Vitis • Issue 15 • Spring/Summer 2025

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B . C .

W I N E

C U L T U R E

SPRING/SUMMER 2025

Issue 15 A L L A B O U T W I N E S BY T H E G L A S S S A LT Y A N D S AVO U RY W I N E S L A K E C O U N T RY ’ S B I G P L AY E R S T U R M O I L I N T H E W I N E I N D U S T RY A W I N E B A R F O R E V E RY B U N N Y A P U R C H A S E TO TA K E N OT E O F B U B B L E’ S S W E E T S E C R E T WINE NEWS AND TRENDS B.C. W I N E RY L I S T I N G S

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Contents 06 – SIPS & NIBBLES News and trends from wine country.

Jon Adrian photo courtesy of O’Rourke Family Estate

12 – OENOPHILE What Gate 22’s purchase of Adega on 45th really means.

by Tim Pawsey 16 – B .C. WINE COUNTRY In Lake Country, two new wineries are going big—really, really big.

by Tim Pawsey

24 – WHAT SOMMS SAY All about wine by the glass programs, and what it takes to offer a pour that really works.

by Kate Dingwall

20 – T URMOIL AMID THE VINES After four years of disruption, we find the B.C. wine industry ready to rebuild.

by Vitis Staff Plus: An inside expert takes a hard look at what the industry could be doing so much better.

by Rhys Pender MW

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28 – SALTY AND SAVOURY We explore the world of briny wines from seaside to volcanic mountainside.

by Joanne Sasvari 32 – HOP ON DOWN East-meets-west flavours and welcoming hospitality at Victoria’s Rabbit Rabbit wine bar.

by Joanne Sasvari 36 – LISTINGS Your guide to B.C.’s wineries.

42 – WINE GEEK Dosage: Bubble’s balancing act.

by Christine Campbell.

Xurxo Lobato photo courtesy of Rías Baixas

PUBLISHER: Gail Nugent • gnugent@glaciermedia.ca

COVER IMAGE: Wines of British Columbia

EDITOR: Joanne Sasvari • jsasvari@glaciermedia.ca

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR: Stephanie Leblanc

DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Tara Rafiq • trafiq@glaciermedia.ca

Vitis.ca @VitisMag • @VitisMag

PUBLISHED BY: Glacier Media Group 303 W. 5th Ave., Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J6 778-240-4010 © Vitis 2025 This issue is complimentary.

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Contributors JOANNE SASVARI is editor of Vitis, The Alchemist and YAM magazines. She is a WSET-certified writer who covers food and drink for publications including Food & Wine and Edible Vancouver, and is the author of the bestselling Island Eats and Okanagan Eats cookbooks.

CHRISTINE CAMPBELL is a Vancouverbased freelance and travel writer, educator and host of the Wine Soundtrack Canada podcast. She is WSET-certified and is a French Wine Scholar. Follow Christine’s adventures in wine and abroad at girlsgogrape.com.

KATE DINGWALL is a WSET-trained wine professional and a writer, editor and photographer covering spirits, food, culture and travel for publications such as Food & Wine and Serious Eats.

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.

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Celebate B.C. Wine Month with the spring releases arriving now. Photo courtesy of Wines of British Columbia

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

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ast year, due to circumstances beyond my control, I barely made it to wine country and I have to tell you, this is not a situation that makes me very happy. So this year, I plan to go as often as I can, to reconnect with all the people I love and to savour all the delicious wines they’re making.

I want to dine amid the vines at Quails’ Gate and Hester Creek, watch the sunset from the terrace at Home Block and check in with the chickens at Backyard Farm.

I want to check out what’s happening at Naramata Inn, where a couple of industry insiders are opening a French bistro. I’m craving the aromatic spices of Manzil Restaurant at Kismet Estate Winery and the giant breakfast burrito at the El Sabor de Marina food truck, and I’m dying to discover all the new places that have opened in Penticton and Kelowna and everywhere.

I want to taste all the spring whites and rosés and light reds that will be released over the next few weeks and months. I want to feel that sense of awe that always strikes as I drive past McIntyre Bluff, and the warm welcome in tasting rooms everywhere from Lake Country to Osoyoos. And then I want to meander along Highway 3 to Keremeos and load up the car at all the fruit stands, to add some peaches and cherries and tomatoes and peppers to the cases of wine I’ll inevitably bring back.

I also want to spend more time on the islands, checking out the small, family-owned places doing great things, like Emandare and Alderlea in the Cowichan Valley, and hopping over to Saturna Island where Sage Hayward is making killer wine just metres from the Salish Sea. Wine, after all, isn’t just a beverage. It’s the taste of a place. That’s what we talk about when we talk about “terroir,” but it’s also the reason wine tourism is the best way to travel. And yes, this is a good time to buy local and support our wineries, but the best reason to visit wine country is simply because it’s the best, most delicious way to spend your time.

I hope to see you there.

­—Joanne Sasvari, editor

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LEARN MORE

Sips & Nibbles Vitis Staff

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N I B B L E S

NEW CEO FOR WINE GROWERS BC For the past 11 years, as executive director of B.C.’s Alliance of Beverage Licensees (ABLE BC), Jeff Guignard has been the calm, thoughtful presence championing the interests of liquor, hospitality and cannabis retail businesses. Now, at one of the most challenging times in the province’s wine industry, he’s stepping into the role of CEO at Wine Growers BC. “I can’t wait to get started,” says Guignard, who begins his new job on April 28. “It felt with the kind of issues that are going on, I could help.”

Guignard takes on the role of CEO following an impactful 14-year tenure of his predecessor, Miles Prodan, and will continue to drive forward the long-term, 10-year strategic vision known as Wine BC 2030. “We are thrilled to welcome Jeff to lead Wine Growers British Columbia at such a pivotal time for our industry,” says Paul Sawler, WGBC’s board chair.

Guignard is known for deftly navigating complex policy issues, uniting diverse interest holders and building strong relationships with all levels of government. His expertise will be a major benefit to WGBC, the organization that represents the interests of wineries producing 100-per-cent B.C. grape wines.

The wine industry contributes $3.75 billion in economic growth to the province each year, but has suffered in recent years from a series of setbacks, notably the January 2024 freeze that destroyed the year’s vintage.

Among the many issues facing the industry, Guignard is looking at the challenges—and

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Photo courtesy of Wine Growers British Columbia

opportunities—posed by interprovincial trade barriers and the discussions around tearing them down. “Some provinces can’t get out of their own way,” he says wryly. “But it’s not just the interprovincial issues. The state of the industry has some major issues.”

He says he wants WGBC to be the “heartbeat of the industry” and is looking forward to doing what he can to support growers, especially as they replant vineyards devastated by the cold snap. He’s also eyeing liquor store shelves that are currently empty of American products and seeing an opportunity to fill them with “our beautiful products.”

In fact, he sees this as a “once in a generation opportunity” to rebuild the industry. “The movement I see right now is looking ahead to the next 20 or 30 years,” he says.

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A BANQUET OF FINE DINING Hungry? Then get yourself to wine country. There are always good eats to be had at the Okanagan’s winery and other restaurants, but this summer the region is also seeing a buffet of exciting chef collabs and winemaker dinners galore.

Leading the charge is chef Chris Van Hooydonk, who’s gathering some of his favourite chef pals and winery partners for collabs both at his Backyard Farm Chef’s Table and other sites as part of his “speakeasy series.”

He’s planning to do some “kitchen duelling” with chefs Jeff Van Geest, Brock Bowes, Bernard Casavant, Jim Armstrong and Mark Filatow, and has a packed lineup of dates planned including off-site dinners at Le Vieux Pin on June 13, French Door on July 12 and Painted Rock on August 29. backyard-farm.ca Just up the road, Maverick Estate Winery is holding a series of “short-table” dinners as part of their intimate dinner series (May 24, June 22, July 18, August 16, September 20). maverickwine.ca Aa part of its long-table series, Miradoro Restaurant is hosting a number of winery dinners including Canter Cellars on April 29, Blue Mountain on May 20 and Aussie Day with Bartier Bros. on May 27. miradoro.ca

Facebook.com/MiradoroRestaurant

Lakeboat Vineyard & Winery is welcoming chef and sommelier Van Doren Chan for a series of dinners featuring Chinese dumplings and other dim sum bites in their Kaleden cherry orchard (July 4 and 18, August 15 and 29). And you won’t want to miss their harvest wrap party featuring a taste of Argentinian asado on August 31. lakeboatwinery.com Plus there’s the Easter brunch at Nk’Mip Cellars on April 20, the Mothers’ Day tea at Mission Hill on May 11, and dozens of other delicious events all summer long.

Check with your favourite winery, restaurant or the events page at winebc.com.

IN T H E PI N K Spring is all about cherry blossoms, rosé and romance. And sometimes, it’s also about pretty pink glassware.

Here are some blushing beauties perfect for taking out on the patio.

A TERRIFIC TUMBLER

A PETITE POUR

At only $1.49 apiece, Ikea’s tempered- glass pink Pokal tumblers are a real crowd pleaser with a classic bistro look. ikea.com/ca

Elevate your party game with the hand-blown Confetti shot glass from The Cross Décor & Design. thecrossdesign.com

A CUTE COUPE

A TOUGH BEAUTY

We love the retro vibe of Pottery Barn’s antique-style cut-glass coupe glasses, especially in spring’s pretty blush colour. potterybarn.ca

Anthropologie’s Lucia acrylic wine glasses are perfect for your next pool party, especially in this cheery raspberry hue.

Anthropologie.com

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EVENT CALENDAR Summer is always a good time to visit wine country and these great events are an even better reason to go. Over the next few months there are concerts, parties, train rides and even a few wine-soaked events beyond the Okanagan Valley. Here's just a taste of what's going on.

Until April 30 For the eighth year in a row, April is BC Wine Month.

All month long, Wines of British Columbia is offering a range of experiences that include education through the Ambassador program as well as new vintage releases, special deals and much more. Follow along on social media @WinesofBC and #BCWineMonth, and enjoy the delicious wines this province produces.

May 2 to 10 This wide-ranging annual fest kicks off May 2 with a brand-new signature event, the Spring Grand Tasting, in downtown Kelowna. Twenty of the region’s finest wineries will showcase their spring releases at Revelry Food + Music Hub, where you can also enjoy small bites, live music and a chance to meet and chat with local winemakers, winery owners and their teams.

