06 – SIPS & NIBBLES
News and trends from wine country
12 – PIONEERS
Gray Monk founders George and Trudy Heiss: The true believers of B.C. wine
by Tim Pawsey16 – OENOPHILE
Is the safe, post-pandemic future of wine tasting on a screen?
by Charlene Rooke22 – PIPETTE
Dipping into the wide world of wine
by DJ Kearney24 – IN THE CELLAR
Orange wines: The savoury new/old technique we can’t get enough of by
Rhys Pender MWPUBLISHER: Gail Nugent • gnugent@glaciermedia.ca
EDITOR:
Joanne Sasvari • jsasvari@glaciermedia.ca
DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Tara Rafiq • trafiq@glaciermedia.ca
26 – WINERY DOGS
Meet our favourite furry winery ambassadors by Daenna Van
Mulligen
32 – PIQUED BY PIQUETTE
The low-waste harvest fizz we’re craving now by Cinda
Chavich36 – FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Fall’s fabulous fungi, and how to cook and pair them by Joanne
Sasvari
40 – LISTINGS
Your guide to B.C.’s wineries
50 – WINE GEEK
Hybrids and crosses: Meet the tough guys of the vineyard. by Christine Campbell
COVER IMAGE: by Jana Bizarri at Tableau Bar Bistro
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 2021
This issue is complimentary.
JOANNE SASVARI is editor of Vitis and The Alchemist magazines. She is a WSETcertified writer who covers food and drink for publications including Food & Wine, Vancouver Sun and Destination BC’s Hello BC. She is also the author of the forthcoming Island Eats cookbook.
CHRISTINE CAMPBELL is a Vancouver-based freelance wine and travel writer who is a cheerleader for British Columbia wines. Champagne and Chardonnay are her ongoing obsessions. Follow her on Twitter @ girlsgogrape and Instagram @girlsgogrape72.
CINDA CHAVICH is a Victoria-based food and wine journalist. She writes for YAM, EAT and TasteReport.com, as well as The Globe and Mail, WestJet and Maclean’s, and is author of The Waste Not, Want Not Cookbook.
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.
RHYS PENDER is a Master of Wine who combines his time writing, judging, teaching, consulting and dirtying his boots at his four-acre vineyard and winery, Little Farm Winery, in the Similkameen Valley.
CHARLENE ROOKE is a Vancouver-based writer (for The Globe and Mail, enRoute, The Alchemist and more) whose family has Okanagan roots as former Kelowna apple growers. She is WSET Certified in Wine and a WSET Spirits Educator.
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.
Welcome to the Fall/Winter 2021 issue of Vitis, the magazine of British Columbia’s wine culture.
Fall is the time to get serious, to sharpen our pencils, learn something new, and exchange frivolous patio sippers for dark, complex, thoughtful wines. It also seems like a good time to launch a new column, especially when it’s written by one of B.C.’s most knowledgeable, engaging and highly respected wine educators, DJ Kearney. DJ is an engaging writer and globally recognized wine expert, and she brings us insider international news and trends in her column, “Pipette.” We’re thrilled to dip into the wide world of wine with her.
Also in this issue: Rhys Pender MW explains why you should be drinking more zesty, savoury orange wine. (Just leave some for us, OK?) Cinda Chavich, who wrote The Waste Not, Want Not Cookbook, samples piquette, the sustainable old-school thirst-quencher that’s all the rage right now. Tim Pawsey pays homage to wine country pioneers George and Trudy Heiss, founders of Gray Monk Estate Winery. Charlene Rooke looks into the future and sees wine tastings moving on-screen. Christine Campbell demystifies hybrids and crosses. And we talk to the pros about mushrooms, wild and cultivated, and explain how to cook them and pair them with wine.
Now, between heat domes, wildfires and variants of concern, this wasn’t quite the carefree post-pandemic summer we were hoping for. That’s why we’re especially delighted to share with you Daenna Van Mulligen’s piece on the very good dogs of B.C.’s wineries. It’s sure to bring a smile to your face, just when we need it most.
Plus we have winery listings, wine news, and so much more.
Pour yourself a glass of something delicious and join us in the adventures in these pages. We’re so very glad to have you along.
Joanne Sasvari, editor Above, grapes are harvested at Clos du Soleil Winery in the Similkameen Valley. Fall means the end of the growing season, but the beginning of the rest of the winemaking process. Photo courtesy of Wines of British Columbia
Like many of us, Axelle Dubé is drawn to natural wines because they are good for the environment, good for the body and, simply, good. But unlike most of us, she gets to share her love for them in her role as wine director at Di Beppe Ristorante. Since late August, she’s been hosting a “Buona Notte” pop-up on Mondays and Tuesdays at the popular Italian eatery in Gastown. That’s when Dubé offers her series of exciting off-menu wines and unique pours, mainly natural wines, from Italy, by the glass and by the bottle.
In early September, for instance, she was pouring four orange wines that explored all the wonderfully zesty and savoury characteristics of these skin-contact wines. Two were lightly fizzy pét-nats— the rustic Orsi “Sui Lieviti” Colli Bolognesi DOCG 2018 and the wild, earthy Il Roccolo di Monticelli “Cinciallegra” 2018 from Veneto. The other two were deeper, more intense still wines, the cheerfully drinkable Le Costa “Ripazzo” 2018 from Lazio, and the powerful, well-aged La Stoppa “Ageno” 2015 Emilia Bianco IGT.
“Whether sharing a bottle with friends or people you just met or travelling and getting to know the history and people of a new place, wine has the ability to connect us despite our differences languages and frontiers, and I like that,” Dubé says.
“It’s often a unique story and I love to understand why they got into making wine, how they struggled and succeeded.
Then to be able to tell that to someone who orders a glass of wine is a nice feeling. My philosophy is basically, if you’re going to drink wine, it might as well be what’s best out there and supporting someone who is making the effort to do it naturally.”
Dubé adds, “I love to be able to contribute to people having a good time. But what’s really fun is when wine becomes an excuse towards other conversations such as agriculture, history and personal anecdotes.”
The Buona Notte pop-up wine series is expected to continue through fall, with new wines introduced regularly. For more info, visit dibeppe.com.
all these registers,” and spent two years “under a rock,” waiting for the 2019 vintage to come of age.
“We spent some time rejuvenating,” Todd says. “We’re back.”
Meanwhile, they launched their foxly line of approachable, affordable, ultra-enjoyable everyday wines (which retail in the $20 to $29 range). And they are exploring new projects, including an exclusive series of single-vineyard Pinot Noirs (which will be available to club members only).
As for that 2019 vintage, it was a tough year with a lot of disease pressure and a lethal early frost. But the wines themselves are gorgeous, elegant and complex, with well-balanced fruit and structure, very much representative of the Okanagan Valley terroir. Even better, Bazelay says, “2020 is a brilliant vintage.” foxtrotwine.com
After a couple of disappointing years, Douglas Bazelay and Nathan Todd are calling 2019 the “comeback vintage” for their cult winery, Foxtrot. It’s not what they were expecting when they bought the Naramata Bench estate back in 2018. Mind you, they weren’t expecting to buy a winery in the first place.
“Never in a million years did I think we would buy a winery,” Todd says. “We just wanted a place to invest and buy some land and have some fun.”
The two New York-based oenophiles—Bazelay a retired lawyer and co-author of the essential book Burgundy Vintages: A History from 1845 and Todd working in sales of fine and rare wines—had fallen in love with Foxtrot at a blind tasting in 2011. They were thrilled to find a plot of land next to the winery, and when Foxtrot founder Torsten Allander put the winery itself up for sale, it seemed that all the stars aligned.
Unfortunately, Todd says, “A few things were neglected at Foxtrot before we arrived, which we found out the hard way.”
