Creston, British Columbia
An autumn afternoon of abundance
Skimmerhorn Winery & Vineyard in Creston fulfills grape expectations
Garden delights: Many of the greens in the bistro’s salads come from the winery’s garden. Click here to view our gallery—photo by Tanya Laing Gahr
The verdant Creston Valley is known for its agricultural abundance. Orchard fruits, cheeses, breads, chocolates—and the famous Kokanee beer at the Columbia Brewery—are all produced here. One of the most recent and surprising additions to the cornucopia of food and drink is Skimmerhorn Winery & Vineyard, now in its fourth vintage year.
I’ve written about my love affair with good wines before, and I’m developing quite a fondness for B.C. wines recently. And I’m not the only one—B.C. vintages are winning awards across the world. Skimmerhorn can add its name to the wineries receiving accolades.
A relaxed vibe
Rusty and I took a day trip out to Creston in mid-September to visit the winery after we were invited by Marleen Hoag, who owns Skimmerhorn Winery & Vineyard with her husband, Al. The winery’s bistro is open during the summer and early autumn months when the weather compels you to sit outside. The deck overlooks the vineyard that in September is heavy with grapes. Delicious, delicious grapes.
The vineyard and bistro sit on a southward facing hill, from which you can see the Kootenay River valley down to Idaho, as well as surrounding orchards and other vineyards in production. The most arresting sight, though, are the Skimmerhorns—for which the winery is named. The sheer, dramatic mountain formation just to the east creates a backdrop to the property that can take you out of time and place. Sitting on the deck, looking over the rows upon rows of abundant vines, we had to remind ourselves that we were sitting in a place that was just an hour’s drive away from our home. The relaxed vibe is distinctly Canadian but worldly as well.
Taking a taste
The wine tasting is the first order of business. Would that were the way it went in other areas of life: before business meetings, after business meetings, during business meetings. I digress. Susan Barnes runs the tasting bar and walks you through the available wines—from the crystal clear and refreshingly dry Gewürtztraminer to the inky, complex Marechal Foch. The wines are all distinct from one another and Barnes is skilled in advising you how to pair your wine with your meal.
Even though I’m a oenophile, I’ve never taken the time to understand how to pair wines with food and didn’t put much stock in the practice. This past year, however, has been an epiphany for me as well-versed sommeliers gently explain how the right vintage enhances the flavour of both the meal and the wine. It’s always worth asking, in my experience. And Barnes was happy to explain why one wine would be complementary to certain foods.
Cuisine to die for
Geoff Little is the chef at the bistro, and the food he prepares is receiving justifiable rave reviews. We asked our server, Elke Heltman, what she would recommend for lunch and she started us out with a shared appetizer, the plowman’s plate. This was an assortment of local cheeses from the Kootenay Alpine Cheese Factory, meats from Famous Fritz, olive bread from the Creston Valley Bakery and mixed greens grown in the Hoags’ garden. For lunch, I ordered the chicken and cremini mushroom-stuffed crêpes, which were paired with the 2007 Ortega—a perfect balance. Rusty had the Mediterranean quiche with his brand new very favourite wine, Autumn Tryst. Rusty’s relationship with wine could be described as indifferent, but he took to the Autumn Tryst like Daffy Duck takes to water. He sampled, he slurped and he sighed. I have to admit to a strange jealousy. He used to look at me like that.
For dessert, we shared the chocolate almond torte, which was paired with the Marechal Foch. After nothing was left but crumbs and dregs, Al gave us a tour of the vineyard and facilities where the wine is made. The Siegerrebe grapes were almost at their peak, and we sampled a few of them. I once heard a wine grape grower describe the table grapes you get in the grocery store as “bags of water,” and after a mouthful of Siegerrebes, I knew exactly what he meant.
Creating something special
Al is a life-long farmer, so even though he only began growing grapes six years ago, he’s very familiar with what is necessary and is becoming quite adept at understanding the artistry behind creating a beautiful wine. Still, he and Marleen use a professional winemaker, Mark Rattray from New Zealand, to ensure the high quality of their products and that quality lingers on your tongue. Or, if you’re like me, it lingers in that spot in your brain right behind your eyes—but baby, it’s worth it.
We left the winery with a bottle each—Autumn Tryst for Rusty and the Pinot Noir for me. On our way home, we stopped at the bakery to get two loaves of the delicious olive bread, and we picked out some local cheeses and produce at a nearby open market. It was an enchanting, perfect, early fall afternoon—a day of abundance.
Wine tasting 101—Tips from Skimmerhorn Winery & Vineyard on how to sample wine like an expert:
- OBSERVE: Hold the wine glass by its base or stem at a 45-degree angle so as to keep from heating or leaving fingerprints on the bowl. Hold the glass against a white background and assess the wine’s clarity, colour, hue and intensity. The wine should be clear and pleasing to the eye.
- SMELL: Bring the glass to within an inch of the end of your nose and inhale (nose) once and deeply (more than one deep inhalation will provide little in the way of additional aromatic perspective). The aroma should be pleasant and inviting.
- SWIRL & SMELL: Swirl the sample in your glass to the best of your ability and before it stops swirling completely take a single second inhalation just like the first. The aroma should be pleasant and inviting—only more intense than before. Swirling introduces oxygen into the wine by increasing the surface area of wine exposed to it.
- TASTE/MOUTHFEEL: Take a small sip and hold the wine in the mouth while introducing air—don’t be afraid to make rude noises! Keep the wine in your mouth and run it over all parts of your tongue so as to get all of your taste buds in on the act. You should feel tempted to take a second sip.
- ASSESS: Spit out the sample and make your assessment as to flavour profile, mouthfeel and length. The wine should linger on the palate in a pleasant manner after having been spat. A pleasant aftertaste should remain. The final conclusion is yours.
