TH Wines last vintage, Henry of Pelham’s affordable full-bodied hybrids, Tenuta di Castellaro wines, plus: a selection of fine whiskeys
by Mary Bailey
We found out late last year that this is Tyler Harlton’s last vintage. “The past couple of years I have felt the pull of some other work in food and farming, which I haven’t been able to pursue owing to the work at the winery,” says Tyler. “I’ve taken risks to build skills that afford me amazing opportunities and it’s time to put those skills to work on a new project, as yet determined.” The wines have always been a group effort with friends and family pulled in to receive the grapes and start them on their journey to bottling. Tyler has been making TH Wines by hand out of a small facility in Summerland for almost a decade. We have been a huge fan of TH wines since the beginning, and, although sad he won’t be continuing, we’re curious to see what Tyler gets up to next. If you are going to the Okanagan this year, pop in to say so long, Tyler will be in the tasting room. In the meantime, pick up the 2015 TH Riesling, drinking perfectly right now, and look forward to the 2019 vintage being on the shelf in the spring.
Two of the best value wines around are the wines of Henry of Pelham. This family winery in Niagara has been consistently delivering well-made wines. The Classic Riesling is off dry, with lemon lime flavours and well-balanced acidity and rings in around $21. You may have noticed an elevation of the humble hybrid grapes (Baco Noir, Vidal, Seyval, for instance ) by eastern (Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia) growers. Producers are making no bones about the wines not being made from vinifera, saying hybrids are Canadian and suit our climate so well. Henry of Pelham has been saying that since 1988 when they released their first Baco Noir. It’s always stood out, a great buy, wonderful flavours with rich berry fruit, smoky like peated whisky deeply-coloured, full-bodied, lowish tannin with bright acidity—ideal for wintry braises, $21. The Speck Family Reserve and Old Vines Baco Noirs are also worth giving a go, for a little more cash.
We are loving the wines of Tenuta di Castellaro grown in the volcanic soils of Lipari and Sicily. The wines are well-made with little obvious intervention—picked by hand, fermented naturally and the reds are left to clarify on their own—resulting in fresh wines that are a pleasure to drink. The 2017 Bianco Porticello Sicilia IGT is a taste of summer in the dreariness of winter. It’s a blend of island varietals, Carricante, Moscato Bianco and Malvasia delle Lipari, possesses characteristic and delicious salinity, aromas like a summer breeze and fresh green and stone fruit flavours. Sprightly. Drink with seafood, vegetables and roast chicken, $30. 2016 Ypsilon IGT Terre Siciliane Rosso, is a Nerello Mascalese blend with Nero d’Avola and Corinto Nero. It’s just so exhilarating, similar in body to Pinot Noir, with a puppy-like exuberance that’s hard not to love—fresh red fruit, lively acidity and fine-grained tannins. Drink slightly chilled with crostini. The 2013 Ossidiana Nero Sicilia IGT is Corinto Nero with 10 per cent Nero d’Avola. The result is a delicious wine, deeply coloured, a little bit spicy and salty on the nose, with complex flavours, fresh and elegant on the palate, expressing the true nature of these volcanic soils. Drink with braised meats or octopus in red sauce, $42.
Sometimes you just need a little pink in your life. We’re happy the Côte des Roses Rosé comes in a half bottle, so we can enjoy a glass or two of its citrusy, red berry deliciousness.
It’s always good to have a nice bottle of whisky stashed in the cupboard, especially so for Robbie Burns Day on January 25. And, although Japan and Canada are making some fine whisky, it seems bad form to not make it Scottish. They did invent it, after all.
Like it smoky? You got it! Elements of Islay Peat comes in two expressions Pure Islay $55 and Full Proof, $60. Both brimming with full-on smoky maritime flavours. Two distilleries are featured in this blended Islay malt, with 80 per cent from Caol Ila and 20 per cent from Lagavulin.
Port Askaig 100 Proof Islay Single Malt possesses salty, sweet and spicy aromas followed by an austere approach that opens into flavours of citrus and soot, medicinal notes and tar. The finish is briny yet soft and creamy. This bottling is from the Caol Ila distillery. $70
Of the many Lismore bottlings available (10,12, 15, 18 and 21) we like the 8 Year Old for the price/value ratio. Subtle, gently spiritous, with floral notes and marmalade flavours. The Lismore range of Speyside malts, created by Wm Lundie & Co., was named after the Inner Hebridean island between Mull and the mainland, $50.
The Glenfarclas 25 Year Old is a lovely whiskey, aromatic, with creamy barley notes and a hint of the oloroso sherry cask it lived in, $280.
The Grant’s have made Glenfarclas, nestled at the foot of Ben Rinnes, for over six generations. The whisky draws its water from pure springs of these mountains, just a mile from the River Spey. Glenfarclas is one of the few family-owned and operated distilleries in Scotland. The prized single malts are matured almost solely in sherry butts and are aged onsite—the 28 warehouses hold 52,000 casks.