“This delightful wine presents aromatic characters of cranberries, cherries, and apple pie infused with subtle notes of nutmeg. Sip and enjoy juicy, ripe red raspberries and candied apples on the palate in this refreshing blend of red and white wine. This Peju innovation is a crowd-pleaser, perfect for barbecues, lazy Sundays, Thanksgiving dinner or any occasion when red wine seems like too much and white wine not quite enough.” -winery tasting notes

Cellar Hand 2010 Punch Down red wine (BC) – “…is a blend of 45% Syrah, 28% Merlot and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon….An elegant nose of black cherries, clove and cracked pepper with sweet nutty undertones.  Mouth filling cherry and red fruits are accompanied by vanilla and a hint of black pepper on the palate.  Fresh and lively with well integrated tannin and a lengthy harmonious finish.” – tasting notes

Luigi Bosca de Sangre (Argentina)- “Dark, bright red. Currant, licorice and graphite aromas lifted by violet. Sweet, rich and juicy, with good energy to the flavors of black fruits, licorice and violet. Higher-pitched and more primary than most of the current Luigi Bosca reds, showing less nutty oak today. Finishes with a firm tannic structure and very good length.”   90 POINTS – STEPHEN TANZER’s  JAN/FEB 2011 

The J. Lohr ‘Riverstone’ Chardonnay is “…a full-bodied Chardonnay with a balance of fruit and oak toastiness and a palate-cleansing acidity.”  (website)

Winemaker’s Comments:  This elegant Chardonnay has an attractive pale strawyellow color. The aromas are of pear, apple and stone fruits, combined with a perfumed roasted hazelnut and butterscotch bouquet from the barrel fermentation  and sur lie aging. The flavors are very soft with ripe pear, tangelo citrus and vanilla toastiness, producing layers of complexity with a silky balance of fresh fruit acidity and palate-weight. —Jeff Meier, winemaker

Food Pairings:  This wine is excellent with roasted chicken, linguine with clam sauce and Dungeness crab.

This wine will be in stock on Friday April 27.  (sorry to get your hopes up too early)

The Blasted Church Big Bang Theory VQA 2010 (Canada) is a light to medium bodied wine with a powerful explosion of flavours.  It consists of:  Pinot Noir (42%), Merlot (38%), Lemberger (8%), Cab Franc (3%), Malbec (7%), and Syrah (2%).

Colour: Maroon.

Bouquet: Coffee, mocha, vanilla, cherry, raspberry, strawberry, violets and cloves.

Palate:  Medium bodied leading in with earthy, mineral notes followed by black cherry, sweet oak, mocha, vanilla ending to a toasty finish.

Food Pairings:  Pork belly with lentils, Escargot, rabbit with mustard sauce, Bacon cheese burger or Pizza (any flavor).

I paired this wine with an Easter dinner of ham with mustard sauce.  Very good.