“The hard way” meant, essentially, two lost vintages. Both vines and barrels needed improvement, and the wine was, well, disappointing. So they hired Andrea Baker, who Bazelay describes as “a talented winemaker who can make wine in
Foxtrot Chardonnay 2019 (Okanagan Valley, $44)
Silky, creamy, lemon, honey, ripe apples. Classic.
Foxtrot The Waltz Pinot Noir 2019 (British Columbia, $50) Bright, elegant, red fruits, spice, lively.
Foxtrot Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 (Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, $95) Plummy, brambly, earthy, velvety, complex.
Cornucopia: Whistler’s annual celebration of food and drink is our favourite reason to head to the hills in fall, and we can’t wait to return this year for its 25th anniversary. It will be spread out over each weekend in November (Thursday to Sunday), with events including drink and culinary seminars, winemaker dinners and other food and drink offerings. Tickets start at $45 plus taxes and will be available starting in September. All events will comply with COVID-19 safety protocols. whistlercornucopia.com
Much excitement these days at Phantom Creek Estates, which recently announced that Napa Valley’s legendary Mark Beringer would be its new director of winemaking. If the name sounds familiar, it should—Beringer is one of the most iconic family names in California wine history and Mark is the great-great-grandson of Beringer Vineyards’ founding brother Jacob Beringer. He brings a wealth of experience from Duckhorn Vineyards, Artesa and, of course, the family vineyards, and plans to work closely with Phantom Creek’s already renowned winemaking team. He has said: “Phantom Creek Estates has invested significantly in acquiring some of the region’s most acclaimed and historic vineyards, technology, architecture and talent, so I believe that the winery will be the premier property in the region, if not Canada, and that’s a goal I’m inspired to be a part of.” phantomcreekestates.com
Do you judge a wine by its label? Well, sometimes you should. For instance, Red Rooster Winery on the Naramata Bench just introduced a series of contemporary new labels that tell the story behind each wine, including some of the experimental new methods the winemaking team is exploring. Among them: fermenting with natural yeast, freezing pressed juice for the Pinot Gris, and moving to organic farming for on-site varieties such as the Malbec. “The new labels foreshadow the exciting work we’re doing here at Red Rooster,” says winemaker Elaine Vickers. “Winemaking involves so many elements, from the soil to the vines to the fermenting grapes and there are so many unique parts of the process we wanted to illustrate with these new labels.” redroosterwinery.com
Okanagan Wine Festivals: Thanks to B.C.’s uptick in COVID-19 numbers, many of the events we were looking forward to this fall have been cancelled. But the organizers of the Okanagan Wine Festivals are planning to bring things back for winter and spring. For upcoming dates and events, visit thewinefestivals.com
Vancouver International Wine Festival: Tentative dates for the return of Vancouver’s biggest and most important wine event are February 26 to March 6, 2022. We’re waiting for more details, but mark your calendars now and prepare to see your old friends once again. vanwinefest.ca
Given 2021’s unusually severe fire season, the topic popped up during the panel discussion at Wine Growers British Columbia’s recent Local Flights trade tasting event in Vancouver.
The good news is that the smoke situation is not as bad as it looks, according to panelist Gordon Fitzpatrick, president of Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards, which is known for its excellent sparkling wines. (He knows his fires, too—his family founded CedarCreek Estate Winery, which was in direct line of the historic 2003 blaze.)
This past summer, we all looked on in anxiety as smoke wreathed wine country and wondered: How would this epically bad wildfire season affect the vintage?
In other words, what’s the risk of 2021’s wines being damaged by smoke taint?
“Smoke taint” is the collection of unpleasant flavours and aromas that can result in wine when grapes have been exposed to smoke. To get technical about it, burnt wood produces free volatile phenols that bind to grape sugars and produce glycosides that can break apart during fermentation or aging, causing the wine to taste smoky, burnt, ashy or medicinal.
He noted that most of this year’s smoke was second-hand, which means there was little direct skin contact. “It’s really the skin contact you have to worry about,” he said. If smoke seems to be an issueduring production, they will simply avoid fermenting grapes on the skins—for instance, by making a blanc de noir from their Pinot Noir grapes.
Similarly, over at Blasted Church Vineyards, winemaker Evan Saunders isn’t too worried either. “On the red side, we’ll just go for it. Go big and bold and complex and see where we end up in December,” he said.
As wildfires continue to be a regular feature of our summers, we might just have to consider a whiff of smoke part of the flavour profile of B.C. wines. As panel moderator Kurtis Kolt said, “There’s more schools of thought that it’s part of the vintage, part of the terroir.”
Every once in a while we need to take a break from all the swirling and sipping in wine country to actually sit down and enjoy a meal. Luckily for us, there’s always something new to try, and that’s true even in this challenging year. Here are three new places to check out.
• It’s a collaboration of the ampersands. Salt & Brick has opened a rooftop eatery called Salt & Thieves at West Kelowna’s faux ruin Crown & Thieves winery (pictured here). crownthieves.com, saltandbrick.ca
• In Penticton, Joy Road Bakeshop has opened a temporary location on Main Street as they wait for their permanent one on Winnipeg Street to be finished. joyroadcatering
• In Oliver, Steeve Raye, formerly of West Vancouver’s beloved La Regalade, has opened the casual Italian café Popolo in the old church on Fairview Road. popolocafe.com
Asfar back as 2007, when he and his wife Barbara bought Poplar Grove Winery, Tony Holler was already dreaming of Pinot Noir. At the time, the most purchased wines tended to be big, jammy reds, but he remembers thinking: “The Canadian wine consumer is going to get sophisticated so quickly and we need to go where they are going, not where they are now.”
Where we were going, he believed, was toward wines that were more complex, better structured, more elegant. In other words, Pinot Noir.
Now, at last, his dream is becoming reality. The Hollers recently bought some land at the south end of the Naramata Bench, and leased some more. “We’ve got a total 16 acres of Pinot Noir. Nine are in third leaf and the rest
are in second leaf,” says Holler, the winery’s president. “There won’t be any Pinot Noir for a few years, but I’m really excited for the Pinot Noir vineyards.”
Meanwhile, the winery has become known for its luscious whites and robust reds, its Syrahs and Bordeaux varieties, including The Legacy, the powerful but refined blend that won the the gold medal (96 points) for The Legacy 2016 at the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards. All four of the Hollers’ sons work for Poplar Grove—it’s truly a family business—and the winery has cemented its place among the very best in the province.
More recently, the Hollers took the winery restaurant over from the previous operator and, with the leadership of food and beverage manager Michael Ziff and execu-
tive chef Rob Ratcliffe, aim to make it one of the best in the entire valley.
Of course, reopening during a pandemic hasn’t been easy—Ziff calls it “a year and a half of challenges”—but, Holler says, “Like everything, when you have these frustrations, they always have a silver lining, and one of the silver linings is that you have time to train your staff, and the staff you get really want to contribute.”
Chef Ratcliffe, previously the senior sous chef at Hawksworth Restaurant, has introduced what he calls his “refined nostalgia” menu, based on the kinds of internationally flavoured foods he grew up with in London. There’s his delicate curry sauce for the halibut, his modern take on prawn toast and his burger, whose “American” cheese is made in house. “We’ve had lots of feedback from guests that ‘That’s the best burger I’ve ever had,’ ” Ziff says. “The restaurant is doing fabulously. And now with fall coming we’ll have time to apply a little more creativity to the menu.”
Integrating the restaurant with the winery “has been a huge benefit to the property,” Ziff adds. “Wine is priority number one. Everything is in an ambassadorial role to showcase the wine. People love memories of where they
tasted a bottle of wine, and I want people to come here and have a glass of Poplar Grove wine with one of Rob’s signature dishes and say, ‘That was an amazing experience.’”
