2009 Merlot – BC VQA Okanagan Valley
M-M-M-Merlot! So mellow and marvelous.
Plummy and rich-ripe, like grandma’s best fruit compote; soft and round, deep-red, naturally sweet, a texture of stewed mixed fruit, and oh, those über-ripe plums all along the taste buds. This is a good wine to welcome friends with: pour a glass and everyone feels right at home, enjoying the soft-edged, mellow finish, the touch of sweetness just makes it dance on the tongue.
But it’s also a meat wine, all and any meat, any which way. Like rouladen—the deep fruit right away picks up the onion and dill pickle in the beef roll-up; big, bold roasts coated with cracked fennel seeds, black pepper and sea salt; yam fries; pork loin studded with good garlic and tied with a few fresh bay leafs under the string; hearty, spicy pasta; Portuguese pork and clams; baked apples, stuffed with nuts and currants; cheeses like gruyere, manchego, pungent blues. And of course, apple pie and cheddar.
Or, just you and a glass, savouring the sunset on the deck.
Winner of a Silver Medal at the 2011 Northwest Wine Summit