Seventeen Days - Day Seventeen

On the seventeenth – and final – day of the Olympics, we raise a glass, in honour of our athletes, of Stratus Wines 2008 Icewine Red. Like the name suggests, this is a red blend in Icewine form but it is the blend that is surprising to most. A classic Meritage blending of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot but instead of Merlot, J-L Groux decided to introduce Syrah into the mix. Young Icewines tend to have flavours that are not completely developed and need some aging time in a cellar to make them really interesting. That is not the case with this wine as it is already showing floral and berry characteristics and, more importantly, it doesn’t show a bell pepper flavour component which is common with some Cabernet Franc grapes. Given the superb flavour of this icewine, it is only fitting that we choose to end our series of wines to drink through the Olympics with on the night of the Men’s Hockey Gold medal game and the closing ceremonies. Available for purchase, at the price of $39.85 a bottle, at the winery or online through this link: https://www.stratuswines.com/store/index/display/sku/0858.

Here’s hoping that you enjoyed this little series of blogs and have had a chance to try some of these amazing wines. To all athletes, who gave it their all, congratulations on making it to the Olympics and for competing on the world stage.