As you can see from the photo, this bottle is empty. I drank the whole thing myself because I didn't want to share it. Don't worry, I bought more than one bottle, so other people were able to partake. This was a stunning 2008 Pinot Noir from Prospect Winery, Okanagan Valley (yes, that's the Canadian spelling) VQA called Fats Johnson Pinot Noir. On a recent trip to British Columbia, I ducked into a wine shop in downtown Victoria first thing in the morning while looking for breakfast and I found this gem. Of course, the pinot noir grape is most associated with Oregon and the Burgundy region, but at least in the Northwest, B.C. wines, especially pinots, are slowly becoming higher profile it seems.
But I haven't seen any sold in the U.S. - you must sojourn to British Columbia or Alberta to purloin this gem. And by purloin, I don't mean you should literally steal it, but I do mean the Fats Johnson Pinot Noir is a steal at $18.99 $Canadian. The label claims that this wine boasts bright cherry and strawberry notes which mingle with a delicious hint of spice, that it is medium bodied and highly versatile - perfect with a range of foods or delicious on its own. I agree with everything in that description. And it seems to have a distinctive style quite different from Oregon pinot noirs. This is a great sipping wine, but was also spectacular with seared scallops.
The Okanagon Valley is a Canadian VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) region in B.C. VQA is the regulatory and appellation system which guarantees the high quality and authenticity of origin for Canadian wines crafted under that system in B.C. and Ontario, similar to DOCG in Italy or AOC in France. I long to try other B.C. pinot noirs. I ran across a venue that offers vineyard tours in B.C. called Salt Spring Vineyards, so next time I wend my way up to Vancouver Island I plan to look them up. They aren't in the Okanagon Valley, they are on an island between Victoria and Vancouver, but they also make a pinot noir and I'm intrigued.
But I haven't seen any sold in the U.S. - you must sojourn to British Columbia or Alberta to purloin this gem. And by purloin, I don't mean you should literally steal it, but I do mean the Fats Johnson Pinot Noir is a steal at $18.99 $Canadian. The label claims that this wine boasts bright cherry and strawberry notes which mingle with a delicious hint of spice, that it is medium bodied and highly versatile - perfect with a range of foods or delicious on its own. I agree with everything in that description. And it seems to have a distinctive style quite different from Oregon pinot noirs. This is a great sipping wine, but was also spectacular with seared scallops.
The Okanagon Valley is a Canadian VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) region in B.C. VQA is the regulatory and appellation system which guarantees the high quality and authenticity of origin for Canadian wines crafted under that system in B.C. and Ontario, similar to DOCG in Italy or AOC in France. I long to try other B.C. pinot noirs. I ran across a venue that offers vineyard tours in B.C. called Salt Spring Vineyards, so next time I wend my way up to Vancouver Island I plan to look them up. They aren't in the Okanagon Valley, they are on an island between Victoria and Vancouver, but they also make a pinot noir and I'm intrigued.
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