THE ADVOCATE 217
VOL. 80 PART 2 MARCH 2022
Others have returned to the more natural winemaking practices of the
past, following the thoughts of French aristocrat and intellectual Madame
de Staël: “That past which is so presumptuously brought forward as a precedent
for the present, was itself founded on some past that went before it.”
Organic and biodynamic winemaking, forsaking chemical pesticides, herbicides,
fertilizers and monocultural farming, has become increasingly popular
as we realize the toll these industrial farming practices take on the
environment. Natural wines, using winemaking practices that go back millennia,
are also developing a strong niche market.
Consumers and connoisseurs alike realize every wine must be judged on
its own merits, whatever its origin.
This diversity of old and new shows, in winemaking and in law, that
precedent is made of an accumulation of individual cases. As Lord Tennyson
said (and what better poetic end to this article), it is “the lawless science
of the law, that codeless myriad of precedent, that wilderness of single
instances”.
And now a few single varietals and blends for spring, some traditional
and some innovative, but all worth sipping.
EX NIHILO VINEYARDS RIESLING 2020
BC VQA Okanagan Valley #846808 $26.00 approx.
This Lake Country winery’s owners obviously love to play with Latin, something
that still remains a lingering fascination in law as well. The name,
meaning “out of nothing”, signifies their creation of the vineyard and winery
from scratch. This drier-style Riesling is a pale yellow with a nose displaying
green apple, white flowers, lemon-lime and flavours of green peach,
tart red apple, lime with a good streak of minerality and a rich, somewhat
oily texture. It is everything one expects from Riesling and should age well.
We recently had a bottle of the 2015 vintage that maintained a core of bright
fruit mixed with the lanolin and minerals one finds in a good older Riesling.
It is great for sipping and for pairing with hard cheeses and charcuterie, and
with South Asian or East Asian dishes. It can be ordered from the winery or
found at private wine stores such as Everything Wine or in wine sections at
Save-On-Foods.
LUNA GAIA AGRAMANTE GRILLO SICILIA 2019
DOP Siciliane, Italy #456093 $22.99
On the innovative front, this is a certified organic, biodynamic and vegan
wine from the Grillo grape variety. Unlike many Italian varietals, Grillo is
relatively new, created through hybridization in 1873. It plays a significant