Also look for the TASTE series of experiences from Lake Country to the District Wine Village in Oliver, and other festival events. thewinefestivals.com

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May 24 This event held at Victoria’s Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre is your best opportunity to sample natural, biodynamic, organic and low-intervention wines and ciders, both locally grown and imported. The inaugural event, held in 2023, welcomed 36 wineries and importers, and featured wines from across Canada, Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. Guests can sample hundreds of wines made with unusual varieties, ancient winemaking techniques and thoughtful farming practices. Expect to discover the unexpected. barnyardevents.ca

HALF CORKED M A R AT H O N W E E K E N D May 30 to June 1 Get ready to boogie! This year’s theme is disco, so don your shiny halter tops, hot pants and all the spandex you can stand for the traditional 24-kilometre trail through vineyards, with stops for sips along the way. Even if you don’t take part in the run, you can still enjoy the Primavera party to kick off the weekend or the party at the finish line. oliverosoyoos.com/half-corkedmarathon

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O K A N AGA N S P R I N G W I N E F E S T I VA L

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BC WINE MONTH

TOFINO WINE & DINE June 7 and 8 Is there anything better than enjoying good food and wine on a windswept beach? We think not—and this twoday Toast to the Coast delivers an experience to savour. It’s held at the Best Western Plus Tin Wis, just steps away from Mackenzie Beach, where industry presenters from Michelinstarred and other restaurants, as well as wineries, distilleries, breweries, food producers and everything in between, will showcase their products. tofinowinedine.com

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A L L A B OA R D T H E G R A N D SOMMELIER EXPRESS! June 20 and June 21 Hop aboard B.C.’s only heritage steam train for a two-hour journey where you can enjoy exceptional wines, ciders, craft beers and spirits from Summerland’s Bottleneck Drive while enjoying breathtaking views of Trout Creek Canyon. The experience also features sommelier-led tastings, gourmet bites, live music and a reception to start and end the day—plus you can also book the VIP Package at the Summerland Waterfront Resort, which includes a lakeview suite, shuttle service and more. bottleneckdrive.com

AN EVENING WITH TOM CO CHRANE

7 D E A D LY S I N S June 21 The most wickedly fun event in the valley is back with all the revelry, entertainment and unparalleled indulgence you’ve been craving, all set against the stunning backdrop of Blasted Church’s picturesque vineyards. Blastedchurch.com

June 27 and 28 The legendary Canadian musician will be performing live at Ex Nihilo for two nights.

Each ticket also includes a welcome glass, multi-course dining experience prepared by the Chaos Bistro culinary team, and an intimate private concert experience with the Order of Canada recipient, Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee and Juno Award winner. A great way to begin your Canada Day celebrations! Exnihilovineyards.com

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES AT M I S S I O N H I L L FA M I LY E S TAT E Various dates, starting July 7 Settle into the natural amphitheatre as the sun sinks over Okanagan Lake and enjoy a rock-star lineup that features Canadian Music Hall of Fame rock band Blue Rodeo on July 7, multiple award-winning singer-songwriter Jann Arden on July 17, multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Andy Grammer on July 31, and Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes on August 21. This is the 18th season for the event, which also features optional culinary experiences and, new this year, a limited VIP Private Balcony Suite Experience for a few lucky fans. missionhillwinery.com

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A weekend on the Westside Wine Trail

S P O N S O R E D

D I S C O V E R O L D V I N E S A N D N E W F L AV O U R S

The trail features some of the valley's oldest and newest wineries as well as beautiful views of Okanagan Lake.

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lmost in the very centre of the Okanagan Valley, in West Kelowna, a few minutes’ detour off busy Highway 97 brings you to the more tranquil Westside Wine Trail—and some of the oldest plantings of vitis vinifera in the valley.

It was here, back in 1961 (just three years after the completion of the first bridge joining Kelowna) that visionary Richard (Dick) Stewart planted vines on the slopes below once-volcanic Mount Boucherie. Those vineyards eventually became Quails’ Gate Winery, founded by the Stewart family. Close by, vineyards originally planted in 1966 were later purchased (in 1981) by Mission Hill founder Anthony von Mandl. Others followed, including early plantings at present-day Little Straw, Mt. Boucherie and Volcanic Hills wineries.

Today the area is home to some 15 wineries (linked by the Westside Wine Trail), whose myriad styles and personalities very much reflect the remarkable diversity that defines the Okanagan at large. They range from longtime organic and biodynamic pioneers such as Kala-

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la, Off the Grid and Beaumont to expansive Frind Estate (located lakeside on the onetime estate of former B.C. Premier Bill Bennett), Italian-inspired Ciao Bella, farmstyle Niche Wine Company, and relative newcomers The Gallery and Tender Hope.

In the glass you’ll taste an impressive cross-section of everything the Okanagan has to offer, from vibrant sparklers to contemplative red blends, with an emphasis on cooler climate varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling, which thrive in this more moderate part of the valley.

Along the way, a winery lunch or dinner takes wine touring to the next level, with no shortage of flavourful options, from scenic rooms with lake panoramas to handy food trucks serving casual local fare right at the winery.

Accommodations, too, come in all shapes and sizes.

Tempting pillow options range from under-the-radar vineyard escapes to top-tier hotels and tucked-away, quiet B&Bs. The Westside Wine Trail, truly, is yours to discover.

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SUGGESTED WESTSIDE WINE TRAIL I T I N E R A RY— R E L A X E D A N D S C E N I C DAY 2: ELEVATED VIEWS & BOUTIQUE FINDS M O RN I N G (10 A M): Visit Quails’ Gate Winery for a tasting and explore their historic site, known for their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

LAT E M O R N IN G ( N O O N): Visit Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, and enjoy the iconic architecture and world-class wines.

LU NC H (1:30 P M): Enjoy lunch at The Terrace at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, with its panoramic views.

DAY 1: LAKESIDE LUXURY & ORGANIC DELIGHTS M O RN IN G (9 AM): Check into your accommodation.

Enjoy luxurious waterfront amenities at The Cove Lakeside Resort or charming, intimate hospitality at A View to Remember B&B. Settle in and enjoy the lake views.

LAT E MORN IN G (11 AM): Start at Off the Grid Organic Winery. Enjoy a tasting of their minimal-intervention, certified-organic wines. Savour lunch from the Roots Food Truck, and enjoy the funky, eclectic vibe and family-friendly atmosphere.

A F T E R N O O N (3 PM): Explore Little Straw Vineyards, known for its unusual varieties, and enjoy the intimate tasting experience. Visit Niche Wine Company for a boutique winery experience with handcrafted wines.

LAT E A F T E R N O O N (5 PM): Stop at Ciao Bella Winery, and enjoy the Italian-inspired wines and atmosphere. Visit The Gallery Winery, and enjoy the unique blend of art and wine.

E V E N IN G (7 PM): Dine at The Modest Butcher at Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery, enjoying delicious, locally sourced cuisine. If staying at Mt. Boucherie accommodations, enjoy the evening at the winery.

A F T E RN O ON (2 PM): Visit Volcanic Hills Estate Winery for their unique volcanic terroir wines. Appreciate the stunning architectural design and panoramic views. Stop at Tender Hope Winery for a boutique winery experience and small-lot wines.

LAT E AF TERN O ON (4 P M): Head to Frind Estate Winery. Explore the beautiful lakeside grounds, and enjoy a tasting of their innovative wines.

EVENING (6:30 PM): Dine at Old Vines Restaurant at Quails’ Gate Winery, savouring regional cuisine with lake views in a refined and elegant setting.

DAY 3: ORGANIC & FAREWELL M O RN I N G (10 A M): Visit Kalala Organic Estate Winery, and enjoy their certified organic and biodynamic wines. Visit Beaumont Family Estate Winery, and experience their family-owned, organic, small-production wines.

LAT E M O R N IN G ( N O O N): Check out of accommodations.

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Familiar faces, new ownership ADEGA SALE AMONG THE ACQUISITIONS REFRAMING WINE COUNTRY Tim Pawsey

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o question, between the pandemic, wildfires, heat dome and killer freezes, the past few years add up to the most challenging to date in the unfolding story of British Columbia’s still-young wine industry.

Despite everything, however, signs exist of a return to “normal”—whatever that might mean.

One such indication was the sale in March of family-owned Adega on 45th to a group of investors who also recently purchased Gate 22 Winery (formerly Cavallo Winery) in Surrey, B.C. Okanagan-based lawyer Al Hudec (a senior partner at Farris LLP), who provided counsel to the buyer, says the sale represents “another show of confidence in the future of the Okanagan Valley.” Hudec’s work with many aspects of the industry allows him an “insider’s overview” that yields a broad perspective. He suggests that there may well be quite a few more transactions “in the coming months” as confidence returns.

Hudec points to several new openings or acquisitions, such as Modesta on the Naramata Bench and Similkameen Valley’s Bella, as well as the California Jackson family’s personal investments in the Cowichan Valley, where a new 50,000-case production facility under construction at Unsworth Vineyards (with plans to be ready for harvest 2025) will also handle Blue Grouse wines, both owned by family members.

Adega on 45th (on the lower bench just east of downtown Osoyoos, below Spirit Ridge) was founded in 2011 by Fred Farinha and Maria Nunes with their respective spouses, Pamela and Alex. However, it was their parents, Manuel and Felicidade

Farinha, who originally purchased and subsequently farmed the property in 1966.

The management team under the new ownership, headed by Christa-Lee McWatters, includes winemaker and manager Karen Yeung and tasting room supervisor Karen Valckx, who has been with the winery since 2017.

McWatters says she’s “super excited to add Adega to our family of wines and to continue the legacy started by the Farinha family.”

While Gate 22 (which dates back some 27 years) made wines made primarily with Napa Valley and Carneros fruit (“a bit of an anomaly,” says McWatters), Adega will focus on B.C.-grown VQA wines.

The plan, McWatters says, is to develop the portfolio as Yeung “puts her spin on it.” The award-winning winemaker and viticulturist brings considerable experience from a 25-year career with Andrew Peller.

