Wine Pick: Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc 2014

A B.C. wine good enough for royalty—and for under twenty dollars!

If you love dry white wine of any stripe, give this beauty—not just a B.C. hero, but a Canadian standout—a try over the holiday weekend. Chenin blanc is a grape from France’s Loire Valley (where it lends itself to sensational wines in the Vouvray and Savennières regions), and it has adapted nicely to the Okanagan Valley—its trademark sizzling acidity holds up well in our short, warm desert climate. The 2014 edition smells of petals, peach, and apple skin, with a lovely beeswax note. Medium bodied and bone-dry, it offers juicy citrus flavours and a subtle hint of Okanagan sagebrush honey. President Obama and William and Kate have enjoyed it, and you will, too—especially when paired with pasta with local peas, or grilled salmon and herb butter.Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc 2014$16.59B.C. +391854