Anthony Gismondi: Top red picks from B.C. and France that deliver

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The red wine market is not having a moment globally. Its fall from consumer favour is a mix of several factors, ranging from a rush to sparkling wine and rosé to a much broader interest in white wines. Then there is the growing consumer interest in lower-alcohol wines, and drinking less in general, as well as relentless price hikes for labels that were once $15 or $20 and are now $35 or $40 with little appreciable change in quality.

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Ironically, it was becoming possible in B.C. to fully mature even late-ripening red varieties, only to fall victim to profound winter freeze events that preyed on the most vulnerable red grape varieties, many of which had been showing much promise in the bottle.

The result of all this is consumers are left on their own to sort through the market and find something they can enjoy at a price they can afford. Regular readers will know I’m a fan of wines from somewhere, while modern-day marketers insist on big, nondescript blends from brands with no provenance. Big brands can fill a need, but most are so overpriced for what’s in the bottle that consumers look elsewhere for satisfaction, be it beer, spirits, or refreshment drinks that don’t require such a big financial commitment.

As the weather closes in for the next four or five months, we suggest a range of our favourite red blends from B.C. and France that deliver for their price while treating you to what many say they are looking for in their wine purchases: an experience.

The current global sweet spot for red wine and value is in southern France, from the Rhone Valley to the Mediterranean. Grapes like Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan and Mourvedre are mixed and matched in blends that are labelled after their origins,s uch as in the Rhone Valley, look for Cotes du Rhone, Cotes du Rhone Villages, or any of the Rhone crus like Cornas, Gigondas, Crozes-Hermitage, Vacqueras, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and more. Even more significant is the Languedoc-Roussillon region and its sub-appellations, such as Côteaux du Languedoc, St Chinian, Faugères, Minervois and Corbières Village or simply those with an IGP Pays d’Oc label.

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B.C. red wine blends, traditionally cabernet Bordeaux-based, are moving toward the Rhone and Languedoc style by involving Syrah. The vast majority come from south of McIntyre Bluff in Oliver, Osoyoos, and the Similkameen Valley.

Today, we have listed several French and B.C. blends sold in the largest wine-friendly B.C. liquor stores. Many local wines are available directly from the winery and select private shops. Expect to see them all fall and winter and occasionally on sale.  You’ll find full notes at gismondionwine.com.

Under $20: PauL Mas Grenache, $15,99, Arrogant Frog $15.99, Chapoutier Bila Haut Rouge $19.99, Perrin Cote du Rhone Reserve $18.99,  Louis Bernard Cote du Rhone Reserve $18.99.

Under $25: Bertrand Corbieres An 806 $21.99, Bertrand St Chinian An 1877 $21.99, Chateau Pesquie La Terrasses 21.99, Brunel de la Gardine $21.99, Boutinot Les Coteaux Cote du Rhone Reserve $24.99.

Under $50: Domaine de Cebene Faugeres Les Bancels $33.99, Boutinot La Cote Sauvage Cairanne $36.99, Domaine la Garrigue Cuvee Albert et Camille Vacqueras $42.99, Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards $46.99.

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Under $30: Cedracreek Meritage$29.99, Road 13 Seventy-Four K, $27.99, Church and State — Lost Inhibitions Red Prude $21.99.

Under $50: Fort Berens Meritage 2020 $32.99, Tinhorn The Creek $34.99, Black Hills Bona Fide, Frind the Premier $38.99, Phantom Creek Esyaye Petite $37.99.

Under $70: Nota Bene $69.99, Osoyoos Larose $59.99, Clos du Soleil Siagnature 2019 54.99.

Weekend wine picks

Domaine Montmartel Côtes du Rhône 2022, Rhone Valley, France

$19.99 I 88/100

UPC: 3432700000016

Domaine Montmartel has been family-owned and operated since 1919, working with hillside vineyards farmed organically. This blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan averages 20 years of vine age and comes off the calcareous clays of the southern Rhône. Somewhat linear on the nose, the attack is a spicy, fresh mix of plums and raspberries, dried with spicy, savoury garrigue dusting. It’s a food wine and would be perfect with creamy chicken and mushrooms, barbecued hamburgers, or a classic fall stew.

M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2021, Rhone Valley, France

$20.99  |  89/100

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UPC: 03391181110136

Classic Chapoutier, biodynamically farmed, vinified in concrete and stainless to showcase the fruit and add texture. Year in and year out, it is consistently one of the best value red blends in the market, and the latest is no exception. You can expect a gentle, round, easy sipping style, but it remains a wine of flavour, pitching red and black fruits, black pepper, and a dusting of garrigue to liven up its youthful but soft tannins. Barbecue is ready if you need an inexpensive crowd-pleaser for wine nuts.

