06 – SIPS & NIBBLES
News and trends from wine country
10 – WINE LIFE
The pros explain how to sip your way out of a wine rut
by Daenna Van Mulligen14 – PIPETTE
Dipping into the wide world of wine by DJ
Kearney16 – OENOPHILE
B.C. winemakers are fighting fire with whatever it takes
by Rhys Pender MW18 – IN THE VINEYARD
Has Vancouver Island found its best variety? Maybe .
by Joanne SasvariPUBLISHER: Gail Nugent • gnugent@glaciermedia.ca
EDITOR: Joanne Sasvari • jsasvari@glaciermedia.ca
DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Tara Rafiq • trafiq@glaciermedia.ca
20 – WORLD OF WINE
The charms of Chasselas, Switzerland’s signature grape by Joanne Sasvari
24 – SO YOU WANT TO OPEN A WINERY
We check in with five B.C. vintners who followed their dream by Tim Pawsey
28 – FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Three celebrated chefs heat up Vancouver’s dining scene by Joanne Sasvari
32 – LISTINGS
Your guide to B.C.’s wineries
42 – WINE GEEK
Trellising: The vineyard’s support system by Christine Campbell
COVER IMAGE: Getty Images
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR: Valeria Remizova Vitis.ca
@VitisMag • @VitisMag
PUBLISHED BY: Glacier Media Group 303 W. 5th Ave., Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J6 778-240-4010
© Vitis 2022
This issue is complimentary.
JOANNE SASVARI is editor of Vitis, The Alchemist and YAM magazines. She is a WSET-certified writer who covers food and drink for publications including Food & Wine and Shondaland, and is the author of Island Eats and forthcoming Okanagan Eats.
CHRISTINE CAMPBELL is a Vancouverbased freelance and travel writer, educator and host of the Wine Soundtrack Canada podcast. She is WSET certified and is a French Wine Scholar. Follow Christine’s adventures in wine and abroad at www.girlsgogrape.com.
DJ KEARNEY is a Vancouver-based wine educator, consultant, speaker, judge and global wine expert. Creator of the New District Wine Club, she is also Terminal City Club’s director of wine and vice-president of CAPS-BC, responsible for the Best Sommelier of BC competition.
TIM PAWSEY writes and shoots at hiredbelly.com as well as for publications including Quench, TASTE and Montecristo. He’s a frequent wine judge and is a founding member of the B.C. Hospitality Foundation.
Welcome to the Fall/Winter 2022 issue of Vitis, the magazine of British Columbia’s wine culture.
As the last few years have proved beyond any measure of doubt, the only certainty is uncertainty. After a global pandemic, heatwaves, wildfires, storms, floods and washed-out highways, this year B.C. wine country has already had to deal with unusually cold weather, soaring fuel prices, rising interest rates and even a strike that affected liquor distribution.
It’s been a lot.
But wine country is resilient. Everyone in the business of growing, making, selling and serving wine is supportive, adaptive and dedicated to making sure you have wine in your glass. And here at Vitis, we love telling their stories.
In this issue, Tim Pawsey checks in with a crop of small, new B.C. wineries whose owners are chasing big dreams. Rhys Pender MW looks into the clever techniques wineries are using to combat the effects of smoke in wine. In Pipette, DJ Kearney investigates the future of oak. And Daenna Van Mulligen asks Vancouver somms for tips on getting out of a wine rut.
DAENNA VAN MULLIGEN is a sommelier, educator, keynote speaker and radio host who launched WineDiva.ca 15 years ago, and WineScores.ca soon after. She is also a regular contributor to TASTE, Vines and Montecristo magazines.
If you turn to the same wines over and over again, it’s time to try something new. How about a Cowichan Valley Chardonnay? It’s suddenly become the Island’s most exciting new grape. Or maybe you should head to the Alps for some Chasselas from the steep, picturesque terraces of Switzerland’s UNESCO-registered Lavaux region.
As we head into fall and autumn, we hope you fill your glass with something delicious and raise it to the people who helped put it there. Then join us in these pages for their stories, as well as winery listings, wine news, and so much more. We’re so very glad to have you along.
—Joanne Sasvari, editor
Ready for harvest, vines near Penticton bask in the setting sun. Getty Images photo
How else would a winery named for an unholy explosion celebrate a major milestone than with a Seven Deadly Sins party? That’s just what the team at Blasted Church Vineyards did in August to mark 20 years of operations in OK Falls, as well as a bright future under new ownership.
Proprietor Sean Morrison and winemaker Evan Saunders welcomed guests for an epic party that started, as it should, with sparkling wine sabering. But it was also an opportunity to remember some of the quirkiest and most memorable wine labels ever to adorn a bottle of B.C. wine.
The Campbell family acquired Prpich Hills Winery and Vineyard in 2002 and named their new winery on the Skaha Bench Blasted Church Vineyards in honour of a famed local house of prayer that was demolished by controlled blast in 1929. In fitting tribute, the original wine labels, illustrated
by Whitehorse-based artist Monika Melnychuk, featured cheekily religious motifs. The 2002 Pinot Gris, for instance, depicted well-known characters in the B.C. wine industry like Vitis writer Tim Pawsey attending mass.
Two decades later, the winery is still a place of irreverence, but with terrific wies, and the occasional epic party. Amen to that.
Leading the way once again, Okanagan Crush Pad has become the first Canadian winery to join the International Wineries for Climate Action. The Summerland winery has long been committed to stewardship. Now its goal is to reduce greenhouse emissions by 33 per cent by 2030, reach net zero by 2050 and inspire other wineries to follow suit.
“I am proud that the winery team is devoted to this process and to making a full effort to take our land stewardship commitment to the next level,” says OCP founder Christine Coletta. “We started our sustainability push in 2011 by converting our vineyards to organic farming and then in 2014 obtaining organic certification for our winemaking facility. We can now push this commitment beyond farming and winemaking to incorporate all aspects of our business.”
Founded by Familia Torres and Jackson Family Wines, IWCA aims to galvanize the global wine community to create climate change mitigation strategies and decarbonize the industry. It is open to any winery, from any country, and employs a three-tiered membership system that allows a diversity of wineries to join. Okanagan Crush Pad has been accepted as an applicant member and has one year to meet IWCA membership requirements and become a silver or gold level member.
“It is important for us to take a deep dive into our practices with a set goal and timeframe in which to achieve the next level of IWCA membership,” notes OCP’s CEO, Darryl Brooker. “We are also pleased that through IWCA membership we are also a participant in the United Nations’ Race to Zero Campaign.” okanagancrushpad.com
As if 2022 didn’t bring enough troubles, in July Wine Growers British Columbia had their Instagram account hacked, their original handle deactivated and all their content removed from the social media platform. But now they’re back, sharing posts and stories and encouaging B.C. wine lovers to help rebuild their online presence. Follow them
@WinesofBC.
How many of us, before we understood anything about wine, only knew that funny-shaped bottle from Châteauneuf-duPape was something fancy and expensive? Now La Fiole Reserve has landed in B.C., a premium wine that is still affordable at only $29.99. This is the fourth La Fiole wine to arrive in B.C., and still has the distinctive bottle shape designed in 1952 to represent a Grenache vine that had been bent by the Mistral winds. Now you can enjoy both a vintage La Fiole Châteauneuf-du-Pape for special occasions and a simple Côtes du Rhône for Tuesday night.
Lionel Trudel photo courtesy of Okanagan Crush Pad
September 18 to 24
The provincial capital city’s fest is back for 2022 with seminars, wine dinners, master classes and, of course, the grand tasting. This year’s theme region is Washington State, and events will be held at the historic Roundhouse as well as venues around Victoria. Tickets and information at vicwf.com
September 30 to October 2
Swing by Canada’s Wine Capital for three days of live music, dancing, good food, good wine and loads of fun. The centrepiece of the event is the family-friendly Festival of the Grape, which includes the chaotic Grape Stomp, food trucks, an interactive Kids Zone and the artisan Merchant Market. There’s also a kick-off party at The District Wine Village, where you can enjoy live music along with beer, wine and spirits. visitoliver.com/fall-festival-weekend
September 29 to October 9
At press time, details were scant on the annual festival, which typically takes place at venues throughout the valley. For information, visit thewinefestivals.com
November 10 to 20
The most highly anticipated event on the fall calendar is Whistler’s annual celebration of food and drink, which returns for its 26th year this November. This year’s festival features 11 days of deliciousness from November 10 to 20, plus new events and experiences November 4 to 6 and 25 to 27. Cornucopia’s signature events are back: House Party: Best of BC; Cellar Door; Crush Grand Tasting; With a Twist; Poured; and Taste the World: Night Market; along with the second edition of Murder Mystery Dinner. Plus there are winemaker’s dinners, seminars and tastings to enjoy. whistlercornucopia.com
April 23 to 30, 2023
It’s never too soon to start planning for the big one, which will be held in April next year. At 43 years, VIWF is one of the oldest and biggest wine festivals in the world, and was named the “#1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event in Canada” for seven years running by New York’s BizBash. Expect all the seminars, winemaker’s dinners, trade days events and tastings that we have come to love. vanwinefest.ca
Tourism Whistler/Mike Crane photo Photo courtesy Oliver Tourism Association
THE EXPERTS OFFER TIPS TO GET YOUR TASTEBUDS TINGLING AGAIN
Daenna Van MulligenIt happens to us all at some point. We purchase the same bottle time and again because it doesn’t let us down—we know what to expect and, honestly, it’s just easier to stick to what’s comfortable. I get it, but the downside of getting stuck in a rut is you’re not experiencing new things, and you are certainly not expanding your palate repertoire. The pros know the only way to get better at tasting, developing your palate and deepening your overall wine knowledge is to taste new wines—all the time!