Soon there will be food-friendly Pinot Noir to elevate that experience even further. “It’s beautiful that there’s a wide variety of foods that work with Pinot Noir,” Holler says.
But we’ll have to wait just a little longer to try it. The winery has a rule that they won’t release a wine for three years, so even if they do their first crush in 2021 as planned, it won’t be released until 2024. And that, ultimately, is in Holler’s hands: “I’m primarily responsible for the Pinot Noir vineyards,” he says. “My sons said to me, ‘Dad, you wanted it, you’re going to work on it.’ ”
He laughs, and adds, “We’re really looking forward to it. You can’t sit on your laurels. You’ve got to keep going.”
For more information, visit: Poplar Grove Winery 425 Middle Bench Rd. North, Penticton 250-493-9463 poplargrove.ca
It’s beautiful that there’s a wide variety of foods that work with Pinot Noir.The entire Holler family takes part in the success of Poplar Grove Winery.. From its prime location on the slopes of Munson Mountain, Poplar Grove Winery enjoys stunning views over the Okanagan Valley..
Tim Pawsey
The news of George Heiss Sr.’s passing, on June 29, left me feeling particularly sad. Even though a few years have gone by since George and his wife, Trudy Heiss, sold Gray Monk to Andrew Peller, for me Gray Monk past, present and future will always remain theirs in spirit.
I know it’s a romantic notion. But I like to imagine that, somehow, even as we inevitably lose our pioneers, future generations will have more than an inkling of the supreme effort it took by a very few to launch the industry we now take for granted.
To fully appreciate the challenges faced by this entrepreneurial couple and the very small cadre of believers at the time, it pays to put things in context. It was the mid 1970s when George and Trudy Heiss left Edmonton (where they were well-established hairdressers) to pursue
an uncertain future in Okanagan Centre. Their mission was to pursue grape growing—at the time a relatively unproven industry.
Trudy’s father, Hugo Peter, had moved to the Okanagan in 1968 and purchased a peach orchard, which he later converted to hybrid grapes with good results. It was he who suggested a career change might be in order. Motivated by Peter’s success on the steep, southwestern-facing slopes 300 feet above Okanagan Lake, George and Trudy planted their own vines, initially seven acres of Marechal Foch and Rosette, in time becoming contract growers for Ste. Michelle.
Not content to remain as growers facilitating others’ winemaking efforts, they were determined to establish their own winery—which, at the time, was unprecedent-
ed, as only major producers dominated the winemaking landscape. It was a daunting task, especially considering the reluctance of the government to support any deviation from the norm, which was, in essence, to facilitate only bulk wine production.
Nevertheless, George and Trudy channelled their trademark passion and enthusiasm to help them succeed on their new journey. Firm believers from the beginning that B.C. should and could compete with the world’s greatest wine-growing regions (and buoyed by the results of the Becker Project , which tested the viability of 33 vitis vinifera varieties), they planted vinifera. Then they relentlessly pressured the provincial government to develop what would become farmgate (and later estate) winery models that ultimately formed the foundation for today’s industry.
They wholeheartedly embraced the notion that the only way forward involved growing premium vinifera— including their namesake Pinot Gris—known in Austria as “Gray Monk.” After earlier help from John Bremmer and Lynn Stark, first in Similkameen Vineyards’ machine shop and the next year in their garage, they made their first commercial vintage in 1981. Their fresh and fruit-driven style soon commanded a loyal following, which survives to this day.
However, also no longer widely appreciated is the role that George Heiss played in selflessly sharing his newly gained knowledge with other neophyte growers, ultimately paving the way for the early foundation of B.C.’s new “vinifera” era that coalesced with the passing of the Free Trade Agreement and “great pull-out” of the late 1980s.
Germanic varieties, such as Pinot Auxerrois, Ehrenfelser, Kerner, Rotberger, Riesling and others—along with Pinot Gris—were Gray Monk’s foundation. But they also became the pillars of the early B.C. industry. It was very much driven by their success—and their role in convincing a previously skeptical public that the province could indeed make worthy wines.
Anyone who had dealings with Gray Monk over the years has also experienced George and Trudy Heiss’s legendary hospitality. Not to mention George’s irrepressible
good humour (and unending bad jokes).
Okanagan Crush Pad owner (and inaugural executive director of the BC Wine Institute) Christine Coletta points to George’s background as a hairdresser as playing a key role in Gray Monk’s success.
“George was trained as a hairdresser, but successfully transferred his people skills—and his firm conviction that anything could be changed or fixed with time and hard work—to the highly successful establishment of Gray Monk Cellars,” says Coletta. She’s also quick to point out that George swayed public perception about the quality and value of Okanagan wine, with “positivity as large as his stature.”
Today’s booming B.C. industry (with now some 284 licensed grape wineries) bears small resemblance to the handful of estate wineries that emerged on the Okanagan landscape of the early 1980s. Such a remarkable transformation happened in great part thanks to the enduring vision and determination of George and Trudy Heiss.
In terms of red wine varieties Cesanese is probably not among the more familiar you may have encountered. However, this distinct and characterful red from the Latium province of Frosinone, located 75 kilometres southeast of Rome in the Lazio region, has roots that date back to Julius Caesar’s time—and possibly even longer. In fact, Cesanese is regarded as a truly indigenous Italian variety. Its heritage can be traced back to vines grown by the Volsci people in the rugged, central Appenine foothills, which, being well inland, were less subject to the early influx of vines introduced by the Greeks, Phoenicians or travellers from other parts of present-day Italy.
As Rome expanded its alliances, conquests and influence over local tribes, Cesanese eventually made its way to the city. Known for its low yields and late ripening, as well as its ability to thrive in unforgiving surroundings, it’s thought in time to have become a familiar part—the vino de tavola—of Roman life.
Following a revival in the Middle Ages, Cesanese almost disappeared. However, in recent years, while production is still relatively small, the variety has bounced back thanks in part to renewed interest in autochthonous grapes—as well as an overall push for better quality. The
Casale
variety sports two main species: Cesanese Comune and the smaller-berried, more intensely flavoured Cesanese d’Affile. Both species are used with percentages varying from year to year at the winemaker’s discretion.
Cesanese can be a good substitute for Sangiovese, Nero d’Avola or Montepulciano, and fall is the perfect time to discover its bold flavours. It pairs nicely with rustic flavours reminiscent of classical Roman fare. Lazio regional cuisine’s more celebrated staples include wild boar, pork—especially for panchetta—as well as artichokes, wild mushrooms and chestnuts in season, of course. The amatriciana pasta dish is a classic to try—braised pork jowl in olive oil, chili and wine, add tomatoes, and top with pecorino cheese. Not to mention roast turkey—especially with the dark meat!
Casale del Giglio Cesanese 2018 (Lazio IGT) is a fruit-driven but nicely savoury and edgy drop with vibrant aromas of red berries leading to an intensely juicy palate with mulberry, raspeberry, pepper, spice and mineral notes, wrapped in medium to firm, well-integrated tannins through the finish. (BCLS $24.99)
For more information, visit casaledelgiglio.it
“
We see Cesanese as our ambassador wine —an expression of finesse and elegance and at the same time of stability and longevity. For this reason I treat it as I would a Pinot Noir.Tim Pawsey photo
—winemaker Paolo Tiefenthaler
Cheers to a delicious and abundant future from BC’s biodynamic winery.
4870 Chute Lake Rd., Kelowna | summerhill.bc.ca
THE INDUSTRY IS ACCELERATING, FAST, INTO HIGH-TECH EDUCATION AND NEW MEDIA EXPERIENCES
Charlene RookeIn the chic new Estate Room at Gray Monk Estate Winery, the last thing you’d expect to find is trippy 1970s vibes. Yet the amusing big-screen vintage images (think fondue pots and leisure suits) and Odd Couple theme running through this tasting knocked any potential stuffiness and pretension out of wine pairing, in the most lighthearted and accessible way.
