Is the latest deep freeze a disaster for the B.C. wine industry?

Article content

Is the latest deep freeze a disaster or an opportunity for the B.C. wine industry? Time will tell. I think it’s an opportunity to reset a fractured sector to another level, one few considered possible in 1990 when the move to land-based wineries began in earnest.

But it won’t be easy.

Article content

The question is, will there be any crop to speak of this year, and more importantly, will the vines have survived sufficiently to produce fruit next year?

Article content

Once the ultimate damage is ascertained, producers will face several decisions. But before we get there, the rhythm of grape growing and winemaking is always out of sync with the current calendar. Wineries have lots of bottled wine and will open for business as usual all year, no matter what happens in the vineyards.

Everyone is gearing up to release their 2022 reds and late-release 2021s and 2020s labels. The star of those three vintages looks to be 2022, a high-quality year with a huge crop, so there is plenty of quality wine to sell at all price points. Most producers will be open for business and back to regular hours by Easter weekend and should stay that way, at least through Thanksgiving, and all of them will be more than happy to see you at their doors.

At the time of writing, the government has promised legislative changes that will remove some irritating regulations that have long handcuffed wineries wanting to up their on-site experience. Where and how you can taste wine on the winery grounds will be overhauled, allowing wineries to offer experiences commensurate with the quality of their wines.

Article content

Hang on to your hats for the following: People will be allowed to sit and enjoy a glass of wine during a tour; sales could happen in more than one place on-site, including on tours; there will be more flexible tasting opportunities so producers can customize experiences and wait for it, they will be able to sell their products in picnic areas to host people more effectively throughout the property.

Now to those opportunities. Behind the scenes, wineries will have much to consider by the summer. Should the crop vanish in 2024, a decision tree will be drawn up for each winery, and I want to emphasize that it will likely be different for every producer in the province.

A few think that they can withstand a one-year hit with the bountiful 2022 crop with some help from older back vintages stored away in the longer-term cellaring program.

Many will be forced to reluctantly curtail off-site sales, saving those bottles for wine club members, online sales or for direct purchase at the winery, essentially keeping everything in-house to sell directly to maximize income. The risk of losing a spot on restaurant wine lists or private retail shelves would be hard to take but even more challenging to win back.

Article content

Article content

Many small land-based producers without grapes could consider a licence change to become a “commercial” winery, allowing them to purchase grapes from outside B.C. or Canada to continue operating until the vines begin to produce again.

Maintaining staff and expertise is at the top of everyone’s mind, as is keeping the doors open.

How consumers react to that scenario is a big unknown. Part of me would love to see what B.C. producers could do with nearby grapes in Washington state or Oregon as long as the label clearly stated what was in the bottle.

Part of me worries about how we could enforce the integrity of every label to ensure the long-term health of Brand B.C. It could force a much-needed and immediate upgrade in label accountability by auditing all fruit and juice entering B.C. by truck, train or bottle.

Ultimately, wine has always been about place. While some bad actors may try to obscure that notion on their labels, the majority of B.C. wineries would likely be fine letting you know the wine you drink under their brand name might be from Washington state, Oregon or Ontario for a set period if it allows them to stay in business, along with countless other businesses tied to wine production.

Article content

These are some of the big ideas circulating in B.C. wine country. Most evoke more questions than answers; they will all be hard decisions with no single solution.

But rest assured, wineries want to hear more from you because, in the end, without your support, they won’t survive. The next few months are your chance to express your opinion about any of the contemplated changes; it’s a rare opportunity to be part of the solution.

Weekend Wine Picks

Monte del Frá Ca del Magro Custoza Superiore 2019, Verona, Veneto, Italy

$24.99 I 89/100

UPC: 838547000050

Monte del Fra is in Custoza, Veneto, outside Lake Garda. The current winery was founded in 1958, but the land it sits on was auctioned off by decree from Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century out of the hands of its original owners, the local monks.

This is a richer, honeyed, floral white wine grown at the 60-plus-year-old Ca’ del Magro vineyard. In the blend is 40 per cent Garganega, with Trebbiano Toscano, Tocai Friulano, Cortese, Chardonnay, Riesling Italico, Malvasia and Incrocio Manzoni backfilling the rest.

Article content

Quince, ripe pear, yellow apples and honeysuckle spread across the palate before finishing with a hint of spice.

Easter Ham would be a fine match.

Meyer Family Vineyards Chardonnay McLean Creek Road Vineyard 2022, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley

$32.26 I 91/100

UPC: 808755006809

McLean Creek Road is the Meyer home estate site inside Okanagan Falls. It’s a sloping site of sand and gravel mixed with loam, with vines that will be 30 years old this year.

Winemaker Chris Carson is a man of few words and even less intervention, which is apparent when you nose and taste this wine.

After a long, cool ferment in stainless steel, it’s aged in French oak for 11 months, 22 per cent new, with zero Bâtonnage.

