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No excuses for not serving up some of B.C.’s finest this year. Just follow this guide to enjoy delicious wines—and compliments from friends.
I’ve attacked this festive column with a laser-focus this year: it’s all about bubbles (yaay!), crowd-pleasing reds and whites, and wines that pair perfectly with turkey. I got together with an ace tasting team to find the best wines to fit that brief, and I also asked two of Vancouver’s most respected somms to share their holiday picks too.
BC makes some absolute banging bubbles—here’s six more to add to the Good List.
I love Four Shadows Riesling so bubbly Riesling = even better! These super light, frothy bubbles have a gorgeous aromatic nose and hints of white flower. Very cool!
Take this to a party and show off the gorgeous label and pretty, pink bubbles. Another super foamy number with tiny bubbles dancing on your tongue, and crisp apple and cranberry notes!
Super zippy! Fresh apricots, persistent bubble—this goes beautifully with charcuterie and cheeses.
This 100% Sauvignon Blanc bubble loves to be paired with pâté and salamis, and would make a cracking brunch bubble too, thanks to its cheery floral nose.
I’ve almost certainly recommended this bright, fruity, frothy bargain bubble with its yummy strawberry nose, but it’s such a reliable slam dunk at a great price, Imma recommend it again.
Your Christmas morning bubbles. Super citrus-y with notes of orange peel, lime zest and grapefruit pith.
I hate to write this, but the BC wine community lost one of its best, Rust Wine Co’s Kane Morgan, this month in a shocking traffic accident. Kane leaves behind his wife, Jaki, and their two boys, Cassius, and Walker, and you can donate to the family through this link via Rust’s sister winery, Mt Boucherie. Smart, funny, talented, and bend-over-backwards hospitable, Kane will be terribly missed by all who knew him. I’m thankful for the time I got to spend with him, and my heart breaks for those who loved him most. You can read about Kane’s legacy here.
Easy sipping enough to drink solo, but killer paired with snacks these wines will see you through party (or fireside!) season.
A great crowd-pleasing, unpretentious wine. Delicious juicy, with a cool label, everyone loved this. Perfect pairing for pizza, or just snacking ‘n’ sipping.
Dusty tannins and lovely notes of cedar and brambly, black fruit; this wine is batting way above its price point.
We all cheered when we tasted this wine, it’s just so, so good—layered with raspberries and blackberries and sexy forest floor notes. Get a case, you won’t be sorry.
The absolute definition of a crowd pleaser! Peppery. Fruity. Nice smooth tannins and a little bit of a sweet finish. Yum!
Splurge a little on this velvety, jammy, voluptuous delight, the perfect pairing for small groups you’d like to impress! Violets on the finish and a little green pepper note, this is such a pretty wine! Decant and let it rest for 30 mins for the best results.
This holiday season, elevate your celebrations with a trio of exceptional wines that are sure to delight the palate. Start the festivities with a touch of effervescence and sophistication, consider the Blue Mountain R.D. Blanc de Blancs 2013 produced by one of the premier bubble-makers in our province. Crafted exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, this bubbly delight dazzles with crisp acidity accompanied by a creamy texture, making it an ideal choice for toasts and celebratory moments.
‘Ava’ crafted by the endlessly inspiring Severine Pinte of Le Vieux Pin makes for a great turkey wine! A thoughtful fusion of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, coming from the Black Sage Bench this elegant white wine does a superb job of mimicking the herbal character found in your holiday seasoning blend – think sage, thyme, and rosemary.
Finally, explore something a little off-the-beaten path with a Skin Contact White Wine from Orofino, a gem of a winery located in the Similkameen Valley. A unique and intriguing option that suits a meal or just for sipping. Made from Muscat grapes, this amber-hued wine boasts layers of texture, complexity, and a lovely floral lift. These three distinct local bottles will thrill with their deliciousness and sense of discovery. Your guests will walk away with the perfect pairing.
We tasted SO MANY WINES and nibbled on bits of turkey as we did, to make sure that these are 100% total turkey-loving sippers. Reds or whites, we got you!
Silky! Dusty milk chocolate notes and a smooth velvety nose!
One of our tasting panel misheard that Jason Momoa was involved with this wine, much as I like the fantasy of Khal Drogio whipping up this wonderfully oaked Rhone-blend packed with notes of apricot and honey blossom, it’s actually a project from Jason Priestly, TD Mulligan and Michal Mosny from Winemakers Cut. Freaking delicious with crazy long finish too.
