Savvy Shopper: Premium BC wine
British Columbia is becoming a renowned wine destination thanks to vineyards that produce wines with distinctive flavours, many of which have won international awards.
Perhaps the nicest way to purchase a bottle of premium BC wine is to drive out to a winery on a sunny day and buy straight from the source. However, if you don’t have time for a trip to wine country, and you’re looking for variety and helpful, informed advice, visit a specialty wine store.
Up-and-comer Golden
Mile Cellars’ 2006 Syrah
(Courtesy of Golden
Mile Cellars)The BC Wine Institute (www.winebc.com) estimates that there are 20 stores around the province that sell only VQA-certified wines. VQA stands for Vintners Quality Alliance, which means the wine is made from 100% BC grapes, and has been screened by a professional tasting panel. Some VQA stores stock as many as 500 different wines from all over the province. The owners and staff are passionate about BC wine and can make recommendations based on an in-depth knowledge of the BC wine industry.
“One of the real up-and-coming wineries in BC right now is the Golden Mile,” says Ame DePaoli, manager of the BC WineGuys store in Victoria. “They make a fabulous Syrah, with big ripe blackberry flavour, smoky notes, and full-bodied long spicy flavours. My recommendation for a white wine is Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc. It’s got bright and ripe passionfruit and citrus-type flavours. It’s not oaky because it’s steel-barrel fermented.”
Mark Wright, manager of Village VQA Wines—Dunbar in Vancouver, recommends a couple of Okanagan wines.
“The Grey Monk Odyssey Pinot Gris is beautifully made, very dry, crisp and complex. It’s made from 25-year-old vines. And for a nice red I’d pick a premium Pinot Noir from the South Okanagan, like the Optimum Pinot Noir from Gehringer Bros. It’s from Gehringer’s best barrels with a little bit of oak.”
There are some outstanding BC vineyards that aren’t VQA certified because they are just too small, says DePaoli. You can often find these wines at small, locally owned wine and beer shops.
DePaoli is happy to talk about a few of her favourites: “I’d definitely recommend the
The welcoming wine aficionados at BC WineGuys Winchester Pinot Noir. He’s one of the better winemakers on the Island. He comes from California and Pinot Noir has been one of his passions. He puts a lot of effort into that wine. Another great one to seek out is the Cowichan Blackberry Port,” she says.
You can also find a comprehensive list of wine stores across the province at the BC Liquor Stores website (www.bcliquorstores.com), which includes Liberty Wine Merchants, a local specialty wine retailer with stores across the Lower Mainland.
