B.C.’s sparkling wines performed well at 2021 Wine Align National Wine Awards
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The sparkling wine category is first out of the gate from the 2021 Wine Align National Wine Awards. Today we explore some of the top B.C. performers, although it’s a category that mostly was dominated by Ontario sparklers at the top end. That said, the top wine out of the 100 entries came out of British Columbia, and it was a big surprise at that.
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The Harper’s Trail 2018 Chardonnay Sparkling Thadd Springs Vineyard ($21.99) is a complete steal and would be fun to serve blind to friends over the holiday. It’s essentially handmade using traditional French methods, and from its medium straw colour to its long, complex finish, this is a delicious blanc de blancs. Green apples, almonds and croissants all converge on the plate in an understated way to give it wide appeal. It also has what many sparkling wines don’t — undeniable vibrancy. Impressive and a window into the future of cool-climate B.C. wine outside of the Okanagan.
They don’t make a lot of this wine, but the good news, I guess, is the Alberta, Ontario and Quebec governments continue to block the direct sale of B.C. wine in their province, so that means more for us. However, don’t get too excited. Several local producers are sold out of their top wines and will have nothing to sell until the next vintage, so if you want a particular wine, you best get it ordered.
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As mentioned, the top Ontario sparklers shone, showing a bit more electricity, which the judges seemingly enjoyed. Unfortunately, while almost everyone in the Canadian sparkling wine game competed, a few wineries opted out, so don’t blame the judges if your favourite bubble is missing. You can only judge what is in the glass, and for the most part, at the top, it was excellent.
The B.C. highlights were spread across several producers as more and more wineries are making at least one sparkling wine, if not several. In the rosé zone, Noble Ridge 2017 The Pink One at $45.99 topped all pink entries. Gray Monk 2018 Odyssey Rose Brut ($29.99) is a wine that has over-delivered for several years now, also impressed the judges, and it boasts a relatively modest price for most any sparkling wine these days.
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Interestingly some less familiar names popped up among the white sparklers beginning with a sensational bottle of Silhouette Estate Winery 2018 Boyd Blanc De Blanc for $74.88. The Boyd wines are made on the Naramata bench at the as yet unopened Silhouette Vineyards. Mike and Jackie Boyd own Therapy Vineyards and Guest House, and the highly talented winemaker Jacq Kemp are behind the Boyd sparklers, sure to be a force in B.C. down the road. Silhouette has a tasting room outlet at the hipster District Wine Village in Oliver, where you can now taste and buy the Boyd sparklers.
Other top-rated B.C. sparklers include TIME 2018 Brut ($34.99). With deep roots in the McWatters family, Time Family of Wines, Penticton’s urban winery, has a strong connection to the origins of sparkling wine in B.C. In addition, a new label Red Rooster N/V Brut ($34.50), announces the facelift orchestrated by winemaker Elaine Vickers and the Peller B.C. team. More 90 point selections include Gray Monk 2018 Odyssey White Brut ($29.90), Frind N/V Brut ($28.84), Road 13 2017 Sparkling Chenin Blanc ($39.99), Blasted Church 2016 OMG ($30)Silhouette N/V Boyd Classic Cuvee ($49.54) and lake Country star 50th Parallel 2018 Blanc de Noir ($97.89).
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You can read complete results of all the categories as the role out daily online at winealign.com , ending in early November with the announcement of The Winery of the Year and the Best Performing Small Winery, as well as a list of the top 25 wineries in the country based on their top-five scoring wines. It should be a tight race to the finish line.
Blue Mountain Gold Label Brut N/V, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
$27.90 I 91/100
UPC: 626452601161
The blend hasn’t changed much. The grape mix is 57/39/4 Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. The secret sauce is the addition of reserve wine, aged in 2000L oak casks. The Brut spends full two years on its lees before getting yet another six to nine months in bottle. That’s an impressive gift consumers are not paying for, given the true cost of cellaring finished wine. Best of all is the freshness factor and how this wine has evolved over the last two decades going from sparkling wine to a wine that sparkles. Expect a mineral, flinty affair with green and red apple, spice, with nutty toasted almond highlights that pull you into the glass — a great value and ready to drink.
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Tantalus Blanc de Blancs 2018, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
$31.30 I 92/100
UPC: 626990332053
This blanc de blancs comes off a single block on the home Kelowna estate. It’s fermented in older puncheons and barrique to keep the fruit as pure as possible before aging on lees. It spends 22 months in the bottle on its lees. The nose is magic, mixing lees, brioche and subtle citrus notes. The palate opens with a fresh cut apple before a rush of wet stony minerality kicks in and elevates the wine to another level. It is a stunning north Okanagan bubble with the balance and style that should age effortlessly if you don’t drink it all this year.
Fitz Brut Sparkling Wine 2017, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
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$32.99 I 90/100
UPC: 626990291831
The 2017 Fitz Brut is a 73/25/2 mix of Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier, all off the Greata Ranch home estate just south of Peachland. The new blend, sans Pinot Blanc, was fermented in stainless steel; before a two-year rest on its lees. The nose opens with toasted almond and fresh, inviting red apple with peach permeating a creamy texture that runs through the finish. Impressive and getting better each year out. Drink or hold it certainly has a five to seven-year window at the moment. Solid value.
Road 13 Sparkling Chenin Blanc 2017, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
$39.99 I 89/100
UPC: 626990315162
They make two Chenin sparklers at Road 13 from the oldest Chenin Blanc vines in North America. The standard version is designed for early drinking and pure fun. Most attention is given to the acidity levels to keep the wine lively and fresh when the cork blows out. The primary fermentation is done in the tank, the secondary in the bottle, where the wine spends another three years on its yeast lees building mouth feel and palate length. Expect a fresh fruity nose with red apple pears and citrus everywhere before some toasted nutty notes pull the finish together and prepare you for your next sip. Ready to drink with your favourite Thai, Indian or Chinese dishes.
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Blue Mountain Blanc de Blancs R.D. Méthode Traditionelle 2012, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
$49.90 I 93/100
UPC: 626452721128
The Blancs de Blanc is the best at Blue Mountain, made in the traditional style. It is Chardonnay, all whole cluster pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. The second fermentation in the bottle sits on lees for 78 months before disgorgement. After that, it is finished dry and aged another year in a bottle before its release. Precision is its best descriptor, but you can throw in chalk, green apple, citrus, and hazelnuts, which are finished with a whiff of warm baked bread. As well-aged as this is, my experience is there is no rush to drink this — oysters, anyone?
October marks the start of mussel season. Created by Chef Tommy Shorthouse of Fanny Bay Oysters, this recipe celebrates these mollusks, pairing them with two tried-and-true favourites — bacon and beer.
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4 lb (1.8 kg) Totten Inlet Mussels
1 x 12 oz (340 mL) can of Phillips Blue Buck Beer
8 oz (226 g) Two Rivers double-smoked thick-cut bacon, diced
1 small leek, diced
2 large shallots, sliced
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter
Cook up the bacon until crispy.
Rinse the mussels under cold water. De-beard them by grasping the mussel in one hand and pulling the beard off toward the wide end of the mussel’s shell. Discard any mussels with large cracks.
In a large pot, add the butter, leeks and shallots and cook on low-to-medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the beer and mussels to the pot, stir to combine and put a lid on for 6-7 minutes. Add the bacon into the pot and stir to combine.
Serve once the majority of the mussels have opened. Don’t worry if not all the mussels open, it only means that the beard wasn’t fully removed when cleaning them. They are still edible and just need to be opened by hand.
Serves 2-4.
Bacon, beer and leek mussels would suggest beer is the match, but local Pinot Noir is the match if it is wine.
Mt. Boucherie Pinot Noir 2019, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia $24.99
Earthy black cherry fruit is all the muscle you need to take on the leek and beer flavours.
Dirty Laundry Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia $28.99
Fresh cherries and vanilla mix with crancherry and pomegranate with a spicy, savoury undertow that will easily take on this flavourful dish.
Source: vancouversun.com