“While we take our wine and food program very seriously, we are not quite as strict with ourselves,” says Jeff Hanson, regional estate manager. “These experiences are all about injecting fun and levity.”
It’s just one new digital-first B.C. wine offering—born by the pandemic and enabled by technology—creating a new suite of virtual wine experiences in the industry. Wine e-commerce (and the customer data it allows companies to gather) and the virtual tasting trend (cleverly nicknamed Skypéro hour in France) are two other obvious pandemic by-products, but digital-assisted wine edu-tainment is the latest to access today’s tasters on new platforms. “The wine business is based on tradition. It’s
ready for a revolution!” says wine marketing expert Barb Wild of Good Wine Gal.
Back at Gray Monk, we’re guided by the big-screen presentation and a charming live host to reconsider “odd couplings” of food and wine, through a flight of Estate and Odyssey wines and surprising bites from The Lookout Restaurant. Pinot Gris brings out an herbaceous burst in steak with chimichurri, dry rosé whimsically elevates an haute sliver of peanut butter and raspberry jelly toast, and a savoury Cab Franc’s smoky notes are unexpectedly drawn out by a toasted marshmallow.
There’s also a Match Game tasting that “gamifies” the experience of learning to pair food and wine, with up to 20 other guests. You can be seated at a small table with friends, safely and privately distanced from other guests, but also part of lively discussion. It’s a brilliant way of delivering an intimate experience to a small group, in an era when securing the qualified staff and health protocols to deliver one-on-one is more challenging than ever.
Wine and marketing expert Barb Wild had already been using Khalil Ashanti’s WeShowUp event-ticketing software successfully for Good Wine Gal virtual tastings, so when he approached her about the potential for creating
These experiences are all about injecting fun and levity.
a global-first virtual-reality (VR) tasting room, it seemed like a glass-full proposition. Wild took the idea to renowned winemaker Michel Mosny, who was launching Winemaker’s Cut, one of the vanguard brands in Oliver’s now-opened District Wine Village.
“They didn’t have a tasting room at the winery yet, so this solved a problem for them,” Wild says of creating a highly photorealistic tasting room and storefront, technology supported in part by Buy BC. The VR experience captured the imagination of the world wine media and was featured in feeds around the world. Longer-term plans include adding a virtual winemaking tour of the press, tanks and barrels; plus a vineyard walk-through that will detail soil types, grape varieties and growing techniques from trellising to canopy management.
“In the off-season for wine tourism, customers can be tasting at home accompanied by a virtual experience,” says Wild. “And it’s ... more interesting as a recurring shopping experience” than just clicking a cart in an online store.
Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country had a unique response to tasting room and travel limits imposed last year: it dove deep into education about the people, terroir and winemaking of the region—deep into our auditory pathways, after our tastebuds, one of the most intimate ways of learning.
Moss Scheurkogel of Oliver’s The Vinstitute wine school has been hosting the Uncork the Sun podcast (and accompanying Facebook Live interactive tastings) since last April, on topics ranging from creating a wine cellar to barrels, vines and GIs, interviewing the region’s colourful personalities along the way.
Averaging 200 downloads per episode, and attracting listeners mainly from Canada, but also the U.S., UK and Europe, it’s “a ‘place’ where enthusiasts of the B.C. wine industry can connect ... and learn ... without travelling,” says Scheurkogel. “Almost like a regional radio station that you tune into when on a road trip adventure”—but conveniently on demand, when wine fans might be running, driving, relaxing and even sipping along at home.
Over the past year and a half, listeners have requested specific topics for episodes and winery recommendations for upcoming visits—proof that the podcast format is driving engagement.
In the off-season for wine tourism, customers can be tasting at home accompanied by a virtual experience.
What better way to discover and understand a wine than to visit its region of origin? And what better way to explore that region than to immerse yourself in the terroir?
Traversing the Demarcated Douro Region, the Douro River Valley and the city of Porto promises a rewarding experience for the wine aficionado and leisure traveller alike. Your journey will transect three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the historic centre of Porto; the Alto Douro wine region; and the Coa Valley, site of rare prehistoric rock art.
A stroll through Porto reveals historical architecture, an array of artisan boutiques and impressive public buildings and statues that capture its history under the influence of the Celts, Romans and Moors. Yet Porto is hardly set in stone: the culinary scene is thriving with new talent, and the art scene is as varied and vibrant as it has been since its founding centuries ago.
Cross the River Douro from Porto Centre via the Gustave Eiffel-designed Luis I Bridge to find the country’s famous Port lodges, where travellers can sample an array of different styles before heading upriver into the majestic
Douro Valley. Port is freeing itself from typecasting—it is a wine to be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, and more people are bringing Port out earlier in the day. White and tawny Ports, as well as other styles, prove just as refreshing and convivial at lunch as when enjoyed after dinner.
From Porto, travel up the Douro Valley, one of world’s top visitor destinations. Guests can enjoy unique wine and cuisine experiences at the wine estates known as quintas. But this region of incomparable natural beauty also has plenty to offer every tourist looking for relaxation, adventure, history or culture.
The 897-kilometre-long River Douro defines part of the Portuguese-Spanish border and is home to the most pristine riparian environment on the Iberian Peninsula. Douro International Natural Park encompasses 120 kilometres of the river, a region of olive and almond as well as juniper, oak and chestnut trees. It is also renowned for its biodiversity, as it is home to several rare and endangered bird species. A guided river cruise offers an excellent opportunity to spot birds, admire flora and gaze in wonder at the Douro’s sheer cliffs.
History buffs will enjoy exploring the Castro de Sao Joao das Arribas, a fortified settlement dating back to Roman occupation, or the medieval castles in towns like Mogadouro. Plan to visit during mealtimes so you can enjoy the region’s robust agricultural bounty, including posta Mirandesa, specially raised veal that has been declared one of the wonders of Portuguese gastronomy, or the juicy beef heart tomatoes, when in season. You can also relax and take in the breathtaking views from vantage points such as S. Salvador do Mundo, Galafura or Ujo, situated in the Tua Nature Park.
The Douro Valley’s reputation as an outdoor adventure destination continues to grow. Trails course through the valley, ideal for gravel-tired mountain biking and casual hiking. Several local outfitters rent bikes and lead guided tours through vineyards, cork oak forests and into the villages. Many specialized travel companies and outfitters offer tours that last from one hour up to a six-day journey that begins in Porto and proceeds via train to the World Heritage Site, includes a visit to the prehistoric rock engravings of Foz Coa, and ends by paddling back to Porto down the Douro River.
In addition to soaring heights and ravines cut as deep as diamonds, the River Douro nurtures the region’s outstanding terroir, which produces one of the world’s most recognized wines. A Wine Enthusiast “Seven Best Wine Travel Experiences of 2020,” the Douro Winemaking Region provides visitors the opportunity to explore ancient innovations in wine production set within a Mediterra-
nean climate. The birthplace of Port, this region has recently produced several highly regarded red, white and rosé Douro varieties as well.
We’re all keen to travel these days, to step away from our daily lives and escape within a dynamic city, hike in a new wilderness or discover a favorite wine while seated on a terrace overlooking a sublime river valley. Porto and the Douro Winemaking Region provide this very opportunity: to disappear for a few days in a safe and healthy environment, a historically rich region famous the world over for its beauty and winemaking heritage.
For more information on planning your journey to the Douro, go to portoenorte.pt/en, ivdp.pt or visitportugal.com and, under “Regions,” click on “Porto and the North.” For more information on the Douro region’s wines, visit the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) website at ivdp.pt.
Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP)
For more information, visit ivdp.pt
DJ Kearney
and Marselan is a 1960s grape fusing Cab and heat-tolerant Grenache. Already grown in the south of France and Uruguay, Marselan has made notably successful wines. Touriga Nacional needs no introduction to Port aficionados, and this all-star grape should excel in the blue-chip terroir of Bordeaux.
Two white grapes are also on the new team: tiptop Alvarinho from northern Portugal and Spanish Galicia, and Liliorila, a fascinating cross of Chardonnay and Baroque, an obscure, full-flavoured grape from southwest France.
The exceptional 2018 Bordeaux vintage is a hotly anticipated upcoming release (pardon the climate change pun). After profound hailstorms and early summer rains, the season turned torrid and dry, keeping the Bordelais toiling in the vineyards doing everything possible to retain freshness and balance in grapes. Seems those efforts have paid off with critics writing in lavish superlatives about the reds and surprisingly crisp whites. Much buzz surrounds the release of first growth Château Mouton-Rothschild, for reasons both of supreme quality and its striking label. Printmaker and installation artist Xu Bing is renowned for a unique script called Square Word Calligraphy. The label art displays symbols that reshape Latin alphabet with Chinese characters, creating symbols that invoke a cultural blend that’s as relevant and topical as it is eye-catching and distinctive.
As the planet heats up, Bordeaux is preparing for change. Early-ripening plummy, plush Merlot is the most planted grape in the world’s most famous wine region (more than 65 per cent of all red grapes), but the tendency to raisin and drop acid puts it in the hot seat as the authorities in Bordeaux plan for temperature increases and shorter growing cycles. Proven drought-resistant vines have been planted in the hallowed Left and Right Bank soils of Bordeaux, including four new red grapes: Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan and Touriga Nacional.
Arinarnoa is an interesting cross developed in France in 1956 of hyper-tannic Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon,
These varieties were only authorized for planting in November 2020 and will take a few years to show up in the wines. Even then, these grape trials restrict the amounts allowed in wines to minuscule percentages. The important thing is the far-sighted preparations for the inevitable, disruptive effects of climate change.
Land prices in the Okanagan Valley are stratospherically high now, reaching upwards of $300,000 for a planted acre of vineyard. This eye-popping price tag makes Napa Valley look affordable—you can still buy prime vineyards for $250,000-plus per acre—and Sonoma County is a bargain with vineyards going for $150,000 and up. Why is our land so pricy? Availability, pure and simple. Real estate is booming in Canada’s pocket desert, and the tussle between homes and grapes is driving prices up and up.
LAND GRAB
Photos courtesy of CultWine
Only a hundred 250-millilitre bottles of Slovenia’s Old Vine Wine are made each year, bestowed as gifts for a chosen few. It features the red grape Žametovka, harvested from the world’s oldest known wine grape vine, Stara trta, which was planted in the city of Maribor during the Middle Ages. Many luminaries have received one of these precious bottles, including the Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II, Bill Clinton and Brad Pitt. Even phylloxera, which decimated Slovenian vineyards in the 1870s, failed to fell the old soldier, nor did it perish during the Second World War when bombs hit the house against which this heroic vine stretches its cordons and faithfully bears fruit each year.
Okanagan Crush Pad winery has taken terroir to the next level. True to their mantra “place, not grape,” they recently conducted a fascinating trial in custom concrete tanks made onsite for the purposes of learning more about how grapes express both themselves and the land in which they grow.
OCP took sand and gravels from their three vineyards (Switchback and Garnet Valley in Summerland, and Seacrest in Oliver), and made square concrete 300-litre vats. Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir grapes were then harvested from each vineyard, pressed and fermented in the vats. As a control, the same juice was also fermented in stainless steel barrel and neutral barrique. After fermentation and malolactic conversion the wines were settled and allowed to rest in their vessels for nine months. Then the tasting trials began, blind of course, as over 60 ace tasters assessed the wines. Do grapes express a deeper sense of terroir when fermented in a vat made from those vineyard soils? Do aromatics, flavours and structural elements respond differently?
These deep delving tank trials may be the first of their kind in the world—Pipette will reveal the results in the next issue.
The superb Austrian estate of Domäne Wachau is also thinking about teasing out terroir expression with this crazy fermenter carved from a boulder found on the property. Over two metres tall, Austria’s signature grape Grüner Veltliner should feel right at home inside this unique tank.
Photo courtesy of Stara trta
DJ Kearney photo
DJ Kearney photo
What the heck is orange wine anyway? A few years ago, this would have been a common question among wine drinkers, but every vintage sees more and more bottles of these amber- and orange-hued wines lining store shelves.
Dismissed by some as a temporary hipster blip in the wine world, orange wines are practically as old as the beverage itself (think back 5,000 years to buried Qvevri in Georgia) and there is no reason why they shouldn’t stick around.
Defined simply, orange wines are just skin-contact whites, essentially white grapes made like you would typically make a red wine with the resultant orange-ish
colour leached from the white grape skins. In fact, many people prefer just to use the term “skin-contact whites,” but for me orange fits more comfortably alongside the other colour categories—white, rosé and red.
Exactly when these wines disappeared from production is anyone’s guess, but if you go back beyond today’s fancy grape presses, filtration and other winemaking equipment, all wine was pretty much made the same way—crushed grapes left to ferment and often age with the skins, for both red and white varieties. At some point mid-last century, white and red wines cornered the market, with even the rosé movement being a fairly recent global phenomenon. Only really in Georgia, northeast
Italy and across the border in Slovenia have these orange wines maintained significant production until the recent boom. Now, any restaurant or wine store that doesn’t have both an orange/skin-contact white section alongside the red, white and rosé could be seen as a little ancient and lagging behind the times.
Not everyone, though, is familiar with this new/old category. In fact, drinking orange wine requires an entirely different vocabulary than most consumers are used to. Not only are they orange in colour, but the skin contact also extracts what is often described as an orange-zestlike flavour. There will be a little tannin, as you would find in red wines, and commonly exotic tea leaf notes. They are savoury and textural, full of umami and new aromas and flavours that you might struggle to describe.
These skin-contact whites are also often closely intertwined with the natural wine movement as the category’s rebirth was driven by those who also practise low-intervention winemaking. This can result in sometimes cloudy wines with slightly oxidative notes that can appear a little alien to those who are used to quite sterile and clean white and red wines. A common response to a wine drinker’s first taste of an orange wine is something along the lines of “I don’t know how to describe it, but can I
Sperling Vineyards Organic Amber
Pinot Gris 2020 (Okanagan Valley, $30)
Cloudy, tea leaves, dried flowers, golden apple.
CedarCreek Amphora Project
Orange Wine 2020 (Okanagan Valley, $34.99)
Rose petals, orange zest, grippy and full.
Bartier Bros. Granite 2018 (Okanagan Valley, $25.99)
Turkish delight, racy, mineral and floral.
have some more?” There is something quite more-ish, textural and intriguing about these wines. They seem to be particularly finding a niche with younger wine drinkers who are less interested in high-scoring, high-priced, polished, lush red and white wines. Interesting is winning over familiar and predictable.
Orange wines are quite exciting in the food pairing realm, too, with their richer body, light tannins and often intense savoury, umami notes. These allow them to stand up to intense and weighty dishes that you would normally pair with red wines or match umami flavours that can make some wines taste dried out and bitter.
There are now more than two dozen wineries producing orange wine in British Columbia and these are made in a number of different styles. Just like the length of skin contact can vary in rosé and red wines, the same is true for orange wine. The two main schools of thought in making orange wine are: shorter skin contact of around two weeks or less to make sure not much tannin is extracted; or pretty much the opposite approach, long aging on the skins of three months or more to let the tannins fully resolve themselves. So, expect variation from producer to producer.