McWatters also intends to introduce more tasting programs and special events.

From a total of 28 acres of vineyards (19 acres on the estate), Adega’s current production numbers around some 5,000 cases, although capacity is about double that.

McWatters reports that Adega fared better than many through the January 2024 deep freeze, with a 2024 harvest of around 65 per cent of normal.

It remains to be seen how the future of the less-conventional Surrey winery unfolds, especially given the uncertainty of the current cross-border relationship.

However, the new team in place brings a wealth of passion and expertise that promises to expand upon the original vision for Adega—its roots still intact and flourishing from so many decades ago.

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The sale of Ageda on 45th in Osoyoos is one of several promising signs of recovery for B.C. wine country. Facebook.com/Adegaon45 photo

Focused on the future P I O N E E R I N G S TA G ’ S H O L L O W C E L E B R AT E S 3 0 Y E A R S

S P O N S O R E D

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hen Stag’s Hollow founders Larry Gerelus and Linda Preugger opened their winery in 1995, it was only the third to be established in and around Okanagan Falls. Now the area is home to some 20 successful wineries. In the years since, this small but important enclave, in almost the very centre of the Okanagan—known as “The Heart of Wine Country™”—has gained a well-earned reputation for some of the valley’s winningest wines, and in 2019, was confirmed as the province’s second sub-GI, after the Golden Mile Bench south of nearby Oliver.

Although the winery has changed hands, it’s still family-owned—and continues to build on the original vision.

Sustainability remains a core mantra. As does the desire to innovate and, where possible, push the viticultural boundaries. Stag’s Hollow was among the first in the valley to plant Albariño and has also pioneered Tempranillo, Dolcetto and lesser-known Teroldego, a northern Italian variety that makes a supple and gently spicy red.

In 2021, Stag’s Hollow became certified under Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia. It was a process that, while challenging (thanks in part to the pandemic), proved ultimately worthwhile, says winemaker Keira LeFranc. “I think it’s a fantastic program and wish more wineries would go after it,” she says. “Certainly, there’s lots of environmental focus—you know, what you’re putting into the earth, and so on—but a lot of it was how sustainable your business is or how you treat your employees.”

She adds, “It’s a holistic view of the business, which is kind of cool and not talked about a huge amount.”

Stag’s Hollow was only the third winery in what would become the Okanagan Falls sub-GI, where it has introduced exciting grapes like Albariño and Dolcetto.

Stag’s Hollow winemaker Keira LeFranc is proud to have achieved certification from Sustainable Winegrowing BC.

Following the devastating freezes of 2022 and 2024, which have had such a severe impact on the industry, “we made the difficult decision to stick with 100-per-cent B.C. fruit,” says Okanagan-raised LeFranc. As far as having wine to sell, the winery has a solid inventory of 2022 whites and reds on hand to carry it through. Overall, “the 2022 vintage was quite big—as much as we could handle.

But we’re so grateful for it now,” says the winemaker.

LeFranc notes that Stag’s Hollow has always been “very focused on the B.C. wine brand” but understands well that, at this time, “not every winery is able to do that: a lot of people have had to bring in grapes from the States to keep the lights on and employed,” adding: “We want all of our neighbours to be successful this year.”

Stag’s Hollow is celebrating 30 years in style, by incorporating original art by local artists on the labels for its 2022 Renaissance Merlot, which is made with fruit from the oldest vines on the estate. The paintings, by Ron Gladish, Stephanie Perry and Sharon Snow, truly capture the beauty of the winery’s natural surroundings.

In addition, this significant milestone will be marked by a program of exclusive wine dinners, outdoor parties and other tasting events to share the occasion with the local community as well as wine club members and visitors alike.

Here’s to the next 30 years!

The Renaissance “Art Series” three pack is available at the winery and online at stagshollowwinery.com

Stag’s Hollow Winery For more information, visit stagshollowwinery.com

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O’Rourke Family Estate is designed to offer a multi-tiered variety of tasting and dining experiences. Jon Adrian photo courtesy of O’Rourke Family Estate

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Towers and tunnels TWO GRAND NEW WINERIES WILL OFFER CONTRASTING VIEWS OF LAKE COUNTRY Tim Pawsey

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hile the Okanagan Valley is hardly lacking for impressive views, Lake Country rewards with more than its share of panoramas. Add to the mix that these steep-sloping, sun-drenched, west-facing shores now encompass part of the Lake Country sub-Geographical Indication and it should come as no surprise that this mountain-wrapped northern extremity is yielding increasingly well-crafted wines.

This corner of the valley used to be something of a wine-touring backwater. In those very early days, pioneering Gray Monk was the sole winery north of Kelowna.

It’s now some 50 years since founders George and Trudy Heiss forsook their hairdressing careers and risked everything they owned to grow unproven vinifera grapes.

At the time, their hand-planted vineyard was considered to be at the northern limit for ripening, hence the name of their Latitude 50, one of the best-selling whites ever made in BC. Over the last two decades, a handful of new wineries have blossomed in Lake Country. More recently, though, two significant projects have been taking things to the next level, on a scale not seen before in this region.

Up north, not far from Sparkling Hill Resort and Predator Ridge, O’Rourke Family Estate continues to unveil its vast array of facilities in a series of “soft openings” over the next few months. The production side of the winery is already in operation and the wines (primarily Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) have already won medals and accolades in international competitions.

Meanwhile, to the south, in Kelowna’s McKinley area of north Glenmore, lakeside Azhadi Vineyards is meeting an ambitious construction schedule that should have the winery processing fruit for this year’s harvest.

O’ROURKE GOES BIG O’Rourke may well be the Okanagan’s largest winery project since the Olson Kundig-designed Mission Hill was completed in 2002. The complex, which boasts 300 metres of bored granite cellars (actually, tunnels), sits on 340 acres, with 110 acres under vine on sloping soils of gravelly or sandy glacial till. Prime attractions include a 500-seat outdoor amphitheatre with a stunning lake backdrop, impressive convention and trade-show facilities, and tasting options that range from casual fare to panoramic premium lounges and dining with a view at Row 188 restaurant. The winery also offers limited luxury accommodations in addition to a vineyard B&B and self-hosting opportunities.

O’Rourke Family Estate has slowly been releasing its wines, with a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Photo courtesy of O’Rourke Family Estate

In spite of its massive scale, outside of the immediate area O’Rourke Family Cellars curiously somehow remains under the radar. Maybe that’s due, in part, to its slightly remote “off the beaten track” location, but also to owner Dennis O’Rourke’s low-key public persona. He’s very much a hands-on owner-builder, who likes to refer to himself as a “ditch-digger” when talking about his hardly humble, more-than-$100-million project. O’Rourke— who went from actually being a 16-year-old ditch-digger to making his fortune building civil engineering infrastructures—loves to show off the network of tunnels (“Plenty big enough to drive a pickup through,” he notes) that connect the cellars to private club areas and tasting lounges.

While a formal opening date has yet to be announced, a number of exclusive events have already taken place, including a new Rolls-Royce model launch right in the cellars. Most of these special occasions were fundraisers, as O’Rourke continues to give back to the community by supporting several charities and arts organizations, including the Kelowna Symphony.

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The design vision for Azhadi Vineyards is inspired by ancient Persian architecture. Photo courtesy of Azhadi Vineyards

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AZHADI AIMS HIGH Shortly before the pandemic, Ex Nihilo owners (and since 2023, proprietors) Mike and Janet Azhadi fell in love with a 41-acre parcel of land just north of Kelowna. The prime, southwest-facing lakeside promontory with dramatic views up and down Lake Okanagan was the perfect site for the 30,000-square-foot winery and cellars the couple had long dreamt of building. No stranger to the world of such projects, Mike Azhadi has an extensive background in engineering and architecture.

His Iranian-inspired design is without a doubt one of the valley’s most distinctive to date and includes a soaring lookout tower with nods to the ancient Arch of Ctesiphon, Persian fire temples and wind catchers, and Tehran’s celebrated Freedom (Azadi) Tower, which was completed in 1971. It was designed by Vancouver-based architect Manoochehr Azizi, who worked under the guidance of Hossein Amanat, the original architect of the Freedom Tower.

Surrounding plantings include Pinot Noir, Viognier, Merlot and Riesling. The bigger reds will be sourced from plantings of estate-owned Bordeaux varieties located in Oliver and Okanagan Falls. In preparation for opening, Azhadi has maxed out his vineyard production over several years. “In good years, we made a lot of wine,” he says.

“But we won’t compromise on quality. If it doesn’t meet our standards, we won’t make it.”

Azhadi is optimistic that the winery will open by the fall of this year. The structure—which he describes as “very complex and high-density, with a lot of curves”—is coming along well, he says.

By harvest 2025, the production areas (including underground tanks and a barrel room cave) will have been completed. The main floor crush pad (which will gravity-feed to a level below) is also home to the main tasting

room and restaurant with a spacious patio that takes full advantage of the lakeside setting. On the next level above, visitors will be able to tour an art gallery and enjoy private tastings overlooking the vineyards and lake, while the third-floor grants access to another tasting area and a panoramic observation deck.

Many ideas have coalesced behind his design. “Architecture, to me, is the focal point of the evolution of humanity. Here we combine elements of ancient architecture with modern western influences from America’s Frank Lloyd Wright and Canadian Arthur Erickson,” he says.

“The whole concept is to celebrate Canada; east and west [cultures]; and inclusivity. Canada Strong. It’s our family’s way of saying ‘Thank you.’ When people come here, we want them to feel they can gather together for a great food and wine experience.”

There’ll also be a significant element of “paying it forward,” he says, as partial funds from the sale of every bottle of Azhadi wine will be donated to local, Canadian and international charities.

GROWING GRATITUDE Meanwhile, one of Dennis O’Rourke’s favourite places is a vantage point atop his 220,000-square-foot. winery that rewards with a commanding panorama looking south down the lake, almost as far as Kelowna.

He says he spends plenty of time there, giving thanks for everything, including the beauty that surrounds him. And he encourages everyone who visits to do the same.

While these two new wineries may offer distinctly contrasting designs, they unquestionably share their owners’ common theme of immense gratitude.

