Hail Mary: Making the Most of Adversity

The View’s Hail Mary white blend. More than just a wing and a prayer

Yesterday’s BC Bloom spring release tasting yielded up a wealth of wines, especially in the category of decent white blends, which I’m gearing up for summer. (We also judged a whole bunch of them at the All Canadian Wine Championships last week. Once I’ve finished sorting through the results I’ll get to those too.) Once in a while they come with a pretty good story too, such as The View’s aptly named Hail Mary.

I asked The View’s always vivacious president Jennifer Molgat to explain just what’s behind the name…

So there you have it. Homegrown Riesling with not too far away Muller Thurgau (which is much easier to drink than say). The result is an easy sipping, offish dry but not sweet, citrus, tropical and lightly floral blend with a crisp end that’s perfect to launch into (a hopefully hail-free) summer, $16.40 89 pts.

I think the View, in many ways, epitomizes what’s so cool about smaller wineries, who happily chart their own course and don’t flinch to do things differently. They’re one of just a few (three) BC wineries who grow Pinotage, plus they have a lot of fun with their marketing.

Have a look here and you’ll see what I mean!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V6g1OzGd5U

About the Author: Tim Pawsey

Tim has been covering the food and wine revolution for about 20 kilos. Count 15 kg alone thanks to the blossoming cuisine and wine culture of British Columbia, Canada. His awards include: BC Restaurant Assn. Hall of Fame, Okanagan Wine Festivals Harry McWatters Founder's Award, BC Wine Growers Industry Recognition Award, Vancouver International Wine Festival Spirited Industry Professional award. Tim’s hallmark is seeking out and recommending value wines from BC and around the world that offer quality at every level. He also scopes out noteworthy restaurants that live up to their promises—and often over deliver. For several decades Tim wrote columns in the Vancouver Courier and North Shore News. He currently contributes to several magazines, including BCLS Taste, Vitis and others. Tim is a frequent judge for wine competitions and was a founding judge of The BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Wine. He is frequently invited to judge at The BC Wine Awards, and others. Tim has traveled to taste in many of the world’s leading wine regions, across Europe, in North America, Argentina and Chile, Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa.