By the Bottle

The dry mineral-rich soils of the Okanagan region produce some of the world's best wines. Here, four of B.C.'s best to sample during your stay—or to enjoy back on home turf.

By Christina Burridge

1. SUMAC RIDGE ESTATE WINERY 2001 STELLER'S JAY BRUT
When the corks popped and the bubbles fizzed at Sumac Ridge’s 25th anniversary in July to celebrate the establishment of B.C.’s first estate winery, the guests were drinking Steller’s Jay Brut. Back in 1991, it was the first champagne-style sparkling wine in B.C. and it’s still the best, selling out every year. A blend of pinot blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir that’s spent 36 months ageing in bottle, it delivers a big whoosh of tiny bubbles, an appetizing toasty yeastiness and lots of sharp green apple acidity over almost tropical flavours. Fabulous with fresh-shucked oysters, Dungeness crab, foie gras or even dessert. LDB +264879, $24.99.

2. MISSION HILL FAMILY ESTATE 2004 RESERVE VIDAL ICEWINE
Mission Hill Family Estate is the destination winery in B.C. with its concrete cathedral of a winery dominating the landscape. The architecture is matched by well-structured wines crafted by New Zealand winemaker John Simes, who first put B.C. on the world wine map when his Reserve Chardonnay won a top international award in 1992. Simes makes several icewines including the extraordinary but hard to find S.L.C. Reserve Riesling at almost $100/half bottle. Much easier to find is the vidal, tart as the fruit from an Okanagan orchard but rich with orange and caramel. Elegantly bottled and boxed, a great gift. LDB +378117, $49.99/375 mL.

3. CEDARCREEK ESTATE WINERY 2004 ESTATE SELECT CHARDONNAY
When Gordon Fitzpatrick took over the running of CedarCreek 10 years ago, his task was to take a winery that produced very ordinary wines—“not bad for a B.C. wine,” he remembers—and make it one of the best in the Okanagan. With winemaker Tom Di Bello, he’s turned out elegant, muscular fruit-driven reds and crisp, complex, delicious whites that made CedarCreek Canadian winery of the year in both 2002 and 2005. Success means the wines—especially the Platinum Reserve series—are hard to find. Look for the 2004 Estate Select Chardonnay, one of CedarCreek’s signature wines for its classic butterscotch and pear flavours, in VQA and private wine stores. +607200, $21.09.

4. TINHORN CREEK VINEYARDS 2003 MERLOT
Tinhorn Creek made its name with merlot, a grape that in the Okanagan Valley consistently delivers some of our best reds poised between fruit and acidity, mineral and earth. It was also the first Valley winery to pioneer Stelvin screw caps—which have convinced winemaker Sandra Oldfield to get rid of her corking machine—starting with the 2002 Oldfield’s Collection Merlot, released in October 2005. The 2003 regular merlot is more available, the last vintage with a cork, and is very ripe, brimful of black cherry, blackberry and spice and gloriously ready to drink now. LDB +530725, $17.99.

For more wine reviews, see our Food & Drink section.

For restaurant reviews, see our Restaurants section.

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