Day two started with an 8:00 a.m. rising, cava & orange juice, freshly made fruit salad and home-made muffins. And then some coffee before we scrambled out the door at 9:00 a.m. to make our first appointment: Township 7 Vineyards & Winery.
10:00, Township 7: Winemaker Bradley Cooper poured us all a glass of his 2007 Gewurztraminer, then he and winery dog Sage took us for a walk in the vineyard. After our walk and lessons, we got down to the tasting. We sipped 10 of the T7 wines, including a barrel tasting of the 2006 Black Dog. My fave red of the day was the 2006 syrah ($27.99) and the 2007 Gewurztraminer ($18.99) was the unanimous white favourite. Of course, the 2008 rosé was delicious.
Gal pals with T7 winemaker Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper draws samples from his 2006 Black Dog
12:00, See Ya Later Ranch: Noon found us up at See Ya Later and meeting with Allison Markin, media relations and wine professional extraordinaire. We started with a glass of SYL non-vintage Brut, a crisp, citrusy sparkling wine made in the traditional method. Then we headed to the Major Fraser Room for an extensive tasting of the SYL goodies. My favourite white was the 2008 Jimmy My Pal and my favourite red was the 2007 Rover, a blend comprised of 95% syrah and 5% viognier. My gal pals preferred the Bordeaux-style blend, Ping. After our tasting, we headed to the patio to enjoy a lovely lunch while we soaked in the view of vineyard and desert mountains.
Allison Markin, wine professional extraordinaire, tells us some wine tales
4:00, Le Vieux Pin: Our last official stop of the day was at Le Vieux Pin in Oliver, at the northern end of the Sonora Desert, for a visit with winemaker James Cambridge. James took us through the winery and explained his wine-making philosophy. We tasted some fabulous wines and even got to feel, smell, and taste the effect different barrels can make on the same wine. My favourites of the day? Hands-down the Périgée pinot noir ($45) and Voila rosé ($25).
Le Vieux Pin winemaker James Cambridge draws barrel samples for the gal pals
The winery's namesake: The old pine
