For 50 years Gray Monk Estate Winery has produced some of the Okanagan’s better-value wines. Their recently created Monk’s Blend, a mix of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, is quite earthy and could be mistaken for an Old World wine.
Juicy and smooth on the palate, it offers flavours of black cherry, plum and cassis that are framed in oak and lifted with hints of pepper and spice. Balanced and elegant, this would be great with a cassoulet. Its $23 price tag is more than fair.
Silky and harmonious and round on the palate, the light-bodied Cigar Box Pinot Noir is made by the Sur Andino winery in Chile’s cooler Casablanca Valley.
The standard cherry-berry notes associated with Pinot are a bit darker and more tart here, and augmented with hints of vanilla and spice. Hand-harvested from old vines, this off-dry wine nicely balances mild acidity and a trace of tannins and is ideal with chicken and lightly sauced pasta dishes. Attractively priced at just under $20.
At a recent dinner party, several wine-savvy attendees were very welcoming to a new guest from Chile – the Santa Carolina “El Pacto” Carmenere.
Sophisticated and complex, this nearly full-bodied wine proffers an array of dark red fruit flavours such as plum, cherry and raspberry, plus those classic Carmenere notes of green bell pepper and a touch of spice. Smooth and dry and a bit earthy, this calls out for grilled meats or a savoury shepherd’s pie. It’s solid value at $23. (The identically priced “El Pacto” Cabernet Sauvignon is also excellent.)
New Zealand’s Kim Crawford Wines Ltd. has been producing exciting wines for three decades and their Sauvignon Blanc has long been a global top seller.
Vividly crisp and juicy, it’s a Kiwi extrovert brimming with orchard fruit characteristics alongside lush tropical notes of passion fruit and lime. Medium-bodied and pale yellow, the wine has a lively acidity culminating with a delightfully long finish.
This goes mouthwateringly well with oysters, lobster or an array of salads. You won’t regret spending $25 for such a charmer.
(All prices include tax.)
