Not that we need an excuse to open a bottle of wine.....
But, if you do, Global Drink Wine Day is as inspired as any.
In fact, it may be downright genius because it's a catch-all with 'global,' 'drink' and 'wine' right in its title leaving it open for you to sip from any bottle, of any variety, from any country at any time.
As you'll read later in this column, today is International Syrah Day, which is great, but it encourages you to drink only Syrah.
Global Drink Wine Day, which actually falls on Sunday, Feb. 18, is super all-inclusive, asking you simply to enjoy wine.
Of course, the day is flexible.
Don't just sip wine on Sunday to mark Global Drink Wine Day, but get a head start with an incredible glass or two tonight and tomorrow and think 'global' year-round whenever you have a glass.
If you want to make it more complicated, you can drink that wine and post to social media with the hashtag #globaldrinkwineday.
You can also mull over the fact that wine has an 8,000-year history, originating in the Eurasian region that is now Georgia and spreading from there to what is now China, Iran, Italy, the Balkans and the rest of Europe.
The New World is called the New World because it, and any wine production in Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, came much later.
Wine isn't just an alcoholic drink, it is science and art, it is romantic and glamourous, it carries a sense of place, it's a celebration and it's meant to be enjoyed with a delicious meal and friends and family.
As such, Global Drink Wine Day honours everything that wine is.
The following nine wines are my recommendations for Global Drink Wine Day and represent a nice cross-section from the Okanagan and other countries, of white, red, rose and sparkling wines, even a lower-alcohol option.
But, you can drink whatever wine you'd like for Global Drink Wine Day because the true intention of the day is that you celebrate it however you want.
- Intrigue 2022 Rose ($21.50) from Lake Country (classic, strawberries and cream aromas and flavours)
- Free Form 2019 Vin Gris ($30) from Summerland (a white wine with a light copper hue made from red Pinot Noir grapes)
- Haywire 2022 King Family Vineyard Pinot Gris ($30) from Summerland (a pear-and-lemon profile with added texture from time in the winery's signature concrete tanks)
- Township 7 Seven Stars 2020 Polaris ($40) from the Naramata Bench (a Champagne-style sparkler named after the North Star)
- Township 7 Benchmark Series 2022 Pinot Noir ($42)from the Naramata Bench (light and bright with a strawberry-and-herbs profile)
- McWatters Collection White Meritage 2020 ($30) from Penticton (a French-style, white Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon)
- Kris 2021 Pinot Grigio ($20) from Italy (the aromas and flavours of lime, honey and almond quintessential of a good Grigio from the northern Italian region of Venezie)
- Kim Crawford 2022 Sauvignon Blanc ($23) from New Zealand (the best selling Sauv Blanc in North America for a reason -- it's excellent)
- Kim Crawford Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc ($23) from New Zealand (the 7% alcohol-by-volume option)
International Syrah Day
As previously mentioned, today is International Syrah Day.
As with most varietals of grapes and wine, its roots are in France, more specifically the Rhone region.
The French benchmark, as well as the best examples from around the world, including the Okanagan, are beguiling with aromas and flavours of juicy raspberry, violets and black pepper, and maybe even black olives and bacon in the most textured samples.
These five Okanagan Syrahs are excellent expressions of the varietal.
- 2020 Mission Hill Reserve Syrah ($37) from West Kelowna
- 2022 CedarCreek Estate Syrah ($30) from Kelowna
- Nk'Mip 2019 Qwam Qwmt Syrah ($43) from Osoyoos
- Laughing Stock 2020 Syrah ($40) from the Naramata Bench
- Chronos 2020 Syrah ($40) from Penticton
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian wine scholar. Reach him at smacnaull@nowmediagroup.ca. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
