Haywire Lunar Red is here again! Hard to believe but it’s a decade since Haywire launched its inaugural Lunar New Year wine in 2014. Released today, this latest Lunar wine is a nod to the Year of the Dragon, which will be formally welcomed on February 10th. And, yes, for sure, there will be dragon dances…
Actually, to be specific, 2024 is the year of the Wood Dragon which, according to the South China Morning Post, “is believed to be able to foster growth, progress and abundance, and this year will be good to build a solid foundation for something new with long-term potential. The last Year of the Wood Dragon was 60 years ago, in 1964.”
We can only hope that promise holds true.
Haywire Lunar Limited Edition
Haywire’s Alison Scholefield and head winemaker Matt Dumayne — photo Lionel Trudel
This latest Lunar offering is a deft blend of Merlot (40%), Cabernet Franc (30%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), which marks a heftier departure from previous years where Pinot Noir or Gamay were often the focus, sometimes with a splash of Syrah. The original Lunar red wine was a blend of Gamay and Syrah, while another year featured a special edition of the winery’s successful ‘white label’ Pinot Noir.
The important part is that all of these wines have emphasized Haywire’s mantra of minimalist winemaking. That is: let the fruit show through. This wine was gently basket pressed, concrete fermented and aged for 11 months.
You’ll recall that 2021 was a pretty hot year (think late June’s heat dome), so there certainly were no ripening issues. The heat spike did result in a significantly lower crop, however. That accounts in great part for the juicy, plush, red berry profile that defines this wine, along with some appealingly savoury and spice notes, anise, mocha and raspberry flavours. There’s also some decent acidity that makes it a worthy and flexible food drop. 91 pts.
Suggested food pairings include stir-fried vegetables, pan-seared sablefish and barbecued duck. Medium to full-bodied, it’s also robust enough to carry the likes of black bean sauce and other firm flavours.
You could also pair Lunar with a delectable new year’s feast at home from innovative Vancouver Taiwanese restaurant A. Bento.
Their Dragon Gift Box offers “a ready-made, vacuum sealed festive spread of symbolic dishes that can simply be reheated and feed up to six people. Priced at $188, it includes an array of cultural delicacies that represent the spirit of the new year.”
A New Twist
Over the years only a handful of wineries have pursued the significant (and growing) Asian-Canadian market. To my knowledge, while others may have produced bottles with Chinese labeling or characters, Haywire was the first to launch a Chinese New Year’s (now Lunar) wine.
Way back in the pre-dawn of BC wine time, Sumac Ridge founder Harry McWatters took a run at the market with an off-dry white called ‘Po-To.’ As I recall, it didn’t do that well, although, even if it didn’t endure, the undefined blend laid the foundation for the success of Sumac Ridge Gewürztraminer—for many years BC’s biggest selling VQA white. That wine became a mainstay on many an Asian restaurant wine list where, before, you’d be lucky to find even a bottle of Kressmann.
Haywire Lunar Red 2021 is available in limited quantities through Haywire’s on-line store ($23.88)
and at specialty wine shops. It’s eco-smartly bottled in light-weight glass, under screw-cap and is certified Vegan friendly. Partial proceeds are donated to the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, a registered charity committed to the historic neighbourhood’s revitalization.
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