Wine

Best Light White Wine

By Vancouver Magazine /

Pikes Traditionale Clare Valley Riesling 2007

Australia  $24.99  +291260

Pikes is a heartwarming success story. It’s a family winery founded in 1984 and run by two brothers, one the viticulturalist, the other the winemaker. The winery is located in the isolated, idyllic Clare valley, an inland area north of Adelaide in South Australia where the growing conditions (cooler climate, slate soil) are perfect for Riesling. And although Clare Riesling is underappreciated in this part of the world, elsewhere it is recognized as one of Australia’s greatest wine styles—Pikes 2007 Traditionale shows why. Packed with minerally citrus flavour yet dry as a bone, it features stunningly fresh acidity that gives it an incredibly long-lasting, pure, clean finish. Clare Rieslings are built for the long haul (at least 10 years), but do not hesitate to enjoy this bottle now. It is the ideal partner for the Asia-Pacific cuisine we live on in Vancouver.

Cono Sur Viognier 2007

Chile  $10.99  +566836

Killer value Viognier.

La Puerta Torrontes 2006

Argentina  $11.55  +103416 (private wine stores)

Intensely floral, bone-dry Argentinean specialty.

Lurton Les Fumées Blanches 2007

France  $11.99  +472555

Lovely Sauvignon from the south of France.

Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Blanc 2007

B.C.  $14.99  +300301

Crisp, clean, and citrusy: B.C. to the max.

Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Gris 2007 

B.C.  $16.99  +563981

Gorgeous peachy Okanagan fruit.

See Ya Later Ranch Gewurztraminer 2007 

B.C.  $16.99  +868067

Lively Gewurz with a fresh lime finish.

Donnafugata Anthìlia 2007

Italy  $17.99   +213298

Exotic, fragrant Mediterranean white.

Moselland Ars Vitis Riesling QbA 2007

Germany  $17.99  +914762

Fresh, juicy, and clean as a whistle.

Wild Goose Gewurztraminer 2007

B.C.  $18.95  +414748 (private wine stores)

Textbook savoury South Okanagan Gewurz.

Dr. L Riesling  2007

Germany  $18.96  +599274

Mosel superstar strikes again.

Road 13 Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2007

B.C.  $18.99   +450890 (private wine stores)

Serious Chenin from B.C.’s oldest vinifera vines.

Altesino Bianco di Toscana 2006

Italy  $19.99  +637520

Super-stylish Tuscan white.

Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 2008 

New Zealand  $19.99  +557538

Classic Marlborough with tropical fruit flavours.

St. Urbans-Hof Estate QbA Riesling 2007 

Germany  $19.99  +597997

Awesome value year after year.

Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2008

New Zealand  $19.99  +493619

Zesty grapefruit and gooseberry flavours.