{ SOMMjournal.com } 91
The British Columbia
SOMM Camp Sommeliers
Jienna Basaldu CS, CSW – Sutter Club (Sacramento, CA)
Kelvin DeBoer CMS – John Howie Steak (Bellevue, WA)
Nichole Dishman CMS – Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay (Half Moon Bay, CA)
Jesus Evangelista – The Montage Hotel (Beverly Hills, CA)
Diego Garcia – The Kitchen Restaurant/Selland Family Restaurants (Sacramento, CA)
Brittany Hastings – Meadowood Napa Valley (St. Helena, CA)
David Kristiansen – Pebble Beach Resorts (Pebble Beach, CA)
Kristina Long – Hawksworth Restaurant (Vancouver, BC)
Marie Mertz – Todo un Poco (Elk Grove, CA)
Robert Renteria – La Folie (San Francisco, CA)
Chevis Scott – Nostra Spagheterria (San Francisco, CA)
Dawn Smith – John Howie Steak (Bellevue, WA)
Participating British Columbia
SOMM CAMP Wineries
Bench 1775 Winery (bench1775.com)
Bella Wines (bellawines.com)
Black Hills Estate Winery (blackhillswinery.com)
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery (bovwine.com)
CedarCreek Estate Winery (cedarcreek.bc.ca)
Checkmate Artisanal Winery (checkmatewinery.com)
Culmina Family Estate Winery (culmina.ca)
Howling Bluff Estate Winery (howlingbluff.ca)
Laughing Stock Vineyards (laughingstock.ca)
Little Farm Winery (littlefarm.ca)
Martin's Lane (missionhillwinery.com)
Meyer Family Vineyards (mfvwines.com)
Mission Hill Family Estate Winery (missionhillwinery.com)
Monte Creek Ranch Winery (montecreekranchwinery.com)
Nk'Mip Cellars (nkmipcellars.com)
Okanagan Crush Pad (okanagancrushpad.com)
Orofino Vineyards (orofinovineyards.com)
Painted Rock Estate Winery (paintedrock.ca)
Quails' Gate Winery (quailsgate.com)
St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery (st-hubertus.bc.ca)
Summerhill Pyramid Winery (summerhill.bc.ca)
Tantalus Vineyards (tantalus.ca)
Farewell
Dinner
Thoughts
At our farewell dinner generously
hosted by Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
at their spectacular Miradoro
Restaurant—overlooking the
expanse of Golden Mile Bench,
deep into hills of Black Sage Bench
extending all the way to Osoyoos
Lake—our sommeliers talked about
the exciting prospects for British
Columbia wines, particularly in
terms of their own wine programs.
Says Chef Mertz, "British Columbia
is one of the wine world's best kept
secrets, which is to say that they
seem a little shy about what they
have to offer despite what they
have been able to achieve with their
cool climates and aromatic wines
with such great acidity."
Kristiansen opines, "I like that
British Columbia is more aligned
to Old World than to New World
sensibilities—'hungry' wines that
scream for food, almost saké-like in
their purity, minerality and savori
-
ness . . . what geeky sommeliers
wouldn't want to drink or sell that?"
Adds Scott, "I heard Cynthia Enns
at Laughing Stock saying, 'Thanks
for visiting but don't tell too many
people, because we kind of like
being undiscovered.' I'd love to
share what we discovered about
the region with other sommeliers,
but I can understand why, with their
low production, they might want to
save it all for themselves."
All the same, says Britt Hastings
of Meadowood Napa Valley, "I think
wines like their Riesling, Gamay,
Cabernet Franc and Syrah are so
amazing, I'd love to see more of them
on American wine lists . . . but if not,
I could see myself moving up here
within the next ten years because of
what I learned on this trip!"