If you want to discover what the orange/skin-contact movement is about, come at it with an open mind, don’t compare it to white, rosé or red wines, and embrace this new and interesting category as something unique. It is here to stay.
Orange wines are quite exciting in the food pairing realm, with their richer body, light tannins and often intense savoury, umami notes.
Here at Vitis, two of our favourite things are wine and dogs. So we asked a few folks in wine country about their four-legged friends, then quizzed them on what they’ll be drinking this fall. Here’s what they had to say.
Dog: Buddha
Nickname: Bu
Breed: Bulldog
Role: Hostess and pig wrangler
Jay Drysdale, co-proprietor of Bella Wines on the Naramata Bench, has always had bulldogs. “They have such character and make me smile,” he says with a chuckle.
In fact, his boutique sparkling winery is named for his previous pup, Bella, whom he affectionately called Buddha Belly. When Bella’s successor joined the family, her name seemed apt.
Buddha is the greeter of guests, but also helps Drysdale keep the estate’s pigs in line; when called upon she’s happy to get bossy and corral them into place.
Drink: “I enjoy Creek & Gully organic ciders. They’re that perfect little harvest Gatorade—they quench the thirst without being high in alcohol,” Drysdale says. His pick is the Flora, a multi-variety dry canned cider.
Dog: Bravo
Nickname: Bravo-buddy
Breed: German Shepherd
Role: Flirt
Not yet a year old, Bravo has already established himself as a ladies’ man, according to Jesce Baessler, co-owner of Corcelettes Estate Winery in the Similkameen Valley.
Baessler, who has only ever had German Shepherds, explains, “Bravo is a failed RCMP puppy. They knew by the time he was eight weeks old he was not cut out for service. He wasn’t as confident as the rest of the litter, so we lucked out.”
She adds, “He’s a silly, fun-loving guy. When he hears people come in [to the tasting room] he greets them. If a woman and a man walk in together, he will inevitably go to the lady—he’s such a flirt.”
Drink: “In the fall, I’m a sucker for a plush, velvety Merlot I can get comfortable on the couch with, but my pick would be our new 2019 Talus—it’s a whopper,” she says of the winery’s flagship Bordeaux blend.
Dogs: Bizou and Yukon
Nicknames: Bizou-roni and Yuki
Breed: Great Pyrenees
Role: Night patrol (or guardians of the OCP galaxy)
Since opening in 2011, Summerland’s Okanagan Crush Pad has been a destination for dog lovers thanks to owners Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie, who have several four-legged family members of their own.
Two of them are Great Pyrenees, a French breed known for guarding livestock; their thick white coat makes these magnificent giants easy to recognize. According to Coletta, they are mostly docile creatures, until their charges are threatened. They sleep all day and roam the fenced vineyards at night.
Coletta says, “If a threat appears [a coyote or bear], they don’t actually attack, they divide and conquer. One will go to a high place and the other to a low, vulnerable place and they lose their minds barking. They bark in such a way—they change their pitch—it sounds like there are 12 of them.”
Drink: “I like drinking rosés into the fall. When I’m making more robust pastas, I find the drier, juicy rosés are perfect.” Her pick is OCP’s own Bizou + Yukon Pinkie Rosé.
Dog: Ellie
Nickname: Ellie-BeanGirl or L.B.
Breed: Okanagan Special
Role: Vermin control and tour guide
While not their only dog, Ellie, a rescue the Dickenson family adopted as a puppy, is definitely the one captured more frequently on social media. Alan Dickenson says Ellie’s lineage is unclear, but guesses she’s a special cuvée of American Staffordshire terrier and perhaps some Labrador and Rottweiler.
“She’s amazing with kids and is a proper farm girl. She’s out all day digging up marmots and mice and when we do our vineyard walking tours she leads—she knows the route,” Dickenson says.
He also notes it’s not uncommon for her to eat a half a dozen quails in a day, so they often have to cut back on her meals.
Drink: “In fall, I’ve been enjoying wines from a little family winery located around the corner called Echo Bay Vineyard,” Dickenson says. His pick is the refreshing and effervescent Else Wines Muscat on Skins.
Located in Okanagan Falls, Synchromesh is a family-owned boutique winery settled on more than 100 acres.
Dogs: Emma and Bella
Breed: Border Collies
Nicknames: Em and Belly-Button
Roles: Public entertainment and fetcher of balls
Until recently, Naramata Bench’s Upper Bench Estate was home not only to a winery and creamery, but to two senior Border Collies, Emma and Bella.
Co-owner and winemaker Gavin Miller admits that Emma, the younger of the two, is an attention hog with a goal of being a lap dog. “Emma is all about people. She loves to be around them, she’ll follow people around all day.”
Before crossing the rainbow bridge in September, Bella was the working dog of the duo, and loved chasing balls and sticks. “She saw her role as ball fetcher,” Miller says.
Drink: “I’m a huge Merlot fan, that’s what I like to drink through the fall and winter,” Miller says. His pick is the Upper Bench Estate Grown Merlot.
Upper Bench Estate Winery photo
THIS GATEWAY SIPPER IS AN ECO-FRIENDLY IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME
Cinda ChavichIt was worries about waste that led Cowichan Valley winemaker Brent Rowland to turn pomace into piquette. The juicy skins and seeds left over after pressing the Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir and Maréchal Foch grapes for his Averill Creek Joue Rosé were simply too tasty to send straight to the compost pile.
“We work a lot with Gewürztraminer and the flesh is very gelatinous, yielding a lot less juice,” he says. “I hated dumping the press with a ton of goodness still in it, and that’s when my mind started to tick.”
Rowland produced his first Piquette Blanc and Piquette Rouge this year, following the traditional method of fermenting the spent skins with water to create a simple, low-alcohol quaffer. The white is a little hazy, with typical Gewürz aromas and a tart, citrusy finish, while the juicy red gets its intense inky colour and wild character from the Foch skins.
“I just put it into the bins with water straight away, and fermented it in barrel for three to four months,” says Rowland. The piquette gets a final dosage of sugar and yeast before it’s canned or bottled for a touch of effervescence. Averill Creek Piquette is unfined and unfiltered, and clocks in at just 4.5% ABV.
“It’s definitely not a wine—for me it’s in the genre of wheat beer or kombucha, very light and refreshing,” says Rowland. “Piquette is not a noble beverage—it’s not supposed to be precious.”
But its current popularity seems to make it so.
When Rowland released his small batch of piquette this summer (475-millilitre cans for $6) the uptake was immediate. Piquette appears to be a libation for the moment—affordable, easy drinking, and a cool, sustainable way to upcycle the by-products of wine making.
Yet piquette is not new. Piquette has a long tradition in France, Italy and other Old World wine regions where it’s known as “the worker’s wine,” a rustic, thirst-quenching beverage produced for farmhands and home/winery consumption. In fact, in the EU, it’s illegal to sell piquette.
On this side of the pond, piquette production began with small natural-winemakers looking for a new way to squeeze every drop from their most valuable inputs. Now some of the bigger players are getting into the recycling
game, too, banking on fruity piquette as the gateway to wine for the beer and hard seltzer generation.
But what determines what a piquette will be?
A cursory tasting of the various piquette products now available in B.C. liquor stores runs the gamut from tart pink spritzers to funky hazy brews, reminiscent of kombucha or even sour beers. Piquette can be light and lovely, a little challenging, or frankly, forgettable.
Mike Schindler, the co-owner and winemaker at A Sunday in August, is known for his organic, natural, low-intervention wines and is a piquette pioneer. His colourful, cloudy brews—the amber Blanc piquette, salmon pink Rosé and deep purple Rouge—are layered and alive.