This is a dream style of B.C. Chardonnay, so alive and fresh, subtle enough to expose the terroir, packed full of complex citrus, green apple and honeyed oatmeal, with a stony, mineral finish.

Drink or hold for three to five years.

Production came in at 9,000 bottles, and the alcohol was a modest 13.5 per cent.

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

Article content

$15.99 I 89/100

UPC: 03391181110136

Belleruche is a 60/35/5 mix of Grenache, Syrah and Marselan from grapes harvested across the appellation. Year in and year out, it’s consistently one of the best-value red blends in the market.

We thought it was better than most labels at $20.99, but until March 31, you can buy it for only $15.99. Back up the truck, buy a case and drink it all year at a rock-bottom bargain price.

Expect a gentle, round, easy-sipping style of flavourful red and black fruits, black pepper and a dusting of Garrigue to liven up its youthful but soft tannins  — an inexpensive crowd-pleaser for wine nuts.

Stemmari Nero d’Avola 2021, Sicily

$21.99 I 88/100

UPC: 854559000222

This Nero d’Avola hails from Sambuca di Sicilia, in Agrigento, Sicily. It’s fermented and aged for half a year in wood.

This is an easy-sipping barbecue red pitching black plums, dark cherries and a touch of baking spices. It’s dark, round and soft.

You can drink it now, and it will work with burgers, beef tacos or spaghetti and meatballs.

Private wine shops only.

G.D. Vajra Langhe Rosso 2020, Langhe, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy

Article content

$30 I 91/100

UPC: 695798115328

Langhe Rosso is the stepping stone to Barbaresco and Barolo, and an increased focus on this wine style is paying dividends across Piemonte.

Its price and quality ratio is hard to beat, as exemplified by the delicious drinking Varja.

It mixes younger vines from a solid vintage that speaks Piemonte, including Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Freesia, Albatross and Pinot Noir.

It has cherries, plums and floral rose notes with only a modicum of tannin that runs throughout a mineral, light sea-salt finish — a classy wine for lunch or mid-week dinner pick.

Private wine shops only.

Calendar Items

Last month, the 11th annual Wine Conversations conference occurred in Napa Valley.

One of the more exciting speakers was Curtis Mann MW, vice-president of wine, beer and spirits for Albertson/Safeway. His message was simple: the wine industry needs to meet consumers’ wants and needs, not expect the customer to come to them.

The days of using an approach based on minimalism and exclusivity are done. Mann pitched the concept of affordable luxury, making wine more accessible to a younger, less wealthy demographic. He championed a move away from pricey domestic wine to the $11 to $25 category of predominantly imported wine from Italy and France, saying customers want quality wine.

Article content

Still, they aren’t willing to shell out the big bucks like before.
Consumers think imported wines offer a more reasonable price for a better-quality product.

• Experience an exclusive culinary collaboration between Penticton-based Kin & Folk and the Painted Rock Estate Winery.

Chef Zachary Chan presents a thoughtfully curated four-course menu driven by his Asian heritage. He draws inspiration from global cuisines, contemporary techniques, fresh ingredients and local producers to create a unique experience harmoniously paired with four carefully selected wines.

As always, the menu has been designed for sharing to bring people together and create a dialogue around food and wine.

Tickets are $110 per person on Open Table.

B.C. Wine of the Week

Meyer Family Vineyards Chardonnay Micro Cuvée Old Main Road Vineyard 2022, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley

$60.97 I 93/100

UPC: 808755006267

According to winemaker Chris Carson, the Micro Cuvee is always the most harmonious blend from the Old Main Road vineyard inside the Naramata Bench sub-GI.

It was planted in 1996 to Chardonnay vines, with a gentle, northerly aspect over alluvial deposits made up of silt loam overlaying clay loam. The site is perfect for slow ripening, allowing the fruit intensity to keep in touch with acidity.

Article content

This is a very high-quality Chardonnay and would be the envy of almost anyone in California. It opens with attractive electric mineral notes followed by a creamy palate of intense lemons and green apples, all sprayed with a touch of sagebrush. Complex, tight and light on its feet, this will cellar in the bottle through 2029.

Best of all, it will handle anything from seafood to pork or selected Asian dishes.

It was aged 11 months in French oak barrels (50 per cent new) and had a modest 13.5 per cent alcohol— first class.

Value Wine of the Week

Louis Latour Ardèche Chardonnay, France

$24.99 I 89/100

UPC: 3566921000101

Maison Louis Latour has been growing Chardonnay and making wine in Ardeche since 1979. Over the decades, the warmer climate and clay-limestone soils have yielded an impressive, inexpensive French Chardonnay aged on its lees in stainless vats for 10 months.

The 2018 is delicious, from its fresh, green apple nose to its riper, red apple fruit flavours sprinkled with hazelnuts, honey and a dusting of lees. It’s the perfect introduction to white Burgundy and a style that would be widely welcomed in the New World.

Article content

If you love simple seafood dishes, this is the wine for you.

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 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