So I reached out to five of the province’s skilled tasters and asked their advice on how to get out of a wine rut. Here are their top tips.
KURTIS KOLT
Vancouver-based wine consultant, writer and wine enthusiast: Talk to the pros.
“When perusing aisles at a wine shop, or tucking into a restaurant meal, any savvy wine enthusiast on staff will most often be more than happy to offer their two cents in helping you find your next favourite bottle,” says Kolt.
“By all means share what you’re usually drinking, mentioning what you like about it, and your friendly neighbourhood wine folks should be able to take that as a starting point, and whisk you away to something new and exciting.”
Kolt looks for quintessential bottles that offer incredible value and boatloads of deliciousness, and are dynamic for pairing with foods such as: cheese boards, fish and chips, salty snacks, spicy Thai curries and Buffalo wings.
HIS PICK:
Domaine Martin Jund Edelzwicker (Alsace, France, $32)
Aromatic blend; orchard fruits, honey, opulent, juicy.
Wine director for Vancouver’s Botanist Restaurant at the Fairmont Pacific Rim: Take a leap of faith.
“Be willing to buy a wine knowing you may not love it,” Brown says. “That is truly the only way to discover new gems. Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for help—the staff in independent wine shops are there to help you.”
She suggests looking for something you don’t know. “Are you feeling classic or adventurous? If classic, maybe pivot your Chablis to a Muscadet; if adventurous, pivot your Rhône red to an Austrian Blaufrankisch, or choose an Etna Rosso instead of Pinot Noir, or South African Chenin instead of California Chardonnay.”
She adds: “People ask me what wine I choose when dining out in a restaurant, and my answer is always the one I don’t recognize, or know the least about. Sometimes the wines I pick don’t fit perfectly, but I always learn something.”
HER PICK:
Terravista Vineyards Fandango (Naramata Bench, B.C., $29) Albariño-Verdejo blend; crunchy, perfect for everyday.
“
Be willing to buy a wine knowing that you may not love it.
“
One rule— you have to taste everything.
Co-founder of Cru Consultancy, a wine education company based in Victoria: Commit to trying new wines.
“Put yourself in situations where you have to try new things,” says the award-winning wine instructor and certified sommelier. “Invite a group of friends over and ask everyone to bring a new-to-them bottle. Taste any samples on offer at your liquor store. Sign up for a wine class. One rule—you have to taste everything. Only after you taste can you decide if you like a wine or not.”
HER PICK:
Palazzi Rosato, Monferrato, Chiaretto (Piemonte, Italy, $17) Gorgeous Barbera-based rosé; juicy strawberries, raspberries.
Key accounts manager with Stile Brands: Dine out often.
“Go to a restaurant and ask the sommelier if they’ve got anything new and unique,” advises Bevilacqua, a sommelier who spent most of his professional career in Napa Valley. “We [somms] love to nerd out on the lesser-known varietals with cool backstories, but don’t get to talk about them as often as we’d like. Ask any sommelier if there’s
a particular bottle on the list they’re excited about and you’ll see their eyes light up. It’s the easiest way to branch out of your comfort zone.”
He advocates for Italian whites, wines that are a “force to be reckoned with” and can rival a white Burgundy or top-level Grüner Veltliner from Austria.
HIS PICK:
Ezio Poggio Timorasso “Caespes”
Terre di Libarna (Piedmont, Italy, $45)
Textural, mineral, aromatically complex.
Award-winning winemaker at Le Vieux Pin and LaStella: Subscribe to a wine club.
“Settling in a wine rut is so tempting, but so dangerous for our taste buds,” says Pinte, who made wine in France and Australia before landing in the Okanagan in 2010.
“I participate in wine tastings with industry peers or organize wine tastings at home with friends and the [only] rule is to bring a wine that is not from B.C. We all taste blind,” she says. “More recently I also subscribed to a monthly wine delivery from Vancouver’s Apéro Mode, to force myself to try new producers from around the world.”
HER PICK:
Roche Wines “Vig” Zweigelt Rosé (Okanagan Valley, B.C., $25)
Delicious; red berries, rosehips, dry and subtle.
Settling in a wine rut is so tempting, but so dangerous for our taste buds.SEVERINE PINTE
We all know that the barrel can add layers of flavour to wine—baking spices, vanilla, coconut, caramel, toast and smoke—but have you wondered about how much the barrel costs? Or how much it adds to the price of your wine?
The barrel has been around for about 2,000 years, and generally French oak is preferred as an aging and/or fermentation vessel. French oak is particularly admired for its tight grain, softer tannins and subtle, complex aroma and flavour profile. There are several famous French oak forests (Vosges, Tronçais, Alliers or Nevers) where slow-growing, tightly spaced, slender oak trees yield wood for casks of tremendous calibre and finesse. Eastern European oak (Hungarian and Slavonian) is similarly admired.
It’s generally accepted that wine barrels are typically the second most expensive non-overhead input in the production cost of a bottle of wine (the first is grapes). What contributes to the cost of a fine barrel?
• French Oak (most expensive) versus European Oak versus American Oak (least expensive).
• Provenance and age of the oak.
• Hand split versus sawn staves.
• Curing methods of the staves (air-dried versus kilned).
• How the staves are bent.
• Toast level and stave thickness.
• Skill and reputation of the cooper.
In addition, recent forest fires, droughts and pandemic-related supply-chain choke points have added new layers of expense and scarcity. It’s also been suggested that preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics will drive up oak prices, as demand for oak construction intensifies A standard French oak barrel commands around US$1,000 to US$3,600 for a 228-litre cask. But here’s the bald truth: Only 20 to 25 per cent of a tree can be used when coopering French barrels with split staves, leaving a lot of high-quality surplus wood.
So what about using that leftover oak to flavour wine without the expense of making the barrel?
That’s where “alternative oak” romps into the picture. Maximizing surface area—remember that only the inner surface of the barrel can be used—to achieve optimal flavour and tannin softening into wine, these off-cuts can be turned into oak fans, oak dominoes or oak chips, all with varying toasting levels. The cost is a relative deal: A typical fan will offer 2.2 square metres of oak contact for about $110 per fan; French oak dominos and chips are about $210 per 10 kilo bag.
It goes without saying that oak alternatives are not used for premium wines, but they tick the boxes of being resource efficient, affordable and highly effective at flavouring and smoothing the texture of everyday wine. Oak barrels can add $5 or more to a wine’s shelf price, compared to pennies for the growing use of oak alternatives.
Where does American oak fit into this puzzle? We will climb that tree next issue!
• It takes 70 to 100-plus years for a single oak tree to be ready for harvesting.
• A typical French oak tree will yield two barrels that will hold just 50 cases of wine.
• An experienced cooper can make/finish four barrels per day; each takes about 12 hours, based on degrees of mechanical help.
• A barrel will imbue a wine with aromas and flavours for up to five years and can be reconditioned to extend its use even further.
• The rate of oxygen transfer (OTR) has been comprehensively studied by UVaMOX (a research group at Valladolid University in Spain), reminding us that tighter grain oak is more permeable to oxygen.
• French oak is more permeable to oxygen, but American oak barrels have a higher total oxygen transfer rate; according to UVaMOX, this is mostly because American staves are typically sawn against the grain, while French ones are split along the grain.
• The latest research suggests that American oak has an oxygen transfer rate of 11.3 mg/litre per year, while French oak transfers oxygen at 8.18 mg/litre per year.
• Interestingly, half of the annual oxygen transfer happens in the first two to four months that a wine is in barrel.
A pallet is stacked with oak staves to make wine barrels. Getty Images photoYou’ve got to have a lot of sympathy for farmers these days. The changing climate keeps throwing jab after jab, punch after unpredictable punch, pushing farmers up against the ropes and fighting to stay on their feet. This is climate change, blow after blow of extremes that rock from one cruel extravagance to another.
One such ruthless assault on farmers around the world is the combination of searing temperatures and lack of rainfall that together have turned vast parts of the globe into a giant tinder box just waiting to spark into an incredible imitation of hell. The resulting wildfires have rocked the wine industry. Some will point out that wildfires in some areas are a natural occurrence that helps keep some ecosystems healthy. But these fires are becoming more extreme, more widespread and more intense. And they are affecting grape growers and winemakers around the world. So what are people doing about it?
First, we should dispel a myth. The presence of smoke in the air in a wine region does not automatically mean that all the grapes and wines will have smoke taint. It is much more complicated than that. “Taint” is also a harsh word. Some of the same compounds in smoke also come out of barrels and a little smokiness can often be quite OK in a wine. So, the term smoke “impact” is probably a better one to use.
Like anything to do with wine, it is all about balance. Just like too much oak, Brettanomyces, volatile acidity, sweetness or lack of acidity can turn many people off a wine, so, too, can the flavour of smoke. A little bit of smokiness can add complexity to a wine. But it can quickly become too much and few consumers crave the taste of Don Draper’s heavily used ashtray in their wine.
Scientists and winemakers are absorbing information fast. Wine country wildfires being a relatively new phenomenon (at least in size and frequency), the learning curve is steep. Experiments are being done at every step of the grape-growing and winemaking process, from the vineyard through to the final wine.
Research is showing that the way smoke impact works is that the free volatile phenols from the smoke latch on to the grape and stick with it through the entire ripening and winemaking process.
What is confusing, though, and has the experts scrambling to understand, is how much the smoke can vary in its impact on different grapes and different wines. There seems to be a direct correlation with the specific growth stage the vine is in. Even a tiny difference can mean one grape variety gets a heavy dose of smoke while in the very next row another variety is hardly affected. The proximity, intensity, composition and length of exposure are all key factors, but the correlations aren’t direct, nor simple. Sometimes a wine that appears to be free of smoke can later release the flavours
Although smoke impact is getting a lot of attention these days, it is estimated that 20 to 25 per cent of the population can’t actually smell or taste smoke compounds in wine.
The presence of smoke in the air in a wine region does not automatically mean that all the grapes and wines will have smoke taint.
after an indeterminate time in barrel or bottle. The head scratching continues.
There is no silver bullet for removing smokiness in wine, but a number of techniques have been found to reduce its perception. The more of these are used, the better the result.
The first step should be analysis or micro-ferments that can determine the likelihood of smoke influence. Hand harvesting can keep fruit whole and exclude leaves, which can carry traces of smoke. Avoiding skin contact with whole cluster pressing is another technique that keeps smoke away from the juice—it’s how white Pinot Noir is made. It also helps to keep temperatures cool during processing and separate free run from harder pressed juice.
In addition, experiments are underway to develop sprays that might protect grapes from smoke, but there is still much work ahead.
Post-production is where the most can be currently done. Carbon is being widely used to fine out some of the smoky flavour, but it unfortunately can strip out other desirable flavours as well. Oak chips can mask the smoky perception a little, as does blending in unaffected wine. Reverse osmosis and other membrane filtrations will do the trick, too, but it has sometimes been found the smoke will return over time.
The potential for smoke showing up later on can be avoided by making wines designed to drink now rather than to store in the cellar. Be ready for less tannic, juicier wines. Who really has room for a big wine cellar these days anyway?
Climatic extremes and the risk of forest fires aren’t going away any time soon, but don’t underestimate the ability for the wine business to bounce back. With a world of very smart brains working hard on the problem, the wine business is ready for a fight.
Because smoke attaches itself to the skin of the grape, one way to avoid its impact on wine is to use only the juice and avoid as much skin contact as possible. That’s how white Pinot Noir is made, and it’s a growing category here in B.C. Here are three to try.
— Vitis staff
B.C. WHITE PINOT NOIR
Spearhead Winery White Pinot Noir 2021 (Southeast Kelowna, B.C., $28) Gooseberry, honeydew, lime zest, elderflower, crisp.
Beaumont Family Estate White Pinot Noir 2021 (West Kelowna, B.C., $26) Green apple, juicy pear, lemon, bright.
Silkscarf Winery White Pinot 2021 (Summerland, B.C., $26) Peach, strawberry, white flower, delicate, vivid.
THE COWICHAN VALLEY IS STARTING TO PRODUCE EXCITING CHARDONNAY. QUESTION IS, WHY HASN’T ANYONE DONE THIS BEFORE?
Joanne SasvariEvery once in a while you taste a wine so electrifying you just can’t stop raving about it. Last year, that wine for me was the 2019 Unsworth Chardonnay, the first the Cowichan Valley winery ever produced. Citrusy and mineral-driven, with a thrilling saline finish, it reminded me of some of my favourite wines from Chablis or northern Spain.
I’m not the only one who was smitten—it earned 88 points and a Bronze Medal at the 2022 Decanter Awards, one of the highest scores ever for a Vancouver Island wine.
“Like the rest of our portfolio, it’s the beautiful acidity. And one of the things people come up with is the salinity, the salty notes,” says Chris Turyk, the winery’s director of marketing and sales. “It’s such a cooler maritime climate, you’re going to get a leaner profile, and you’re leaning on the texture rather than an opulent fruit profile.’
So far, the Unsworth Chard has been made with purchased fruit from a vineyard planted with a mystery clone
in the 1990s. Now the winery is planting 15 to 20 acres of its own Chardonnay, which should land in bottle in three to four years.
At Averill Creek, “phenolic farmer and winemaker” Brent Rowland just bottled his first Chardonnay. “It is the first real crop off the Chardonnay planted on the Averill Creek estate. It was a very small amount, two barrels or 50 cases, but I am very excited with the potential,” he says. “I have since decided to go all in on Chardonnay.”
In fact, he personally purchased a 25-acre vineyard as a separate entity from Averill Creek and will be planting it half with Pinot Noir and half Chardonnay. (“Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are my jam,” he says.)
Nearby Blue Grouse Estate Winery, which just released its first-ever Chardonnay under its Quill label, is also planting nine to 12 acres in addition to its one-acre Paula Vineyard.
“I think the potential is great,” says Blue Grouse winemaker Bailey Williamson. “I don’t think it’s going to be your mother’s Chardonnay with all that vanilla and butter. It’ll be a leaner style. I don’t want to say Chablis, but it will be minerally and steely. And it will age really well.”
It will likely also have that appealing salty note, that subtle taste of the Salish Sea that Williamson believes is “distinctive to the Island and the Cowichan region,” and says, “I see it in other whites, too, though not as distinct.”
What makes all of this so intriguing is that, until now, the Island has barely produced any Chardonnay at all.
When Rowland arrived here in 2018, he asked if anyone was growing Chardonnay. “The common response was, ‘No, no, you cannot ripen Chardonnay on the Island.’ I found that quite odd,” he says. “Why would this be the only place on the planet that you can ripen Pinot Noir but not Chardonnay?”
Williamson, too, encountered that attitude. “Chardonnay seems to flower a bit later, and it develops later, so I think it’s the short growing season that dissuaded the early pioneers,” he says.
Turyk speculates that it may have been at least in part a fashion thing. “In the early 1990s, Chardonnay was expected to be in that fuller, riper style, so maybe wineries were thinking, ‘We can’t grow that style here, so why plant it?’” he says. “But from a viticulture standpoint, if you can ripen Pinot Noir, you can ripen Chardonnay.”
Now, of course, that lean style is just what everyone craves. “Everybody wants to be cool climate and we have that in spades,” Williamson says.
As the climate changes and vintners develop better understanding of the region’s unique terroir, Chardonnay might just become as much a calling card for the Island as its Pinot Noirs. Turyk, for one, is convinced that’s the future for Cowichan Valley wine.
“Oh, absolutely,” he says. “Between Pinot and Chardonnay, that’s where things are going to go.”
Averill Creek Vineyard Chardonnay 2021 (Cowichan Valley, B.C., $32) Lush fruit, firm salinity, understated power.
Unsworth Vineyard Chardonnay 2020 (Cowichan Valley, B.C., $31)
Elegant, lemon peel, nutty, chalky, saline.
Blue Grouse Estate Winery Quill Chardonnay 2021 (Cowichan Valley, B.C., $26) Light bodied, citrus, steely, subtly oceanic.
One of the things people come up with is the salinity, the salty notes.Averill Creek Chardonnay. Getty Images photo
THE FOOD-FRIENDLY WHITE FROM SWITZERLAND’S VERY, VERY STEEP MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS
Joanne Sasvari
There’s a lot of chat about “heroic” viticulture these days. But when you stand amid the vertiginously narrow terraces of Switzerland’s AOC Lavaux region, you realize just what that actually means.
These skinny vineyards encircled by stone walls, some only a few rows wide, are stacked steeply up a mountainside that plunges dizzily down to Lake Geneva. Everything here is done by hand—indeed, it would be impossible for a tractor to access these vines. Some slopes are so steep, the vintners have had to install cable cars to reach them.
Challenging though the terrain is, wine has been grown here since the Romans came through in the 2nd century BCE, though it mostly dates back to the Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries of the 11th and 12th centuries. And what has largely been grown here in the last 2,000 years or so is a delicately fruity white grape called Chasselas.
“It is my favourite white wine because I grew up here,” says winemaker Jacques Joly, of Domaine Joly in Lavaux, which not only produces wine but offers holiday apartments and serves table d’hôte dinners for 10 to 20 people. “I got Chasselas in the bottle when I was a baby.”
Chasselas is not a grape familiar to many North American palates. It is grown in France, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, New Zealand, Croatia and Chile, and is a promising variety for marginal wine regions. The legendary French wine producer Michel Chapoutier, for instance, is looking at buying vineyards in England, specifically to plant Chasselas.
Most of all, it is associated with Switzerland, where it most likely originated sometime in the 15th or 16th century.
A little Chasselas is grown here in B.C., notably by Quails’ Gate and St. Hubertus. And after tasting dozens of Chasselas in Switzerland, I’m starting to wonder if there shouldn’t be more.
Chasselas, you see, is exactly the type of wine we’re craving these days. Light, fresh and relatively low in alcohol (usually between 11 and 13 per cent ABV), it is a fairly neutral grape with flavours of apples, apple blossom, mint, melon and sometimes just a hint of smoke. It has a medium-high acid and often a pleasing minerality.
Quails’ Gate Chasselas-Pinot GrisPinot Blanc 2021 (Okanagan Valley, B.C., $19.99)
Lemon, pear, honeydew, peach blossom, fruity, mineral.
St. Hubertus Oak Bay Estate Winery Chasselas 2021 (Okanagan Valley, $19.50)
Grassy, white flowers, lemon zest, delicate.
Joanne Sasvari photo
At Lausanne’s Casino de Montbenon, an afternoon snack of cheese and sausage is best enjoyed with an easy-going glass of Chasselas. Joanne Sasvari photo
All of this makes Chasselas a very food-friendly wine, especially when paired with cheese, whether it’s a creamy Tomme Vaudoise served along with bread and dry-cured sausage or a nutty Gruyère melted into fondue or smoky raclette oozing over boiled potatoes.
Chasselas is also highly terroir expressive and, luckily for us, those who make it rarely cover up the character of the soil and climate with oak.
“We in Switzerland are absolutely not a fan of oak taste,” says winemaker Guillaume Potterat, the youngest generation of a winemaking family that dates back to at least 1480. That’s when Domaine Potterat was built in the village of Cully; today, ancient, dust-covered bottles linger in shadowy corners of its dim cellar and a venerable wisteria stretches across the tasting patio.
His is just one of the 150-family-owned wineries in the Lavaux region, which is located in the canton of Vaud,
right on the outskirts of Lausanne. The steep alpine slopes here are striped with some 10,000 terraces bordered by 400 kilometres of stone walls, still made from local sand and stone the way they have for centuries.
This is not a high-volume wine region, but a carefully, meticulously, handcrafted one—so much so that in 2007, 830 hectares of Lavaux’s terraced vineyards were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Visitors to the region should start their exploration at the Maison Lavaux, an interpretive centre that features a large mural depicting the characters, traditions and inside jokes of the region—the local jazz festival, the nude beach, the house where Charlie Chaplin once lived, the old vineyard worker huts that have been transformed into B&Bs or tasting rooms, the biennial race of the quirky three-wheeled winery vehicles called tracassés, and, of course, the lake.
Lake Geneva (also known as Lac Léman) not only moderates the climate, making it possible to grow grapes here in the Alps, it was also for centuries the main transportation route for getting wine to market. It was only in the 19th century and the advent of the railways that tourists began to arrive.
Today, ferries, fishing boats and scenic cruises still ply its waters, and in the hillsides above, farmers still tend their gobelet-style vines much as generations before them have done.
“It’s completely traditional. Everything is made by hand,” says Potterat, whose winery produces four different styles of Chasselas. “It’s hard work, but because it is one of the most beautiful wineries in the world, we love to do it.”
Air Canada flies into Geneva; from there it is an easy train ride to Lausanne, and then on to Lavaux. For information on the exceptionally convenient Swiss Travel Pass, visit swiss-pass.ch.
In Lausanne, accommodation doesn’t come more opulent than the glorious, historic Beau Rivage Palace, brp.ch. For something a little less luxe, the Mövenpick is clean and convenient, with a great location near the lake, movenpick.com. If you want to stay right in Lavaux, Domaine Joly offers cosy guest rooms, cave-joly.ch.
For more information visit myswitzerland.com or myvaud.com
Domaine Potterat in the village of Cully dates back to 1480. Joanne Sasvari photo
BRING A HEADY MIX OF DREAMS, A HEALTHY SUPPLY OF CASH (OR A WINE-LOVING BANKER) AND, MOST DEFINITELY, A DASH OF SERENDIPITY
Tim PawseyDown a Cawston side road, a small home overlooks a well-tended vineyard. Welcome to diminutive Horseshoe Found, where a sign asks visitors to call co-owner Michaela Horak. She waves from between the vines as she comes to meet us.
Neither she nor her husband Pavel came from winemaking backgrounds. In their native Czechoslovakia, Michaela was trained in performing arts and Pavel was a mechanical engineer. After buying property in Cawston, they divided their time between the coast and the Similkameen Valley, but eventually moved here full time. Working tirelessly to establish their 5.7-acre vineyard and winery, they’ve just been rewarded with a National Wine Awards of Canada gold medal for their 2020 Pinot Noir. They are among a growing number of people drawn to B.C.’s burgeoning wine industry. While many may har-
bour dreams of opening a winery, only the hardy follow through, and even then they face both unexpected obstacles and exciting opportunities. It takes insatiable curiosity and a desire to succeed—and, of course, a love of wine—to help them realize their dream.
Originally, most would-be vintners headed to the Okanagan Valley. But faced with the region’s astronomical land values (its vineyard land is among the most expensive in the world), these days they’re looking elsewhere—like the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.
In 2013, Robin and Mike Nierychlo, he a home-winemaker and early YouTube commentator, purchased a dormant 8.5-acre Duncan vineyard. In just nine years,
they’ve transformed the neglected property into Emandare Vineyard, which consistently sells out its small production early in the season.
Even though they “went in with eyes wide open, the workload surpassed all expectations,” says Mike, who cautions: “It’s not an industry for the faint of heart. Ideally, you go in with deep pockets and a lot of means. That was not our story. It took a lot of sweat equity.”
Despite the challenges, the Nierychlos wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s been extremely exciting to be part of an emerging wine region, where we can show off the quality—and also be part of the legacy,” he says.
It’s vital for a couple to be equally passionate and fully committed, he says, and maybe don’t try it with a young family. And, he adds, “Don’t get into it just to make wine. Find the purest form of integrity to get behind and stick with it. Wine is a business and an art form. And you need to be able to do both well.”
Then there’s the role of serendipity.
When John Giesbrecht, founder of the J-Bar Ranch in Yarrow in the Fraser Valley, decided to retire, his granddaughter Melissa Giesbrecht and her husband Laurent Fadanni suggested the land could find new life as a vineyard, with a boutique winery built in the old arena.
The Belgian-born Fadanni is now the vigneron and part of the all-family team behind Whispering Horse Winery, whose name pays homage to a property that was known for breeding and training horses for over half a century.
“From the outset [in 2012] we decided we would always use our own grapes,” says Fadanni. “It’s been a labour of patience.” The Fraser Valley’s “marginal climate” was the main challenge in choosing what to plant. Ultimately, he decided on a mix of hybrids (La Crescent, L’Acadie blanc and Epicure) and vitis vinifera (Dornfelder and Pinot Gris).
Overall, Fadanni feels hybrids “are more adapted to the soils.” L’Acadie, in particular, “is a wine that embodies the Fraser Valley because it’s extremely mineral and the most terroir driven.” His fresh and focused wines are now ready for the next big step, a tasting room that will open in 2023.
On remote, northerly Saturna Island, accessible only by ferry, boat or seaplane, Sage Hayward Vineyards is among B.C.’s most scenic wineries. The late Vancouver restaurateur Jean-Luc Bertrand planted the first vines here in the mid-1990s, but what was then Saturna Vineyards never really thrived and eventually lay dormant for several years. Eventually, Sea Star Winery (on nearby Pender Island) purchased the vineyard in 2017.
Hailing from Salt Spring Island to the west, winemaker Tyler Cox was no stranger to Saturna. When he heard of Sea Star’s plans to revive the vineyard, he signed on immediately.
Bringing the tangled mess of vines back into shape was no small undertaking, but driven by a passion for the site, he understood its unfulfilled potential. When Sea Star put the property on the market in 2020, he felt strongly “the time was right to keep it as a local business.” He went to work persuading the Haywards, a local family for 30 years, to take up the reins—and roll up their sleeves. The family has since invested heavily and breathed new energy into both the winery and nearby Feral Goat Bistro.
At Whispering Horse in Yarrow, winemaker Laurent Fadanni pays homage to the property’s past. Robyn Bessenger photo courtesy of Whispering Horse Winery
Horseshoe Found owners Michaela and Pavel Horak were drawn to the sunny Similkameen. Supplied photo
“
Wine is a business and an art form. And you need to be able to do both well.
For Cox, the continued emphasis on the vineyard— respecting its delicately balanced ecosystem—is vital. “That’s what’s going to pay off in this climate in a meaningful way,” he says. “We’re on the edge for growing vinifera. But it’s perfect—not too hot and not too cold, but just right.”
Gradually, and with the help of new investment, the hard work of the last five years is coming to fruition—the first wines were just released this year.
In 2009, Eckhard Zeidler planted his first vines on a remote river bench about 18.5 kilometres southeast of Lillooet. In the 10 years he waited to open Cliff and Gorge Vineyards, Zeidler trialed some 37 different varieties, a necessity for a new area, he says. In the end he opted mainly for Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Petit Milo and Marechal Foch.
Zeidler says it’s one thing to start small, but cautions if you have to buy grapes the cost can come as “a nasty surprise.” His current production is about 750 cases a year, a number that might eventually double. But Zeidler plans to stay small. When COVID hit, the winemaker had to change course. He took everything outside and offered guests the chance to book a two-hour tasting. Program
and setting proved so popular, it’s now a permanent fixture. Most importantly, the tasters set their own pace. “I give my visitors the time that they want,” he insists. His advice for anyone wanting to pursue the dream? Given the price of fruit these days, “Growing your own grapes is the only way to go. But if you want to start from scratch—you’d better be a farmer right off the bat.”
Sips from some of B.C.’s newest small wineries
Horseshoe Found Viognier 2020 (Similkameen Valley, B.C., $25) Lightly oaked, citrus, mineral, blossom and creamy peach.
Emandare Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (Cowichan Valley, B.C., $32) Orchard fruits, pear, apple, kiwi and mineral.
Whispering Horse l’Acadie Blanc 2020 (Fraser Valley, B.C., $22.95)
Citrus and orchard fruits, apple and saline mineral finish.
Sage Hayward Pinot Noir Rosé 2021 (Gulf Islands. B.C., $27.99) Strawberry, cranberry, floral and mineral, bone dry.
Cliff and Gorge Unoaked Pinot Noir 2021 (Lillooet, B.C., $20) Earthy notes, forest floor, bright raspberries.
On Saturna Island, winemaker Tyler Cox has transformed a neglected property into Sage Hayward Vineyards. Photo courtesy Sage Hayward Vineyards
Cliff and Gorge near Lillooet trialled dozens of experimental plantings.
Photo courtesy Cliff and Gorge Vineyards
“
If you want to start from scratch, you’d better be a farmer right off the bat.
It’s been a big year for chef Ricardo Valverde. On January 8, his son was born. Seven months later, on August 25, so was his second baby. That’s the day he opened Suyo Modern Peruvian, a passionate homage to his South American homeland.
“Opening a restaurant is one of the craziest things you can do,” says Valverde. “But there’s a great sense of accomplishment. It is a dream come true.”
Valverde is just one of several of Vancouver’s bestknown chefs who are opening their own establishments and making the city’s culinary scene infinitely more delicious.