This year will be Schindler’s and partner Sam Milbrath’s third piquette vintage. They buy organic grapes from Okanagan growers, and make their wine and piquette in Kelowna, refermenting their organic pressings with water, additional wine, and a final dosage of organic honey for a spritzy second ferment.
A Sunday in August piquette clocks in at 7% ABV and, at $10 for a 355 mL can ($31 per 750 mL bottle), is one of the priciest piquettes on store shelves, which Schindler says reflects the cost of his organic inputs and natural production methods.
“Piquette is not easy to make,” he says of his fizzy wines. “Lots can go wrong if you’re not scrupulously clean and careful, but we have experience with making natural, wild-ferment wines. There’s absolutely nothing added.”
“
Piquette is not a noble beverage—it’s not supposed to be precious.
Schindler says piquette is a drink designed to serve ice cold and appeals to a new generation of wine drinkers.
“I want my wines to be accessible, I want younger people to be drinking them,” he says, “and piquette is something totally crushable, a wine to take to the beach.”
There are several other Canadian wineries making piquette—from Bella Wines in Naramata and Benjamin Bridge in Nova Scotia to Tantalus in Kelowna, their 2020 Old Vines Riesling piquette garnering a respectable 86-point score from a prominent B.C. wine scribe.
The only piquette listed in B.C. government liquor stores is The Second Act “field blend” piquette produced by Artisan Wine Co. in Oliver, one of the Okanagan’s major producers, creating several value wines for Mark Anthony Brands. This year Artisan made 800 cases of this clear pink piquette (sold in 750-millilitre bottles for $14.99), with plans to expand production for national distribution next year.
Craft beer and cider makers are playing with piquette, too. Valley Cider Co. in Duncan makes a piquette-style cider called Pïqabû, their artisan cider refermented in small batches with grape pomace from nearby Emandare Vine-
yard to create a vinous, apple-forward sipper. A crowncapped, 359 mL bottle of Pïqabû has 6.5% ABV and sells for $5.49.
“Piquette is perfect for those of us who are drawn toward craft and natural production, and lets us reuse things that are still usable,” says Valley Cider’s Bruce McKinlay. “Mike [Nierychlo of Emandare] is a phenomenal ambassador for craft wines, and I bamboozled him into letting me use his extra Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer skins to do it.”
Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Steamworks Brewing has made piquette to serve in their taproom, using B.C.-grown Viognier and Cabernet Franc pomace, fermented with wild yeasts, and conditioned with Fraser Valley honey and cultured m. reukaufii yeast for an aromatic, fruity finish.
“It’s an interesting way to take grapes to another level,” says Brett Jamieson, Steamworks’ research and development manager.
It’s hard to know if piquette will catch on or fade quickly, but so far, it’s been extremely popular.
Because there are no hard and fast rules for making piquette, experimentation is rampant. Brettanomyces (Brett) and volatile acidity, usually considered faults in wine, are often part of the piquette flavour profile, but that’s not a problem for the “fermentation generation,” familiar with the wild yeasts that sour beer and create kimchi.
Piquette makes sustainable sense, too, especially for eco-minded drinkers and smaller producers aiming to reduce waste. A single-serve wine beverage, often sold in cans, piquette also appeals for its portability, and as an alternative to hard seltzers and craft beer.
But unlike the latter, piquette is a seasonal drink, so production is limited to the post-harvest period.
Expect to hear more about piquette after the next vintage is crushed, a new idea that’s hot off the press.
“
Piquette is perfect for those of us who are drawn toward craft and natural production, and lets us reuse things that are still usable.At A Sunday in August, spent grape skins from winemaking (a.k.a. pomace) are fermented to create piquette.. Sam Milbrath photo
This has been by any measure a dreadful summer of smoke and fire across British Columbia. But even a pyrocumulonimbus cloud has its silver lining, and the silver lining of fire season is mushrooms. Specifically, the wonderfully earthy, nutty, cone-shaped morel mushroom so prized by chefs and diners alike.
“There’s probably five different types of morels and, in the western part of North America, it’s a common occurrence to find millions of morels fruiting after a forest fire,” says Bill Jones, the proprietor of Deerholme Farm on Vancouver Island and author of The Deerholme Mushroom Book (TouchWood Editions).
Morels are just one of the 40 or 50 types of edible mushrooms commonly foraged across B.C., which include lobster, pine, hedgehog, chanterelle and porcini. “The most valuable ones are pine mushrooms and morels, but in terms of volume, it would be chanterelles,” says Jones, a French-trained chef and avid forager who
regularly features wild mushrooms at the dinners he hosts in his Cowichan Valley farmhouse.
Chanterelles and morels appear in spring, but for most mushrooms, Jones says, “The main season here starts around the end of September and through October and November. There’s a real progression throughout the year.” Some, especially chanterelles and the porcinis that are so abundant in the Okanagan, have two seasons, one in spring, the other in fall.
Mushrooms grow in secluded spots, their earthen hues blending into the foliage of the forest floor. Many are mycorrhizal, which means they grow in a beneficial relationship with certain trees, tucked shyly amid the roots of Douglas fir on the coast and pines inland.
But beware that not every mushroom is safe to eat. Before you pick, get advice from an expert. As Jones points out, “There are lots of lookalike mushrooms that are very poisonous.”
Which is why you may prefer to shop for cultivated mushrooms instead.
“Cultivated” doesn’t necessarily mean boring white mushrooms. At least not when Brian Callow is growing them. He’s the farmer-owner of What The Fungus, the Summerland-based mushroom farm best known for the gourmet oyster mushrooms that appear on menus throughout the Okanagan.
“I got interested in farming because of the respect people have for local produce in the Okanagan,” Callow says. He started learning about mushrooms years ago when he worked as a server at Fairmont Château Whistler, and the more he learned, the more interested he became. In 2013, he started selling mushrooms from his Penticton home.
“I just really enjoyed mushrooms, even foraging for them, and it was a great opportunity for me to take my life in a different direction,” Callow says. “It was fascinating and challenging.”
Now he sells eight to 10 varieties, including oyster, lion’s mane and chestnut, to 40 different restaurants and to consumers direct from the farm. “We try to give our chefs a seasonal mix,” he says, but admits the most popular are the various types of oyster mushrooms. “Chefs want oyster mushrooms for sure.”
That said, Callow is always experimenting with new varieties, and offers intensive courses on growing mushrooms, too. “We’ve been doing the mentorship programs for five years. Before COVID, we’d get people from all over the world,” Callow says.
And, of course, he cooks with mushrooms himself. “My personal favourite is a cream sauce for pasta,” he says. He’s also prepared mushrooms “pulled-pork style,” slow cooked and piled on a soft, fresh bun, or simply sautéed with butter.
“Mushrooms, you’re able to cook mushrooms however you cook meat,” he says. “Just don’t wash them. Mushrooms absorb a lot of water, so just brush them and maybe cook them off a little bit before adding oil or butter. The true flavour of mushrooms comes from the sugars that caramelize in the pan when you get them brown.”
Meanwhile, at Deerholme Farm, Jones uses mushrooms in everything from soup to salads, stews and even sweets. “I use a lot of mushroom powder in pasta and bread, sauces and hummus,” he says. “If I have a lot of chanterelles, I will make a lot of pickles with them.”
Mushrooms are endlessly versatile, especially when it comes to wine pairings.
“If you cook mushrooms with butter, they will go with anything,” says Jones. “In terms of mushrooms themselves, and I include truffles here, there are some classic pairings. Pinot Noir all over the world is a classic pairing. In France, Chardonnay is a classic pairing. But in Alsace they’d say you need a late-harvest Gewürztraminer.”
