Sharp Rich North

Thought I’d try a Kiwi Riesling—my first, I believe.

Nice bright lemon-gold appearance. Strong mineral-citrus nose with a hint of sweetness. Just off-dry, surprisingly light body, citrus and tropical fruit dominating with nice acidity balance and obvious notes of the varietal. If this is a New Zealand twist on Riesling, I’m in. Enjoyable. 12.5% alcohol; $24 at Crosstown. See Allan Scott Family Winemakers.

Taken from my favourite bench, 8:43pm tonight.

Tried this a few years ago (perhaps the 2005) and enjoyed it. This one is a medium gold colour. A Chardonnay-like nose (according to Wikipedia, Auxerrois Blanc is “a full sibling of Chardonnay,” though Winegeeks says it’s a Pinot Noir), with peach and a hint of sweetness. Very smooth on the palate, with nice acidity balancing Okanagan fruit flavours, apple and peach—and a nice black licorice finish. This one was a gift. 11.4% alcohol. See Gray Monk Estate Winery.

Clear medium lemon-gold. Wonderful apricot-mineral nose. Quite sweet with honey and stone fruit balanced nicely by a strong acidity. Not complex but very enjoyable; again, Mosel Rieslings are my weak spot. 9.5% alcohol. $27.10 at Crosstown. See Markus Molitor.

Very pale silver appearance with a light grapefruit-sage nose. Just off-dry, medium body, nice acidity, and a good balance of honey, stone fruit, and strong mineral notes. I think this is a step forward from the 2008, and remains one of my favourite BC Rieslings. 13.5% alcohol. $24.50 at Steamworks Wine Thief. See 8th Generation Vineyard.

I’ve enjoyed recent Red Rooster Rieslings (2008, 2009). This Pinot Blanc is a medium lemon-gold with a very light citrus-pineapple nose. Dry with strong acidity; apple and floral notes dominate, with a hint of lemon but a bit of a dull finish. A nice enough drink, but not of the quality of their Rieslings. 12% alcohol. $15.70 at Crosstown. See Red Rooster Winery.

This blend is 66% Pinot Blanc and 34% Chardonnay—see the winemaker’s notes (PDF file). Light lemon-silver appearance; straightforward apple-citrus nose with a hint of the Okanagan sage. Dry, with a nice light and well-balanced palate dominated by citrus and pineapple, and a nice finish of ripe fruit—as the winemaker suggests, a quality of pear. This is very nice; strikes me as a great summer wine in particular—perhaps it’s just the summer weather today in Vancouver. 13.5% alcohol. See Blasted Church Vineyards.

Clear gold with a light mineral-honey nose. Medium body, medium-sweet with strong apricot and slightly muted acidity. Nice sweet lingering finish. Not complex, but very well balanced. This is the kind of Riesling I really enjoy. Recommended. 8.5% alcohol; $29.90 at Marquis Wine Cellars. See Selbach-Oster.

Clear, light lemon-gold with a very nice floral-spice nose. Light citrus-lychee with good acidity that drops off to a lingering finish. A nice drink; I’ve enjoyed the Washington State wines I’ve tried recently. 12.5% alcohol. $24.90 at Marquis Wine Cellars. See Montinore Estate—biodynamically farmed.

When I moved into the Gastown area in February, I was really happy to discover JJ Bean in the Woodwards building. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I’m a vegan, and they had two kinds of vegan muffins. It’s often slim pickings in this respect in Vancouver, so I made a habit of stopping by on my way to work. Probably not the best habit, because the cost starts to add up.

Although I appeared almost every morning for a couple of months, there never seemed to be a glimmer of recognition from the staff. They were not unpleasant, but not really enthusiastic, either. One day in April I was looking through my receipts when I got home, and discovered that I’d been charged $4.10 rather than the usual $2.25, so the next morning I took my receipt in and pointed this out. I expected a quick fix, but instead the fellow, one of those whom I think had been there pretty much every morning, started arguing with me about it. I wasn’t belligerent, but just pointed out that I’d been overcharged and had only bought a muffin, even though my receipt just showed the total amount. At a certain point, he appeared to get frustrated or lose interest, and walked away. I was surprised that I’d caused such controversy over $1.85, particularly as I thought someone might have recalled that I had been coming in like clockwork on weekdays, and sometimes on weekends. Ultimately I was given another muffin, and told that in future I should keep an itemized receipt. I know that cities can be anonymous places, but I’m certainly not going to go to the effort to ask for, and keep, a book of itemized receipts from a coffee shop just in case I’m overcharged for a two dollar item.

This experience tipped the scales: getting a snack should be enjoyable, of course; but I also realized that I could just as easily make myself something for breakfast. Maybe I’ll learn to make muffins. I haven’t been back to JJ Bean.