Tasting British Columbia

The story: I am an ethnocentric American who suffers from the entirely too common perception that British Columbia is basically Seattle with rounder vowels. I know very little about the culture, commerce, agriculture, and politics of our Northern neighbors, and have generally considered it a beautiful extension of the Pacific Northwest. This unfortunately has extended into my wine experience. Despite the pretty vocal contingent of BC wine tweet-ohs, I have remained oblivious.

No longer. As Alanis Morisette and The Barenaked Ladies made their way into my heart in the 90's, I will allow Okanagan Valley to capture my attention and possibly mirror said rock stars ironic appeal. In this case the lack of expectation on what B.C. wine can deliver is entirely due to my ignorance.

The Okanagan Valley is a dry high-dessert valley that stretches north from the Washington State border for over 150 miles. While very far north (duh) the Valley has a number of microclimates that support a large variety of wine styles, and a mind boggling number of varietals. Producing everything from Alsace styled riesling, to fruit forward syrah, quality wine is being made in large quantities in British Columbia.

The wine: The 2008 Cedar Creek Riesling, is a dry example of riesling. It pours a straw yellow and offers a simple but pleasant nose of citrus and a touch of petrol. The mouth is quite tart up front, reminiscent of lemon pith with a briny minerality. The palette spreads out as it washes through ending with hints of pineapple and guava but remaining impecabbly dry, crisp, and focused. The finish is a bit slately and mouthwateringly acidic.

The verdict: This is a nice introduction to a quality BC wine. Going in with the incorrect assumption that all BC wines were going to be cold-climate wines I expected to enjoy this riesling, and while I was wrong about the climate diversity in the Okanagan Valley I was correct about the qualities of the wine. The wine was correct, delicious, and if it lacked anything it was a sense of complexity. The wine paired very well with a spicy Chicken Tikka Masala, and can be scored a 3/5.

The wine retails for $18 CAN.

This wine was received as a media sample.