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Wow, I can’t believe that July is coming to an end and I can’t believe it has been a month since I sat down to sip and share a BC Wine.  Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed many wines this summer and the good thing is that summer is not over yet!!!  I sought out a red for this evening as I had Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti on the menu.  To my surprise, I found this wine and a few more for a price of less than $20.00.  So, the next few wines I feature, will all be priced below $20.00. 

I should have decanted this Merlot, as I believe all Merlot could use decanting.  I have packed my decanter and couldn’t begin to look for it, so  I poured the wine chose to let it  sit  for a moment.  As I draw the wine to my nose, the dark fruit and oak are very apparent.  On the Palate are flavours of Dark Cherry, Oak and a small hint of Vanilla.  The tannins are a medium +  in this full-bodied wine.  The finish has a hint of cocoa and   originally I believed the finish to be somewhat short, however, when the wine gets a chance to sit and breathe, the finish is quite long and delightful.   I have tasted some high-priced BC wines in the past, and am pleased to say that the lower priced wines are just as enjoyable.  Price shouldnt dictate the wine you choose to drink, and I am will be the first to say that I used to price purchase.  The more I explore the lower dollar BC wines, the more surprised and pleased I become.  This is a very enjoyable wine and for the price, you can afford two bottles!!

I found a little Irony today as I chose this wine off the shelf.  My first thoughts were, I love blends and I need to try this.  The more I thought about it, The title “Misconduct, The Big Take” made me laugh.  Afterall, Life is Ironic. 

I wont bore you with the details, but I will say that this wine impresses.  This blend is 69% Merlot,24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cab Franc and aged 12 months in both french and hungarian oak.  I should have aerated this wine, but chose to pour it and let it sit for a bit.  When I got back to it, an aroma of ripe fruits and oak hit me.  On the palate I had ripe raspberry, cherry and something that has a  very distinct flavour to it.  On the label it says boysenberries, and that’s probably what it is jumping out to the forefront, but the more I   sipped, I  couldn’t be sure.  When the wine opened up, it surprised me with smooth tannins and a long finish of chocolate.  I love the name, the front label is very artistic with some humour included and the back label has a great story to read.   The alcohol is 13.9% .   This is a great blend at a reasonable price point.  Enjoy!

Misconduct; something is seen as unacceptable but is not a criminal offense e.g. deceptive manipulation; re: Wikipedia

LOL

Tonight was Spaghetti Night!  I cannot fathom such a meal without a great Red to accompany it.  I always choose a Merlot as my spaghetti is chalked full of tomatoes and beef.  The tannins offset the acidity from the tomatoes and the oak seems to be tamed by the ground beef.  I could just sit and sniff this wine, as I love the aromas of dark plum and cherry.  As the wine opens up, the oak settles down becoming softer on the nose and  gives off an aroma of truffles.   The flavours of this Merlot are of dark pit fruit and a hint of strawberry.  The tannins are great and the finish is long. 

The winery NK`MIP is pronounced INKAMEEP and they are located in Osoyoos.  The label explains that throughout the OK Valley, there are hundreds of caves with pictographs in them, which is evidence of cultures from thousands of years ago.  INKAMEEP is a band in Osoyoos which has descended from this time.  The name means “place where the creek joins the lake“. 

I really enjoyed this Merlot and thought the price was reasonable.  I will sip this wine again!

PS:  I would like to thank Dwight from Staggs Hollow.  He had contacted me regarding the blend of Con-Fusion.  I was a little off on my prediction.  However, here it is:

I am glad you enjoyed the wine.
The actual blend is 34.5% Gewürztraminer / 21.5% Pinot Gris / 19% Verdelet / 15% Riesling / 6% Muscat / 4% Viognier.

Thanks again Dwight!  I appreciate the feedback.

