2018 Black Sage Cabernet Franc

Black Sage Cabernet Franc

Allison Markin - Aug 22, 2021 / 4:00 am | Story: 343577

Photo: Contributed

Wine: Cabernet Franc, 2018

Winery: Black Sage Vineyard, Summerland

Why drink it? Cab Franc can sometimes be an afterthought when it comes to cabernet, but it shouldn’t be, as it can do an excellent job of expressing the terroir of the South Okanagan. Reds from this label are typically bold, and this bottle fits right in. An expressive array of aromas that begins with red fruits from ripe raspberries and currants, leading to dark chocolate and cigar box. The fruits come forward on the palate with a bit of stewed plum, with vanilla from French and American oak, and hints of black peppercorn. Drinkable now with dinner, or give the tannins another couple of years to soften.

Pair with: The last BBQs meals of the summer season, or the first stew of autumn. Perfect with duck, a good steak, or grilled eggplant topped with a slice of aged cheese as a veggie burger option. Pulled pork poutine with a side of rich gravy and a touch of ground pepper.

Price: $25

Music pairing: Shakedown Street, Poolside/Omar Velasco

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About the Author

As a kid, Shelley Boettcher often found herself in the back seat of a pick-up, exploring the back roads of the Okanagan Valley with her parents. They’d occasionally leave her and her brother in the car while they stopped at mysterious addresses to buy wine. They would emerge, clearly happy, as they stuck a box or a few bottles in the vehicle. Then they would continue on their journey.

But it wasn’t until a trip to Spain in 2000 that Shelley herself fell in love with wine. She came home from the holiday and promptly told her editor she wanted to become a wine writer.

And she did.

An award-winning food and wine writer and editor, Shelley holds her master’s degree in journalism and her advanced WSET certification, as well as her level 2 International Sommelier Guild certification. A wine columnist for the Calgary Herald, she spent a decade as CBC Radio’s national syndicated wine columnist and she has written three books about wine, including two that were Canadian bestsellers. Her byline has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world, including the New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail and Postmedia newspapers across Canada.

Shelley has travelled throughout many of the world’s wine regions and countries, including Niagara, Oregon, Washington, California, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Australia, Germany, Argentina and the Republic of Georgia. A few years ago, she even tracked down and visited a winery in Denmark.

Shelley has also served as a professional wine judge regionally and internationally, including the Okanagan Wine Festivals, Vinitaly and the Chianti Classico Consortium. For more than a decade, she has been a restaurant wine list judge for the Vancouver International Wine Festival, too. She still teases her parents for sparking her love for wine, especially BC wine.

And her favourite? Whatever she's drinking at the moment.

You can follow Shelley on Instagram @shelleyboettcher or Twitter at @shelley_wine.

If you have a BC wine you’d like to suggest, email Shelley at [email protected] with the name of the wine and a short note about why you enjoyed it.