Richmond Review ·· Page Page 13 13
Friday, February 20, 2015
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Welc Welcome elcccome to the driver’s seat
Visit the Acura MDX tour our gallery at DrivewayCanada.ca
Braving the winter in search of summer wine The long straights in Through rain, fog, snow Manning Park temptand ice, we drove in ed me to open up the search of Syrah in the 3.5-litre SOHC, V6 and Okanagan Valley. let all 290 horses roar. A The 1,000-kilometre sudden slip towards the journey was a good winter ditch and a rear sway put test of the all-wheel-drive paid to that notion and I 2015 Acura MDX elite was grateful for traction edition. But it was also a control. quest to collect examRain swept us through ples of the fermented Drinking and Similkameen homegrown Syrah grape driving don’t mix but the Valley but cleared as to be poured by Okanafor this Okanagan we dropped down into gan winemakers at next Osoyoos. First stop would week’s Vancouver Interna- wine fan, the reward be Black Hills Estate tional Wine Festival. came at day’s end. Winery, on Black Sage Drinking and driving Road, in Oliver. It has don’t mix but for this Keith Morgan magnificent views of Okanagan wine fan, the the Okanagan valley. Its reward came at day’s end interpretation of Syrah is mouth-filling or when somebody else took the wheel and much closer to its Rhone Valley at midday! origins than that Oz style. The same can The idea for the jaunt came when I be said of that served by TIME Estate learned Honda’s premium brand was Winery across the road, which opens to a festival sponsor. My focus sharpened the public this summer. when Syrah was named the feature Minutes later, we had swept across the grape and it was revealed that 55 valley to the castle-like structure that wineries from Australia would show off is Road 13, where owners Mick and their version of the French grape – the Pam Luckhurst entertained and sent big and often fruity Shiraz. Past tastings us packing with a variety of blends. told me B.C. could hold its own in this The overnight stop was neighbouring duel. Indeed 16 of our best winemakers Tinhorn Cellars, where its generous cowill uncork Syrah. owner and winemaker Sandra Oldfield The Driveway car pulled into eight of extracted a delicious Syrah from her those vineyards but it was not an easy private cellar. drive. Though the forecast snow did not The next day, a yellow orb appeared materialize in the Fraser Valley, gusts did above while passing by the beautiful test surefootedness. The true winter test Vaseaux Lake and into Okanagan Falls. was found along the twisty Hope-PrincWe spun onto Eastside Road and skirted eton highway. In the summer, it’s a fun Skaha Lake to Penticton. It’s a quiet, roller coaster ride but hidden black ice fast road and it enabled me to play with and patches around every corner made paddle shifters. it a steering wheel gripper.
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The view from Poplar Grove over Okanagan Lake is spectacular as is the Syrah, which, like the best of the winery’s reds, benefits from the extra aging afforded by cellaring it for a couple of years longer than the norm. A three-kilometre side trip to Red Rooster netted a Reserve Syrah, which exuded yummy plum and cherry from its neck, once opened! One more stop before a relaxing evening spent staring over the lake while sipping on a suite balcony at the Summerland Waterfront Resort. The snowy and very icy single track to the new Sage Hills Vineyard in Summerland required careful navigation. The reward was a barrel tasting with winemaker Andrea Lee and vineyard manager Keenan Thrussell. The new vintage had yet to be bottled but a rosé version hit the spot later! Time to return to the coast via Sandhill Wines in Kelowna. Howard Soon, a B.C. born industry pioneer, makes Syrah from vineyards in the south of the valley and a special ‘small lots’ version from a
single vineyard. By the time the rear two rows were lowered to accommodate the purchased cases of wine, the seven-seat MDX was strictly a two-seater. Despite its load, it leapt up to the Pennask Summit on the Okanagan Connector as fast the outside temperature dropped to minus five. The Coquihalla Highway was bathed in sunlight and the descent to Hope was smooth and quiet but for the rattle from the bottles. Bring on the Aussies! If you can’t get to the festival tasting room, tour Okanagan wine country this summer… with a designated driver, of course. Power: 3.5-litre SOHC, V6, 290 hp, with 6-speed auto paddle shifters and grade control. Fill-up: 12.7/8.5L/100km (city/hwy) Price as tested: $63,990 Base price: $49,990 keith.morgan@drivewaybc.ca
Que Syrah, Syrah! Of the 27 BC wineries featured at the upcoming Vancouver International Wine Festival (February 20 until March 1), 16 Okanagan Valley vineyards will pour wine made from this year’s featured grape – Syrah. Our Search for Syrah in an Acura MDX took us to eight of those wineries. ▸ Black Hills Estate Winery: 4318 Black Sage Road, Oliver (blackhillswinery.com) ▸ Road 13 Vineyards: 799 Ponderosa Road, Road 13, Oliver (road13vineyards.com) ▸ Tinhorn Creek Vineyards: 537 Tinhorn Creek Road, Oliver (tinhorn.com) ▸ TIME Estate Winery: 30861 Black Sage Road, Oliver (timewinery.com) ▸ Sage Hills Vineyard: 18555 Matsu Drive, Summerland (sagehillswine.com) ▸ Poplar Grove Winery: 425 Middle Bench Road North, Penticton (poplargrove.ca) ▸ Red Rooster Winery: 891 Naramata Road, Penticton (redroosterwinery.com) ▸ Sandhill Wines: 1125 Richter St, Kelowna, (sandhillwines.ca)
Question of the Week The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada has named the Subaru Legacy 2.5i and the Ford F150 as Best Car and Best Truck in its annual Canadian Car of the Year. What was your favourite car last year? Go to DrivewayCanada.ca for question of the week
If winter doesn’t typically mean snow or ice where you live, other conditions like darker morning and afternoon commutes and heavy rain can make driving this time of year challenging. Drive safely this winter – slow down and increase your following distance.
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