Bellingham Alive | B.C. Wine Tour Feature

B.C. Wine Tour Written by LISA KARLBERG & MCKENNA KLOES Photography by CASSIE ELLIOTT & MCKENNA KLOES

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hen people think of Canadian wine, two regions come to mind: Ontario and B.C.’s Okanagan Valley in the province’s southern interior. But a trip from Bellingham to sunny, grape-famous Kelowna takes half the day. We have a better idea: the Fraser Valley, an up-andcomer in quality wineries and vineyards. Lucky for us, it’s a quick hop over the border from here in Bellingham and the North Sound, making for a fun day trip. Go now, when the weather — and the exchange rate — are still favorable.

The following pages will help you get there and back in plenty of time for dinner, and a glass of Canadian wine.

STUDY SHEET Aromatic Intensity

Rim Variation

Dryness

Structure

Minerality

Variety vs. Varietal

Primarily due to grape variety, this is the level of aroma that jumps out of the glass. For example, Sauvignon Blanc often has a higher aromatic intensity than Pinot Grigio.

The amount of sugar present in a finished wine. Offdry wines such as Moscato d’Asti contain perceptible sweetness, which is felt at six grams per liter by many tasters.

A hotly contested term, suggesting vineyard influence in a finished wine. Some say the soil itself is responsible for these traits, others reference acid and sulphur compounds.

Phenolics

A group of organic compounds including tannins, imparted by the skin, seeds and stems of the grapes during winemaking, which adds texture to both red and white wines.

EXCHANGE BENEFITS Don’t forget the exchange rate! Now is a great time to discover and visit Fraser Valley wineries.

The exchange rate makes these wines an even better value for the experience. Changing daily, it is averaging at about 23 to 25 percent.

A visual character taken by wines with age, especially reds. Color at the core of the wine will fade to a lighter hue at the rim, from the interaction of organic compounds and oxygen over time.

The backbone of a wine, indicated by textural sensations on the palette. Soft sugar, bright acidity, hot alcohol and firm tannins are included here, and give the wine much of its identity.

Another hot-button item. Grape variety is a noun and refers to the grape type itself (my favorite variety is Chardonnay). Varietal is an adjective, and is used to describe a finished wine that is made using a single variety (“a varietal Malbec”), or shows notes common to the grape (i.e. “This Malbec shows typical varietal character.”).

BORDER LOGISTICS U.S. residents can bring back 1 liter of alcohol duty-free if you stay 48 hours. If you bring back more than 1 liter per person there is a small duty tax that is calculated based on the alcohol content, usually $1-2 per bottle. Couples get away with three standard bottles (750ml). Must be 21 years of age to bring across the border.

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Vancouver

Richmond

Surrey Delta

Round-Up Wineries of B.C. 1

Artisan Sake Maker

4

Wellbrook Winery

7

Krause Berry Farms

2

Isabella Winery

5

Vinoscenti Vinyards

8

Backyard Vineyards

Lulu Island Winery

6

Springland Winery

9

3

1339 Railspur Alley, Van. 604.685.7253 artisansakemaker.com 11491 River Rd., Richmond 604.288.0608 isabellawinery.com 16880 Westminster Hwy., Richmond 604.232.9839 luluislandwinery.com

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4626 88th St., Delta 604.946.1868 wellbrookwinery.com

15560 Colebrook Rd., Surrey 778.575.5885 vinoscentivineyards.ca 6962 236 St., Langley 604.613.3880 springlandwinery.com

6179 248th St., Langley 604.856.5757 krauseberryfarms.com 3033 232nd St., Langley 604.539.9463 backyardvineyards.ca

Township 7

21152 16th Ave., Langley 604.532.1766 township7.com

WINE EVENTS

Sept. 16

Summer Concert Featuring Razzmajazz Backyard Vineyards

Sept. 10

23rd Annual Metro Vancouver Feast of the Fields Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery

live acoustic guitar by Rick Van Camp, finished off with a guided tasting with wine flight, paired with local artisan cheese and charcuterie.