I didn’t intend to sip any wine tonight, but I found myself at a local grocery store, that just happen to be right beside a great local VQA store.  I couldn’t pass by without stopping in.  There is some kind of electricity in the air lately.  I am  not sure if it is that the sun has been shining, the fact that it is spring, the four-day Easter weekend coming up or all three combined.  In any event, a white wine was on the menu.  Also on the menu was a Dijon Crusted Pork Tenderloin, fresh boiled beets, steamed green beans, golden nugget potatoes tossed in butter and chives and a dollop of apple sauce on the side.  Yummy!!  I opened the wine while preparing dinner and  I have to say that preparing a meal and sipping wine is my favorite part of the process.  When I purchased the wine, my first thought was that the cooler that it came from was far colder than it should be for the wines, so I let it sit on the counter while setting out the ingredients for the meal.  If the wine is too chilled, the aromas are muted as are the flavours.  This probably wouldn’t be too much of a concern if your wine was a Pinot Grigio, but with this wine being a blend of six varietals, I want all the aromas to shine through.  So, when I opened the wine, I was delighted to smell tropical fruits, citrus and a touch of honey.  Upon first tasting the wine, my immediate thought was this was a blend that had to include Viognier and Chenin Blanc.  The floral components along with the buttery finish of honey, citrus and pineapple screamed of it.  This white wine is dry with residual sugar and is very well-balanced with nice acidity.   I did continue sipping this throughout the meal and I thought it was a fair pairing.  The wines acidity came through more predominately and I am guessing because of the apple sauce on the pork, but none the less, they were both enjoyable.  Now back to the six blends, I f I had to guess, I would suggest the six varietals in this blend are Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Semillon, Sauv Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay.   This wine is easy to drink and delightful just on its own.  I could imagine sipping this wine,  chilled, on a patio in the sunshine, amongst friends or at a family gathering of a ham dinner.   So with the sun shining and Easter upon us, I think I may just stop by my favorite little VQA store and pick up a bottle of Con-Fusion to celebrate Easter Dinner with the family.   Savor your sips!

The plan for this Merlot, was a Saturday night meal of Spaghetti, Garlic Naan Bread and a great movie.  Well, there was a change of plans, as Saturday Night turned out to be a girls night out!  So, now that Monday has come to an end, I thought I would skip the food pairing tonight and sit, relax and sip this wine.  After allowing the wine to breathe, I couldn’t stop sniffing the fabulous aromas of dark, ripe cherry and plum.  Subtle oak and spice are apparent on the nose and this makes the wine that more inviting.  On the palate, this Merlot is light bodied with subtle tannins and a great lingering finish of fruit.  The longer it breathes, the more it opens up and it probably would be a good idea to decant.  For the price, this is a great find.  I feel it would pair nicely with a simple meal of steak, spaghetti or pizza.  As I am sipping this wine, I watched my glass and this wine has legs!  Not only on the label, but in the glass.  The alcohol content is 14.2%, that explains it!  I think this wine would have been appropriate to drink with the girls on Saturday night. “Strut, Red Over Heels” and the label itself is saucy and fun, so why not have fun drinking it!  Next time it is girls night out, I may just start it off with “Red Over Heels”!!!!!

Savor your sips.

After a very active day, I decided the kids and I deserved a treat.  I set in motion a menu of homemade ceaser salad, sautéed garlic prawns and grilled steak. That was the kids treat, my treat was this blend, and it could not have complimented this meal better.  I have said this before, blends are my true favorites.  Oliver Block 249 Red is composed of 55% Merlot, 25% Shiraz, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.   I poured a glass  to breathe while doing the finishing touches on dinner.  Torture to let it sit, but worth the wait.  After my first bite of steak, I raised my glass and closed my eyes as the aroma of oak, cocoa  and  cherry reminded me of some great steakhouse visits.  This is a very well-balanced wine with soft tannins, nice acidity and great flavours of licorice and red fruits.  The finish is long, even though the over usage of garlic in the salad keeps trying to take over!  Overall, the meal was simple with some great flavours and the wine shone through all of them.  I would definitely recommend this wine and will always keep it in mind for future steak dinners. 

 When choosing my wines ( there is a huge selection) to blog about,    I  look for some sign on the label, whether it be humour or relevant to life’s stages.  Fork In the Road just seemed so appropriate to me at this time.   After turning right for so long, sometimes you have to turn left.

**this price is approximate as I misplaced the receipt.