Pet Matt Landrusco 2019
If wine is first and foremost about having fun (it should be) then Pet Matt is just the ticket.
Pet Matt is the latest in Okanagan Crush Pad’s Wine Campus series, in which BC’s Sommelier of the Year gets to make the wine of their choice. And a worthy cause—this year the Dr. Peter Foundation—reaps the benefits. Previous wines have been made by Kurtis Kolt, Owen Knowlton, Terry Threlfal, Samantha Rahn, Mike Bernardo, Jason Yamasaki and others.
This wine is the brainchild of 2019 BC Top Somm Matt Landry and OCP head winemaker Matt Dumayne.
Yes, a pair of Matts at work here—which itself lends irresistible license for the punny label and clever play on the current ‘Pet Nat’ sparkling wine trend (pétillant naturel). Not to mention ‘Landrusco’ …
Okanagan Crush Pad’s successful méthode ancestrale wines are the model here, while Matt Landry got to indulge his passion for Touriga Naçional.
I have to say this was one of the more exciting crown caps I’ve popped. Nothing like a quick flood of purple bubbles cascading onto the counter to get your attention. But once semi-tamed and in the glass (no flutes, please!) all was just fine. The appearance, with its lively, vibrant purple mousse, reminds me of sparkling Shiraz, a delightful Aussie apéritif custom we should have adopted years ago.
On the palate it’s refreshing but also textured and structured, with well balanced acidity to tame the wild red berry fruit—raspberry rules—and just enough tannins to keep it interesting. Both Matts say it tastes like raspberry tea. A solid breakfast wine—and then some. 92 pts. $39.90 Available from the winery. But you’d better hurry… (See below for ordering info.)
A bit about Matt
Matt Landry is one of the hardest working sommeliers around. He travels widely when not busy in Vancouver as beverage director of the Stable Hospitality Group (which includes Stable House Bistro, Fiore South Granville and Fiore Famiglia).
Here’s some more fun stuff from the release:
The annual Sommelier of the Year competition is extremely demanding? How did you train for it?
(ML) Ever see the Rocky movies? All the training montages? Yeah, it looked nothing like that. It’s a lot of time tracing maps in coffee shops, and doing mock service run throughs in my empty living room, talking to imaginary people, answering imaginary questions. It’s a lot like improv (with which I have experience) and psychosis (with which I have less experience).
When did you start your love affair with Lambrusco?
(ML) Pretty soon after I started at The Stable House Bistro, I’d say. We’re a charcuterie-heavy wine bar, and we’re a neighbourhood place, so Lambrusco made sense from both a pairing and price perspective. Having something fun and novel and affordable allowed us to carve out a weird little niche – people could leave and have something to tell their friends: “there’s this little bar on a side street and they pour this fun sparkling wine, but its red. And the bartender is kinda cute…” (that last part is both hypothetical and aspirational).
Why Pet Nat?
(ML) I’d like to give you a thoughtful answer but let’s be honest, in terms of puns, its pretty low hanging fruit.
Just the facts …
Pet Matt Landrusco 2019, a sparkling wine made in the pétillant naturel style from 100% Touriga Nacional, harvested on September 12, fermented in concrete tanks, bottled on September 24 for completion of primary fermentation and disgorged on December 18, with no dosage added.
One thousand bottles are available for sale commencing January 21, 2020. This wine is allocated and will not be sold on the Okanagan Crush Pad web store. To order: Public call Okanagan Crush Pad at 250.494.4445 ext. 4 Trade customers call the Okanagan Crush Pad order desk 250.494.4445 ext. 2.
“We are thrilled to have worked with Matt Landry on this project,” notes
OCP owner Christine Coletta. “His enthusiasm and unique wit has invigorated our Wine Campus program, which launched in 2011. This year, proceeds will be donated to the Dr Peter Foundation.”
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