Written By Treve Ring Libations / Sparkling Wine Jun 19, 2010 Elephant Island Orchard Wines Pink Elephant & Stellaport SHARE VIA: Facebook Twitter Pinterest$25-35 Naramata, Okanagan Valley www.elephantislandwine.comA double header Drink? Sure! It’s Father’s Day, the sun is shining (sorry Okanagan), and these two celebratory wines are both delicious. And besides, do you really need a reason to drink pink bubble or luscious port? I didn’t think so.The more vintages I drink of Elephant Island, the more I am convinced that Miranda and Del Halladay’s orchard on Naramata Bench is one of BC’s top gems. That’s right – orchard. Elephant Island produces wine from premium, lovingly tended, heritage fruit – and it shows. Their credo: exceptional fruit – nothing else, stainless steel aging, and defining a style that suits the fruit. Cheers! Consulting winemaker Christine Leroux knows a lot about exceptional fruit, plus how to treat it. She trained at the L’Institut D’Oenologie de Bordeaux, and has work experience with Chateau Petrus, Chateau Margaux and Cassegrain. Just imagine that pedigree and expertise trained towards orchard fruit, rather than grapes.A true family affair, I thought Elephant Island would make a great Father’s Day Drink. It’s not easy to choose, however, so I’m offering up two for dear old dad (he’s worth it).Start off with a toast with Pink Elephant. Fun-loving sibling of Elephant Island’s cult and coveted The Little King, this is Okanagan Granny Smith cuvee, with some of EI’s sweet Cassis added in. Kir Royale anyone?? Bright salmon hue, bursting with bubbly flavours of apple, citrus, sweet cherry and red currant, with delicate floral notes and a crisp and dry cassis-scented finish. Bright, fresh and fun, a wonderful wine to start off the festivities.After dinner, when the cheese plate makes its appearance, bring out a bottle of this unique port-style wine. Stellaport is made from Stella cherries, picked extra-ripe and ultra sweet. Like Sherry, Stellaport is crafted in the traditional Solera method, a fractional blending process for aging wine. The finished product is a mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over the years. The 2009 release contains wine from every vintage reaching back to 2001, all of which have been resting and gaining complexity in French oak. A rich cassis and cocoa nose is followed by a velvet palate of jammy dark cherry, spice and dark chocolate. The finish goes on and on and on – very impressive.Dad deserves a double Drink. Happy Father’s Day!Rating: (click here to see what our wine ratings mean)By Treve Ring, Online DRINK EditorJune 19, 2010OkanaganSparkling WineWine 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 Beer / Beer & Cider / Drink / Events / Victoria March 24, 2019 A New Beer Society in Town Victoria Beer Week launched its sixth annual festival earlier this month, which ran from March 1-9. In addition to the festival returning for another ... Read More Beer / Wineries & Breweries February 4, 2019 Vancouver Island Brewery’s New Porter and New Re-Rebrand Vancouver Island Brewery unveils new porter along with their new re-rebrand Vancouver Island Brewery held a flight night last week, in part to ... Read More Causes / Events January 25, 2019 Blue Monday Pop-Up Bar – 100 Proof Blues January can be tough around these parts. In fact, it has come to be so globally known as such, that the third Monday of each January has ... Read More Cocktails / Events January 25, 2019 The Complete Bartender Competition 2019 Little Jumbo played host to Nimble Bar Co.’s The Complete Bartender Competition, January 16, 2019 Last Wednesday, I judged my first cocktail ... Read More Beer & Cider / Events / Victoria March 1, 2018 Victoria Beer Week launches its fifth year Victoria is once again readying itself to host the fifth annual Victoria Beer Week. As locals and beer geeks alike wet their palates for special ... Read More Coffee & Tea / Victoria December 18, 2017 Level Ground Trading Moves Up to New State-of-the-Art Headquarters Victoria, BC – Level Ground Trading, Victoria’s Fair Trade pioneer, is moving from their current location in Central Saanich, to a larger ... Read More Comments are closed.
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