Live concert series running every weekend into October.

Sept. 30

Sept. 26

Fall Harvest Party Black Hills Estate Winery

Yoga In The Vines Township 7 Winery

Enjoy the family friendly U-pick fields, restaurants, waffle bar, farm fresh bakery, home & garden market and Estate Winery.

Black Hills culinary team will prepare a delicious dinner, followed by music & dancing.

Enjoy a tour of the vineyards, followed by a one-hour yoga class accompanied with

Langley Abbotsford

10 11 12

Festina Lente Estate Winery

21113 16th Ave., Langley 604.510.2336 festinalente.ca

Singletree Winery

5782 Mt. Lehman Rd., Abbotsford 604.381.1788 singletreewinery.com

Vista D’oro Farms & Winery

346 208th St., Langley 604.514.3539 D vistadoro.com

13 14 15

Chaberton Estate Winery 1064 216 St., Langley Twp. 604.530.1736 chabertonwinery.com

16 17

Glass House Estate Winery

23449 0 Ave., Langley 604.533.1212 glasshouseestatewinery.com

Blackwood Lane Vineyards & Winery

25180 8th Ave., Aldergrove 604.856.5787 blackwoodlanewinery.com

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Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm and Meadery

2595 Lefeuvre Rd., Abbotsford 604.856.2125 D bchoney.com

Mt. Lehman Winery 5094 Mt. Lehman Rd., Abbotsford.

604.746.2881 mtlehmanwinery.com

Seaside Pearl Winery

5290 Olund Rd., Abbotsford 778.856.1312 seasidepearlwinery.ca

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Blackwood Lane Vineyards & Winery 25180 8th Ave., Aldergrove 604.856.5787 D BlackwoodLaneWinery.com

Patio Bliss Meets 97-Point Wine

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tarted in 2004, Blackwood Lane Winery has set the bar for all wineries in the Frasier Valley and will give the best in the Okanagan Region a run for their money. Scoring a 97 rating on its Reference Wine and a 94 on the original blend Alliance, these are a must to try and buy.

Pair the outstanding wines with the covered patio lounge area and the new outdoor patio, and you have a combination that is hard to beat. The outdoor patio boasts a beautiful large pergola, brick pizza oven, firepits, plenty of seating and a spectacular view that overlooks the acreage and up-and-coming vineyard.

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When you arrive at the winery, enter the beautifully laid out tasting room where you can try the many varietals from Rose’ to the acclaimed Reference, which offers a superior blend of five varietals. Just through the doors, take a seat outside for the “Premium Patio Tasting.” You’ll be treated to a flight of five wines and complimentary flatbread from their outdoor brick pizza oven. Want a little more intimate wine experience? Add the cheese plate, which comes with premium cheeses, specialty meats, seasonal fruits, Blackwood Lane Wine Jelly and black-cracked pepper crackers, all paired to enhance the wine flight.

If you are fortunate to meet owner and winemaker Carlos Lee, you will find him a pure delight. Willing to share his winemaking methodology, he utilizes the French’s old-fashioned method: no additives, no preservatives, and high-quality barrels. “Making wine is simple,” Carlos says. “Use the best of the best grapes that if ‘babysat’ correctly produces excellent wine on their own merits.” Carlos sets himself apart from other vintners — a year with subpar grapes means no wine production. It is a methodology that has served him well.

Vista D’oro Farms & Winery 346 208th St., Langley 604.514.3539 D Vistadoro.com

Preserves & Wine

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hat do you do when you have a 10-acre farm with mature fruit trees and a wife that has a culinary degree and specializes in recipe development? You start a preserve company, add 7,500 grape vines, and open a tourism winery and preserve tasting room that delights your taste buds and palate.

