Winery Visit: Beliveau Estate

Observing the vineyard before our tasting.

The sun was out and it was a perfect day to roll down the windows and drive out to Beliveau Estate for a wine tasting. My three friends and I arrived around 4pm and after walking around the grounds for a little bit, went into the tasting room.

We were greeted by Dale, the catering manager who also cooks for the estate. He informed us that the tasting was $4 and we could choose to do the "dry" or "sweet" flight. Two of us chose sweet, and two of us chose dry, including myself.

The first wine we tried was called "Afternoon Delight." It was a white wine made of Vidal Blanc grapes, was lightly oaked, and sold at $18 a bottle. This wine was tart and tasted of apples. I tasted some vanilla and some melon. I really liked the nose of this wine; I smelt a bit of clove.

Destiny - Vidal Blanc

The next wine was called "Destiny." It was a dry, crisp wine that was also made of Vidal Blanc. It was listed as a bronze medalist! This wine was not oaked and I could taste the difference. It was a crisper wine. It was still apply and tart, but I found this wine more refreshing. It was priced at $16.

The third wine was called "Silhouette." It's a red wine made of Cabernet Sauvignon that sold for $20. It was very fruity on the nose and in the taste. It tasted of raspberries and cherries. Although it was dry, it was not too tannic. It was described to us as spicy but I didn't think it had much besides berry flavor.

Rainbow - Red Zin

Next was "Rainbow." I loved this wine. It was a red Zinfandel. It had much more body than the Silhouette and was a bit spicy and peppery, which is one of my favorite flavors in a red wine. It was tannic but well balanced. This was my favorite wine of the day. It was $24.

"Sunset Sipper" was also a red Zinfandel. This one was very similar to Rainbow but was a bit sweeter not as tannic. Somehow I found it less fruity as well. It was also $24.

After a great experience with the dry flight, I decided to try the sweet flight as well! It contained another five great wines, but one stuck out in particular.

My favorite sweet was called "Serenity." It was listed as a silver medalist. It was a dessert wine made of two Chambourcins. It was sweet and full bodied, but the cool part was that Dale gave us some chocolate to try it with. We sipped the wine on it's own, then sipped it after eating a piece of chocolate. The difference was so surprising - the flavor of the wine was so different! It was a different kind of sweet, it was much smoother, and there was a creaminess flavor left on my tongue. This experience left me with and urge to do a chocolate and wine pairing at home. Or maybe it's just another excuse to eat chocolate.

The Dry Flight and their Awards

The Sweet Flight and their Awards

Lavender at Beliveau

After our tasting, my friend bought a bottle of wine and we thanked Dale for everything. We walked around the vineyard and smelt the lavender on the grounds. Unfortunately, Dale said that they don't really do tours because there is not much to see. They are a relatively new winery though so that may change in the future.

Overall, it was a great day and great experience at Beliveau Estate. The service was friendly and very knowledgeable! Check them out: http://www.beliveauestate.com/

Very windy day at Beliveau! That's me behind the hair on the right.