Winery: Quails’ Gate
Vintage: 2008
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Alcohol: 12.5%
Blend: Chenin Blanc 92%, Sauvignon Blanc 8%
Tasting: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

To get the whole picture of Quail’s Gate Winery, we have to go back almost to the beginning of the 20^th Century.  Back to 1908, to be precise.  That is when Richard Stewart Sr. arrived in British Columbia from County Kildare in Ireland.  Richard had worked in the greenhouses of Lord Guinness in Ireland.  When he arrived in British Columbia, he set his eyes on some greenhouses in Gellatly Bay.  Together with his brother Bill, Richard started Stewart Brothers’ Nurseries in 1911.  That love of agriculture would be passed down through the decades.
In 1956 Richard’s son, Dick, purchased land on the slopes of Mt. Boucherie in Kelowna, “which is now the home of Quail’s Gate Winery”.  The first vines were planted in 1961.  The land also had orchards abound.  There were peaches, pears, apples, cherries and vineyards of table grapes too.  Dick knew that the land that he was so blessed to have would be “destined to be some of the most sought after vinifera vineyards in North America.”

Many years passed and Dick was starting to reach retirement.  Ben, Dick’s oldest son, came home and over the next ten years, together with his dad, transformed the whole property.  They went from a “grape grower to a wine producer”.

In 1992, Ben’s brother Tony joined him at the winery.  Both Tony, his brother and their sisters have worked hard to make this family farm into one of the most recognizable names in the Canadian wine industry.
Grant Stanley is the winemaker at Quails’ Gate.  Grant is a Vancouver native, but was trained in winemaking in New Zealand.  He returned to North America and then worked in Oregon honing his Pinot Noir winemaking skills.  He started working at Quails’ Gate in 2003.

The winery has a relatively short history, but people have taken notice of this family owned winery.  Wine Enthusiast magazine gave their 2005 Quails’ Gate Family Reserve Pinot Noir 93 Points. Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc was served to President Barack Obama during his first state visit to Canada in February 2009.  What an honour indeed!!

Talking about Chenin Blanc… that is exactly what we will be tasting this week.  It isn’t a grape that we hear a lot about.  The grape originally came from France.  It is grown extensively in the Loire Valley in France. Chenin Blance makes some wonderful wine going from dry to quite sweet and even some sparkling wine.

The 2008 Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc is a remarkable white wine that tastes nice and juicy fresh.  Lemons and limes for sure, but also some gooseberry.  The gooseberry most likely comes from the Sauvignon Blanc in the wine.  When you taste it, you get the nice fruit taste with the crispness of the acidity.  It left me wanting more after the first sip.

Food Pairing:

Oysters (especially British Columbia Oysters); chicken with a cream sauce; roasted pork stuffed with fruit; fish prepared with lemon.

CSPC:     391854
Price:

$19.99 (minus Winesday 10% discount)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Next week we will be staying in Canada as well as travelling across the pond to good ol’ Ireland.  We will get lots of air miles for this trip!

Come join us for St. Patrick’s Day.