Last night we checked out ‘The Harvest’ wine event hosted by Urban Reserve at The Roundhouse in Vancouver. Urban Reserve coins themselves as ‘Bringing wine country to the urban city’. They have created an online community to connect like-minded wine lovers and to provide a way for interested folks to meet and mingle outside of online social communities.
The Harvest was their first Vancouver event, with six more events planned over the next three months. We recommend checking out their site (it’s free to join!).
The evening featured selections from Jackson-Triggs Esprit series, several Jackson-Triggs reserve wines and the new-to-BC Strut Wine Collection.
Strut, “The wine with legs”, is a new, concept-driven brand from Vincor. The line is branded as a fun and approachable introduction to Canadian-made wine and is clearly marketed towards young, female wine drinkers. Four wines were previously released in Ontario, using grapes from their Niagara vineyards. The Ontario Struts include two whites and two reds; ‘Cab Couture’, ‘Chardonista’, ‘Red Over Heels’, ‘Well-Heeled White’.
Strut is now expanding the collection by creating VQA-certified wines from their Okanagan vineyards and selling them in BC for about $12 a bottle. The new collection includes three wines:
- Well-Heeled White – a blend of Viognier, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. Some sweetness, but balanced with the right amount of acidity to make it perfect for patio drinking…or for right now, curled up on your couch with a bowl of popcorn.
- Risqué Rosé – a blend, including Pinot Noir and Ehrenfelser grapes. Berries, honey and noticeable spice were detected in this charmingly pink wine.
- Red Over Heels – a straight shot of Merlot with very noticeable oak. Smooth and med to full-bodied. This was our favourite of the collection.
All three are accessible and acceptable wine, especially where price is considered. If you’re in the market for something decent to have during the week or perhaps for something approachable with which to introduce your new-to-wine friends, these three provide a good place to start with a very appealing price-point.