For Canada’s 150th birthday this year, Castanet is featuring an Okanagan wine each week, celebrating the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine industry, including suggested food pairings and Canadian music artist to listen to while enjoying a glass. For current availability, consult the winery.
Wine: Cabernet Franc, 2014
Winery: Tinhorn Creek, Oliver-Osoyoos
Why drink it? Some say cab franc could be BC’s signature red, perhaps even Canada’s. This bottle, after only two years of rest, is a red with backbone and attitude to start, finishing with a round, almost soft mix of red berries and coffee beans. It’s perfect for the change of seasons (winter to spring, or summer to autumn) when it’s still too cool for a white wine, but you want to sip on a red. 2014 was an excellent vintage, and this is a stellar example of a cab franc; drinkable now on its own, though another year or two might make things interesting.
Price: $21.99
Pair with: Perfect for a Friday night with a good friend when you’ve decided it’s not worth going out to do anything. Order a meaty pizza to share, and dig out the hidden chocolate stash at the back of the cupboard, especially if it’s dark and/or has cherries or cranberries.
Classic cancon music pairing: Let Your Backbone Slide, Maestro Fresh-Wes