Driving into the farm, you immediately approach the old barn which hosts families of barn owls. The beautiful carriage house to the left is the preserves production facility sharing space with beautiful, 100-year-old walnut trees. It is a sight to be seen. Patrick and Lee Murphy started the farm in 2001. Their dream was small: start in the farmers markets and see where it goes. Now, 16 years later, their jams are sold throughout Canada and into the United States. They are sustainable and “dry” farmers, meaning there is no water to the trees or the vines, other than what rain brings, and no pesticides used; they naturally grow in the perfect environment.

The fruit goes directly off the vines and trees right into production.

Patrick is the farmer and runs the winery and orchard, which consists of seven varietals of wine vines, walnut, apple, plumb, cherry, and pear trees. He has done his research and chose his vine varietals carefully to insure they will grow in the Campbell Valley region. Lee owns and runs the preserve company, which is 70 percent of their business. The preserve company prides itself on consistency and the quality they produce. The fruit goes directly off the vines and trees right into production — no storage and no freezing. This produces exceptional-quality preserves that burst in your mouth.

Lee partnered with Random House for a newly published book, “The Preservatory Cookbook.” It offers 150 full color photographs, recipes, and details using preserves in cooking by season. For more information go to thepreservatory.com.

TASTING TIPS

1

Don’t get caught up in wine “snootiness” or be intimidated by your inexperience. Most wine tasters don’t consider themselves experts, and many who do are not. No matter where you are on your wine journey, just relax and enjoy yourself. (It comes naturally with the sipping, we have found).

2

Swirl the wine in the glass a few times.

Admire the beautiful color and lush, viscous nature of a well-made wine as it slowly slides down the sides of the glass. What do you see?

3

Swirl the wine in the glass again and smell it. Appreciate pure clean aromas produced by ripe fruit and subtle hints of oak, some describable with words that come to mind easily. What does it smell like to you?

4

Now sip. Sense the feel of the wine in your mouth as it travels across your palate, and appreciate the different feel and taste sensations you experience in the beginning, across the middle and at the end. What do you feel and taste?

5

Many winemakers love to talk, will be pleased to answer any questions, and may tell stories, related or not to the world of wine, often punctuated with punchlines. Look attentive and laugh at the right moments (also comes naturally with the sipping). This tends to increase the size of the pours.

6

Repeat steps 1 through 5, especially 5.

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Q&A with Four Fraser Valley Winemakers

Andrea Lee, Chaberton Estate Winery 1064 216 St., Langley Twp. 604.530.1736 D chabertonwinery.com

Q. How did you get started in the winery business?

James Cambridge, Backyard Vineyards 3033 232nd St., Langley 604.539.9463 D backyardvineyards.ca

Q. How did you get started in the winery business?

Well, long story short, I hated what I was doing. I was also collecting lots of wine, and that’s how I got into it. Then I went back to school full time. Before I was working at a family printing business, but there was just no soul in it.

Q. What is your approach to winemaking?

We don’t want to manipulate too much. There is some artistry and chemistry and that sort of stuff that goes into it, but if you’re adding or subtracting too much, you’re wine-doctoring and not winemaking. We keep it pretty simple — some enzymes, sulfur, and that sort of stuff. But we’re not trying to fix a lot of things with winemaking voodoo.

Q. Do you have a person that influenced or mentored you in winemaking?

I grew up in Okanagan myself, and I moved away to study for a bachelor degree at Simon Fraser University.

Somehow I moved back to Okanagan and wanted to get involved in winemaking rather than being in the lab. I worked at Chaberton in the very beginning and did my first harvest there. After four years working at Chaberton, I went back to school and did my masters in winemaking. I was making wine in the Okanagan for a bit, before Chaberton invited me back in 2015.

Q. Do you have a person that influenced or mentored you in winemaking?

We’ve always had a resident consultant winemaker, Elias Phiniotis. He’s been here since the very beginning of this winery, when the owner purchased this land. He was here when the first vine was planted at Chabernot Estate winery, and he’s been my biggest mentor. He was one of two Ph.D. candidates that was in the Okanagan back in the 1960s, back when the industry was started.

The skill set that I’ve developed in the cellar, the tactile work and the machine running, I’ve learned from the Cellar master here, Jacques Menarguez.

