During the pandemic, one becomes aware that a lot of the joys of life are on hold. Some things however are widely available such as good food and wine. Although I’ve missed our wonderful Vancouver International Wine Festival that normally occurs in late winter, there are some tastings that have come to me via Zoom.
And thanks to Time I was able to taste and learn more about their 2018 wines from general manager Christa-Lee McWatters, operations manager Darrien McWatters, winemaker Lynzee Schatz, and hospitality manager Kimberly Hundertmark.
We began by toasting International Women’s Day with a glass of Evolve Pink Effervescence ($19.99). Christa-Lee McWatters discussed this bubbly, “There are very few days that go by when I don’t consume our pink Effervescence. This is a blend of Pinot Blanc and a little bit of Merlot.”
McWatters added, “We think the Merlot gives a little bit of strawberry-watermelon character, still maintaining all of that fresh apple-pear character of the Pinot Blanc. This wine is meant to be very fresh fruit forward. Easy drinking. Tastes like more!” Full of delightful effervescence, Evolve is a perfect way to toast the arrival of Spring which begins tomorrow.
McWatters stated that the winery’s values have always been family, authenticity, and honesty. Having known her dad, Harry McWatters since the early 1980’s I can attest that here was a wine ambassador extraordinaire who embodied these values.
Another wine from the tasting was the Time 2018 Viognier ($22.99). The Viognier comes from two vineyards at opposite ends of the Okanagan Valley, the Osoyoos vineyard in the south and the Naramata Vineyard in the north.
Darrien McWatters explained why she chose those vineyards, “Taking those two and creating this blend, you certainly are getting more ripeness from the south and you bring in the acidity from Naramata. I love this wine when it’s freshly bottled. It's a nice crisp wine choice with amazing fruit. And I love it years later because it just becomes more complex. It’s probably my favourite white!”
The aromatic nose of stone fruit is fresh and full of summer in a glass. There are peach, subtle herbal notes, with lively acidity plus richness and lushness thanks to the ripe fruit and the oak. And it ends on a tangerine finish.
Want to bring out the best in Viognier? Enjoy it with dishes flavoured with citrus, almonds, and aromatic herbs like tarragon or Thai basil.
Today’s red wine is the Time 2018 Syrah ($39.99). “My favourite red is our Syrah,” explained Darrien McWatters. “I just love the mouth feel…it’s soft and it’s something I could probably have more than one bottle of.”
McWatters discussed more about 100-per-cent Syrah grown in Osoyoos, “When it comes to wine I rate a lot of wines on the Yum factor. This one is very, very high on the Yum factor. This is my absolute go-to red!”
I was also impressed with Time Syrah, which displays a complex aroma of black and blue fruit with a splash of vanilla. There’s also a good measure of umami with cracked black pepper.
The flavour has blackberry and blueberry fruit and roasted meat, with smooth tannins and a sprinkling of cinnamon. I would go Moroccan with a lamb tagine with apricots, cinnamon, and saffron, served with couscous: . Yum!
Today’s wines are available at VQA stores and private liquor stores as well as online on their website.