In July, Andrey Durbach opened Impostori Trattoria + Negroni Bar, a casual “Italian with a twist” restaurant on South Granville. Best known for his previous chef-owned restaurants Pied-à-Terre, La Buca, Parkside and Sardine Can, Durbach had spent the last few years owning and operating Il Falcone, an upscale-ish Italian restaurant in a charming little yellow house in Courtenay.
But Vancouver called him home and he couldn’t resist opening one more restaurant. He partnered with wine pro Gordon Ritchie, who shares his love of all things Italian. He is a genial presence in the cheerily colourful
front of house, which features an impeccable service team that has worked in some of the city’s best dining rooms, from Boneta to Bishop’s.
Durbach, meanwhile, is cooking up the kinds of classically inspired Italian dishes he loves best: daily housemade pasta, bistecca Fiorentina for two, osso buco, zuppa inglese. His longtime fans—and there are many in this city—couldn’t be happier to welcome him home.
The big opening on the horizon is Rob Feenie’s new restaurant, his first since 2007 when he left the elegant, ground-breaking Lumière, which he’d opened in 1995 as an ambitious 29-year-old, and its more casual sibling Feenie’s.
Lumière forever elevated the fine-dining scene in this city. Between 1997 and 2008, Lumière was named Vancouver magazine’s Restaurant of the Year seven times (West won the distinction the other five times), and Feenie’s departure after a dispute with the owners sent shock waves through the foodie community. So did Feenie’s next move—for the next 15 years, he was the Cactus Club chain’s “food concepts architect.”
But he was getting bored, and has said, “All I want now is to get back to food.”
That’s just what he plans to do at the new restaurant, which will be called some version of his name and will most likely open sometime in 2023. He hasn’t revealed the location yet, but has mused about the west side or possibly White Rock, where he lives. Wherever it is, we can’t wait to experience Feenie’s 2.0.
And then there’s Valverde. Originally from Peru, he came to Vancouver as an 18-year-old and cooked his way through some of the city’s finest restaurants, including Blue Water Cafe, CinCin Ristorante and Ancora, where he was executive chef until COVID threw everything into disarray.
“After Ancora, I was just doing gigs here and there,” he says. Last year, for instance, Valverde spent eight months working as a sous chef at Cioppino’s. “I learned so much from [chef-owner Pino Posteraro]. The things that I did to start my restaurant, I learned from him.”
After searching for several months, he and his business partner found the perfect location in the old Slickity Jim’s Chat ‘n’ Chew on Main Street. Evoke International Design transformed the space into an elegant, 49-seat slice of South America, inspired by Incan gold and the pre-Incan geoglyphs known as the Nazca Lines.
It’s small, which is good when you have the kind of staffing issues restaurants are dealing with right now. And it’s right in the heart of Vancouver’s busiest restaurant scene, which is even better. “We wanted to be in Mount Pleasant. It’s the new Gastown, it’s the new Yaletown of the modern era,” Valverde says. “It’s such a welcoming melting pot culture of food. It excites people. I was like, this is it.”
He describes the food as a modern take on classic Peruvian fare, prepared by a Peruvian kitchen staff. “Some dishes, probably two or three, are as they are. Like the ceviches are exactly like you’d find in Lima,” he says.
Peruvian food, of course, is global food, with Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Spanish and African influences, as well as the bountiful ingredients of rainforest, mountains and ocean. It is the sort of cuisine Vancouver’s palate likes best, especially when it’s paired with a drinks list that is just as diverse. It features exciting local wines and intriguing international ones, mainly from South America. And cocktail aficionados will be thrilled by the creative concoctions of award-winning bar manager Max Curzon-Price (most recently of Botanist Bar).
And Valverde is not done yet. The plan is to open a few more small places, perhaps focused on plant-forward cuisine or dishes cooked over charcoal.
“We’ve got to leave a legacy,” he says. Funny, seems to us he already has.
At Suyo, chef Ricardo Valverde puts a modern spin on traditional Peruvian dishes, such as, from top: crispy prawn causa; a plant-forward Italian squash ceviche; and ensalada Rusa. Photo courtesy of Suyo Modern PeruvianWe wanted to be in Mount Pleasant. It’s the new Gastown, it’s the new Yaletown of the modern era.
Recipe by Ricardo Valverde courtesy of Vancouver Eats (Figure 1 Publishing). Ceviche is the traditional Peruvian dish of raw seafood that is lightly cured in a citrus-based marinade known as leche de tigre, or tiger’s milk. Prepare the marinade and yam ahead of time, then mix all the ingredients together at the last minute for a bright and fresh appetizer.
Serves 4
LECHE DE TIGRE
Juice of 6 to 8 limes
1 Tbsp finely grated celery (preferably with a Microplane)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 red jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1/4 tsp finely grated ginger
CEVICHE
1 yam, peeled and cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 (1-lb) skinless halibut fillet, cut into ½-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra leaves for garnish
Corn nuts, to serve
In a non-reactive bowl, combine all the ingredients for the leche de tigre and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until needed. (This can be made the night before.)
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place yam in a greased baking dish and roast for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. (This can also be prepared the day before since it is served cold.)
Put onion in a colander and rinse under cold running water to crisp it up and reduce its bitterness, then drain. Set aside to dry for 10 minutes.
Transfer halibut to a clean bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Add leche de tigre, cilantro and reserved onion and mix well.
Serve immediately with corn nuts and roasted yams, and garnish with cilantro leaves. Do not drain the liquid—it’s the best part of the dish.
From the Saanich Peninsula to the Comox Valley, the Island has several pockets of microclimates that are ideal for growing grapes, especially cooler climate varieties such as Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. The wineries are mostly smaller, family-owned properties located in seductively beautiful landscapes and surrounded by bountiful farms.
40 Knots Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Siegerrebe, Auxerrois, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Merlot sparkling wine, white and red blends, Bordeaux blends, rosé, orange 40knotswinery.com
Beaufort Vineyard & Estate Winery
Ortega, Petit Milo, Siegerrebe, Schönberger, Marechal Foch, Leon Millot, white and red blends, rosé, vermouth beaufortwines.ca
Coastal Black Estate
Winery
Fruit wines, honey wines coastalblack.ca
Alderlea Vineyards
Bacchus, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé alderlea.com
Averill Creek Vineyard
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, white and red blends, sparkling wine, rosé averillcreek.ca
Blue Grouse Estate Winery
Siegerrebe, Pinot Gris, Ortega, Bacchus, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Black Muscat, Gamay Noir, sparkling wine, white and red blends, rosé bluegrouse.ca
Cherry Point Estate Wines
Ortega, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Siegerrebe, Agria, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Libre, sparkling wine, red blends, rosé, dessert wine cherrypointestatewines.com
Damali Lavender & Winery
Pinot Gris, white and red blends, fruit wines damali.ca
Deol Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, rosé deolestatewinery.com
Divino Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé divinowine.ca
Emandare Vineyard and Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch, Cabernet Foch, rosé, sparkling wine emandarevineyard.com
Enrico Winery
Ortega, Pinot Gris, Petit Milo, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Foch, Cabernet Libre, red blends, sparkling wine, rosé enricowinery.com
Glenterra Vineyards
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, orange glenterravineyards.com
Rocky Creek Winery
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Cabernet Foch, sparkling wine, white and red blends, rosé, fruit wine rockycreekwinery.ca
Unsworth Vineyards
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch, sparkling wine, white and red blends, rosé, dessert wine unsworthvineyards.com
Venturi-Schulze Vineyards
Madeleine Sylvaner, Ortega, Pinot Noir, white blends, sparkling wine, dessert wine venturischulze.com
Zanatta Winery
Pinot Gris, Ortega, Pinot Noir, Moscato, sparkling wine, rosé, white blends zanatta.ca
NANAIMO
Chateau Wolff Estates
Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, white blends, rosé, fortified wine chateauwolff.com
Millstone Estate Winery
Ortega, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Syrah, Cabernet Franc millstonewinery.ca
SAANICH PENINSULA
Church & State Wines (Saanich)
Chardonnay, Marsanne, Rousanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah,Merlot, rosé, white and red blends, Bordeaux blends, sparkling wine
churchandstatewines.com
Deep Cove Winery
Ortega, Schönberger, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, rosé deepcovewinery.ca
Invinity Sparkling Wine House Sparkling wine invinity.ca
Rathjen Cellars
Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, rosé, white and red blends, sparkling wine, fortified wine rathjencellars.com
Symphony Vineyard
Ortega, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Léon Millot, Marechal Foch, Pinot Noir, rosé, white blends symphonyvineyard.com
The Roost Farm Centre & Highland House Farm Winery
Siegerrebe, sparkling wine, red blends, rosé, fruit wines roostfarmcentre.com
The Gulf Islands dot the Strait of Georgia that separates Vancouver Island from the Mainland. Salt Spring, Pender, Saturna, Quadra, Hornby, Denman and Thetis islands boast a laidback lifestyle and an oceanic climate ideal for the increasing number of wineries producing cool-climate wines.