Q. What is your go-to wine off the clock?

A guy named Craig McDonald, an Australian guy I met back in Ontario. He was all about doing everything right. He approached everything like this, no matter what it was. He was also not afraid to experiment here or there, and to push the envelope, but to be pure with the fruit. He was a pretty stern taskmaster.

When I’m not at work and I want something to drink, I’m actually into beer. I taste so much wine during my workday. If I’m at home, I’ll have a craft session beer. I really love a nice crisp style of beer…It’s hard to say my favorite type of wine — that’s like asking someone to pick their favorite child.

My very first instructor told me that in order to make fine wine, you have to drink a lot of beer. I drink all kinds of craft beer, with all the breweries popping up here. At the winery, we have a mini fridge that’s mostly full of beer. We get together and have a beer at the winery — we call them safety meetings. We sit around and talk wine, chat about how the week went, how we can better use our time, competitions coming up, or VQA Panels.

Okanagan is getting a bit too hot, so I like to gravitate up north. Being in the Naramata, Penticton area is great for pinot noir, merlot, and cabernet…That’s the beauty of overseeing the whole vintage. I have the opportunity to source from somewhere else. It is getting hotter, and the longer growing season is best for the style that I like in Chaberton wines, and I think that’s another reason why Fraser Valley will become more popular.

Q. What is your go-to wine off the clock?

Q. Why do you feel Fraser Valley attracts so many winemakers?

I’m a little curious in some people’s motivations. It’s a beautiful business to be in. It’s a passion for people, and it has to be because it’s so difficult to make a lot of money at it. The adage in the wine business is, “If you want to make a small fortune in the wine business, you better start with a large one.”

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Q. What’s your preferred area to source your grapes?

Q. Why do you feel this region offers so many great wines?

I think it’s in part because the market is opening up.

The consumers are a little more aware of the wine culture here. I think in general, the Canadian wine industry is still in its early stage. It’s such a juvenile industry. We’re young, we’re bold, and we’re willing to try new things.

Mary McDermott, Township 7

Ingrid de Jong, Glass House Estate Winery

Q. How did you get started in the winery business?

Q. How did you get started in the winery business?

21152 16th Ave., Langley 604.532.1766 D township7.com

I used to be on the hospitality side of the business and worked as a sommelier, but I felt that I wanted to get involved in making wine. I went back to school and earned a degree in oenology and viticulture, and then I started working in the cellars and doing harvests. I was lucky, because I got full-time work right away. You have to put in a lot of time and effort and have a passion for this, and not worry about the little things — just worry about learning as much as you can, and learning from a lot of different people.

Q. What is your approach to winemaking?

To try to look at the vineyard first. We try to do the best job that we can in the vineyard to produce quality fruit, which also makes my winemaking job easier. It’s easier to make really good wines, so that’s the main focus with me.

Q. Do you have a person that influenced or mentored you in winemaking?

International winemakers. I try to take a little bit from a lot of people. I try to understand what a lot of different people are working on and understanding, and put it together with my own philosophy.

Q. What is your go-to wine off the clock?

It depends on the time of the year for me. I love sparkling wine, but it’s more of a luxury item. I love all kinds of wine, and I’m always trying something new.

Q. What’s your preferred area to source your grapes?

It depends on the variety. South Okanagan is probably the best for Bordeaux and Syrah variety, that kind of thing. I like our Langley site for chardonnay and pinot sparkling wines. Naramata Bench is really great for white aromatic varieties. A lot of it is temperature.

South Okanagan is hotter and drier, and the soil is a little different. They tend to get longer ripening varieties to ripen better, so like a Bordeaux for example.

Q. Why do you feel this region offers so many great wines?

I think there’s an opportunity. We’re a little later getting into the wine game here. People are understanding that really great wines are being made here, and that people are getting excited about the wines, so more people are getting into the business. There’s been more international recognition for the wines, so people are coming from all over the world — along with international writers and so on.

