Anthony Gismondi: Enjoy the wine — and the stories — at the Vancouver International Wine Festival
The wine world is in Vancouver doing what it always does during wine festival week: Meeting consumers, pouring wine and talking about their products to anyone who will listen. The last part is key because there is more than a bit of consternation about the storytelling and who is listening and who isn’t. A lot of it has to do with how wineries, marketers, media and influencers tell the story, and whether the people who are actually paying the freight are listening.
If you read the polls, today’s wine drinkers are more apt to get their wine information from their friends and cohorts than anywhere else. I believe that’s true, but it’s hardly breaking news. That has been going on as long as people have been sharing opinions. With the advent of the internet and now AI, there is even more information available to help one stay informed, albeit with little human interaction.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with anyone recommending wine or, even better, drinking exactly what they like, no matter what anyone says. My problem is with the sanctimonious way they portray those who critically evaluate wine. If you can do a better job sipping your favourite wine and Instagramming your thoughts with the sun going down in the background, go for it. It takes a village, as they say.
I’ve visited a large percentage of the wineries whose wines I review, and I’ve been to almost every country, wine region, and sub-region from which the wines I taste and comment on come. It doesn’t make my picks the gospel, but they are hardly random, which brings me to the biggest and best use of the annual Vancouver International Wine Festival.
It’s easy to walk into a 47-year-old event and say very little has changed, or that you wish there were a live band playing music, or that there was food available to eat or that you would like to use your phone to buy the product on the spot, etc., etc. And you would be right. But it’s a tasting, and the people who make the product are standing behind the table, ready and willing to engage you and tell you the story behind their wine, a story that has evolved every year since 1979, when the doors first opened.
In short, this is your moment to make some decisions about a wine beyond just enjoying it. You can meet winery personnel and their agents, and you can decide whether you embrace their culture and beliefs when it comes to making the wine. You can further explore their commitment to the environment and to leaving the land better than when they arrived. Everything is literally — and figuratively — on the table.
The decision is yours, and no one else’s, when you are standing at that booth. Believe it or not, the more you engage and speak with producers, the more your wine IQ increases and your decisions about what you like get easier and easier.
The real upside is gaining self-confidence in your choices and finally deciding that no matter what kind of wines you enjoy, you are making your own decisions. You are becoming an informed consumer, and an informed consumer can change a market by their buying habits.
We have always reinforced the notion that becoming an informed, smart buyer is your best defence against endless shelves of ordinary wine whose producers are only focused on growth and profitability.
Should you decide to be that person, it won’t be long before you are leaning over the backyard fence discussing the merits of your dinner wine with your neighbour and joining a conversation that has been going on for centuries.
Weekend wine picks
Cellier du Pont d’Arc Ardèche Blanc 2024, Languedoc, France
$18.99 I 88/100
UPC:
3274440062165
This delicious Sauvignon Blanc/Grenache Blanc hails from the Ardèche region of southeastern France. Look for a straw colour and a refreshing nose of lemon, lime, green apple, pear and a streak of black cherry that spills onto the palate. Pure, clean and elegant, it’s perfect with the classic goat cheese match or local shellfish.
San Felice Vermentino 2024, Tuscany, Italy
$19.99 I 89/100
UPC:
709067131107
Limestone, small gravel and pebbles contribute to the vibrant character of this refined Tuscan white. The aroma is reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc, offering notes of grapefruit, citrus and a hint of fresh-cut grass. On the palate, the wine displays a freshness and a roundness balanced by a dry, savoury mineral quality. It is the perfect wine for the arrival of spring; you can serve it with B.C. seafood dishes from tuna hamachi to Dungeness crab, and it is $5 off until March 31.
Township 7 Provenance Series Cabernet Merlot 2022, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
$31.97 I 91/100
UPC:
626990024606
This stylish red blend is a 78/22 mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, featuring juicy black cherry and cassis, desert scrub, soft tannins and layered black fruits, streaked with cedar and a touch of oak. It has an elegant, attractive style that elevates it above most other Cabernet Merlot blends from Southern B.C. You can skip the steak and opt for beef Stroganoff instead. It is an impressive vintage at the three-year mark.
Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages Combe aux Jacques 2023, Beaujolais Villages, Bourgogne, France
$27.99 I 88/100
UPC:
3535923001003
The Jadot Beaujolais Villages Combe aux Jacques is a solid, fruity gamay with round, soft textures — the grapes hail from the southernmost part of Burgundy. The flavours of blackcurrants, cherries and raspberries are all aged in used oak, allowing the wine to expand without tainting the juice with oaky notes. It is an excellent introduction to the world of gamay, offering more for less.
SpearHead Dual Citizen Pinot Noir Pommard Clone Cherry Hill Vineyard 2024, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
$39 I 91/100
UPC:
696852189811
This 2024 replacement wine, produced by winemaker Grant Stanley, comes from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, specifically from the Eola-Amity Hills, a region renowned for high-quality wines. Its style is subtle and refined, with earthy, black cherry and red plum aromas, complemented by dried herbs, allspice and tea leaf nuances. The palate mirrors these traits, with dark cherry fruit and earthy notes. The highlight of this Pinot is its tactile-pleasing silky texture. Ready to enjoy and well worth the price.
Calendar and other items
• You are invited to Provence Marinaside on April 5 for a rare opportunity to explore the exceptional wines of Domaines Ott at the restaurant’s second Cellar Series dinner of 2026. Global brand ambassador Christophe Coppola Renard will present the wines. The Provence-inspired evening features coastal freshness, vibrant aromatics and the unmistakable refinement that has made Domaines Ott a benchmark for rosé and more. The dinner wines include NV Louis Roederer Collection 243, Domaines Ott 2019, Château Romassan Rouge, 2022 Clos Mireille Blanc, 2022 Étoile Rosé, 2024 By Ott Rosé, and 2024 Château de Selle Rosé. Only 14 seats — priced at $275 per person (excluding tax, fees, and gratuity) — are available for this intimate long-table dinner. Non-refundable, prepaid tickets can be purchased on the
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• With spring and warmer weather mere days away, we note the growing success of the Famille Perrin La Vieille Ferme Rosé in the U.K. market, where it is widely known as the “chicken wine.” In 2025, it sold 13.9 million bottles in the U.K., up 5.2 million bottles or 60.6 per cent over 2024. The rosé, made from grapes grown in southern France, is not only the largest brand sold in the U.K. but it also accounts for more than 35 per cent of the rosé category and almost 11 per cent of all U.K. off-trade rosé sales, totalling more than 128 million bottles. It sells for £7-8 overseas or CDN $12.87-$14.70 and is widely available in B.C. at $14.99.
B.C. wine of the week
Unsworth Vineyards Cuvée de l’Île Blanc de Blancs 2020, Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
$59.99 I 92/100
UPC:
626990235286
Look for a refreshing, taut, lemony sparkling wine with a touch of creamy texture to support a burst of green apples, toasted nuts, and small, persistent bubbles. It is a wine for connoisseurs, suitable for aging for a decade or more. I would add that it is among a select list of top Blanc de Blancs being made across the country. It is made from 100 per cent Cowichan Valley Chardonnay, fermented and aged in neutral French barrels and aged on its lees in the bottle for about 40 months before a final hand-riddling at disgorgement. It spends another year at the winery before being released, bone dry.
Value wine of the week
Mantra Lokah Rosé Garnacha — Monastrell Organic 2023, Spain
$17.99 I 87/100
UPC:
8436561121687
Look for a simple, straight-up, organic, ready-to-drink rosé with refreshing red berries and bitter orange, with a touch of minerality underneath. The blend is garnacha and monastrell, giving it a juicy, full-flavoured palate suited to large parties and tight budgets.
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Source: vancouversun.com