DENMAN ISLAND
Corlan Vineyard & Farm
Ortega, Siegerrebe, Marechal Foch, fruit wines corlanvineyard.wordpress. com
HORNBY ISLAND
Hornby Island Estate Winery
Fruit wines hornbywine.com
Isla de Lerena Vineyard
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot
Noir, white and red blends, Bordeaux blends, sparkling wine, fruit wine lerenavineyards.com
PENDER ISLAND
Sea Star Estate Farm and Vineyards
Ortega, Pinot Gris, Siegerrebe, Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch, white and red blends, rosé, dessert wine seastarvineyards.ca
QUADRA ISLAND
SouthEnd Farm Winery
Siegerrebe, Petit Milo,
Cabernet Franc, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine southend.ca
Garry Oaks Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, white and red blends, rosé garryoakswinery.com
Kutatás Wines
Pinot Gris, Ortega, Pinot Noir, white blends, sparkling wine kutataswines.com
Salt Spring Vineyards & Winery
Ortega, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, fruit wines saltspringvineyards.com
SATURNA ISLAND
Sage Hayward Vineyards
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, white blend, rosé sagehaywardvineyards.com
It comes as something of a surprise to many people to learn that there are more than two dozen wineries right on the doorstep of B.C.’s biggest city—including one right in Greater Vancouver itself. Wineries in Surrey, Richmond, New Westminster, Delta, Langley, Aldergrove and Abbotsford produce wine from everything from rice to berries to vitis vinifera. Most are small, family-owned properties and several offer additional attractions such as farm tours or bistros.
ABBOTSFORD
Blackwood Lane
Vineyards & Winery
Riesling, Siegerrebe, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Bordeaux blends, red blends, rosé, fortified wine blackwoodlanewinery.com
Maan Farms Estate Winery
Siegerrebe, rosé, white and red blends, fruit wines maanfarms.com
Mt. Lehman Winery
Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir,
white blends, sparkling wine mtlehmanwinery.ca
Ripples Winery
Pinot Gris, red blends, fruit wines, fortified wines, dessert wines, sparkling wines rippleswinery.com
Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery
Petite Milo, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Foch, Pinot Noir, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine seasidepearlwinery.ca
Singletree Winery
Pinot Gris, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner
Veltliner, Siegerrebe, Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, red blends, sparkling wine, dessert wine singletreewinery.com
Whispering Horse Winery
L’Acadie Blanc, Epicure, sparkling wine whisperinghorsewinery.com
LANGLEY/ ALDERGROVE
Backyard Vineyards
Moscato, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chardonnay,
Cabernet Franc, Syrah, rosé, white and red blends, sparkling wine, fortified wine backyardvineyards.ca
Chaberton Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc,Bacchus, Madeleine Sylvaner, Siegerrebe,Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Syrah, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, rosé, dessert wine
chabertonwinery.com
Glass House Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Bacchus, Madeleine Angevine, Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine glasshouseestatewinery.com
Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery
Fruit wines, sparkling wine, dessert wines krauseberryfarms.com
The Fort Langley Wine Co.
Fruit wines thefortwineco.com
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery (Langley)
Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine township7.com
Vigneti Marchetto
Pinot Noir, white and red blends vignetimarchetto.com
Vista D’oro Farms & Winery
Siegerrebe, Schönburger, red blends, rosé, fortified wines, fortified walnut wine vistadoro.com
NEW WESTMINSTER
Pacific Breeze Winery
Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, white blends, rosé, dessert wine pacificbreezewinery.com
NORTH VANCOUVER
Garden of Granite
Winery
Kerner, Viognier, Gamay, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine gardenofgranitewinery.com
Blue Heron Fruit
Winery
Fruit wines, dessert wines blueheronwinery.ca
Isabella Winery
Riesling, Merlot, red blends, rosé, fruit wines, dessert wines, icewine isabellawinery.com
Lulu Island Winery
Viognier, Muscat, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, fruit wines, dessert wines luluislandwinery.com
Richmond
Country Vines
Pinot Gris, Schönburger, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, orange wine, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine countryfarms.ca/ country-vines-winery
1st R.O.W. Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, red blends, rosé, dessert wine 1row.ca
Vinoscenti Vineyards
Ehrenfelser. Kerner, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah vinoscentivineyards.ca
VANCOUVER
Vancouver Urban Winery
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, rosé, white blends, sparkling wine vancouverurbanwinery.com
When most people think B.C. wine, they think of the Okanagan Valley, which produces 84 per cent of the province’s wine. This is one of the most varied wine regions in the world, stretching from cool-climate Lake Country in the north to the blistering-hot desert around Osoyoos in the south. Everything from ice wine to big, tannic, fruit-driven reds is produced at wineries that range from small family-run boutique vineyards to big global players, many of them featuring fine restaurants, guesthouses and cultural experiences.
CheckMate Artisanal
Winery Chardonnay, Merlot checkmatewinery.com
Culmina Family Estate
Winery Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Bordeaux blends, rosé culmina.ca
Fairview Cellars
Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, white and red blends fairviewcellars.ca
Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery
Auxerrois, Sauvignon Blanc, Ehrenfelser, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine, icewine gehringerwines.ca
Hester Creek Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Trebbiano, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine hestercreek.com
Road 13 Vineyards
Rousanne, Chardonnay, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay Noir, Syrah, white and red blends, sparkling wine road13vineyards.com
Rust Wine Co.
Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, red blends, rosé rustwine.com
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé tinhorn.com
Birch Block Vineyard
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, rosé birchblockvineyard.com
Black Market Wine Co.
Pinot Blanc, Sémillon, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé blackmarketwine.ca
Farm Gate Winery
Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Ehrenfelser, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zweigelt, red blends, rosé, fruit wines farmgatewinery.com
Skaha Vineyard at Kraze Legz Winery
Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé, fortified wine krazelegz.com
KELOWNA
Ancient Hill Estate
Winery
Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Lemberger, Pinot Noir, Baco Noir, rosé ancienthillwinery.com
Burnt Timber Winery
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, red blends burnttimberwinery.com
Camelot Vineyards
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux blends, white blends, rosé camelotvineyards.ca
CedarCreek Estate
Winery
Ehrenfelser, Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Bordeaux blends, red blends, icewine cedarcreek.bc.ca
Frequency Wine & Sound
Gamay Noir, rosé, white blends, sparkling wines frequencywinery.ca
Kitsch Wines
Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, white blends, rosé, sparkling wine kitschwines.ca
Martin's Lane Winery
Riesling, Pinot Noir martinslanewinery.com
Meadow Vista Honey Wines
Fruit wines, honey wines meadowvista.ca
Mirabel Vineyards
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, rosé, sparkling wine mirabelvineyards.com
Nagging Doubt Winery
Chardonnay, Siegerrebe, Pinot Noir, Merlot, white and red blends, naggingdoubt.com
Priest Creek Family Estate
Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Merlot, red blends, sparkling wine priestcreekwinery.com
Sandhill Wines
Sovereign Opal, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Malbec, Barbera, red blends, rosé sandhillwines.ca
Scorched Earth Winery
Pinot Noir, Merlot, rosé scorchedearthwinery.ca
SpearHead Winery
Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, rosé spearheadwinery.com
Sperling Vineyards
Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Marechal Foch, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, orange, sparkling wine sperlingvineyards.com
St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery
Riesling, Chasselas, Gewürztraminer, Schönburger, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Marechal Foch, white and red blends, rosé st-hubertus.bc.ca
Summerhill Pyramid Winery
Ehrenfelser, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Grüner Veltliner, Viognier, Marechal Foch, Cabernet Franc, Baco Noir, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine summerhill.bc.ca
Tantalus Vineyards
Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, rosé, sparkling wine tantalus.ca
The Vibrant Vine
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Gamay Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine thevibrantvine.com
The View Winery
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Ehrenfelser, Pinotage, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine theviewwinery.com
LAKE COUNTRY
50th Parallel Estate
Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, rosé, sparkling wine 50thparallel.com
Arrowleaf Cellars
Vidal, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Bacchus, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine arrowleafcellars.com
Blind Tiger Vineyards
Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé, icewine blindtigervineyards.ca
Ex Nihilo Vineyards
Okanagan Valley
Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine exnihilovineyards.com
Gray Monk Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Ehrenfelser, Kerner, Pinot Auxerrois, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Siegerrebe, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, sparkling wine, fortified wine graymonk.com
Intrigue Wines
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine intriguewines.ca
O’Rourke Family Estates
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir orourkespeakcellars.com
O’Rourke’s Peak Cellars
Chardonnay, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, white blends, rosé orourkespeakcellars.com
1 Mill Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 1millroad.ca
Bella Wines
Sparkling wine bellawines.ca
Bench 1775 Winery
Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Zweigelt, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Teroldego, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine bench1775.com
Black Widow Winery
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Schönburger, Merlot, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine blackwidowwinery.com
Chain Reaction Winery
Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir, rosé, sparkling wine chainrectionwine.com
D’Angelo Estate Winery
Viognier, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, red blends, rosé, fortified wine, dessert wine dangelowinery.com
Da Silva Vineyards & Winery
Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Fumé Blanc, Muscat, Riesling, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, white and red blends dasilvavineyards.com
Daydreamer Wines
Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Syrah, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine daydreamerwines.ca
Deep Roots Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gamay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Malbec, white and red blends, fortified wine deeprootswinery.com
Elephant Island Winery
Viognier, Chardonnay, Merlot, red blends, sparkling wine, fruit wines elephantislandwine.com
Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery
Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Pinot Noir, rosé fourshadowsvineyard.com
Fox and Archer Wines
Pinot Noir, Malbec, sparkling wine foxandarcherwines.com
Foxtrot Vineyards
Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, rosé foxtrotwine.com
Hillside Winery & Bistro
Pinot Gris, Muscat Ottonel, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, red blends, rosé, fortified wine hillsidewinery.ca
Howling Bluff Estate Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine howlingbluff.ca
JoieFarm
Riesling, Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Gamay, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine joiefarm.com
Kettle Valley Winery
Chardonnay, Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, white and red blends kettlevalleywinery.com
La Frenz Winery
Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Sémillon, Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, fortified wines lafrenzwinery.com
Lake Breeze Vineyards
Rousanne, Chardonnay, Ehrenfelser, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Pinot Noir, Pinotage, Syrah, Merlot, Bordeaux blends,
white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, fortified wine lakebreeze.ca
Lang Vineyards
Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Riesling, Ehrenfelser, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Viognier, Marechal Foch, Syrah, Piot Noir, Cabernet Franc, orange, white blends, rosé, sparkling wine, fortified wine, dessert wine langvineyards.ca
Laughing Stock
Vineyards
Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, white and red blends laughingstock.ca
Lock & Worth Winery
Sémillon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, white blends, rosé lockandworth.com
Marichel Vineyard and Winery
Viognier, Syrah, rosé marichel.ca
MOCOJO Wines
Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Malbec, Merlot, rosé mocojowines.com
Monster Vineyards
Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine monstervineyards.ca
Moraine Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé morainewinery.com
Nichol Vineyard
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, sparkling wine nicholvineyard.com
Origin Wines
Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux blends, rosé originwines.ca
Poplar Grove Winery
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine poplargrove.ca
Red Rooster Winery
Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, red blends, Bordeaux blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine redroosterwinery.com
Roche Wines
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Schönberger, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux blends, red blends, rosé rterroir.ca
Ruby Blues Winery
Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine rubyblueswinery.ca
Serendipity Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Merlot, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine serendipitywinery.com
Terravista Vineyards
Albariño, Verdejo, Viognier, Syrah, white blends terravistavineyards.com
Therapy Vineyards & Guest House
Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine therapyvineyards.com
Three Sisters Winery
Riesling, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine 3sisterswinery.com