ISSUE 15

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Time to rebuild A F T E R F O U R Y E A R S O F T U R M O I L , B. C.’ S W I N E I N D U S T RY I S R E A DY F O R S O M E G O O D N E W S Vitis Staff

In a hopeful sign, vines are rebounding in B.C. wine country. Photo courtesy of Wines of British Columbia.

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pril is B.C. Wine Month, so it is a little bittersweet to note that this is also the month when the first B.C. wines made with Washington, Oregon, California or Ontario grapes are hitting shelves.

Then again, “bittersweet” neatly sums up both the last few challenging years and where British Columbia’s wine industry is now.

We are all aware of the impact of the pandemic, the 2021 heat dome, fires and smoke, the late 2022 freeze that reduced the 2023 vintage by nearly half, the 2023 fire that sent tourists home months early and the January freeze that devastated the 2024 harvest. At the same time, costs are up; consumption is down. And now there are the tariff threats from across the border, and widespread uncertainty everywhere.

Certainly, it’s not the optimistic scenario of a decade ago. But it’s also not as bleak as some would have you believe.

In fact, if you ask Jeff Guignard, the incoming CEO of Wine Growers BC, this is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to rebuild the industry. “I wouldn’t have tak-

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en this on if I wasn’t optimistic,” he says. “Within every crisis, there’s an opportunity.”

Here’s a quick snapshot of the B.C. wine industry right now.

WINE TO DRINK First of all, let’s clear up two major misapprehensions.

While there was close to total crop failure in the interior in 2024, B.C. did not lose 99 per cent or even 75 per cent of its vines, as had been widely speculated earlier in the year. In fact, according to the BC Wine Grape Council, the percentage of vine loss is somewhere between 14 and 18 per cent, mostly in the south. It’s still not great news, but it’s not as dire as it could have been.

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Within every crisis, there’s an opportunity.

And yes, there is still plenty of B.C. wine to enjoy. Because of a shortened tourist season in 2023 and a very slow one in 2024, lots of wineries still have stock. Plus the 2022 reds are just being released, and they are beautifully balanced, fresh and elegant wines.

At the same time, shifting focus away from the Okanagan has given smaller regions, especially Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley, a chance to be noticed just when consumers are craving their style of fresh, cool-climate wines.

WINEMAKERS TO SUPPORT But what about those Washington-grown wines? It’s complicated —and it isn’t.

What are known in B.C. as land-based wineries (that is, wineries that produce wine from their own grapes, as opposed to commercial wineries, which can use grapes from anywhere) were given one-time permission by the provincial government to use imported grapes in their 2024 vintage.

Not every winery has chosen to do so; the ones that have are protecting jobs, keeping their doors open and ensuring they have product for what everyone hopes will be a busy tourist season. They are forging relationships across the border and discovering new terroirs and tastes. They are also producing some stellar wines.

They include some of B.C.’s most illustrious wineries, whose principals are well aware of the need to protect the province’s reputation as a high-quality, terroir-driven wine producer. There has been much discussion about the need for transparency in labelling, and these rare wines will be clearly labelled.

For those who are passionate about buying Canadian, these are Canadian wines that support Canadian businesses.

At the same time, other wineries, especially those whose identities are firmly tied to their own vineyards, have chosen instead to stretch out existing stock and ride out the storm. Among them are Haywire and the other brands under the Okanagan Crush Pad umbrella, as well as Phantom Creek Estates and Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars.

However they've chosen to manage this challenging time, all of these wineries deserve our support.

WINERIES TO VISIT Discouraging as all these setbacks have been, they have given the industry the incentive and the opportunity to reinvent itself.

Those who grow grapes are looking at ways to protect their wines from heat and cold, through geotextiles,

“hilling up” (creating mounds of soil around the vines) or even burying those vines in winter.

As some wineries replant their vineyards, they are also rethinking what varieties to select, debating whether to avoid sensitive ones like Syrah or plant them anyway with the belief that the quality they produce outweighs the risks they present. Others are considering climate-hardy hybrids, which have been a no-go for most since the great pullout of the 1980s.

And pretty well everyone is reconsidering the structure of the industry, the rules and regulations, the governing bodies and how they help—or don’t. (For more thoughts on industry reinvention, please read the column on page 22.)

Meanwhile, this summer is a great time to get out on the road, visit your favourite wineries, discover some new ones and taste all the delicious promise that B.C. wine country has to offer, no matter what challenges the future holds.

T H R E E T O T RY

Poplar Grove Cascadia Series Pinot Gris 2024 (Grown in Washington, made in B.C., $22) Juicy pear, peach, apricot and citrus.

Lake Breeze Albariño 2024 (Grown in Washington, made in B.C., $29) Citrus, green apple, stone fruit, subtle minerality.

Clos du Soleil Washington Series Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (Grown in Washington, made in B.C., $26) Creamy but crisp, grapefruit, honeysuckle, tropical fruit, lime leaf.

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T H R O U G H A G L A S S DA R K LY An industry insider’s perspective on the future of the wine industry Rhys Pender, MW

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e all know the wine industry is in turmoil, but maybe it needed a good boot up the backside to do some serious self-reflection and adapt to the times.

People are drinking less wine, both globally and in Canada. The amount of wine consumed around the world peaked in 2007 and remained relatively steady until 2017.

Since then, it has since dropped 11 per cent.

While consumption might be down, prices are not. They have increased due to inflationary spikes in production and distribution costs, and wine has become a bit of a luxury product as a result.

Whether it is the higher prices, or something else that has turned conTo meet the future, the wine industry will need to evolve. Photo courtesy of Wines of BC. sumers away from enjoying a glass or two, dropping consumption is a worry for the industry.

Although many wine communicators have It seems the wine industry has created itself a worked tirelessly and with some success to reduce vacuum by not bringing new consumers into the wine snobbery, the wine world is still intimidating. category and essentially pricing out the younger With its overcomplicated language and obsession generations who already are penny-pinched by towith price, prestige, rituals and etiquette, it is often day’s inflated living costs. It is very hard to envisage not very welcoming. It’s easier just to order a cocktail. cash-strapped zillennials (those in their 20s and Somehow, the wine industry needs to find a way early 30s, born on the cusp between millennials to speak to its main market, which still embraces and Gen Z) going out for lavish food-and-winetraditional ways, and also capture the minds of the paired dinners or buying expensive Cabernet-Mergenerations to follow. Everything from the way wine lot blends to cellar for a decade in an apartment is served in restaurants to its packaging and the where they can barely afford rent. styles that are made could undergo a makeover.

After years of growth and good profits, the wine You must feel for producers, though. Battered biz might just have become a little complacent. by cold, heat, rains, floods, fires, drought, pests and Stuck firmly in tradition, wine hasn’t adapted much disease, it hasn’t been easy to make wine in recent with the times. years, nor has it been cheap. Add in the geopolitical You could argue the natural/low intervention situation of not knowing where the world is heading, wine movement is speaking to the younger generand it is very hard to plan out the next 20 to 30 years, ations, but not much else has changed. As a result, which is how wine has to operate due to the long life wine has been losing market share to other alcoholand cost of establishing a vineyard. ic beverages—it’s now under 30 per cent in Canada, Still, wine has to evolve. It doesn’t have to change its lowest share since 2010/11. Beer, spirits and parcompletely, though. If wine loosens up a little from ticularly the volatile but progressive refreshment its rigidity and becomes a bit more approachable, it beverage category have all been nimbler on their has the opportunity to be what future generations feet to speak to young adults. are looking for.

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Clos du Soleil’s storyteller C R A F T I N G A TA L E O F T I M E , T E R R O I R A N D G E N T L E W I N E M A K I N G

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Clos de Soleil is located in a microclimate defined by rocks, soil and sun. Photos courtesy of Clos du Soleil

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ichael Clark considers himself a storyteller, only, he says, “I’m not telling stories through words, but through wine. It’s a story of a time, a vintage and a particular landscape.”

As winemaker and general manager at Clos du Soleil, a multi-award-winning Similkameen Valley winery known for its elegant Bordeaux-style reds and whites, he sees his role as “doing as little as possible in the cellar. My job is to guide the wine and listen to the wine.”

That extends to using mostly wild fermentation.

“Even though it makes for a slower process, it makes for a more complex wine, and wine that has a real sense of place,” he says. “Everything we do is about being as gentle as possible when it comes to handling the grapes or the juice. We don’t manipulate anything, the juice or the wine.”

It helps, of course, that Clark has exceptional fruit to work with from Clos du Soleil’s sun-soaked organic and biodynamic vineyards.

Most of the time.

As everyone knows by now, back-to-back killer cold snaps meant the Similkameen Valley produced virtually no grapes in the 2023 and 2024 vintages. For 2024, Clos du Soleil sourced grapes from like-minded growers in Washington state; the first wine made from those, a 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, has just been released. “My mission is still to communicate terroir through wines, even if it is a terroir a few hours south,” Clark says. “We’re still working with really interesting sites that have something to say.”

He adds: “These wines were made in Canada, both in spirit and a from a legal sense. These are very high-quality wines that are supporting our B.C. wine industry.”

The story he’d really like to tell is about how the valley is bouncing back, ready to welcome visitors to its tasting rooms and to share the exceptional wines from this unique place on Earth. He also wants people to know that —contrary to what some people think—there is plenty of wine to enjoy, including 100 per cent BC VQA whites, rosés and reds.

For instance, among Clos du Soleil’s new releases is a 2022 Similkameen Valley Syrah that he describes as “re-

ally ripe, juicy berry fruit, both black and red, spiciness, black pepper, floral notes, maybe a bit of violet.” It also has the gravel and graphite flavours and aromas that are “the telltale marker of the Similkameen Valley.” He is passionate about Similkameen Syrah because, he says, “It’s unlike Syrah from the Okanagan Valley or anywhere else in the world.”

Also coming out shortly is the flagship Bordeaux-blend Signature from the 2021 vintage, an especially good year in the Similkameen. It has already won double gold at the Sip Northwest competition.

And another new launch features the Lumiere collection of lower-alcohol wines, which, despite being only 9% ABV and an estimated 80 calories per serving, are “designed to be as close as possible to a traditional wine from a sensory perspective.”

Add to that the good news that most of their vines survived the freezes and they expect a grape harvest this coming autumn. “We have some lovely wines coming out,” Clark says.

