There was a time, not too long ago, that January and February were the quiet months of the year. For restaurants in particular, you could roll the proverbial bowling ball through many a waiters section on any given night without fear of hitting a guest. Wine stores were also no stranger to a good hour (or few) without someone passing through. There was always Valentines Day to perk up business and wine sales around town, but it was hardly enough to provide the comfort in knowing you could pay your early-year rent and bills.
But, oh, the times have changed and this January and February is primed to be a hectic time in the wine world, hitting the ground running with the Sun Peaks Winter Festival of Wine, on from January 12 to 20, just north of Kamloops in the Okanagan. The particular fun with this wine festival is that it pairs outdoor winter sports with a host of (even more fun) indoor activities like winery dinners, a blind tasting party, a mountaintop fondue dinner and a BC Wine Awards Tasting (hosted by yours truly!)
Back to Vancouver, the annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival revs up on January 18, running through February 3. I like how Tourism Vancouver has expanded the festival from its popular $18/28/38 three-course menus (with BC VQA wine pairings) at over 240 restaurants, to add in ultra-affordable hotel stays, theatre events, a big street-food bash and more. Ill be part of the team on The Grape Debate, a UBC-produced event tackling the concept of BC having a signature grape variety, and co-hosting Vintage BC Wines How Old Can They Go? with Road 13s winemaker J-M Bouchard at Edible Canada. Fun, fun!
And then, of course, the elephant in the room: The Vancouver International Wine Festival. One of the worlds largest and most-acclaimed wine festivals, it stretches from February 25 to March 3 with California as this years theme region.
While theres much more coming your way about this, lets get to a couple wines for your weekend. As promised, after busting your budget with high-end Champagne tips, these first recommendations of 2013 come in under 15 bucks!
Backyard Vineyards 2011 Nosy Neighbour White | Okanagan/FraserValley, BC | $14.99
Blending Pinot Gris, Riesling, Siegerrebe and Gewürztraminer from both the Okanagan and Fraser Valley, this wine comes from Langleys Neck Of The Woods winery, so you can head on over to pick up a couple bottles and poke around the winery while youre there. A lively, aromatic blend that has enough weight to tackle some good, spicy Asian flavours. You can cheer up any grey, rainy day with its oodles of green apple, lychee, starfruit and anise. BackyardVineyards.ca
Santa Rita 120 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon | Central Valley, Chile | $12.99 | BC Liquor Stores
If you like Cabernet flavours like bell pepper, plum, currants and eucalyptus, but sometimes find them too savoury or stemmy, this always-reliable Chilean label provides a juicier version without even coming close to being an all-out fruit bomb. Plenty of structure with good acidity and nice, soft tannins make it a great, cheap addition to your repertoire.
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