Tightrope Winery
Pinot Gris, Viognier, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé tightropewinery.ca
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery (Naramata)
Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine township7.com
Upper Bench Estate Winery
Viognier, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, white and red blends, rosé upperbench.ca
Van Westen Vineyards
Pinot Gris, Viognier, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends vanwestenvineyards.com
Wesbert Winery
Merlot, white and red blends, rosé wesbertwinery.com
BC Wine Studio
Grüner Veltliner, Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Malbec, Syrah, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine bcwinestudio.ca
Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir, sparkling wine bluemountainwinery.com
Bonamici Cellars
Pinot Gris, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé bonamicicellars.com
Echo Bay Vineyard
Moscato Giallo, Cabernet Franc, red blends echobayvineyard.ca
Liquidity Wines
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine liquiditywines.com
Mayhem Wines
Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Cabernet Franc, red blends, rosé, fortified wine mayhemwines.com
Meyer Family Vineyards
Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, rosé, sparkling wine mfvwines.com
Montakarn Winery
Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé montakarn.ca
Nighthawk Vineyards
Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, dessert wine nighthawkvineyards.com
Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery
Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet
Sauvignon, white and red blends, sparkling wine, fortified wine nobleridge.com
Rigour & Whimsy
Pinot Blanc, Gamay Noir, white blends, orange, sparkling wine rigourandwhimsy.ca
See Ya Later Ranch
Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, white and red
blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine sylranch.com
Stag's Hollow Winery & Vineyard
Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Vidal, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Dolcetto, Syrah, Teroldego, Merlot, red blends, rosé, orange, sparkling, dessert wine, icewine stagshollowwinery.com
Synchromesh Wines
Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, red blends synchromeshwines.ca
Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery
Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé, fortified wine wildgoosewinery.com
OLIVER
Bartier Bros. Winery
Chardonnay, Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Sémillon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, orange, rosé, red blends bartierbros.com
Black Hills Estate
Winery
Chardonnay, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé blackhillswinery.com
Burrowing Owl Estate
Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, red blends burrowingowlwine.ca
Cassini Cellars
Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, dessert wine cassini.ca
Castoro de Oro Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé castorodeoro.com
Church & State Wines (Okanagan)
Chardonnay, Marsanne, Rousanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Merlot, rosé, white and red blends, Bordeaux blends, sparkling wine churchandstatewines.com
Covert Farms Family Estate
Pinot Blanc, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine covertfarms.ca
Desert Hills Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Gamay Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Petit Verdot, orange, white and red blends, sparkling wine, fortified wine deserthills.ca
District Wine Village
Featuring: Apricus Cellars, Canter Cellars, Eau Vivre Winery, Foolish Wine, Gneiss Wines, JoiRyde Winery, Nk’Mip Cellars, One Faith Vineyards, Silhouette Estate Winery, TIME Family of Wines, Uppercase Winery, Valley Commons, Winemaker’s CUT districtwinevillage.com
French Door Estate Winery
Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir, red blends, orange, rosé frenchdoorwinery.com
Gadzook Vinery gadzookvinery.com
Gold Hill Winery
Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, white and red blends, rosé goldhillwinery.com
Here’s the Thing
Vineyards
Viognier, Rousanne, Orange
Muscat, Gamay Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, red blends, rosé heresthethingvineyards.com
Hidden Chapel Winery
Riesling, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, white and red blends, rosé hiddenchapelwinery.com
Inniskillin Okanagan
Vineyards
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc, Fumé Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, sparkling wine, icewine inniskillin.com
Intersection Estate
Winery
Viognier, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, white and red blends, rosé, orange xwine.ca
Jackson-Triggs
Okanagan Estate
Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Syrah, Merlot, white and red blends, sparkling wine, icewine jacksontriggswinery.com
Kismet Estate Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine kismetestatewinery.com
La Casa Bianca Winery
Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, red blends, fruit wines lacasabianca.ca
Le Vieux Pin Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, white and red blends,rosé levieuxpin.ca
Maverick Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, fortified wine maverickwine.ca
Okanagan Hills Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, white blends ohwinery.com
Nostalgia Wines
Pinot Gris, Kerner, Chardonnay, Viognier, Syrah, Merlot, Gamay, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, fortified wine nostalgiawines.ca
Phantom Creek Estate Winery
Riesling, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, red blends, rosé phantomcreekestates.com
Pipe’Dreams Vineyard and Estate Winery
Grüner Veltliner, Kerner, Merlot, Gamay, Zweigelt, rosé pipedreamswinery.com
Platinum Bench Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Gamay Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, white and red blends platinumbench.com
Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé quintaferreira.com
Rainmaker Winers
Rousanne, Chardonnay, Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, red blends, sparkling wine rainmakerwines.com
Ramification Cellars
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé ramwine.com
Red Horses Vineyard
Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, red blends, rosé redhorsesvineyard.ca
River Stone Estate Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine riverstoneestatewinery.ca
Second Chapter Wine Company
Pinot Gris, Marsanne, Rousanne, Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, rosé, sparkling wine scwines.ca
Silver Sage Winery
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, red blends, dessert wine silversagewinery.com
Squeezed Wines
Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Syrah, white and red blends squeezedwines.ca
Stoneboat Vineyards
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinotage, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine stoneboatvineyards.com
vinAmité Cellars
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Viognier, Gamay Noir, Merlot, Petit Verdot, white and red blends, rosé vinamitecellars.com
Adega On 45th Estate
Winery
Viognier, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Malbec, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet
Sauvignon, white and red blends, rosé, fortified wine adegaon45.com
Blue Sky Estate Winery
Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, white and red blends, rosé blueskywinery.ca
Bordertown Vineyards
Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé bordertownwinery.com
Lakeside Cellars
Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé lakesidecellars.com
Lariana Cellars
Viognier, Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon, red blends larianacellars.com
LaStella Winery
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Moscato, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, red blends, rosé lastella.ca
Moon Curser Vineyards
Arneis, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Syrah, Dolcetto, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Bordeaux blends, white and red blends, sparkling wine mooncurser.com
Nk'Mip Cellars
Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, icewine nkmipcellars.com
Osoyoos Larose Estate
Winery
Bordeaux blend osoyooslarose.com
Young & Wyse Collection
Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé youngandwysewine.com
PEACHLAND
Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards
Chardonnay, Ehrenfelser, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, red and white blends, rosé fitzwine.com
Hainle Vineyards
Estate Winery
Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Syrah, Zweigelt, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, sparkling wine, fortified wine, icewine hainle.com
PENTICTON
Little Engine Wines
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, white and red blends littleenginewines.com
Play Estate Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, rosé, sparkling wine playwinery.com
TIME Family of Wines
Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine timewinery.com
Black Dog Cellars
White blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine blackdogcellars.ca
Blasted Church Vineyards
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, white and red blends, fortified wine blastedchurch.com
Crescent Hill Winery
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Muscat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, white blends, rosé, sparkling wine crescenthillwinery.com
Painted Rock Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, red blends, rosé paintedrock.ca
Pentâge Winery
Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sémillon, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Tempranillo, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine pentage.com
SUMMERLAND
8th Generation Vineyard
Riesling, Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine 8thgeneration.com
Back Door Winery
Chardonnay, Muscat, Viognier, Ehrenfelser, Oraniensteiner, Merlot, Zweigelt, Pinotage, Petit Verdot, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine backdoorwinery.com
Dirty Laundry Vineyard
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine dirtylaundry.ca
Estate Thurn Winery, Craft Distillery & Vinegar Brewery
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine bodega1117.com
Giant Head Estate
Winery
Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, rosé, sparkling wine giantheadwinery.com
Heaven's Gate Estate
Winery
Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Gamay Noir, Marechal Foch, Merlot, Malbec, white and red blends, rosé heavensgatewinery.ca
Lightning Rock Winery
Viognier, Pinot Noir, Syrah, rosé, sparkling wine lightningrockwinery.ca
Lunessence Winery & Vineyard
Riesling, Merlot, white and red blends, sparkling wine, dessert wine lunessencewinery.com
Okanagan Crush Pad Winery
Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, fortified wine okanagancrushpad.com
Sage Hills Organic Vineyard & Winery
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, white blends, orange, rosé, sparkling wine, fortified wine sagehillswine.com
Savard Vines
Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir, red blends, rosé savardvines.ca
Saxon Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine saxonwinery.com
Silkscarf Winery
Viognier, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, white and red blends, rosé silkscarf-winery.com
Sleeping Giant Fruit Winery
Fruit wines, dessert wines sleepinggiantfruitwinery.com
Sumac Ridge Estate Winery
Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé sumacridge.com
SummerGate Winery
Muscat Ottonel, Kerner, Riesling, white blends, rosé, sparkling wine summergate.ca
Summerland Estate Winery
Ehrenfelser, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Pinot Noir, white blends, rosé, fortified wine summerlandestatewinery.com
Thornhaven Estates Winery
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine thornhaven.com
Beaumont Family Estate Organic Winery
Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir, white blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine beaumontwinery.com
Black Swift Vineyards
Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Malbec, white and red blends, rosé blackswiftvineyards.com
Ciao Bella Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, rosé, sparkling wine ciaobellawinery.com
Crown & Thieves
Pinot Gris, Rousanne, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec, white and red blends crownthieves.com
Frind Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Riesling, Viognier, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé frindwinery.com
Grizzli Winery
Siegerrebe, Viognier, Riesling, Muscat, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, red blends, icewine, fruit wine grizzliwinery.com
Indigenous World Winery
Pinot Gris, Muscat, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Gamay Noir, Merlot, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine indigenousworldwinery.com
Kalala Organic Estate Winery
Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zweigelt, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine kalalawines.ca
Little Straw Vineyards Estate Winery
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Marechal Foch, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine littlestraw.bc.ca
Mission Hill Family Estate Winery
Riesling, Viognier,
Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine missionhillwinery.com
Mt. Boucherie Winery
Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Sémillon, Syrah, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, white and red blends, orange, rosé, sparkling wine, icewine mtboucherie.com
Niche Wine Company
Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch, Merlot, white blends, sparkling wine nichewinecompany.com
Off The Grid Organic Winery
Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Zweigelt, orange, rosé offthegridorganicwinery.com
Quails' Gate Winery
Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Marechal Foch, Pinot Noir,
white and red blends, rosé quailsgate.com
Rollingdale Winery
Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Marechal Foch, rosé, icewine, fortified wine rollingdale.ca
Tender Hope Winery
Rousanne, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, white and red blends, rosé tenderhopewinery.com
The Hatch
Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine thehatchwines.com
Volcanic Hills Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Ehrenfelser, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Gamay Noir, Syrah, Merlot, white and red blends, sparkling wine, icewine volcanichillswinery.com
Known both as Canada’s organic capital and its best-kept-secret wine country, the sun-soaked Similkameen produces everything from fruit-driven reds to bright, flinty whites. Surrounded by rugged mountains that trap the heat and funnel mildew-banishing winds through the vineyards, the valley features a variety of soils including stone, gravel and silty loam from glacial rock formations. Although there are relatively few tasting rooms here, there are many vineyards that grow grapes for wineries in other regions.
