Ruby Blues, Naramata

Allison Markin - Mar 25, 2018 / 5:00 am | Story: 221995

Photo: Contributed

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: Red Stiletto (red blend), non-vintage

Winery: Ruby Blues, Naramata Bench

Why drink it? There’s no vintage on this red blend, as the winery starts with a base of Syrah, then blends in other reds (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, different pinots), from a couple of different vintages. Sampled last summer, this is a signature label for the winery – stiletto referencing the artisan shoe collection in the wine shop. It’s deceptively light and mildly luscious and fruity without being too bold, with subtle oak treatment and light tannins. After a swirl in the glass, your nose will detect red berries with a touch of cedar, and a pleasant mix of raspberries and light spices on the palate.

Price: $25

Pair with: Perfectly enjoyable on its own when you’re surprised by company popping by, if you happen to have smoked or candied salmon handy, that will do for an impromptu snack. For a weeknight, pair this with good stuffed meat pasta and tomato sauce from your favourite European deli.

Music pairing: Diamonds on the Soles of My Shoes by Paul Simon

Have a wine to suggest? Email Allison at [email protected].

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About the Author

As a kid, Shelley Boettcher often found herself in the back seat of a pick-up, exploring the back roads of the Okanagan Valley with her parents. They’d occasionally leave her and her brother in the car while they stopped at mysterious addresses to buy wine. They would emerge, clearly happy, as they stuck a box or a few bottles in the vehicle. Then they would continue on their journey.

But it wasn’t until a trip to Spain in 2000 that Shelley herself fell in love with wine. She came home from the holiday and promptly told her editor she wanted to become a wine writer.

And she did.

An award-winning food and wine writer and editor, Shelley holds her master’s degree in journalism and her advanced WSET certification, as well as her level 2 International Sommelier Guild certification. A wine columnist for the Calgary Herald, she spent a decade as CBC Radio’s national syndicated wine columnist and she has written three books about wine, including two that were Canadian bestsellers. Her byline has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world, including the New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail and Postmedia newspapers across Canada.

Shelley has travelled throughout many of the world’s wine regions and countries, including Niagara, Oregon, Washington, California, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Australia, Germany, Argentina and the Republic of Georgia. A few years ago, she even tracked down and visited a winery in Denmark.

Shelley has also served as a professional wine judge regionally and internationally, including the Okanagan Wine Festivals, Vinitaly and the Chianti Classico Consortium. For more than a decade, she has been a restaurant wine list judge for the Vancouver International Wine Festival, too. She still teases her parents for sparking her love for wine, especially BC wine.

And her favourite? Whatever she's drinking at the moment.

You can follow Shelley on Instagram @shelleyboettcher or Twitter at @shelley_wine.

If you have a BC wine you’d like to suggest, email Shelley at [email protected] with the name of the wine and a short note about why you enjoyed it.