a Huge fan of BC wines and a connoisseur of fine wines.
Doug writes WineWise which appears weekly in the North Islander weekend
newspaper in Campbell River, B.C.
He also contributes articles to Wines of Canada
The Vandermolens, of Beaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery, are energetic and organized entrepreneurs, as well as talented winemakers. Looking at the 3-5 years it will take for their vines to yield a first crop of grapes worthy of being crafted into high quality wine, they decided to import grapes from southern Vancouver Island - primarily the Saanich Peninsula - and the Okanagan Valley. Curious yet?
That curiosity will be well-rewarded with the first grapefruit and fresh-peach infused sip of their Beaufort "G'wurtz" $18.00. More "bright and sassy" - more "dry" - than typically sweeter Okanagan Valley Gewurztraminer, fashioned from Saanich Peninsula grapes grown right here on Vancouver Island, it's very refreshing to see a new winery break away from the tired old pack so clearly - and with such tasty results!
Susan and Jeff Vandermolen are not only opening the Comox Valley's first winery but they have a total of 1,300 cases of seven different VQA-approved wines for sale when they open the doors to their new winery and tasting room Friday May 30th at 11 a.m.
Of those seven different wines, two are remarkably similar (...to each other) and at the same time quite different from most of what's being made in BC from the same grapes. It takes a certain kind of clear-sighted vision to risk confusing the customer while confounding the established competition.
Beaufort "Grigio" is blended from the same ripe Oliver (Okanagan) and lean Saanich (Vancouver Island) Pinot Gris winegrapes as Beaufort "Gris," although the proportions vary slightly. Both wines actually feature the coppery hue that good Pinot Gris made from fully-ripe grapes should always show - regardless of the BC industry's reluctance to confuse customers with something that might be mistaken for - horrors! - pink wine ...and ends up being mistaken instead for forgettable Chardonnay.
The French-styled Beaufort "Gris" $16.50 is a darker shade of coppery orange and more ripely mango flavoured on the tongue than the Italian-styled Beaufort "Grigio" $16.50. Neither wine is even remotely insipid or boringly light in the current homogeneous eurostyle. Congratulations to Susan and Jeff and their consulting winemaker Todd Moore for bucking the wimpy trend and going back to basics! (And of course the "Gris" won a Silver Medal at Northwest Wine Summit 2008 at Mt.Hood.)
Almost everybody making wine on Vancouver Island makes an Ortega. It ripens well predictably - even in dismal summers like 2007 - and produces lots of fruit. Pity they can't all be as cunning and tasty as Beaufort Ortega $17.00 which is more roundly medium-bodied and peach-and-orange fruited than the more conventional lean, zingy and florally metallic "Island" profile. This sipper won "Bronze" at the Northwest Wine Summit.
Beaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery plans to be open for tasting and sales to the public Fridays - Sundays, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. including Holiday Mondays in May, July, August and September. Don't put off a visit for too long - the uniformly high quality and well-balanced structure of their wines will ensure that they'll be out of stock by BC Day, if not before.
Other Doug SLoan Articles
History of British Columbia Wines
BC VQA REDS
Too Good To Be True: Ooh! Oooh!! Ooooh!!!
Middle Mountain Mead
Zanatta Vineyards
Doug can be reached by email at douglas_sloan@yahoo.com
Visit Doug's Website
