Happy Wednesday to you – I trust that your summer is going well.  In Vancouver, B.C. – we have not been blessed with much sunshine but we also haven’t had much rain so I’ll take it!

This past weekend, I headed back over to Vancouver Island for my sister-in-law’s birthday celebration.  She reserved a group campsite for 50 people and about 35 of us had an amazing time sitting around the campfire, exploring tidal pools at Miracle Beach and, you know, Go Karting for the first time – super fun.

The more I go over to Vancouver Island, the more I like it.  I have memories that go back to Nanaimo where my maternal grandparents lived and learning to swim in Departure Bay.  I actually quite like the smell of salt water mixed with pulp mill – it is heartwarming.

When I did my wine tour for a day of the Cowichan Valley south of Nanaimo and north of Victoria, one of my stops was Unsworth Vineyards.  They craft well-made wines and I was delighted by one of their 100% single varietal hybrids – Petit Milo.

Unsworth Vineyards Vinter’s Selection Petit Milo 2015 is a pale straw yellow in the glass. The aromas of the wine really project stunning citrus fruits with a focus on red grapefruit alongside peach and honeysuckle.  On the palate, it is quite beautiful – sweet with 21 grams of residual sugar but nicely balanced with a good amount of acidity. For those of you unfamiliar with Petit Milo ( I know I was ) it is similar to a Gewürztraminer with the ripe peach, honey, and floral components.  Unsworth’s Petit Milo has a very cool flavour profile that includes candied apple and mango…yum.  Pair this sweet delight with some spicy Asian or Indian food and you will be in heaven.

It retails for $23 at the winery in Mill Bay.  They have a lovely sustainable restaurant on site as well to stop into and relax during a Cowichan Valley wine tour.  For more about the Cowichan Valley – check out my article in the Wine Tourist Magazine here.

Enjoy!

XO
C