Black Hills Bona Fide 2022, Okanagan Valley

$35.99 I 93/100

UPC: 00058976503049

The 2022 Bona Fide is a 42/33/25 mix of Malbec, Carmenere, and Syrah, whose combination shouts drink me now. This wine won at the 2024 National Wine Awards, taking home a prized Platinum medal. The palate is a juicy affair of black and red fruits dusted in savoury south Okanagan scrub and sagebrush. You can drink or hold this wine; it is up to you. There is significant value here, a testament to winemaker Ross Wise’s gentle touch.

Burrowing Owl Meritage 2020, Oliver, Okanagan Valley

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$53 I 94/100

UPC: 688229007200

Wow, what an enticing nose of fresh, savoury, ripe fruit, damp earth, and umami. The 2020 blend is 38/24/23/8.5/6.5 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, which already melts in your mouth. There is cabernet firmness, but all the grapes seem to smooth out the blend and add complexity and finesse, which I am not used to seeing at BOV. I love the mix of damp earth, blackcurrant, raspberries, and savoury desert brush, all rinsed with mineral wet stones that leave it vibrant and succulent. A classic Bordeaux peppercorn steak works here.

Domaine Clef de Saint Thomas Pierre Troupel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022, Rhone Valley, France

$59.99 I 92/100

UPC: 37601211034

It is easy to see why Châteauneuf-du-Pape is so beloved by wine drinkers when you first sip this stylish, soft, round, ripe red that slides down with ease. The blend is 50/50 Syrah/Grenache, aged in traditional stainless steel tanks. The red berries and underlying minerality attack are as inviting as the wine. The texture is soft and round, and earth and dried herbs spill onto the palate, where the fruit projects even more generously. This is among the best local buys in the overheated Châteauneuf-du-Pape market.

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Calendar items

Attention surfers, storm watchers, and oyster lovers. The 2024 Tofino Oyster Festival is back Nov. 22-24. The festival celebrates community and West Coast oysters over three main events featuring Tofino’s top chefs that kick off on Friday from 8 p.m. to midnight with the Mermaid’s Ball. Tickets are $65 and include a welcome drink, oysters, a live band, and a DJ at the Tofino Community Hall. The Oyster Festival Gala doors run Saturday from 7 p.m. until midnight. Tickets are $125 and include a welcome drink, oysters, a live band, and a DJ at the Tofino Community Hall. The finale is the Shucker’s Showdown Sunday at 4 to 10 p.m. Tickets to the showdown are $25. Oysters and drinks are available to purchase at the Tofino Community Hall.

•••

Big Reds at Big White Winter Wine Festival runs December 6th and 7th at the Okanagan ski resort. Together with the Okanagan Wine Festival and its partner wineries, the resort will showcase a diverse array of wines poured by winery personnel. The weekend includes skiing and snowboarding with the best in Okanagan wines, allowing you to rub shoulders with winery principles in the relaxed atmosphere of the Happy Valley Day Lodge at the Elevation Grand Tasting and a casual and intimate Friday night Magic of Meritage Tasting. There will be other wine-focused events throughout the village at local restaurants, so be sure to book your accommodation early and take advantage of this unforgettable weekend.

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B.C. wine of the week

Ailm Connemara Ten Barrel Selection 2021, Okanagan Valley

$60  | 91/100

UPC: 778856721515

Connemara has always been a powerful red blend and a precursor to Ailm Estate’s identity when crafting wines. If you know your Ogham or early medieval alphabet, mainly used to write early Irish, you will have deciphered the word Neart that appears on the front of the Ailm Connemara, meaning “strength” in the Celtic language. It describes the latest Connemara I can vouch for via earlier, rich, full-bodied versions. The latest rendition is 61 Merlot and 39 Cabernet Sauvignon that spends 18 months in French oak barrels packed with blackcurrant, black cherry, and cedar aromas and flavours with an intriguing savoury Okanagan undercurrent that runs through its rich, dense tannins. It is an ode to the Stewart family’s immigrant grandfather, Richard Stewart Sr., who said that Connemara, Ireland, was the most beautiful part of his home country.

Value wine of the week

Blue Mountain Reserve Cuvée Chardonnay 2022, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley

$29.90 I 92/100

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UPC: 626452351226

The ‘22 Reserve Cuvée is a complex, full-bodied Chardonnay fermented wild and aged sur-lie 16 months in new, one, two, and three-year-old French oak barriques. The reserve is a select blend that gets some extra aging and has all the classic Blue Mountain Chardonnay traits, freshness, complexity, lemons, lees and honey but with another layer of fruit richness. It’s not sweeter, but an illusion of Grand Cru-like weight takes you there. The elegant citrus styling that runs through the wine on a string of acidity seals the deal. We love the 13.5 per cent alcohol level, too.

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