Here we are in 2021 - and thank goodness for that! 2020 has been a very challenging year so I am glad it is behind us.

However, there is a rumour that in the Okanagan, at least, 2020 was a fantastic year for wine grapes! Who knows? It was also a great year for many wineries in the Okanagan thanks to big increases in direct to winery sales. Hey, we've got to do something during a pandemic!

Since the summer, I have been trying to focus on non-domestic wines. Why? During the summer - basically, during my wine guiding season - I spend a lot of time visiting, researching and buying Okanagan wine. I really enjoy our local wine but it is good to get out and try some wines from different places.

And there are some pretty great deals, as well!

The first area to look at is Argentina. Argentina is the number 6 (that's right, 6) producer of wine in the world! Mendoza is the main area but there are many other areas including San Juan, La Rioja, and Salta. The king of grapes in Argentina is Malbec. It is one of the six grapes allowed in Bordeaux, France, but it dropped in popularity after a frost in the 1950s killed off 75% of the crop. You mainly find Malbec in Cahors in France - and I have reviewed an excellent wine from that region (Chateau Eugenie).

That said, the two wines that I am going to look at from Argentina are not straight Malbec. One is a red blend and the other is a Chardonnay.

The 2018 Alamos Chardonnay is made by a big producer in Argentina but, if you look on their website, they only list their red wines. The price was a mere $15 which can be a good thing - but can also be a warning sign.

Appearance - Clean, medium, lemon in colour

Nose - Clean, medium intensity of aroma, aromas of vanilla, stone fruits (peach, apricot, buttered popcorn, banana, lemon, fig, vanilla, butter, and cheese.

Palate - Very fruity (almost off dry), medium acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium plus intensity of flavour, medium finish, and flavours of vanilla, stone fruits, buttery popcorn, lemon and cheese.

Evaluation - This tasted like a vanilla and popcorn bomb. Unfortunately is was not balanced at all, had OK length, had good intensity but was not overly complex. I would rate this wine as Acceptable. The vanilla and popcorn flavours just overpowered this wine for me. I was eating a stinky cheese from France and this wine did not pair well with it. My wife did not enjoy this wine either and we ended up pouring it down the drain.

Next!

The 2017 Clos de Los Siete ($27) was a red Bordeaux style blend from Mendoza made from Malbec (54), Merlot (18), Cab Sauv (13), Syrah (8), Cab Franc (4), and Petit Verdot (2).

Appearance - Clear, deep, ruby

Nose - Clean, pronounced intensity with aromas of cooked fruit, raspberry, cranberry, strawberry, plum, blackberry, blueberry, sultana raisins, green pepper, violets, cloves, cedar, fig, earth.

Palate - This dry wine had medium plus intensity of flavour, medium plus acidity and tannins, high alcohol, medium body, and a medium finish. There were flavours of cooked fruits, dark fruits, forest floor, fig, cooked fruits, cedar, charred wood and pepper.

Evaluation - This was a great, bold wine. It had a balanced taste profile with OK length, strong intensity of flavour, and complex flavours. I rated this wine as Very Good. It would pair well with beef, lamb or a nice, strong cheddar.

The other two wines are from Australia. Australia has many wine regions (thank goodness they weren't all on my WSET 3 exam!) and include the Yarra Valley, Hunter Valley, Barossa Valley, Coonawara and McLaren Vale - and this is only a smattering of the many regions. In fact, Australia is the number 5 producer - one ahead of Argentina! In recent years, Australia has been moving away from jammy, bulk wines to making some of the best examples of some varietals in the world. Now, they have climate change to deal with.... The wines I tried were both from the McLaren Vale.

The first wine is the 2018 Penny's Hill Black Chook from the McLaren Vale which is made of 96% Shiraz and 4% Viognier. Mixing a bit of Viognier in with the Shiraz (or Syrah) is a Northern Rhone practice and it really brings out some great flavours in the Shiraz. It is one of my favourite blends so I was pretty excited about trying this one.

Appearance - Clear, deep, ruby.

Nose - Clean, medium plus intensity, aromas of blackberry, blueberry, baked fruit, black pepper, green pepper, violets, black plum, smoke, leather, earth and cloves. Basically fruit and spice.

Palate - Dry, medium intensity, medium plus acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium minus finish. Flavours of blackberry, black pepper, black plum, smoke, spice, earth, and coffee.

Evaluation - This wine has so many things going on with the nose but it was a bit disappointing that many of those aromas did not make it into the palate. The balance was Ok, the length was not great, it had Ok complexity and some intensity of flavours. It was a smooth wine that was good with food and I rated this one as Good (but I was definitely disappointed).

The other wine from Australia - and the last for today's blog - was a 2019 Take It To The Grave (on sale at BC Liquor right now for $16) made from 100% Grenache. Grenache is a wine that is often found in a blend, such as from the Southern Rhone, but I don't usually have it as a single varietal. It ripens late so needs to have hot weather - so is perfect for Southern Australia.

Appearance - Clear, medium, ruby

Nose - Clean, medium intensity, red plum, raspberry, strawberry, floral, jamminess, toast, smoke, cloves.

Palate - Dry, medium acid, medium minus tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium plus intensity, medium plus length, Flavours of plum, raspberry, jam, fruitiness, toast, red liquorice, pepper, cranberries, craisins,

Evaluation - Although I thought this would be an OK wine, it turned out that this was a really enjoyable, smooth, easy drinking wine. I could sit on the terrace and drink this all day! The balance was good as was the complexity while the length and intensity were both excellent. This food wine (or just slurping wine) was rated as Very Good. Great value, too!

That's it for now - Happy New Year and Cheers to 2021!