Could not stop huffing the terrific nose on this! Yes, it’s heading up a little on price point, but absolutely worth it. Terrific petrol nose and a zippy tingle tongue!
Fans of BIG REDS look no further, this has all the rich, meaty, leathery notes that you love and yes, goes perfectly with turkey too! Chocolatey and bold, maybe decant this to let it unwind a little?
If you like a light red that will pair with strong savoury flavours (hello stuffing and gravy!), then here’s your turkey wine. This has such a luscious, sexy, grown-up nose, another wine batting waaaaaay above its price point!
I’m a big Meyer fan and this one was new to me, tart, dusty cherries, beautifully silky and packed with aromatic baking spice notes. Perfect!
“For crowd-pleasing reds, try the 2022 Averill Creek “Joue Red Field Blend” a fun blend of whole-bunch Marechal Foch and Gamay Noir with the addition of actively fermenting Pinot Gris juice. With this depth of colour, aromatic freshness, and low abv, this wine is a perfect crowd pleaser for any meal or on its own. So much so, I chose it as a wedding wine for one of my best friends’ big day: happy anniversary Jojo and Jessica!
Seek out L-ST PROJECTS ‘To Meet a Flower’ Pinot Meunier. This wine is born from a creative outlet of experimentation, focusing on small batch wines from Naramata B.C. Alyssa has been quoted saying that she is “a winemaker without land”, which may be a hindrance to many but for Alyssa it lends opportunity for creativity as a winemaker. ‘To Meet a Flower’ is a light, fresh red wine with bright brambly fruit characteristic reminiscent of haskap or saskatoon berries alongside savoury aromatics of wild thyme, sage and oolong tea. Only 90 cases produced, enjoy with a slight chill alongside turkey dinner!
Although there is limited quantity of this wine, the remaining bottles will be available at Published on Main and Bar Susu throughout this holiday season, so come and toast the season with my sparkling pick, 2022 Cabin Creek Cuvée “Carbo Pet-Nat Rosé” [ MAGNUM ], which was a collaboration project between winemaker Jordan Kubek (formerly of Lightning Rock Winery), and myself as part of my prize winning the 2022 Best Sommelier Of British Columbia competition. Only 120 Magnum’s were produced with part of the proceeds being donated to the B.C. Hospitality Foundation. The 50/50 Pinot Noir, Gamay wine is fresh, aromatic, and tart with red fruit flavours of pomegranate and raspberries alongside dried hibiscus and black tea notes.
Our brief for these wines was simple: something for everyone!
Easy drinking and so very appealing, this has a nice weight on the tongue, and delicate aromatic notes.
Super pretty! We all loved this excellent example of BC Pinot Gris done exceptionally well. Come for the freshness, stay for that peachy end!
Super easy drinking! Beautiful whisper of rose petals on the finish, this is a winner of a party wine.
Such a winner of a blend! Orange zest, honeysuckle, and bags of zippy lemon citrus with a touch of baking spices. Sip, swirl, snack, repeat.
Regular column readers will know that I’m a long-time fan of Mary McDermott’s beautiful sparkling wines from Township 7, so I was thrilled to get her to share her holiday wine recommendations for this year, Cheers!
To relax by a roaring fire and enjoy a bottle of Le Vieux Pin Syrah Cuvee Violette sounds ideal. This is an elegant and slightly delicate expression of Syrah. A perfumed floral nose followed with similar notes on the palate followed by pepper and bramble fruit. Delicate and warming in equal measure.
I have often conducted seminars on wine and food pairing as it is a favourite of our wine club members. I think the moment people taste different wines paired with a single food their minds are awakened. They may enjoy one pairing while their neighbour enjoys something completely different. There is no right or wrong answer to what wine you enjoy with a specific food. Just as there is no right answer to what wines you enjoy.
I always enjoy a little celebration with my family and friends at Christmas so I will open “The One” sparkling wine from Noble Ridge in Okanagan Falls. The balance on this wine is always great with good acidity, a fine mousse, and nice autolytic character. The wine is complex displaying notes of crème brûlée, buttery pastry and citrus zest. Delicious!
Easily my favourite right now is one of our seven stars wines. I enjoy the seven stars EQUINOX, our Rosé sparkling wine. It pairs fantastically with both appetizers and turkey dinner. It shows fresh strawberries, rhubarb with a soft citrus zest and a touch on minerality.
If I wanted a bold red, the 2020 Reserve 7 is a Bordeaux blend which fits the bill. It is predominantly Merlot followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and is well structured with savoury dark fruit.
