Township 7 Centennial Selection Merlot
BC, $25

Wine pairings can be tricky. Asparagus is notoriously tricky. But matching a wine to the hundred-year anniversary of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth—now that's a challenge. Luckily, they chose a winery—Township 7—that's up to the task.

From the get-go, owners Mike Raffan and Lori Pike-Raffan have always been more interested in winemaking than PR and it shows in bottlings like the Centennial Selection Merlot, i.e. the Stampede wine. It says Merlot, but with both Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the mix I prefer to think of this as a fruit-forward St. Emilion wine: there's some oak which has roped in the heady dark fruit flavours. It's a rich wine happy to stand alone in the glass, but also comfortable saddling up to a fire-grilled porterhouse. Drink now through July 15 (though I reckon it'll last a sight longer if you must.)

Mike and Lori will have a good old fashioned round-up at their Naramata location on July 7 and at their Langley location on July 14. In addition, they'll be pouring the wines at the Stampede with wine legend Harry McWatters on July 12 from 11-3 and July 13-14 from 4:00-7:30 at the Stampede's Oasis Wine Bar.

See township7.com/events for more info.