23449 0 Ave., Langley 604.533.1212 D glasshouseestatewinery.com

In 2012, I took my husband to the Okanagan for three days. He really liked what he saw, and decided to start a vineyard and consequently a winery. Our property was an overgrown Christmas tree farm. It took him a month to pull out 1,000 trees, another month to pile them all up, eight acres in total. He is a horticulturist, so the growing part was not a problem. In the meantime, he had ordered 10,000 grapevines: nine white varietals and two reds. We were always interested in wines and already quite knowledgeable so it was not really a leap of faith.

After the vineyard was planted I went back to school and started the WSET course (Wine Spirit Education Trust). WSET has four levels, the last being the Diploma level and that is what I am doing at the moment. I am certified WSET 3. Our youngest daughter is very much involved in the business as well.

Since my husband was in the greenhouse industry his whole life, we decided to make our tasting room in a greenhouse.

Q. What is your approach to winemaking?

We believe in producing small lots of varietally expressive wines, and have a minimalistic approach. We use both tanks and French oak (barrels).

Q. Do you have a person that influenced or mentored you in winemaking?

We work with a consultant who has given us a protocol and we follow that.

Q. What is your go-to wine off the clock?

We don't have a specific wine, but often start with our Chardonnay or one of our reds. Our red wines are Merlot, Meridian (blend Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Franc) and Austellus (a Bordeaux-style blend, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot).

Q. What’s your preferred area to source your grapes??

We source our red grapes from the Naramata Bench.

Q. Why do you feel this region offers so many great wines?

The Naramata Bench has a better climate for red grapes.

It is a sub-region of the Okanagan. Due to the sloping aspect of the region and the proximity of the lake, it is ideal. The climate is continental, 13-to-19-degree Celsius days, with long frost-free autumns.

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Vinoscenti Vineyards

A NEED FOR MEAD (AND SAKE)

15560 Colebrook Rd., Surrey 778.575.5885 vinoscentivineyards.ca

Written by BEN JOHNSON

Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm and Meadery 2595 Lefeuvre Road, Abbotsford 604.856.2125 D bchoney.com

A Lover’s Wine Haven

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he sound of tricking water and birds chirping beckons lovers down “Villa dell’Amore,” or Lover’s Lane, at Vinoscenti Vineyards near White Rock, B.C. Luscious vines curve inward to create an arch, perfect for strolling underneath with your sweetheart.

That’s the idea, anyway. Vinoscenti’s owner and chief executive Clinton Lee has a vision of love and romance all around, creating a tranquil place for wine enthusiasts to enjoy the fruit of the vines.

Patrons enter the vineyard to be greeted by a basket of beautiful stones and Davide Piccolo, Vinoscenti’s tasting room supervisor, to explain their purpose.

“Lovers pick out a stone from a basket at the beginning of the tour and they place them underneath the vines together to symbolize their love nourishing growth. The rocks absorb sunlight during the day and release the heat into the vines at night when it’s colder,” Piccolo said.

From there, pairs or groups wander through “Lover’s Lane.” The pathway is lined with items representing the different stages of love, such as hanging baskets for the initial “blooming” 54 NorthSoundLife.com

of adoration and a stone-lined path at the end to represent the long journey of life together.

After emerging from the romantic escape of the vineyards, visitors can head up to the tasting room. The elegant charm of dark wood and a wraparound porch are the perfect parallel to their wines -– sophisticated, yet approachable.

“Vino is wine, and the second part of our name translates to “knowledge” in Italian. We’re merging together wine and knowledge. We do teaching classes and wine courses,” Piccolo said.

In addition to producing premium wines, part of Dr. Clinton Lee’s goal for Vinoscenti is to educate the community.

“For now, we have classes on wine history, how to taste and how to appreciate wine. When we do harvest in October, we’ll invite people to do classes about winemaking” taught

by Lee, Piccolo said.

Whether you’re a lovebird searching for the perfect romantic date, or a wine enthusiast looking to become a wine professional, Vinoscenti’s goal is to craft a personal experience perfect for you and yours.

