The New 18-Six-18 Wine is a Collaboration Between The City’s Best Steak Experts and Okanagan Wine Pros

Nothing pairs with a steak quite like a bold red€¦especially one that's been specially commissioned by steakhouse experts.

Earlier this year (June 18 to be exact), key senior members of the Hy’s and Gotham group got together for an afternoon to put their winemaking skills to the test. Luckily, their partner and guide in this experiment was Road 13 Winery, recently awarded 2018 Winery of the Year by Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada.The goal that day was to create a proprietary red wine, unique to the three B.C. locations, that could be enjoyed with a perfectly grilled Prime Grade steak. Using a base Bordeaux-style blend of 56 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 44 percent Merlot from the Similkameen Valley, various percentages of petit Verdot and Malbec were added into the mix. After five iterations, playing with a ratio of 75 to 80 percent base wine and a higher balance of Malbec to petit Verdot, a consensus was reached.Named for the date the blend was “born,” 18-six-18 is now bottled and ready to be enjoyed.As one of the participants in the blending exercise, Gotham’s wine director Sam Jonnery was delighted with the first sample.  In the dining room, it’s an easy pairing with Gotham’s decadent steaks, and the guests are loving it.According to Road 13 Winemaker Jeff Del Ninn, “The 2016 18-Six-18 gives an overall impression of a complex, elegant wine that is built to age for five to eight years (or longer based on your preferences and individual assessment of the wine over the years), pairing brilliantly with rich protein dishes.”Jonnery agrees. He thinks that the 2016 18-six-18 will only get better with age, but is proud to offer it right now at Gotham.