From left to right are Beverly Akins, Vickie Bone, Doug Akins and Jere Bone.
Want to cross the equator, cruise the northern and southern hemispheres and do it all while relaxing with a glass of really good wine? Welcome to the Wine Stewards evening of “Wines from around the World”. Jere and Vickie Bone treated the members to six international wines; each offering selected and presented by Doug Atkins, a Robson resident and recognized wine connoisseur. From Argentina to Chile to Portugal and across the oceans to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, the Wine Stewards sipped and enjoyed Doug’s spirited presentations. Yalumba’s Viognier started the evening’s festivities. Yalumba is Australia’s oldest family-owned winery and one of its most successful, founded in 1849. Viognier is a wine like no other. It offers a sensory experience full of vast nuances of flavor, especially honeysuckle, lemon, apricot and quince. Cottesbrook Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand is an estate-bottled wine with amazing and refreshing flavors. Rated “best value” by many wine periodicals, it is well-balanced and full with a long, crisp finish and fruity flavors. South Africa was represented by Spier Pinotage, a generous red berry offering with soft tannins. Spier is located in South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district – Stellenbosch. It was one of the first farms to be established in 1692 and is the oldest dated wine cellar in the country.
Carmenere, a dark-skinned grape originally from the vineyards of Bordeaux, France, has found a home in Chile. Chateau Los Boldos Carmenere is juicy, fruity, with a soft texture and notes of blackberry, plum, vanilla and a silky aftertaste. Malbec is Argentina’s varietal wine and the Mendoza region is world renowned. Diseno Malbec has a dark berry fruit medley, bittersweet dark chocolate and bursts of blackberry jam. Portugal had the final offering, a surprise white port. Valdouro white port is complex with flowery notes and ripe fruit, with an ending touch of honey. The Wine Stewards enjoyed this international journey amidst good friends, good food and really good wine.