the WINE GUY

B.C. Day may arrive fairly late this year, but no matter — the time is always right to toast the bottled bounty of our province.

That said, it feels particularly poignant to raise a glass of local wine to acknowledge and honour B.C. Day. And not to sound like a broken record, but every year the task becomes easier and more enjoyable as the selection of interesting and exciting wines continues to diversify.

Here, then, is but a mere drop in the oak barrel, a trio of tasty bottles of varying shades and styles (and from various B.C. wine regions) that are worthy of hoisting overhead to cheer on the province’s big day.

THE SWIRL: GALIANO WINE AND BEER TASTING FESTIVAL

The 26th annual Galiano Wine and Beer Tasting Festival is taking place Aug. 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Lions Park on Galiano Island (992 Burrill Rd.)

The largest fundraiser for the Galiano Health Care Society, the festival features premium wines and craft beers poured alongside live music and free finger food.

Tickets are $50 and include a souvenir tasting glass. For complete details, head to galianowinefestival.ca. twitter.com/hadaglass

Corcelettes Estate Winery 2017 Gewürztraminer, Similkameen Valley ($15.57, limited availability through the winery)

Though the Okanagan Valley has established itself as the preeminent wine-growing region of B.C., it’s worth looking across the hills to the west to see the growth in vineyards and winemaking taking place in the Similkameen Valley. As one example, consider Corcelettes Estate Winery. Named after the family farm in Switzerland, Corcelettes’ first vintage was in 2011 and consisted of 200 cases. Today, they’re up to 3,500 cases, but are still very much hands on. Part of the winery’s Vineyard Accolade Series featuring grapes grown by local Similkameen farmers, its Gewürztraminer is both fantastic and a fantastic value with sumptuous tropical fruit meeting bright citrus and herbs. Only 175 cases of this delectable Gewürztraminer were “co-crafted” by the winery and Cawston Flats grape-growers Roxanne and

Dennis Mutch, so if curious, don’t hesitate to sleuth out a bottle. Bottom line: A. Great flavour and balance.

Monte Creek Ranch 2016 Hands Up Red, Thompson Valley ($16.99, limited availability at the winery and select private wine stores)

To follow B.C. wine country’s frontier expansion, check out the wines from Monte Creek Ranch. Located just 10 minutes outside Kamloops city limits, with 75 acres of grapes planted on both sides of the Thompson River, Monte Creek Ranch is one of three wineries in the Kamloops area. Their Hands Up Red is a bric-a-brac blend of Merlot, Marquette, Cabernet Sauvignon, Frontenac Noir and Cabernet Franc that comes across both fruity and savoury with dark fruit meeting smoke and herbs. Bring on the burgers or grilled pork roast.

Bottom line: B. Great barbecue wine.

Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards 2014 Fitz Brut, Okanagan Valley ($32.99, #4505)

Finally, it’s back to the Okanagan for a bubbly finale. In relatively short order, Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards has established itself as preeminent B.C. still and sparkling wine producers (though, admittedly, the Fitzpatrick family is no newcomer to the B.C. wine industry, having built CedarCreek Estate Winery into one of the province’s premier wineries before selling in 2014). With their Fitz Brut, they align themselves and their historic Greata Ranch site with the Grower Champagne model, adjusting blend allocations to follow year-to-year vintage vagaries and favouring traditional sparkling wine production methods. The 2014 vintage release is Chardonnay dominant (72 per cent, with the remaining 28 per cent Pinot Noir) and simply lovely with great citrus, apple and toasty aromas meeting a rich entry complemented by a flavourful and lengthy, racy finish. Bottom line: A- Fun yet

elegant.