Clos du Soleil For more information, visit closdusoleil.ca

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Adventure by the glass I T ’ S N O T E A S Y C R A F T I N G A W I N E - B Y-T H E - G L A S S L I S T T H AT R E A L LY W O R K S . H O W D O T H E P R O S D O I T ?

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A good by-the-glass program can take guests on an exciting adventure.. Facebook.com/ WildlightRestaurant photo

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Kate Dingwall

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We strike a balance between prestige and playfulness.

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good by-the-glass program is a revelation. It’s a space for guests to enjoy, dive into and discover the wide and wild world of wine—to introduce themselves to Assyrtiko, be beguiled by Beaujolais or fall for Falaghrina.

But a bad by-the-glass program can feel like a last resort, a poor consolation prize for those who don’t have the wherewithal to order a bottle.

While many sommeliers pride themselves on extensive bottle lists and stellar service, it’s difficult to build an exciting, engaging list of glass pours.

“A well-curated by-the-glass program is essential to a profitable and engaging wine program,” says Christian P. Hamel, wine director at Toronto’s recently reopened steakhouse, The Harbour Sixty. “It must strike a balance between being interesting, financially viable and offering value. And the selection should align with the restaurant’s concept, from the size of the list to approachability of the wines.”

So how do sommeliers do it?

R E F I N I N G T H E A P P R OAC H “To implement a good by-the-glass program, first things first: Work out your restaurant’s market segment, who you are and the style of establishment you’d like to be,” says Wildlight Kitchen + Bar’s Michael Cooke. “Maybe you need a tight five glasses for a casual atmosphere, or a broader roster of options.”

He’s got 20 on his list, hitting light to heavy, dry to sweet, and at all manner of price points. And there’s also always club classics: Pinot or Gamay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Barolo. Still, he finds building a by-the-glass program is “a big juggling act,” he continues. “It’s a never-ending puzzle you never quite finish.”

Jayton Paul, wine director of Michelin-starred Published on Main, picks glass pours based on ethos—low interventionist, organics and biodynamics are the priority. “We celebrate wines crafted from healthy, happy plants that are farmed with sustainable and ethical practices,” he says.

Outside of those guardrails, the list globe-trots.

There’s quirky natural producers, iconic bottles of Bur-

At Published on Main, Jayton Paul leans toward the low-intervention wines that complement the restaurant's ethos.. Instagram.com/Published.on.Main photo

gundy and Krug Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition. “We strike a balance between prestige and playfulness,” says Paul. “Oh, and Riesling. There will always be Riesling.”

The only thing Published doesn’t have? California Cab. “It just doesn’t align with the majority of our food offerings,” says Paul. Sure, Napa fans will be disappointed, but for the somm team, it’s an opportunity to introduce guests to their next favourite wine.

Good by-the-glass lists are places of experimentation and discovery, where California Chardonnay drinkers are introduced to Roussanne and Cabernet fans are escorted to Priorat.

Mya Brown, head sommelier at The Westin Bayshore Vancouver, notes that building a list like this is more labour intensive.

“When you intentionally opt not to serve the obvious choices, it requires a little bit of additional education so staff are speaking comfortably to what’s on offer,” says Brown. “But if the team understands why a wine’s unique and its purpose on the list, that confidence translates.

Guests are willing to take a chance on something different.”

The big “if” here: The wine still needs to be approachable in palate and price.

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The by-the-glass selection serves as the beginning of a conversation, allowing the sommelier to engage with guests and build trust.

At Published on Main, the wines offered by the glass travel the world and always include at least one Riesling. E+/ilkermetinkursova photo

To Hamel, nailing a by-the-glass list is about balance.

It’s finding bottles that are affordable and quaffable, but equally full of intrigue and excitement.

“When it comes to approachability, the key is guiding guests toward discovering new wines without overwhelming them,” says Hamel. “A thoughtful mix of classic regions alongside emerging ones creates a sense of familiarity, while encouraging exploration. That balance helps guests feel at ease, while simultaneously expanding their palate.”

He also does have recognizable wines, but he’s careful about which ones and how many. “Offering wines that are too familiar can diminish the perceived value,” Hamel says. “If guests recognize a wine, the illusion of value can be disrupted once they mentally calculate the markup. We should maintain a spell of discovery and exclusivity.”

P R E S E RV I N G A M O M E N T Provence Marinaside has invested in a variety of wine preservation systems (including Coravin, Verre de Vin and Wines in a Keg) that allow wine director Joshua Carlson to have dozens of glass options available on any given day.

They range in price from $9 everyday rosés to $75 cult California wines. “We offer familiar wines for those who don’t want to deviate too far from their comfort zone and

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At Provence Marinaside, Joshua Carlson offers dozens of wines by the glass, assisted by several preservation systems. Photo courtesy of Provence Marinaside

we offer very nerdy wines not offered anywhere else—little gems waiting to be discovered,” says Carlson.

Part of the list is education—highlighting textbook examples of varietals so students of the WSET or Court of Master Sommeliers can pop in for a study session. There are also heavily allocated wines that go quickly, and coolkid wines that make the by-the-glass list not just a requisite, but a real draw.

“We are excited about the wines that we pour, and we want our guests to be excited, too,” Carlson says.

Kathryn Wood, wine director at Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar in Whistler, also uses Coravin. “It allows us to play with wines that might not be everyday drinkers, giving guests an opportunity to compare similar varieties and explore different senses of place.”

A broad by-the-glass selection also helps perfect pair-

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At Kingfisher Pacific Resort & Spa, Dawn Schultz is getting more requests for Canadian wines. Photo courtesy of Kingfisher Resort & Spa

ings. The key is finding the right wine for each dish and making sure it’s available.

That’s why Dawn Schultz, food and beverage manager at the Kingfisher Pacific Resort & Spa, uses her bythe-glass program to pivot to both guest preferences and global shifts.

“I used to host a balanced list of international selections and British Columbia examples,” says Schultz. “But with the current climate, we’re getting more requests for Canadian-made wines. I have never been so proud to switch up my by-the-glass program.”

B A L A N C I N G C O S T A N D C R E AT I V I T Y A by-the-glass list is tricky. The financially minded know glass pours help move bottles that aren’t selling or recoup costs lost elsewhere in the beverage program.

But good beverage directors look beyond budgetary draws. A good glass list ignites intrigue, gets guests excited about wine, offers a world of pairing capabilities and, importantly, does all of the above at any price point.

“Cost is a challenge,” says Schultz. “We are always on the hunt for wines that show well and pass value to our guests. Money needs to be stretched further these days, yet people still want to enjoy the finer things in life.”

In this economy? That’s tough. So savvy somms focus on offering bang-for-your-buck glasses that are an adventure, and one that both the sommelier and the guest are strapped in for.

“The by-the-glass selection serves as the beginning of a conversation, allowing the sommelier to engage with guests and build trust,” says Hamel. “It creates opportunities to introduce guests to new styles, regions or producers, fostering curiosity and encouraging exploration.”

He adds: “As that relationship develops, guests are more likely to trust our recommendations and feel confident in the full-bottle selection, which ultimately enhances both their experience and the restaurant’s wine program.”

F O U R T O T RY

Here are some of the exciting wines our sommeliers are pouring by the glass.

M YA B R O W N , T H E W E S T I N B AYS H O R E : “I love having the Salcheto Chianti Biskero by the glass. It’s made as a natural wine, but drinks like a textbook Chianti—juicy red berries, white pepper and herbs. It’s versatile and absurdly well priced for the quality.”

J O S H UA C A R L S O N , P R OV E N C E M A R I N A S I D E : “One wine I find that flies under the radar on our list, but I am always delighted to present, is Domaine Comte Abbatucci ‘Il Faustine’ Vielle Vignes Rouge. It’s a lovely light red blend of Sciaccarellu (sha-ka-REL-loo) and Niellucciu (nee-el-Loo-choo) from one of the oldest vineyards in Corsica. Besides being wonderfully difficult to read, and incredibly fun to pronounce, it is a perfect red to accompany seafood, meats and pasta. It has bright red fruit notes reminiscent of cherries, soft tannins, a fresh mineral mid-palate that is like warm sea air, and a generous, lengthy acidity that ties everything together.”

MICHAEL COOKE, WILDLIGHT KITCHEN + BAR: “The Blue Mountain Brut Rosé 2020 is one of my favourites by the glass at $21 and $99 a bottle. It is a rare gem, boasting a delicate strawberry and cream freshness that captures the essence of summer. With nearly two years spent on lees, followed by an additional year in bottle, this wine unveils a rich depth and elegance, making each sip a truly special experience. It will rival many French Champagnes out there.”

DAW N S C H U LT Z , K I N G F I S H E R PAC I F I C R E S O R T & S PA : “One of my current favourite wines to pour by the glass is the Alderlea Sauvignon Blanc from Vancouver Island. Since the Island doesn’t produce much Sauvignon Blanc, it’s truly a hidden gem. It’s crisp, with vibrant citrus notes, and really showcases the unique character of our terroir. We’re proud to serve it at the Kingfisher Resort—it’s a wine that always impresses our guests.”

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Saline solution F O R G E T F R U I T A N D O A K —T H E F L AV O U R W E ’ R E C R AV I N G MOST RIGHT NOW COMES FROM THE SEA Joanne Sasvari

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’ve become a little obsessed lately with wines that have a delicate touch of brine, a hint of the sea, a saline note that makes my mouth water. Where once I gravitated to big, juicy, peppery reds, now I crave wines that taste like oyster shells, all salt and seaweed and sharp minerality.

It started with Chardonnay. Not the rich, buttery, tropical fruit bombs of California and other warm climes, but the cool, elegant Chards of Chablis. They are known for their salty tang, the result of the Kimmeridgian soil they grow in, a former seabed that covered the region and is rich in limestone, chalk and marine fossils.

(Many scientists will tell you it’s not possible to extract flavour from soil, but anyone who has tasted a flinty Syrah from the Similkameen Valley knows differently.)

Chablis wines also have notes of white flowers, citrus and green apples, but it’s that salty note that makes them irresistible to me. They were my gateway salty wines; since that first sip, I’ve discovered many others, with saline sources that go beyond that ancient Kimmeridgian.

