy a bottle as a sign of support. Of course, I've tried The View wines before and they are always good so I figured it was pretty likely I'd buy a bottle because I wanted to, and that was the case. What surprised me was WHAT bottle I bought; more on that later.

2012 Distraction Frizzante

Beautiful nose of strawberry and cranberry, and those berries come through on the palate as well, with light, fun bubbles. Would go very well with creamy desserts. Excellent value at $19.90.

Rating: 79

 
 
2011 Gewürztraminer

 Lovely and aromatic, floral and off-dry, but not too much so. Lychee and melon flavors greet the palate. Another excellent value at only $14.90.

Rating: 80





2011 Riesling

Crisp and dry with a flinty minerality, and the usual green apple on the palate; but something about this one was a little different than most BC Rieslings. The green apple was there but less so; the minerality was there but it was not overwhelming. Probably my all time favorite BC Riesling; if not, certainly in the top two. Another reasonably priced wine at $18.90.


Rating: 82


2012 Red Shoe White


A blend of Riesling, Gewurtzraminer and Optima, you'll get citrus notes on the nose and ripe pears on the palate. A good seller, this could be an "everyday" white for a lot of people, especially at the bargain price of $15.49.

Rating: 81




2012 Rose Distraction

Strawberries wash over your senses, both on the nose and palate of this rare Rose made with Pinotage. A dry, lingering finish. In keeping with the "reasonable price" theme, only $15.90.

Rating: 79

2009 Pinotage $20.88

Pinotage's two ancestors, Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, bring an earthy and rustic quality. Tannins are soft; this is ready to drink now. And I will confess, this is the wine I went into the store expecting to buy, as I've tried and bought earlier vintages of this one; but this one didn't excite me as much as I thought.
Perhaps the earlier vintages were superior; perhaps my tastes have changed since experiencing so many beautiful, top notch Pinot Noirs.

Rating: 77




2010 Optima SLH

A smooth and supple dessert wine, affected with botrytis, also known as "Noble Rot". Unmistakable notes of raisins on the palate turned me off this one a bit, as I'm not a fan of raisins. Still, at $26, it's a terrific value if you aren't familiar with dessert wine and want to try one without blowing up your wallet. If you are a bigger fan of raisins than I am, you will probably really enjoy this.

Rating: 77








So what did I buy? Well if you looked at the scores, you might guess, I made the very rare purchase of a BC Riesling. I'm in no hurry to drink it; especially after coming home from Kelowna with more than 2 cases of wine last weekend. I may let this one age for a while - Riesling is one of the few white grapes that improves with age - and open it up for a special occasion sometime in the future.

Big thanks and kudos to Jennifer for coming down for this tasting, when her hail-induced misfortune probably put other things on her mind and priority list, and for making some damn good wines for the price point. Hope you get a chance to try them and enjoy The View as I did.