NO BETTER WAY TO TOAST MOM THAN TO SEND HER A BOTTLE
My mom, an avid quilter and knitter, recently starting sewing some face masks for friends and family. Who would have thought there would be demand for such a thing.
She told me during a family Zoom session that she had left a mask for a neighbour down the hall. A while later, a bottle of wine was waiting for her outside her door. A sweet thank-you gift.
With Mother’s Day a week away, a bottle of wine or two would make a nice gift for the moms in our families. With many wine stores, breweries and distilleries offering contactless delivery or pickup, and loads of B.C. wineries now shipping for free, it’s a great time to order from businesses that could use our support. So, here are some wines for mom. Thank you, mom, for everything you’ve done. Hopefully, we can share a glass together soon.
Township 7 Vineyards and Winery 2018 Sauvignon Blanc
Okanagan Valley, B.C.
Township 7 boasts two British Columbia locations, one in Langley in the Fraser Valley and another on the eastern edge of Penticton on the way to the Naramata Bench.
Winemaker Mary Mcdermott, who came to the winery from Ontario in 2014, is producing well-crafted reds, whites and sparkling wines. They stand out year after year.
The grapes for this zesty and vibrant Sauvignon Blanc come from the Blue Terrace Vineyard, further south near Oliver. On the nose, the wine is propelled by the 3Gs — grapefruit, gooseberry and grass — with lemon pith, lime notes and a hint of flint as well. The palate is bright and vibrant, with powerful grapefruit, lime and grass notes. This dry wine will invigorate your taste buds. Price: About $22. Check for it at CSN Wine and Spirits and Willow Park Wines & Spirits.
Drink: In the next few years. Try it with ceviche, grilled fish with a citrus marinade, lemon chicken or goat cheese. Screwcap; 13.1 per cent alc./vol.
Pagos del Galir
2016 Mencia
Valdeorras, Spain
Virgel del Galir started producing wines in Entoma, a small village in the Valdeorras wine region of northwestern Spain, in 2002. Not far from northern Portugal, the village is part of the famous Camino de Santiago Christian pilgrimage.
Located in the valley of the Galir River, Virgel del Galir produces seven wines from just two grapes — Mencia and Godello.
Mencia, the native red grape of the land, handles well the cool winds that come off the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The wine is dry and medium-bodied, with lively acid, moderate tannins and flavours of black cherry, black olive, blackberry, black licorice, vanilla and a touch of green pepper.
Price: About $25. Look for it at Rocky Mountain Wine, Spirits and Beer and Willow Park Wines & Spirits.
Drink: In the next couple of years. Try it with pork cutlets, pasta with a tomato sauce or roast duck. Cork; 13.5 per cent alc./vol.
Cedarcreek Estate Winery
2017 Pinot Noir
Okanagan Valley, B.C.
Cedarcreek, on the southeast edge of Kelowna, recently completed the transition to organic farming. The winery and its estate Home Block vineyard were both certified last year.
Winemaker Taylor Whelan reports they knew the three-year process to organic viticulture was making a difference when the earthworms arrived. The wriggly creatures, seen as a sign of soil health, appeared en masse as the transition progressed.
“We’re excited to see how our organic practices continue to help us push the envelope in delivering complex and delicious wines while leaving the soils and land we farm healthier and more full of life than when we found it,” the winemaker says in a company newsletter.
This Pinot Noir, from the first year of the transition, is medium-bodied with modest tannins, bright acid and dark fruit flavours such as black raspberry and black cherry, plus vanilla and wet earth. It’s a great introduction to the winery’s Pinot Noir offerings, which include some stellar wines from single-vineyard blocks.
Price: About $30. Look for it at Ace Liquor, Co-op Wines Spirits Beer, Craft Cellars, Crowfoot Wine and Spirits, 5 Vines Wine, Craft Beer and Spirits, Highlander Wine and Spirits, Liquor Depot, Skyway Wine and Liquor, Wine and Beyond at Sage Hill Crossing and Zyn the Wine Market.
Drink: In the next two or three years. Try it with salmon, pork roast or duck. Screwcap; 13.8 per cent alc./vol.
Clos du Soleil
2017 Capella
British Columbia
Clos du Soleil puts a big focus on Bordeaux blends. The Similkameen Valley winery produces several juicy and age-worthy wines, both red and white, crafted from the grapes made famous in the iconic French region.
Capella is a traditional white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Winemaker and managing director Michael Clark calls Capella a work of passion, and the results are consistently excellent. Like Cedarcreek, Clos du Soleil is transitioning to organic farming on their vineyards, though they haven’t sought official certification.
This medium-bodied, dry wine bursts with flavours of lime, grapefruit, lemon, green apple, orange and grass. Made of 74 per cent Sauvignon Blanc and 26 per cent Semillon, it has impressive flavour density and a strong spine of acid that should help it age well.
The Sauvignon Blanc is grown in the Similkameen near Keremeos, while the Semillon comes from near Oliver in the Okanagan Valley. An organic orchard purchased by Clos du Soleil a few years ago in the hills near their estate vineyard has been planted with both white varietals and will be the backbone of the wine once the vines mature.
Price: About $31. Check for it at Highlander Wine and Spirits, Vine Arts Wine and Spirits, Willow Park Wines & Spirits, Wine and Beyond at Sage Hill Crossing and Zyn the Wine Market. Some locations may still have the 2016 vintage, which is equally good. Drink: In the next five years.
Try it with lobster or crab, roast chicken or a white fish such as sole. Cork; 13.5 per cent alc./vol.