TERROIR OR TECHNIQUE? Typically, and not surprisingly, most salty wines come from coastal regions. But the flavour can come from either the terroir, certain production methods or a combination of both.

In Spain’s Jerez region, for instance, indigenous cultures in the flor, a yeasty film that covers the surface of wine to prevent oxidative browning in biologically aged sherries, create the savoury, salty notes in Fino and Manzanilla sherries. (Think: notes of green olives and marcona almonds.)

In historic wine regions like Georgia, Slovenia, Croatia and parts of eastern Italy, many white wines have

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I crave wines that taste like oyster shells, all salt and seaweed and sharp minerality.

ABOVE: Grapes grown in Spain’s Rías Baixas region.

LEFT: Vineyards in Rías Baixas are planted just metres from the ocean, which contributes a salty tang to the grapes. Xurxo Lobato photos courtesy of Rías Baixas

traditionally been made like red ones by fermenting the juice on the skins. The wines are then aged in vessels such as clay amphora or concrete tanks, which allow a greater exchange of oxygen. The resulting “orange” wines feature appealing savoury notes. Now a new generation of winemakers, eager to explore low-intervention techniques, has made orange wines trendy the world over.

Some high-acid varieties taste lightly of salt: Muscadet from France’s Loire Valley, for instance, Greek Assyrtiko, Italian or French Vermentino, and most of all, Spanish Albariño, particularly from the Rías Baixas region. All are known for their saline, mineral and citrus notes. At the same time, as well as ancient seabeds, volcanic and chalky soils are believed to add a salty note to some wines. Etna Bianco, a white wine made from Carricante grapes grown on the slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna, is a good example. Its savoury and salty character is attributed to the volcanic terroir.

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Salty wines go really well with seafood, especially oysters.

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White wines with salty, minerally notes pair harmoniously with freshly shucked oysters and other seafood. iStock/Getty Images Plus/Cook Shoots Food

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But is it the grape, or where it’s grown, or how the wine is made that makes the difference? Or is it something else entirely?

A QUESTION OF PERCEPTION

Worldwide, one of the most famous regions for producing salty wines is Rías Baixas in northwestern Spain, famous for the saline notes of the Albariño grown here. Indeed, some vineyards are planted mere metres away from seawater. Wind, rain and irrigation spread salty elements onto the granitic soil, where the roots of the vines draw the salt up into the plants, and also onto the surface of the grapes and leaves.

It’s a similar situation in other seaside growing areas, like Santorini, Azores, Madeira, Colares or even in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley, where an afternoon breeze brings with it a microscopic film of salt that gives the local Chardonnays a Chablis-like saline note.

All we know is that wherever they’re from, we love our salty wines, and crave more of them.

Although we may perceive a flavour as “salty,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it actually contains a lot of salt. Each other thing we taste affects how we perceive flavour—and what we smell adds a whole other layer of complexity.

For instance, saltiness increases our perception of sweetness, but reduces our perception of acid. Sweetness reduces our perception of both salinity and acidity. And acidity boosts the perception of both sweetness and salinity, which is why adding a squeeze of lemon juice at the end of cooking, say, a pork chop gives it such an intense flavour boost.

So if we sip a salty wine, it will likely taste sweeter and less acidic than it actually is.

Meanwhile, the aroma of a wine and how it interacts with other characteristics may make us think it’s sweet, or acidic, or salty, when it really isn’t, while certain chemical or mineral compounds that taste salty might also taste bitter, astringent or metallic under different circumstances.

And if all that isn’t confusing enough, scientists really don’t understand how we respond to the taste of salt all that well in the first place.

What we do know, though, is that salty wines go really well with seafood, especially oysters; the acidity, brininess and minerality in the wine complement the briny minerality of the bivalves. They also work with the kind of salty foods that don’t always pair well with wine—fried foods, Spanish jamón and other cured meats, olives and fresh cheeses—but these are truly a seafood lover’s wine.

It’s the perfect example of what grows together, goes together.

ISSUE 15

T H R E E S A LT Y W I N E S T O T RY

Unsworth Vineyards Chardonnay 2022 (Cowichan Valley, $39) Lemon, apple, blanched almonds, subtle salinity.

Famille Lieubeau Clisson Muscadet 2018 (Sèvre et Maine, Loire Valley, France, $40) Quince, honeydew, ripe acidity, minerality, robustly salty finish.

Adegas Valmiñor Davila Albariño 2023 (Rías Baixas, Spain, $25) Fresh, salty, apple, grapefruit, oyster shells.

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Sept. 19-21, 2025

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Enjoy live music, wine, beer, distilled beverages and food!

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Festival of the Grape

Celebrate the best of B.C. wine, plus the chaotic grape stomp competition.

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Hop to it F O L L O W Y O U R TA S T E B U D S D O W N T H E R A B B I T H O L E AT V I C T O R I A’ S W E L C O M I N G N E W W I N E B A R Joanne Sasvari

F O O D

F O R

T H O U G H T

I

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t’s a drizzly Monday night in Victoria and things are, um, hopping at Rabbit Rabbit. Tonight is the new-ish wine bar’s weekly themed “staff meal session,” with the Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones on vinyl, Chef Billy Nguyen’s fish ‘n’ chips on the menu for only $15 and a warm welcome for anyone from the hospitality industry who drops by.

“I love making staff meals. It’s one of my favourite things to do,” says Chef Billy, who stole everyone’s heart as a finalist on Season 9 of Top Chef Canada. “Everyone has good morale and good energy. And I don’t have to think about work stuff, I just cook what I’m craving.”

His boss, Sydney Cooper, adds: “Staff meal isn’t usually cooked by the executive chef, so we are incredibly lucky.”

If you think a wine bar is going to be snobby or pretentious, think again. There’s a reason why this mainly young-to-middle-aged professional crowd is here on a school night, and that’s the genuine hospitality, intriguing wines and dynamic east-meets-west cuisine served up

by Cooper and her team.

DE-SNOBBIFYING WINE What makes all of this so remarkable is that Cooper is a first-time restaurateur who hadn’t even discovered wine or hospitality until a couple of years ago.

“I fell into wine during the pandemic, which, when I say that to guests, they say, ‘Didn’t we all?’” she says with a laugh. But the reality was that she had for many years found wine intimidating, especially as a woman of colour. “It felt like people were really looking down their noses at me, whether or not that was the case.”

Then she had a “life-changing” wine-paired meal at The Acorn, where the servers were so passionate and generous in sharing their knowledge that she fell in love with “the transportive nature of food, wine and service.”

At the time she was working for the federal government as a policy analyst, but she dove right into wine, learning everything she could through WSET, Court of Master Sommeliers and the BC Wine Ambassador programs and working at restaurants in Vancouver and Victoria in preparation for opening her own place.

She reached out to restaurant consultant James Langford-Smith (Kissa Tanto, Pamplemousse Jus) for advice, and hired Glasfurd & Walker to do the branding and

At Rabbit Rabbit, bubbles are always just a press of a button away.

Photo courtesy of Rabbit Rabbit

Studio Roslyn to design the cozy-chic room. Then she met Chef Billy, and they instantly bonded.

“The mission became not just about opening a lovely space in Victoria. Now that Billy is here—I could never have imagined having a food program like this,” Cooper says. “It’s really evolved from ‘I want to bring my wine to the masses’ to ‘Oh my god I’ve got to up my game.’”

Chef Billy, meanwhile, was ready for a change. He’d been working at PiDGiN when Top Chef happened and found himself overwhelmed by the attention. He worked at a couple of pop-ups, notably Pizza Coming Soon, and spent some time as a personal chef. None of it was what he was looking for.

ISSUE 15

“

I love pushing people’s food boundaries because those are good boundaries to push.

“I was feeling creatively stuck, and [Langford-Smith] reached out at the perfect time,” he says. It also helped that his “bestie” and fellow Top Chef finalist Andrea Alridge had recently moved to the provincial capital to lead the kitchen at the new Janevca.

When asked why he chose to move to Victoria, Chef Billy laughs and says, “Because Sydney asked me to come.”

P U S H I N G B O U N DA R I E S Chef Billy’s menu features dishes from England, where he grew up and studied architecture before falling in love with food, and Vietnam, where his family is from, with nods to China, Japan and anywhere else that takes his fancy.

“I like taking dishes people expect and putting unexpected twists on them,” he says. “I always like saying I love pushing people’s food boundaries because those are good boundaries to push.”

So he serves mushroom lo bok go, an umami-rich take on the classic Chinese turnip cake; “proper English-style chips,” which are thick-cut and tossed in beef tallow; chicken karaage drizzled with hot honey; a “Filet-

Tuna tataki with coconut-yuzu emulsion, spruce-tip fermented radish and crispy shallots. Photo courtesy of Rabbit Rabbit

Chef Billy Nguyen brings inventive twists to classic dishes.

Photo courtesy of Rabbit Rabbit

o-Fish” bao, which is, yes, fried filets of fish on a steamed bun; a beef tenderloin dish he describes as “meat and potatoes Billy’s way; and a flavourful tuna tataki with spruce-tip fermented radish.

He’s constantly tweaking the menu—“I usually say to Sydney, ‘I have an idea’ and then I make it and say, ‘Eat this.’”—and plans to add a preserving program and spend more time foraging. “I believe in Billy so much,” Cooper says.

Cooper, meanwhile, has pulled together a deliciously off-beat wine program, including a wine-by-the-glass list that operates as a fresh sheet that changes three times a week. “One of the things that really aggravates me about the places I like to go to is that the wine by the glass list stays really stagnant,” Cooper says.

Given that 95 per cent of the wines they sell by the bottle are under $100, Rabbit Rabbit is clearly designed “to be that approachable wine bar that is also exciting no matter where you are on your wine journey.”

Cooper adds: “We work hard to create the kind of service and the kind of ambience that is really welcoming to guests. I love being here as a guest myself.”

Rabbit Rabbit is at 658 Herald Street, Victoria. rabbitrabbitwinebar.com

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M I S O C A R A M E L TA R T This rich, salty-sweet, gluten-free recipe by Chef Billy Nguyen, executive chef at Rabbit Rabbit wine bar in Victoria, would be delightful paired with a tawny Port or similar dessert wine. Note: While most measurements below are in imperial volume, some ingredients are in grams as they are more accurate if weighed. An electronic kitchen scale is a handy and inexpensive gadget to add to your kitchen arsenal.

