Grape Squeeze

September 24th 2011 marked the Third Annual Rainbow International Wine Festival in Chilliwack B.C., and after being coaxed, teased, and lured for the two prior years I realized that the third time was lucky and decided to attend.

The event is organized by Deanna Wardell who is the manager of the private liquor store at the Best Western Rainbow Country Inn in Chilliwack. It is held in the Inn’s banquet room adjacent to the hotel and liquor store. Although this event is three years old now, this was the first time that Deanna had organized a trade tasting, which is a sort of pre-event-event where people in the wine industry can taste the wines and interact with each other prior to the main event. I know that I’m lucky that I get to do it this way, as opposed to extending my glass through the crowds of wine-soaked wine lovers to try to get a splash of white or red from the person behind the table.

The atmosphere in the room was intimate and welcoming. The focal point was a beautiful food station in the centre of the room where the Rainbow Country Inn’s Executive Chef was able to showcase his skills. Tables were set up around the room with wines from as close by as the Fraser and Okanagan Valleys, to as far away as Australia, Europe, and South Africa. A little under half of the samples were white while red wine made up the remainder of the offerings; we were also given sips of sparkling wine, Icewine, and Port style wine. Two breweries were represented from the opposite coasts of Canada and a Scotch whisky table was set up for aficionados of that particular elixir.

I brought my little sister to the Wine Festival. Linda has been an accessory to many a wine soaked adventure in my life so I knew that we would have fun together there. We tasted, and I spit while she did not. There were so many great wines but I think the one that stood out the most for me was the Fairview Cellars Wrath. What makes it so special is that it came about as an extraordinary blessing after a natural near-disaster. When Fairview’s Cabernet Sauvignon was almost ready to harvest a section of it was hit by a hail storm; ice pellets struck and split the grape skins. Ordinarily this would begin the process of decay and the damaged grapes would have to be discarded. In this circumstance however, a warm breeze blew over the vineyards following the hail storm, drying the broken grapes and naturally extracting some of their liquid. These dried grapes were used along with the undamaged Cabernet Sauvignon to craft a wine that is in every way like an Amarone. It is rich and concentrated with sweet black fruit and cigar-box oak flavours baptized by the suggestion of dark molten chocolate framed in the silkiest of tannins. The impression the wine leaves lingers long after the liquid disappears. This sample of heaven tasted like a benediction.

When our allotted time was done, I was saddened by the fact that we had not been able to taste every single one of the wines in the room. I supported my tipsy sister to the car and drove us over to visit our mother for a while before Linda was ready to head back home to Abbotsford. There, my mother shared sobering opinions about Linda’s boots and my dress, my lifestyle, and the power of prayer.

Next year will mark the Fourth Annual Rainbow International Wine Festival in Chilliwack. I intend to recommend this event to all of my wine friends!