Campbell’s Gold Farm and Meadery is one of the more unusual wineries in the area — the farm produces mead, a wine made from fermented water and honey. Mike Campbell, who owns the farm with his wife Judy, began creating mead as a hobby after finding a recipe for the sweet drink 50 years ago.

Today, Campbell’s Gold Farm and Meadery also includes an eight-acre farm and apiary, and is open for tastings and tours. The farm is about 15 minutes north of the Lynden border crossing in Abbotsford, and if you make the trip, try one of their melomels.

It’s a honey and fruit wine and a customer favorite.

Artisan Sake Maker

1339 Railspur Alley, Vancouver 604.685.7253 artisansakemaker.com While British Columbia is home to a vast number of wineries, there are few in the area who create sake, the Japanese rice wine. Artisan Sake Maker crafts sake from rice grown just outside Vancouver, and offers tours and tastings at their small space on Granville Island. The shop is nestled in Railspur Alley on a strip of studios that all showcase handcrafted products. Visitors to Artisan Sake Maker can learn about the entire sake-making process at the shop, or try one of six styles of rice wine. Owner Masa Shiroki says the sake made at the shop is unpasteurized and unfiltered, for a full-flavored and authentic sake experience.

Wellbrook Winery 4626 88th St., Delta 604.946.1868 D wellbrookwinery.com

A Blueberry Blast From the Past

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any farms have attempted to create multiple offerings from the same crop, but few have ventured into the world of wine. Wellbrook Winery’s rich history, coupled with organic fruit and quality-conscious techniques, have taken them from a small heritage-rich farm to a mustvisit winery in Delta, BC. Owner Terry Bremner has memories of being the paper boy for the building that would eventually become his own property and finally, Wellbrook Winery. From a young age, he admired the beautiful setting, and when it was being sold by original owner Gordon Huff, Bremner bought and restored the late 1800s buildings on the property.

“Gordon was pleased. He was told the barn couldn’t be saved. Someone could have knocked it down, but he found Terry, who would restore it even though it was in bad shape,” said longtime tasting room manager Pat Wilkinson.

It all started with blueberry juice.

Bremner grew up on a blueberry farm a few miles away, and he often recalls the time a lightbulb went off. “He went to buy blueberry juice from somewhere else and thought, ‘I can do better than that.’ So he did,” Wilkinson said.

Wellbrook expanded from there.

From jellies to syrups to pies to wine, the offerings are diverse but the quality is consistent. Because the Bremners

are strict about what they will put in their products, excessive sweetness is not an issue, as one may think when it comes to a fruit juices and wines.

As a nod to their origins, blueberry wine is Wellbrook’s signature offering. Deep blue in color and slightly thicker in texture than a traditional grape wine, one sip of this full-bodied vino will blow your assumptions out of the water. The blueberry wine is dry and oaky with a clean finish and lingering fruitiness.

Spending the day at Wellbrook feels like a charming blast from the past. Wandering around the grounds is sure to grant you the nostalgia of a history-rich setting and the desire for an afternoon glass of wine.

WINE & FOOD PAIRINGS

White Pinot Noir, goes well with salmon. If you like a lighter wine, try a Pinot Gris.

meaty red wine with a peppery finish like merlot or cabernet sauvignon.

Crab

BBQ Chicken

The summer offers Pacific Northwest foods that are readily available and fresh. Try the following types of wine to pair with these delicious seasonal favorites.

Salmon

Full-bodied white wines like oakaged Chardonnay, Viognier or

A buttery Chardonnay is always great with crab. If the crab is cold, pair it with a pinot gris. If it is served warm with butter, try a Riesling.

Filet Mignon

Match your filet with a full-bodied,

Zinfandel tends to offer a bit of a smoky undertone which pairs nicely with BBQ Sauce.

Strawberry Shortcake

The tricks to pairing desserts are matching the wetness level. Try a Gewürztraminers or Moscato wine.

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