It’s too soon to know if this is going to be a good mushroom season, although the fires suggest that spring should be a bountiful one for morels.
“I can’t tell you if it’s going to be a good year until the rains arrive in September,” Jones says. “They are just more abundant if there is torrential rain. The more rain, the more mushrooms.”
In the western part of North America, it’s a common occurrence to find millions of morels fruiting after a forest fireDelicate chanterelles are among the earliest mushrooms to fruit in spring. Getty Images photo
This variation on a classic German potato salad is made with chanterelles and comes from Bill Jones’s The Deerholme Mushroom Book. He advises that it is best to add the dressing to warm potatoes so they soak up all the dressing, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 6-8
2 lb (1 kg) potatoes, peeled and sliced
¼ lb (115 g) thick-cut bacon, cut in thin strips
1 lb (450 g) chanterelles, cleaned and sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp (30 mL) apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
2 Tbsp (30 mL) grainy mustard
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped capers
3 Tbsp (45 mL) chopped sweet onion (or green onion)
Fresh chives or green onions, minced, for garnish
Add potatoes to a large pot of salted cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender.
Meanwhile, warm a skillet over medium-high heat, add the bacon, and heat until the bacon is browned and has rendered its fat. Add the chanterelles and sauté until the mushrooms give off moisture and it has completely evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
When the mushrooms just begin to brown on the edges, remove from heat and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine vinegar, oil, mustard, capers and onion. Stir until mixed.
Drain potatoes and add while still warm to the dressing. Add the bacon and toss to coat. Serve warm, garnished with fresh chives or green onions.
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.
ALBERNI VALLEY
Emerald Coast Vineyards
Madeline Angevine, Reichensteiner, Gewürztraminer, Siegerrebe, Schönberger, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, white and red blends, rosé, fortified fruit wines emeraldcoastvineyards.ca
COURTENAY/ COMOX
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
COWICHAN VALLEY
Alderlea Vineyards
Bacchus, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, white and red blends, rosé alderlea.com
Averill Creek Vineyard
Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Merlot, white and red
blends, sparkling wine, rosé averillcreek.ca
Blue Grouse Estate Winery
Siegerrebe, Pinot Gris, Ortega, Bacchus, 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, Caberet 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, 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
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
De Vine Vineyards & Spirits
Ortega, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch, rosé, vermouth, spirits devinevineyards.ca
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
Sea Star Estate Farm and Vineyards
Ortega, Pinot Gris, Siegerrebe, Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch, white and red blends, dessert wine seastarvineyards.ca
SouthEnd Farm Winery
Siegerrebe, Petit Milo, Cabernet Franc, white and red blends, rosé, sparkling wine southend.ca
SALT SPRING ISLAND
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
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.
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 (Abbotsford)
Pinot Gris, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Siegerrebe, Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot,
Pinot Noir, red blends, sparkling wine, dessert wine singletreewinery.com
CHILLIWACK
Whispering Horse Winery
L’Acadie Blanc, Epicure, sparkling wine whisperinghorsewinery.com
DELTA Angel Estate Winery
Fruit wines angelestatewinery.com
LANGLEY/ ALDERGROVE
Backyard Vineyards
Moscato, Pinot Gris,
Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, rosé, white and red blends, sparkling wine, fortified wine backyardvineyards.ca
Caven Cellars
Pinot Noir, rosé cavencellars.com
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 winet frequencywinery.ca
House of Rose Winery
Marechal Foch, white and red blends, rosé, dessert wines, icewine houseofrose.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
Ricco Bambino Urban Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Nebbiolo, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, rosé, white blends, sparkling wine riccobambino.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
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
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
Foxtrot Vineyards
Pinot Noir, 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, Semillon, 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
Semillon, 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
Singletree Winery (Naramata)
Pinot Gris, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Siegerrebe, Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, red blends, sparkling wine, dessert wine singletreewinery.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 blendse 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 winey 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, Semillon, 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 winet 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: Winemaker’s CUT, One Faith Vineyards, Vintners Cove Winery, Gneiss Wines, JoiRyde Winery, Wapiti Cellars, Uppercase Winery, Nk’Mip Cellars, Eau Vivre Winery districtwinevillage.com
French Door Estate Winery
Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir, red blends, orange, rosé frenchdoorwinery.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
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
OSOYOOS
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
Sonora Desert Winery
Ortega, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot,red blends, rosé, sparkling wine sonoradesertwinery.ca
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
Evolve Cellars
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Ehrenfelser, Syrah, red blends, rosé, sparkling wine evolvecellars.com
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 Winery
Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Viognier, Syrah, Merlot, 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, Semillon, 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 and 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, Semillon, 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, Semillon, 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
Vanessa Vineyard Estate Winery
Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, red blends, rosé vanessavineyard.com
Clos Du Soleil Winery
Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, 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
St. Laszlo Vineyards
Estate Winery
Pinot Noir, Merlot stlaszlo.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 Ranch 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, Semillon, 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
KOOTENAYS
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
Wynnwood Cellars
Merlot, white blends wynnwoodcellars.com
PRINCE GEORGE
Northern Lights Estate Winery Ltd.
Fruit wines northernlightswinery.ca
Genealogy is exciting stuff. During the last year, subscriptions for Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com ramped up, and it seemed everyone was searching for their relatives. We all want to know where we come from, don’t we? It’s the same for grapes.
Our beloved wine grapes belong to the family “Vitis,” the Latin word for vine; “vinifera” is the grape species. Almost every grape used in winemaking today comes from a Vitis vinifera grape variety. When you consider that the majority of wine we see on the shelves is limited to about 40 varieties, it is mind-boggling to comprehend that there are more than 10,000 species of grapes in the world today, including hybrids and crosses.
Both grape crosses and hybrids are created for a specific reason, such as improving characteristics like colour and flavour or having better resistance to disease and vineyard pests.
Think of a popular wine grape. Odds are, it is the offspring of two different varieties. Often, parent grapes are ones you have heard of, like Sauvignon Blanc. But many well-known varieties are combinations that involve obscure grapes wine lovers have yet to discover.
A “crossed variety” is a grape bred from two different Vitis vinifera varieties. Many celebrated European Vitis vinifera wine grapes are spontaneous field crosses, where two species mated, with Mother Nature’s assistance, producing an entirely new grape variety. An example of a well-known crossed grape is Cabernet Sauvignon, the offspring of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
Hybrid grape varieties blend Vitis vinifera and North American Vitis labrusca or Vitis riparia grapes. Hybrid
grapes were born from necessity. In the 19th century, an insect named phylloxera almost decimated the European grapevines by attacking the roots of the vines. The ingenious grape growers were not deterred and started researching how to create something new that would survive. By crossing a Vitis vinifera and a Vitis labrusca or riparia grape, they created hybrid grape varieties that were not only resistant to phylloxera, but also stronger against vineyard diseases and could grow in less-thanideal climates.
Summerhill Pyramid Winery Organic Baco Noir 2018 (Okanagan Valley, B.C., $28)
Rich, smooth, blackberry and chocolate.
Gehringer Brothers Winery Ehrenfelser 2020 (Okanagan Valley, B.C., $13.99)
Refreshing. Fresh apricot and citrus.
Singletree Winery Siegerrebe (Siggy) 2020 (Fraser Valley, B.C. $17.80)
Lightly off-dry with spice and citrus.
Arrowleaf Cellars Zweigelt 2019 (Okanagan Valley, B.C., $23.10)
Medium-bodied with notes of raspberry and mocha.
Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Vineyard Ortega 2020 (Cowichan Valley, B.C., $23.99)
Fresh peach, jasmine, seafood friendly.
Many well-known varieties are combinations that involve obscure grapes wine lovers have yet to discover.Ehrenfelser grapes. Getty Images photo
