Wines to put some joy in the sad end of summer
T o some, Labour Day signals the end of summer, which is, frankly, a bit of a bummer, especially since fall doesn’t officially start until September 22. We see it as an opportunity to celebrate and discover some new British Columbia wines. Here are a few suggestions to help you make the most of the long weekend.
TAKE YOUR TIME
Fondly remembered as the godfather of B.C.’s modern wine industry, the late Harry McWatters was the CEO and president of Penticton’s Time Winery, Evolve Cellars, and McWatters Collection. He was also the founding chair of several notable organizations you might have heard of, like VQA Canada and the British Columbia Hospitality Foundation.
While his daughters Christa-Lee and Darrien remain actively involved in operations, Five Vines Cellars recently took over ownership of the three brands. And McWatters’s legacy lives on.
He launched his namesake label in 2011 with two wines—a Chardonnay and a red Meritage blend—made with premium grapes picked at peak ripeness and aged in small French oak casks. Production remains limited, at fewer than 1,000 cases per year.
The 2017 McWatters Meritage ($34.99) consists of 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 percent Merlot, and 15 percent Cabernet Franc. It’s big, bold, smooth, and evocative of all the wild blackberries you can still pick if you have the tenacity. Grilled peppers, eggplant, asparagus, and hanger steak would go quite nicely with this handsome red. SPARKLING PERSONALITIES
Why not break out the bubbles to toast the long weekend?
Evolve Cellars’ Effervescence ($19.99) is light, fresh, and a smidge sweet, made of 70 percent Pinot Blanc and 30 percent Chardonnay.
Hester Creek has just launched its first vintage of a Prosecco-style sparkling wine, the 2019 Ti Amo ($19.99). With a limited production of just 300 cases, it’s made primarily of Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer, along with a teeny bit of Semillon, the estate-grown grapes picked by hand early to maintain their acidity. Slightly sweet, it makes for easy pairings: try it with olives or a lemony prawn pasta.
Liquidity Wines’ Bubbly ($23) is refreshingly tasty and slightly off-dry, bringing to mind pears and honeydew and other pleasing green fruits. This no-vintage sparkling wine from the Okanagan Falls winery features Chardonnay Musque, an aromatic and floral Chardonnay clone. Serve it with sushi, tapenade and crackers, burrata-andtomato salad, or sunshine.
Okanagan Crush Pad’s Bizou + Yukon pretty-in-palepink sparkler, BEE-zoo Bubbles 2018 ($24.90), is vibrant and medium-bodied and best served with shellfish of all kinds. NUMEROUS SHADES OF NOIR
Pinot Noir is becoming increasingly popular in B.C., and several wineries are winning people over with their masterful handling of the fruit known as the heartbreak grape.
La Frenz 2018 Reserve Pinot Noir ($34.70) won double gold in the 2020 All Canadian Wine Championships, and no wonder with its gorgeous texture and deep, earthy flavours.
Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars’ Pinot Noir program comprises three single-vineyard releases and two blends. Slightly smoky and oh so elegant, the Reserve Cuvée Pinot Noir 2018 ($45) is made of grapes from vines at least 25 years old from the Okanagan Falls winery’s three key Pinot Noir vineyards.
Township 7 Vineyards and Winery is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and is on its third vintage of Pinot Noir. The 2018 is proving to be juicy, complex, and redolent of cherries.
Finally, Kelowna’s Cedar Creek Estate Winery’s 2018 Home Block Platinum Pinot Noir Clonal Set ($135) comprises a trio of wines made of clones that were developed in Dijon and date back to the 1950s.