Join our wine writer, Allison Markin, every week for a wine review complete with food and music pairings. Featuring Okanagan and Canadian wines, with an occasional international bottle, Castanet celebrates the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine industry and influences from around the world. For current availability and pricing, consult the winery. Unless indicated, international selections are generally available at government liquor stores or private wine shops.
Wine: Stellaport, Non-Vintage
Winery: Elephant Island, Naramata
Why drink it? This is your LAST CHANCE to get this exquisite fruit wine that has, quite literally, been in the making for 15 years. Made in the solera style, a Spanish technique common to ports and sherries, the “mother barrel” (in this case, from 2001), is the beginning, then each year half of the vintage is bottled, and half is reserved for the next vintage. Apologies to the winery for borrowing their tasting notes, but they say it best: “elegant and rich…butterscotch, caramel, coconut and vanilla from prolonged barrel aging providing the perfect complement to the still fresh note of July-ripened Naramata cherries.
Price: $45
Pair with: The flavour of deep, ripe, cherries dipped in dark chocolate is the hallmark of this wine, so a selection of dark chocolates is a given. As with sweet wines, a contrasting flavour such as an aged cheese is a delight, or simply savour this taste of the Naramata Bench on its own.
Music pairing: Cherry Cherry by Neil Diamond
Have a wine to suggest? Email Allison at [email protected].