Okanagan Wines for Calgarians, Part 2: Patio Whites

A natural extension of the rose piece in Part 1 is to talk about the whites that you can sip all on their own, a.k.a. the patio whites. While I'm usually all about food, these wines can simply pair with a brutal day at the office. Also, as Calgary consumer, I think "hot tub white" is a just as or more suitable a moniker for these wines 9 months of the year.

Three things my wife and I look for in an Okanagan patio sipper are 1) a huge perfumey bouquet, 2) some residual sugar, and 3) low acidity (lest I get a rumbly tummy). Gewurztraminer is a prototypical grape for a patio sipper from the OK valley, as it characteristically has a floral nose, and is left a bit sweet by winemakers. From our picks though, you might be surprised to find out that almost any white grape can yield these patio sipper traits. Now without further ado, from most off-dry to least...

Dirty Laundry is famous for cranking out patio sipping Gewurztraminers year after year, and the Summerland winery's wares are widely available in Alberta. Of the three Gewurz wines they offer, my favorite is the 2013 Woo-Woo ($20).  It seems a bit thicker and more floral than the others, with a bit less acid.

Many people love to hate Chardonnay, even unoaked ones. If there's no lobster on the table, I'm usually one of them. Deep Roots 2013 Chardonnay ($22) though breaks every Chardonnay stereotype, with a bit of spice on the tongue, a fair bit of sweetness, and aromas of tropical fruit. Although it has a fair bit of sweetness, it still has a nice clean finish, unlike many Chardonnays that have lingering buttery texture due to full secondary malolactic fermentation.

Wild Goose's Autumn Gold ($19) is aptly named, consistently winning gold medals at various and assorted competitions over the last 25(!) years. We pick one up on every trip through Okanagan Falls. A blend of Riesling, Gewurz, and Pinot Blanc, it tastes tropical much like the Deep Roots Chardonnay, and tastes about as sweet, but is thicker and more cloyingly sweet on the finish.

Go to any other tasting room in the valley and say "we were at this place with a really, really big dog...", and you'll invariably get the response "oh, you mean Desert Hills". The dog in question is a Mastiff called Ali, definitely not the delicious 2013 Gewurz ($23) from this smaller winery in Oliver. While floral and sweet like the previous wines, on this one I get distinct aromas of stone fruits like apricots and peaches. There is a bit of a tingly acid punch on the finish with this one, for those really hot days when that constitutes "refreshing".

Last time we were at La Frenz on Naramata Bench, we were accosted by other patrons in the parking lot for buying the last bottle of 2013 Alexandria ($20) white blend. This year we were just lucky that they hadn't sold out by the August long weekend. Since they were down to the last couple of cases, they weren't tasting this year's, but like the Autumn Gold it's quite consistent year to year. Thick, with a big floral nose, honey and raisin on the palate. A nice patio wine, but I've also had this with a cheese fondue for apres ski. #nomnomnom

8th Generation in Summerland is a perennial favorite of ours, and the fact that this and some other wineries recognize us was a sign to take a 2013 BC wine hiatus (went to Walla Walla, WA & Alexander Valley, CA instead). Some years we get the Syrah (good for cellaring) or the Pinot Meunier rose, but this year we picked up the 2012 Riesling. Almost colourless (is there any in the glass to the right?), it's off-dry (1) with more acidity than the other wines mentioned here, and a clean finish. You could pair this with some scallops seared in a nice brown butter.

Straddling the patio sipper/pair with food divide even more is a trio of wines to round out this post.  First, Little Straw's 2012 Tapestry ($17) is a blend of five grapes with Gewurz predominating. It has the Gewurz nose, is fruity and off-dry, but has a hint of woody complexity on the palate that makes it go nice with savoury white meats like a spit roasted chicken, or a tomato based pasta sauce (acid vs. sweet). You can drink it after a year, but I've cellared it for up to four years and it just got better.

The second straddling sipper is Silk Scarf's 2013 Ensemble Blanc ($21).  It's hard to say enough nice things about this small Summerland winery. Last time we bought their unique saignee Viognier varietal, but this year that wine and another white were sold out already. It's also the only winery we went to that suggested tasting red wines before white wines (which I agree with wholeheartedly).  Like the Tapestry, the Ensemble has the patio sipper traits, but is edging towards dry, with more structure including a balance of minerality, stone fruit and a hint of green apple tartness. Fish's natural partner.

Finally, La Stella makes another appearance (see Part 1) with their Piedmont style 2013 Moscato d'Osoyoos ($20). This ever so slightly effervescent off-dry white comes in a 500mL format, so you don't have to feel guilty about polishing off a whole bottle so quickly :-) It's pretty sweet, but I've left until last because it really would stand up to food well. Huge orange blossom nose, with a bit of spice and only a slightly lingering finish, it would be a great accompaniment to a Pad Thai or a spicy curry.

Well, that's it for now...sweet dreams, oenophiles. Stay tuned for part 3 of Okanagan Wines for Calgarians: Tapas Whites.