scant mentio

Tim Pawsey
Contributing Writer

SHE’S smart. She’s
savvy. And she doesn't
pull her punches.

Tn the ULK., across North
America and around the world
of wine, Jancis Robinson is a
household name. A Master of
Wine, she’s renowned for her
expertise as a taster but just as
much for her straight-ahead,
gutsy, sometimes pointed style
- that enabled her to break into

the old boys club of British
wine writers in the "80s.
’.. -That same style and
_ femarkable knowledge
enabled her to swing through
“Vancouver last month, all but
‘unscathed, on a tour to pro-
mote the latest tome with her
name on it, The Oxford
“Companion to the Wines of
North Amcrica. . .

: Why unscathed? . -

More 'than a few folks in’
the B.C..wine industry are

jone too happy with the
- OCWNA, in which the
- Okanagan and Vancouver ~
“Island get about the same
‘amount of coverage as
: Missouri and Oklatioma.

“Is their pique deserved?
Certainly. Oxtord and
“Robinson (as consulting edi-

or) engaged respected
Ontario writer Linda Bramble
‘to assemble copious data on:
Niagara, but left B.C. at the’
mercy of lesser-informed
American scribe Ron Irving.
and general editor; San ©:
' Francisco- based Bruce. Cass.

Back raw: Andy,

=

Ulla,
| Frond Row: Matthew and Ram,

The resulting sparse B.C. cov-
erage is peppered with inaceu-
racies and omissions. The
Okanagan is shown as having
but one lake nor even extend-
ing to the border, while
Vancouver Island doesn’t even
merit a map mention. An
appendix shows U.S. States
listed by acreage under vine
and numbers of wineries.
However, Ontario and B.C..
(which compare significantly)
again receive no mention.
Under the Okanagan sec-
tion, a list of notable B.C.
producers is also lacking,
ignoring such obvious stal-
warts as Blue Mountain,

_ Calona (the region's pioneer),

Tinhorn Creek and others.

‘And while selected wineries

from Ontario and across the
continent receive individual
entries, B.C. is once again
ignored. Beyond B.C, the
North American Oxford .

- Companion makes for some

interesting reading, although

‘several entries are cross-
. referred to the, original, truly

Cc. wi

impressive and global Oxford
Companion to Wine.

Robinson spoke at dinners
at Diva’ and the Boathouse
while she was here — taking
the hear, one senses, for a lor
of decisions that were not her
own. Next time around, she
promises, the take on B.C.
will be very different — with
truly local input. Perhaps her
introductory comments will
also have less of a laconic tone
on the Canadian industry at
large.

However, as a traveled
palate who really does see the
big picture, Robinson also had
plenty of compliments and .
good advice worth heeding,
now thar she’s been (almost)

truly introduced to the region.

As have others before,
Robinson pointed to cool cli-
mate classics like Riesling,
Gewurztraminer and Pinot
Gris that (certainly the inid
and northem) parts of the
Okanagan should really con-
centrate on. She singled out
Hawthorne Mountain "99

Pinot Gris as a good expres-
: sion, with “racy style” and

“good, natural acidity,” a far
cry from Alsace which,
“makes Pinot Gris far too rich
and oily to drink with food.”
Gray Monk’s °99
Gewurztraminer got praise.
too for its “more floral, aro- «,°
matic, richer style” that adds -
up to a “well balanced wine.”
The Vancouver stop ended .
a North American blitz that
included several dinners show-
casing wines from around the
continent, In Chicago, well

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ines

attribute,” said Robinson.
“Chardonnay has little distine-
tion,” she suggests, “but not

- many places can make delicate
Gewurztraminer, interesting,
Pinot Gris and good Riesling.

in f eference

T hope that people stay the
course.”

The Oxford Companion to
the Wines of North America,
published by Oxford
University Press, is $69: 93."

traveled palates were
impressed by Pinot Reach’s
aromatic "98 Riesling. The
challenge for B.C. producers
is to “preserve the piercing
clarity that is such an

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