Crowsnest Vineyards
Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Merlot, white blends, rosé, dessert wines crowsnestvineyards.com
Eau Vivre Winery & Vineyards
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gros, Riesling, Pinot Noir, white blends, rosé eauvivrewinery.ca
Forbidden Fruit Winery
Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, white and red blends, rosé, fruit wines forbiddenfruitwine.com
Horseshoe Found Winery
Pinot noir, white blends horseshoefoundwinery.com
Hugging Tree Winery
Viognier, Cabernet Franc,
Merlot, red blends, rosé huggingtreewinery.com
Liber Farm & Winery
Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, white and red blends, rosé liberfarm.com
Little Farm Winery
Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, orange, rosé littlefarmwinery.ca
Orofino Vineyards
Chardonnay, Riesling, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine orofinovineyards.com
Rustic Roots Winery
Fruit wines, dessert wines rusticrootswinery.com
Scout Vineyard
Riesling, Syrah, rosé scoutvineyard.com
Seven Stones Winery
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, red blends, rosé sevenstones.ca
S’milka Vista
Viognier, Syrah, red blends, sparkling wine, rosé smilkavista.com
Vanessa Vineyard Estate Winery
Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, red blends, rosé vanessavineyard.com
Clos Du Soleil Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon,
Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Fumé Blanc, white and red blends, rosé closdusoleil.ca
Corcelettes Estate Winery Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit
Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine corceletteswine.ca
Robin Ridge Winery
Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Merlot, red blends, rosé robinridgewinery.com
Some of B.C.’s most exciting wines are being produced in regions that are so new, few people have heard of them. But given the awards they’re pulling in, these wineries will become famous soon enough. And who knows where vintners will be planting grapes next?
THOMPSON VALLEY
Harper's Trail Estate Winery
Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine harperstrail.com
Monte Creek Winery
Chardonnay, Frontenac Gris, Riesling, La Crescent, Cabernet Sauvignon, Marechal Foch, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine, fruit wine montecreekranch.com
Privato Vineyard & Winery
Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Merlot, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine privato.ca
Sagewood Winery
Pinot Noir, rosé, sparkling wine sagewoodwinery.ca
LILLOOET
Cliff and Gorge
Vineyards
Marechal Foch, Petite Milo, rosé cliffandgorge.com
Fort Berens Estate Winery
Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, white and red blends, dessert wine fortberens.ca
SHUSWAP
Baccata Ridge Winery
Marechal Foch, red blends, fruit wines, honey winest baccataridgewinery.ca
Celista Estate Winery
Ortega, Sieferrebe, Marechal Foch, white and red blends, rosé, dessert wines celistawine.com
Edge Of The Earth Vineyards
Ortega, Marechal Foch, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, white blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine edgeearth.ca
Larch Hills Winery
Ortega, Sémillon, Siegerrebe, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Malbec, Merlot, Marechal Foch, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lemberger, red and white blends, rosé, sparkling wine, dessert wine larchhillswinery.com
Marionette Winery
Riesling, Zweigelt, Pinot
Noir, Merlot, white blends, rosé marionettewinery.com
Ovino Winery
Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, dessert wines ovinowinery.com
Recline Ridge
Vineyards & Winery
Ortega, Bacchus, Siegerrebe, Kerner, Marechal Foch, white and red blends, rosé, dessert wines reclineridgewinery.com
Sunnybrae Vineyards & Winery
Siegerrebe, Ortega, Kerner, Marechal Foch, Pinot Noirr sunnybraewinery.com
Waterside Vineyard & Winery
Siegerrebe, Pinot Gris, Ortega, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch, white and red blends, rosé watersidewinery.com
Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery
Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, white blends, rosé bailliegrohman.com
Columbia Gardens Vineyard & Winery
Gewürztraminer, Marechal Foch, Merlot, Pinot Noir, white and red blends, rosé, fortified wine cgwinery.com
Red Bird Estate Winery
Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, red blends, rosé redbirdwine.com
Skimmerhorn Winery & Vineyard
Pinot Gris, Ortega, Gewürztraminer, Marechal Foch, Pinot Noir, red blends, rosé skimmerhorn.ca
Valley of the Springs Winery
Rivaner, Gewürztraminer, Marechal Foch, Gamay
Nouveau, white blends, red blends, sparkling wine, rosé valleyofthespringswinery.com
Wynnwood Cellars
Merlot, white blends wynnwoodcellars.com
PRINCE GEORGE
Northern Lights Estate
Winery Ltd.
Fruit wines northernlightswinery.ca
and held in place, forming a single canopy. This method keeps the shoots between the wires of the trellis system and provides good sun exposure. It is best suited for lowto medium-growth vines, and most vineyard mechanization equipment is built for VSP trellises.
Blue Grouse Estate Winery Siegerrebe 2021 (Cowichan Valley, B.C., $26) Aromatic, medium-bodied, mandarin orange.
Little Engine Wines French Family Release Chardonnay 2021 (Naramata Bench, B.C., $36) Crisp, bright, tropical; mango, banana, pineapple.
GENEVA DOUBLE CURTAIN (GDC):
In British Columbia, vineyards are planted overlooking rolling benchlands, lakes, forests and the ocean. But what structures hold the proud vines off the ground and enable quality fruit to grow?
Trellising systems, of course.
Grapes naturally grow toward the sun, pushing their way to the highest point where they can capture the most available sunlight. However, the labour of harvesting grapes would be beyond challenging if they were left to grow out of control.
Trellising systems allow vines to maximize sunlight, minimize shading and balance shoot growth and fruit production. Trellises are permanent structures of posts and wires that help support and position the vine’s shoots. The vine’s tendrils will curl naturally around the trellis wires and keep the canopy in place. The wine grower ties branches and shoots to the trellis as required.
Vineyard owners decide on the best trellising system to suit their site. Considerations on what method to select include vine vigour, the slope or topography of the site and the potential need for mechanization. Here are three popular trellising systems, with wines made using each.
VERTICAL SHOOT POSITIONING (VSP):
This is the simplest and most commonly used form of trellising. Shoots of the grapevine are attached vertically
Vigorous vines can produce an extraordinary number of shoots and a high fruit yield. Complex training systems like this one are designed to split the canopy to maximize light and reduce shade. A GDC system keeps the fruiting wire about five feet off the ground and is split horizontally. It creates an open leaf canopy, allowing good ventilation and natural sunshine access to the fruit while providing enough shade from leaves to avoid sunburn.
Stag’s Hollow Winery Tragically Vidal 2021 (Okanagan Falls, B.C., $20) Peach, pear, citrus, delightful.
DOUBLE SCOTT HENRY:
This another complex trellising system used for high-producing vines. It is vertically divided, with one canopy growing upwards and one down. An extra wire is used in this system to help downwards shoot positioning.
Sandhill Pinot Gris 2021 (Okanagan Valley, B.C., $21) Medium-bodied, juicy, pear, apple, apricot.
