Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival 2008

Last night Jules and I attended the Tasting Room event of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. As the cliche goes, I was like a kid in a candy store. There were dozens of wineries pouring hundreds of wines, and it wasn't just the common stuff either. There were was a selection of champagne, bordeaux, port, and myriad reserves. It was very crowded, so at times we had to get a bit pushy to get in front of the booths, but over all I was able to taste virtually everything I wanted. Having never been to this event before, I had hoped to take some tasting notes on some of the wines. Soon after arriving, I realized that this would be impossible, firstly because I had forgot a freakin' pen, but also because of the physical difficulty of juggling a wine glass, note pad, pen, festival program, and handouts. I did see a few others taking notes, but it looked very awkward. Maybe next time...
The regional theme this year was Italy, and it seemed this was the most represented country. Because it was the most crowded area on the floor we did not sample as many as we would have liked. I admit I am less familiar with Italian growing regions and grape varietals, however I do enjoy Italian wine. Here are some highlights:

• Prunotto Barbaresco 2004 & Bric Turot Barbaresco 2004 - according to their representatives, 2004 was an exceptional vintage for their Barbaresco wines. It showed; both the Barbaresco and Bric Turot Barbaresco were delicious, with high acidity, and pronounced fruit flavours
• Antinori Tignanello Toscana 2005 & Cervaro Della Sala 2004 - Julia and I agreed that the Cervaro Della Sala was our favourite white of the tasting room. And the Tignanello - hey, it's a classic.
• Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio 2006 - a refreshing, simple pinot grigio that offers good value.

And then there was the rest of the world. I was able to browse a downloaded version of the program ahead of time, and wrote down some wines that I wanted to try. Quite a few were French.

• Taittinger Champagne NV (FR) - of the half dozen or so champagnes we tried, including G.H. Mumm and Pommery, this was my favourite
• Chateau Haut Vigneau 2005 (FR) - a fine bordeaux, with pronounced tannins and a long finish
• Perrin Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-Du-Pape Rouge 2005 (FR) - I love Perrin Reserve Red Cotes Du Rhone, so I had to try their Chateauneuf.
• Perrin Coudoulet de Beaucastel Red 2005 (FR) - another fine Cotes du Rhone from the Perrin family, who, through recent acquisitions, produce dozens of other wines.
• Louis Latour Pinot Noir (FR)
• Ogier Caves des Papes Châteauneuf-Du-Pape, Clos De L’Oratoire 2005 (FR) - tried it just because of the great label
  
• Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Estate Sunrock Shiraz 2005 (CA) - I have a bottle of this on my rack but had never tried it before. Now I'm glad I bought it.
  
• Santa Rita Pehuen Carmenere 2004 (CL) - a special treat, since this wine was designated for industry tastings only. I distinctly remember hints of mint and burnt rubber
• Santa Rita Floresta Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (CL) - at first I thought this was a chardonnay because of its boldness. Very pronounced citrus
• Dr H Thanisch Berncasteler Doctor Riesling Auslese 2005 (DE) - very sweet and flavourful dessert wine