Written By Treve Ring Libations / Red Wine May 17, 2010 Averill Creek Vineyard Foch-eh 200 SHARE VIA: Facebook Twitter PinterestCowichan Valley, Vancouver Island $18-22 www.averillcreek.ca Foch-eh! Is Fun-eh! And by that I mean that this is a wine that pairs with fun. Summer BBQ’s, on the dock at the lake, chilled on the patio in the late aft…. This isn’t a winter warmer – even though it is made from that deepest of red grapes – Marechal Foch.‘What’s that?’ you s-eh. A light and carefree Marechal Foch? It’s true – 100% Canadian Marechal Foch in fact, estate grown at Cowichan Valley’s Averill Creek Vineyard. Then, just like that other fun (and incredibly famous) red, Beaujolais, the grapes underwent carbonic maceration. A somewhat intimidating term for a fairly simple process. Whole bunches were put in tank under carbon dioxide for two weeks. The gas permeates through the grape skins and stimulates fermentation inside each intact berry. During this time the grapes are macerated (crushed) by gravity. The escaping gas affects the wine, resulting in very fruity characteristics, bright hue and low tannins. The difference between Foch-eh and Beaujolais is that the latter is crafted from gamine Gamay grapes, and the former is from fierce Foch.The result – an easy-drinking, light-medium bodied wine – bright royal purple in colour with a bold nose of plum, and flavours of plum, mulled cherry and sweet spice. The structure is soft but the finish is long and fruity – and would be ideal served slightly chilled. Finally – a use for those plastic reusable ice cubes!If you haven’t visited Averill Creek in person, you really need to. Besides great wine, Andy Johnston’s winery is visually stunning – crafted on four levels sloping down Mt. Prevost. The levels are fitted together so as to create a gravity flow method for handling the wine. The first (top) level of the winery is the grape reception pad. This flows to the press pad and ferment floor. After fermentation the wine flows by gravity to the blending floor and then to the barrel room. The wine ends up in barrel having never been pumped – helping to retain the identity and terroir of Cowichan Valley fruit. This is especially important for Averill Creek’s highly regarded Pinot Noir.Rating: (click here to see what our wine ratings mean)Red WineVancouver IslandWine Reviews SHARE VIA: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Written By: Treve Ring Treve Ring is a wine writer, editor, judge, consultant and certified sommelier, and has been with EAT Magazine for over a decade.\r\n\r\nIn addition to her work with EAT, she is a Wine Critic and National Judge for ... Read More You may also like Food Events / Food News September 18, 2019 EAT Buzz Up-Island & Tofino September|October 2019 The Buzz Up-Island It’s high time for festival season! I anticipate this time of the year all year long when fresh produce is in abundance, ... Read More Food Events / Food News July 3, 2019 EAT Buzz Up-island & Tofino July|August 2019 The Buzz Up-island July 2019 “First we EAT, then we do everything else”(M.K.Fisher) – at least I do anyway. Never short of ... Read More Events / Food News / Places June 27, 2019 City EATS July|August 2019 Summertime means eating al fresco, whether on one of our city’s many lovely outdoor patios or packing a picnic and heading to a park or ... Read More Events / Food News / Places May 3, 2019 City EATS May 2019 Summer is on the way! This seems like a good time to remind you about Victoria’s incredible small batch ice cream and frozen treat makers, just in ... Read More Events / Food News / Places May 3, 2019 The Buzz Tofino May 2019 16th Tofino Food & Wine Festival — 20 top chefs, 75 wineries and 21 breweries to indulge on June 7th – 9th. Friday kicks off The Cocktail ... Read More Events / Food News / Places May 3, 2019 The Buzz Up-island May 2019 Living on Vancouver Island is like living in paradise; however, I think Mother Nature is possibly going to test our resilience this season with ... Read More Comments are closed.
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