Wayward Wine is presently on location in Vancouver, BC in Canada exploring its wines (EU Austerity Drinking Tour posts will resume shortly).

The challenge was adjusting to BC sticker shock. The province tightly controls pricing and taxes alcohol to the point of prohibition. Last night’s privately run liquor store charged twice for everything. $20 Cupcake? We walked out.

Would this trip turn into an AA meeting?

The next day, we explored the tidy BC-only wine store Swirl in overly hip Yaletown. Their selection handled major varietals and blends well, with a smattering of sparkling and desert wines. Prices breathed easier and not most labels did not have animals on them. Most wines came from Okangan Valley, western Canada’s wine heartland. We will hunt down wineries closer to home in the following days.

The proprietors were amiable and thankfully hands-off. We swallowed our pride and decided that the 20 dollar territory was safe for both quality and wallets.

My wife found a wine made of Ehrenfelser (my name being Aaron, it had a friendly ring).

Mr. Ehrenfelser was a grape crossing between Riesling and Silvaner in the relentless vine laboratories of 1920’s Germany under Dr. Heinrich Birk. Its ability to ripen before Riesling spelled a hit for cold climates. While the Germans have slowing given up on Ehrenfelser, Canada keeps plying it.

Today’s example comes from Mt. Boucherie, Family Estate Winery, in the Okanagan Valley BC VQA from 2012 and costs a mere 17.99 ca

Appearance: clear, bright, mediumminus lemon chifon color, lean legs.

Aromas: clean, medium intense yellow pear, orange blossom, lemon pith, grass, light acacia wood, granite minerality.

Palate: off dry sweetness disappears against medium plus acidity, that somehow feeds into a fat, medium plus body, with warm 13.3% alcohol, viscous texture, fat but mouthwatering

Flavors: quiet, soft, silky pale pear and simple syrup up front gears into a bright kiwi, lemon and fresh orange juice-squeezed sunshine, Granite dust.

Conclusions: plump, pleasant, borderline cloyingly fruity, yet just bright and tidied up enought thanks to oodles of acidity. Very good 4 of 5. Have with curried potatoes, or better yet, spicy fish tacos!