WTF

What the Foch?

I just paid C$35 for a bottle of Foch from the Okanagan Valley. It tastes terrible.

I’d seen the varietal on labels earlier in the trip, but stayed clear. I thought it might be one of those weird hybrids of vitis vinifera and native North American grapes that make unpalatably rough wines in places like Virginia.

I should have trusted my instincts. That’s exactly what it is: a cross between Goldriesling (huh?) and an unsuspecting New World partner.

I have to be honest though: it smelled quite nice – like a Carmenere – with black fruit and tobacco leaf and bitter herbs. The good times ended there, however. An unpleasant astringency (unripe tannins?) shrouded the fruit and the finish was immediate. I’m only drinking it because I’m too lazy to walk back to the bottle shop.

Or perhaps I just got a bad bottle / producer? Perhaps more ‘research’ is warranted? BC Wine Expert – which one should I try?

BTW – this is an actual bottle of Canadian wine I found online.