Makes 1 (9-inch) tart

INGREDIENTS

F O O D

F O R

T H O U G H T

Almond Tart Base 600 g almond flour 1 cup sugar 1 Tbsp salt 1 cup butter, cut into small pieces Chocolate Ganache 3 1/3 cups heavy cream 600 g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces Miso Caramel ¾ cup sugar ¼ cup water 1 cup cream 2 Tbsp miso 2 “knobs” (Tbsp) butter

METHOD Make the tart base: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, sugar and salt, and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir it into the almond flour mixture until well blended.

Press evenly and firmly into a 9-inch tart mould.

Place on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven.

Bake for 12 to15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and set aside to cool fully.

While the shell is cooling, make the chocolate ganache. Fill a saucepan with about 2 inches of water and bring to a lively simmer. Place the chocolate and cream in a mixing bowl that just fits into the saucepan and place it on top to make a bain-marie.

Heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is fully melted.

Pour the ganache into your cooled almond tart base.

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Photo courtesy of Rabbit Rabbit

Make the miso caramel: In a small pot, heat up the cream until just before it reaches boiling point. Turn off the heat.

Place sugar and water in a separate, larger pot and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Place over medium heat and cook, without stirring, until the sugar mixture becomes golden brown.

Remove from the heat and carefully pour the hot cream into the sugar, adding a little at a time as the caramel will bubble and spit. Stir in the miso and 2 knobs of butter.

Drizzle miso caramel over the chocolate ganache.

Allow to set for an hour or so, then serve.

ISSUE 15

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35

Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands From the Saanich Peninsula to the Comox Valley to the Gulf Islands that dot the Salish Sea, this region features pockets of microclimates 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 beautiful landscapes and surrounded by bountiful farms.

DENMAN ISLAND Corlan Vineyard & Farm corlanvineyard.ca

HORNBY ISLAND Hornby Heart Vineyard hornbyheartvineyard.com

Hornby Island Estate Winery hornbywine.com

PENDER ISLAND Blue Grouse Estate Winery in the Cowichan Valley. Photo courtesy of Wines of British Columbia

COURTENAY/ COMOX 40 Knots Estate Winery

cherrypointestatewines.com

Cobble Hill Winery

Millstone Estate Winery millstonewinery.ca

40knotswinery.com

cobblehillwinery.ca

Beaufort Vineyard & Estate Winery

Divino Estate Winery divinowine.ca

SAANICH PENINSULA

beaufortwines.ca

Emandare Vineyard and Winery

Church & State Wines (Saanich)

Coastal Black Estate Winery coastalblack.ca

COWICHAN VALLEY Alderlea Vineyards alderlea.com

Averill Creek Vineyard averillcreek.ca

Blue Grouse Estate Winery bluegrouse.ca

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NANAIMO

Cherry Point Estate Wines

emandarevineyard.com

churchandstatewines.com

Enrico Winery

Deep Cove Winery

Sea Star Estate Farm and Vineyards seastarvineyards.ca

SALT SPRING ISLAND Garry Oaks Estate Winery garryoakswinery.com

Kutatás Wines kutataswines.com

Vivezza Vineyard vivezza.com

enricowinery.com

deepcovewinery.ca

QUADRA ISLAND

Unsworth Vineyards

Invinity Sparkling Wine House

SouthEnd Farm Winery

unsworthvineyards.com

Venturi-Schulze Vineyards

invinity.ca

southend.ca

Neighbourly Wine Co.

venturischulze.com

neighbourlywines.com

SATURNA ISLAND

Zanatta Winery

The Roost Farm Centre & Highland House Farm Winery

Sage Hayward Vineyards

zanatta.ca

roostfarmcentre.com

ISSUE 15

sagehaywardvineyards.com

Fraser Valley It comes as something of a surprise to many people to learn that there are about two dozen wineries right on the doorstep of B.C.’s biggest city—including one right in Vancouver itself. Wineries in Surrey, Richmond, New Westminster, Delta, Langley, Aldergrove and Abbotsford produce wine from everything from rice to berries to vitis vinifera. Most are small, family-owned properties and several offer additional attractions such as farm tours or bistros.

ABBOTSFORD

LANGLEY

Cannon Estate Winery

Backyard Vineyards

NEW WESTMINSTER

cannonwinery.ca

backyardvineyards.ca

Pacific Breeze Winery

Maan Farms Estate Winery

Chaberton Estate Winery

maanfarms.com

chabertonwinery.com

Mt. Lehman Winery mtlehmanwinery.ca

Ripples Winery rippleswinery.com

Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery seasidepearlwinery.ca

Singletree Winery singletreewinery.com

CHILLIWACK Whispering Horse Winery

pacificbreezewinery.com

SURREY 1st R.O.W. Estate Winery 1row.ca

RICHMOND

Cityside Winery

Isabella Winery

Gate 22 Winery

citysidewinery.com

Glass House Estate Winery

isabellawinery.com

glasshouseestatewinery.com

Lulu Island Winery

Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery

luluislandwinery.com

vinoscentivineyards.ca

krauseberryfarms.com

Richmond Country Vines

VANCOUVER

The Fort Wine Co.

countryfarms.ca/ country-vines-winery

Vancouver Urban Winery

Sanduz Estate Winery

vancouverurbanwinery.com

thefortwineco.com

Township 7 Vineyards & Winery (Langley)

gate22winery.com

Vinoscenti Vineyards

sanduzwines.com

township7.com

Vigneti Marchetto vignetimarchetto.com

whisperinghorsewinery.com

Okanagan Valley 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.

GOLDEN MILE BENCH

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards

Black Market Wine Co.

gehringerwines.ca

tinhorn.com

blackmarketwine.ca

checkmatewinery.com

Hester Creek Estate Winery

KALEDEN

farmgatewinery.com

Culmina Family Estate Winery

hestercreek.com

Road 13 Vineyards

Anthony Buchanan Wines

CheckMate Artisanal Winery

culmina.ca

Fairview Cellars fairviewcellars.ca

road13vineyards.com

Rust Wine Co. rustwine.com

anthonybuchananwines.ca

Farm Gate Winery Lakeboat Vineyard & Winery lakeboatwinery.com

Birch Block Vineyard birchblockvineyard.com

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Elephant Island Winery elephantislandwine.com

Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery fourshadowsvineyard.com

Fox and Archer Wines foxandarcherwines.com

Hillside Winery & Bistro hillsidewinery.ca

Howling Bluff Estate Winery howlingbluff.ca Okanagan Falls’s unique kettled landscape is where you’ll find Liquidity Wines. Jon Adrian photo courtesy of Iconic Wineries of British Columbia

JoieFarm

Skaha Vineyard at Kraze Legz Winery

Kettle Valley Winery

krazelegz.com

KELOWNA Ancient Hill Estate Winery ancienthillwinery.com

CedarCreek Estate Winery cedarcreek.bc.ca

Martin's Lane Winery martinslanewinery.com

Meadow Vista Honey Wines meadowvista.ca

Mirabel Vineyards mirabelvineyards.com

Nagging Doubt Winery naggingdoubt.com

Priest Creek Family Estate priestcreekwinery.com

Sandhill Wines

Peak Cellars peakcellars.com

Summerhill Pyramid Winery summerhill.bc.ca

NARAMATA BENCH

Tantalus Vineyards

1 Mill Road Vineyard

tantalus.ca

1millroad.ca

The Vibrant Vine

Bench 1775 Winery

thevibrantvine.com

bench1775.com

The View Winery

Black Widow Winery blackwidowwinery.com

theviewwinery.com

Chain Reaction Winery

LAKE COUNTRY

chainrectionwine.com

50th Parallel Estate

Coolshanagh Wines

50thparallel.com

coolshanagh.ca

Arrowleaf Cellars

D’Angelo Estate Winery

arrowleafcellars.com

Blind Tiger Vineyards blindtigervineyards.ca

Ex Nihilo Vineyards

Scorched Earth Winery

Gray Monk Estate Winery

spearheadwinery.com

ofestate.com

st-hubertus.bc.ca

exnihilovineyards.com

SpearHead Winery

O’Rourke Family Estate

St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery

sandhillwines.ca

scorchedearthwinery.ca

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Sperling Vineyards sperlingvineyards.com

graymonk.com

Intrigue Wines

dangelowinery.com

Da Silva Vineyards & Winery dasilvavineyards.com

Daydreamer Wines daydreamerwines.ca

Deep Roots Winery deeprootswinery.com

joiefarm.com

kettlevalleywinery.com

La Frenz Winery lafrenzwinery.com

Lake Breeze Vineyards lakebreeze.ca

Lang Vineyards langvineyards.ca

Laughing Stock Vineyards laughingstock.ca

Lock & Worth Winery lockandworth.com

Marichel Vineyard and Winery marichel.ca

MOCOJO Wines mocojowines.com

Moraine Estate Winery morainewinery.com

Nichol Vineyard nicholvineyard.com

Origin Wines originwines.ca

Poplar Grove Winery poplargrove.ca

Red Rooster Winery redroosterwinery.com

intriguewines.ca

ISSUE 15

Roche Wines rterroir.ca

Ruby Blues Winery rubyblueswinery.ca

Serendipity Winery serendipitywinery.com

Terravista Vineyards terravistavineyards.com

Therapy Vineyards & Guest House therapyvineyards.com

Three Sisters Winery 3sisterswinery.com

Tightrope Winery tightropewinery.ca

Township 7 Vineyards & Winery (Naramata) township7.com

Upper Bench Estate Winery upperbench.ca

Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery nobleridge.com

Gold Hill Winery goldhillwinery.com

Rigour & Whimsy rigourandwhimsy.ca

heresthethingvineyards.com

See Ya Later Ranch

Hidden Chapel Winery

Silver Sage Winery

hiddenchapelwinery.com

silversagewinery.com

Inniskillin Okanagan Vineyards

Soren Wine

sylranch.com

Stag's Hollow Winery & Vineyard stagshollowwinery.com

Synchromesh Wines synchromeshwines.ca

Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery wildgoosewinery.com

OLIVER Bartier Bros. Winery

inniskillin.com

Intersection Estate Winery xwine.ca

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate jacksontriggswinery.com

Kismet Estate Winery

bartierbros.com

kismetestatewinery.com

Black Hills Estate Winery

La Casa Bianca Winery lacasabianca.ca

vanwestenvineyards.com

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery

levieuxpin.ca

Wesbert Winery

burrowingowlwine.ca

wesbertwinery.com

OKANAGAN FALLS BC Wine Studio bcwinestudio.ca

Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars bluemountainwinery.com

Bonamici Cellars bonamicicellars.com

Echo Bay Vineyard echobayvineyard.ca

Liquidity Wines liquiditywines.com

Mayhem Wines mayhemwines.com

Meyer Family Vineyards mfvwines.com

Nighthawk Vineyards nighthawkvineyards.com

redbarn.wine

Here’s the Thing Vineyards

blackhillswinery.com

Van Westen Vineyards

Red Barn Winery at Jagged Rock

Cassini Cellars

Le Vieux Pin Winery Maverick Estate Winery

cassini.ca

maverickwine.ca

Castoro de Oro Estate Winery

Nostalgia Wines

castorodeoro.com

Church & State Wines (Okanagan) churchandstatewines.com

District Wine Village Featuring: • Apricus Cellars • Canter Cellars • Foolish Wine • Gneiss Wines • JoiRyde Winery • Nk’Mip Cellars • One Faith Vineyards • Winemaker’s CUT districtwinevillage.com

