Anthony Gismondi: B.C. wine, Value wine, Mission Hill event

Article content

Mission Hill Family Estate celebrates year seven as a host venue for the annual Festival of Trees campaign held in communities to fundraise for the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation.

The Festival of Trees Winery Experience runs throughout the holiday until Jan. 7 and combines viewing the trees with an exclusive wine and food pairing. Available for up to six guests, it includes a guided cellar tour, a guided and seated tasting of the Mission Hill Family Estate’s top terroir and legacy collection wines, and small bites. Tickets are $65 per person, with a percentage of proceeds going to the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation. This year’s goal at Mission Hill is to raise $50,000. For more information and tickets, go to the  Mission Hill website.

Article content

Article content

• • •

The B.C. Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier (LDBC) has raised $10,000 for its scholarship program this year through the generous support of partners. The most recent and notable fundraising event, Dames Dine Around, raised $6,700. Earlier in the year, LDBC received funds from a B.C. Spot prawn pop-up at the Beer Farm fundraiser. In June, Tushar Shroff’s Indish Food Truck celebrated its third anniversary at the Vancouver False Creek Farmers’ Market, providing 75 per cent of its sales to the LDBC, totalling $1,275. As a result, the LDBC Chapter scholarship program, open to all females of any age at any stage of their career looking to refine or expand their expertise at a credible educational institution anywhere in the world, is open for 2024 applications at LesDames.ca.

B.C. wine of the week

Quails’ Gate Chardonnay 2022, West Kelowna, Okanagan Valley

$26.99 I 89/100

UPC: 778856121018

The classic QG Chardonnay comes from several family-owned sites and is fermented in a mix of vessels from stainless steel tanks to neutral French oak. It goes through partial malolactic fermentation to retain its freshness and spends nine months on its lees while adding some creamy textures to the mix. The attack is a balanced mix of citrus, and creamy bakery notes spiked with fresh pear and barrel spice. The stylish, new, round, and easy-to-drink white is the perfect Chardonnay at this price point to serve a large crowd—shellfish, halibut, and roasted chicken all work here.

Article content

Value wine of the week

Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2020, Valle de Uco, Tunuyán, Central Region, Mendoza, Argentina

$19.99 I 89/100

UPC: 7791728000566

You have heard us talk about wines we can count on, reliable producers, and great value wines. Well, this is one of them. The Santa Julia Reserve Malbec draws upon the considerable resources and skills of the Zuccardi family, and it delivers it all at a fantastic price. It is hand-picked Uco Valley fruit grown 1,400 metres above sea level. It goes through a classic, warm 20-day fermentation using selected yeast. Part of the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 10 months. The nose is fresh and bright with red-black fruit evoking cherries, plums, blueberries, and black plums with just a trace of sticky tannins for gravitas. Back up the truck, again and again.

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.

Article content