Domaine Artema

nostalgiawines.ca

Phantom Creek Estate Winery

riverstoneestatewinery.ca

soren.wine

Squeezed Wines squeezedwines.ca

Stoneboat Vineyards stoneboatvineyards.com

Vasanti Estate Winery vasantiwines.com

vinAmité Cellars vinamitecellars.com

OSOYOOS Adega On 45th Estate Winer y adegaon45.com

Bordertown Vineyards bordertownwinery.com

Lakeside Cellars lakesidecellars.com

Lariana Cellars larianacellars.com

LaStella Winery

phantomcreekestates.com

lastella.ca

Pipe’ Dreams Vineyard and Estate Winery

liberfarm.com

pipedreamswinery.com

Platinum Bench Estate Winery platinumbench.com

Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery quintaferreira.com

Rainmaker Winery

domaineartema.ca

rainmakerwines.com

French Door Estate Winery

Ramification Cellars

frenchdoorwinery.com

River Stone Estate Winery

ramwine.com

Liber Farm & Winery Moon Curser Vineyards mooncurser.com

Mythology Vineyard mythologyvineyard.ca

Nk'Mip Cellars nkmipcellars.com

Osoyoos Larose Estate Winery osoyooslarose.com

Over The Fence Winery overthefencewinery.ca

39

Frind Estate Winery frindwinery.com

Grizzli Winery grizzliwinery.com

Kalala Organic Estate Winery kalalawines.ca

Little Straw Vineyards Estate Winery littlestraw.bc.ca

Mission Hill Family Estate Winery missionhillwinery.com

Mt. Boucherie Winery Plush grapes and stunning views on the Naramata Bench. Photo courtesy of Wines of British Columbia

PEACHLAND

SUMMERLAND

Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards

8th Generation Vineyard

fitzwine.com

Hainle Vineyards Estate Winery hainle.com

PENTICTON Little Engine Wines

silkscarf-winery.com

8thgeneration.com

Sleeping Giant Fruit Winery

Back Door Winery

sleepinggiantfruitwinery. com

backdoorwinery.com

Solvero Wines

Dirty Laundry Vineyard

solverowines.ca

SummerGate Winery

dirtylaundry.ca

summergate.ca

littleenginewines.com

Play Estate Winery

okanagancrushpad.com/ garnet-valley-ranch-winery

timewinery.com

Giant Head Estate Winery

SKAHA BENCH

Haywire Winery

TIME Family of Wines

Blasted Church Vineyards blastedchurch.com

Heaven's Gate Estate Winery

crescenthillwinery.com

Lightning Rock Winery

paintedrock.ca

Pentâge Winery pentage.com

sagehillswine.com

Beaumont Family Estate Organic Winery Black Swift Vineyards blackswiftvineyards.com

Lunessence Winery & Vineyard Sage Hills Organic Vineyard & Winery

WEST KELOWNA beaumontwinery.com

lightningrockwinery.ca

lunessencewinery.com

summerlandestatewinery. com

thornhaven.com

haywirewinery.com

heavensgatewinery.ca

Summerland Estate Winery

Thornhaven Estates Winery

giantheadwinery.com

Crescent Hill Winery Painted Rock Estate Winery

40

Niche Wine Company Silkscarf Winery

Garnet Valley Ranch Winery

playwinery.com

mtboucherie.com

Ciao Bella Estate Winery ciaobellawinery.com

Crown & Thieves crownthieves.com

ISSUE 15

nichewinecompany.com

Off The Grid Organic Winery offthegridorganicwinery.com

Quails' Gate Winery quailsgate.com

Rollingdale Winery rollingdale.ca

Tender Hope Winery tenderhopewinery.com

Terralux Estate Winery terraluxwinery.com

The Gallery Winery thegallerywinery.com

The Hatch thehatchwines.com Volcanic Hills Estate Winery volcanichillswinery.com

Similkameen Valley

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.

Hugging Tree Winery huggingtreewinery.com

Little Farm Winery

KEREMEOS

Orofino Vineyards

Bella Wines

Rustic Roots Winery rusticrootswinery.com

Scout Vineyard

CAWSTON Bottega Wine Studio bottegawinestudio.ca

Crowsnest Vineyards crowsnestvineyards.com

Eau Vivre Winery & Vineyards eauvivrewinery.ca

vanessavineyard.com

littlefarmwinery.ca

orofinovineyards.com

Corcelettes Estate Winery near Keremeos. Photo courtesy of Wines of British Columbia

Vanessa Vineyard Estate Winery

scoutvineyard.com

bellawines.ca

Clos Du Soleil Winery closdusoleil.ca

Corcelettes Estate Winery

Seven Stones Winery

corceletteswine.ca

sevenstones.ca

Robin Ridge Winery

S’milka Vista

robinridgewinery.com

smilkavista.com

Forbidden Fruit Winery forbiddenfruitwine.com

Other regions

Some of B.C.’s most exciting wines are being produced in regions that are so new, few people have heard of them.

And, with our changing climate and improved technology, who knows where vintners will be planting grapes next?

THOMPSON VALLEY

Baccata Ridge Winery

Monte Creek Winery

baccataridgewinery.ca

montecreekranch.com

Privato Vineyard & Winery

SHUSWAP Celista Estate Winery celistawine.com

privato.ca

Edge Of The Earth Vineyards

Sagewood Winery

edgeearth.ca

sagewoodwinery.ca

LILLOOET Cliff and Gorge Vineyards cliffandgorge.com

Fort Berens Estate Winery

Larch Hills Winery

Sunnybrae Vineyards & Winery

Valley of the Springs Winery

sunnybraewinery.com

valleyofthespringswinery. com

Waterside Vineyard & Winery

wynnwoodcellars.com

KOOTENAYS

PRINCE GEORGE

Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery

larchhillswinery.com

bailliegrohman.com

Marionette Winery

Red Bird Estate Winery

marionettewinery.com

Recline Ridge Vineyards & Winery reclineridgewinery.com

Wynnwood Cellars

watersidewinery.com

Northern Lights Estate Winery Ltd. northernlightswinery.ca

redbirdwine.com

Skimmerhorn Winery & Vineyard skimmerhorn.ca

fortberens.ca

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Dosage S PA R K L I N G W I N E ’ S S W E E T F I N I S H I N G T O U C H Christine Campbell

“

The amount of sugar used during dosage softens the acidity and sets the sparkling wine’s sweetness profile

W I N E

G E E K

Sparkling wine achieves balance through dosage. iStock/Getty Images Plus/Jasmina81 photo

• Just a step down, Demi-Sec contains between 32 and 50 grams of sugar and has seen a modern comeback among enthusiasts with a sweet tooth.

• In the middle ground is Sec. Despite its name meaning “dry” in French, this style is medium-sweet, containing 17 to 32 grams of sugar per litre.

• Extra Sec, or Extra Dry, offers a slightly less sweet profile with 12 to 17 grams of sugar.

• The most popular style is Brut, which has up to 12 grams of sugar, providing a balanced, refreshing character.

• Extra Brut contains fewer than six grams for those who prefer a crisper edge.

D

osage is the final flourish that transforms sparkling wine from a lively, fizzy beverage into a masterpiece of balance and finesse.

After secondary fermentation—the process where base wine is bottled with a precise mix of sugar and yeast to create natural carbonation—the wine is left to mature in contact with its lees. The lees (dead yeast cells) impart subtle notes of bread and biscuit that add to the wine’s character.

Next comes disgorgement, which involves chilling the bottle’s neck to freeze any sediment, which is swiftly expelled to reveal a clear and refined sparkling wine.

Winemakers then introduce dosage, a measured addition of wine and sugar that perfectly harmonizes the wine’s acidity.

The amount of sugar used during dosage softens the acidity and sets the sparkling wine’s sweetness profile, which is categorized as follows:

• In comparison, Brut Nature is made with virtually no sugar added (fewer than three grams), showcasing the wine’s pure, racy essence.

Ultimately, the dosage is not merely an additive—it is an artful calibration that allows winemakers to tailor the sparkling wine experience, ensuring every sip is as delightful as it is distinctive.

• On the sweeter side, Doux has 50 or more grams of sugar per litre, resulting in a taste profile that would feel like adding about two teaspoons of sugar to every glass—a style reminiscent of historical Champagne, which was quite sugary.

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ISSUE 15

T H R E E S PA R K L I N G W I N E S T O T RY Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old (Champagne, France, $112.99) Peach, toasted hazelnuts, orchard fruits.

Delicious and decadent.

Pol Roger Reserve Brut (Champagne, France, $89.99) Powerful aromas of mandarin orange, honey and fresh bread. Textural and lively.

Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars Brut Rosé (Okanagan Falls, B.C., $40) Fresh strawberries and hints of biscuit on the palate.

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