Best Buy! The Canadian government developed this cross of Golden Muscat and Maréchal Foch in the 1970s as a winter-hardy and aromatic white grape, and only Howard Soon's team at historic Calona Vineyards — headed by Sandy Leier — works with this variety. It’s remarkably exotic by exuding tropical aromas and flavors of lychee, rosewater and pineapple with baking spices. And yet, … [Read more...] about Calona Vineyards 2013 Artist Series Sovereign Opal, Okanagan Valley, $13
British Columbia
Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2013 Private Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, $16
Best Buy! This fall will mark the 30th vintage for the highly decorated duo of Walter and Gordon Gehringer along British Columbia’s Golden Mile Bench, and this tier of the Pinot Noir is remarkably approachable and a crowd-pleaser, akin to some examples from Southern Oregon. There’s little sign of oak, which pushes aromas of fresh strawberry, cranberry, raspberry, Twizzlers … [Read more...] about Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2013 Private Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, $16
Wild Goose Vineyards 2013 Gewürztraminer, Okanagan Valley, $19
One of the touchstone bottlings each year in the Pacific Northwest for this German variety, it requires just a short walk from the lab in his Okanagan Falls cellar for Hagen Kruger to check on this crop. A crack of the cap produces perfumy aromas of pink grapefruit, honeydew melon, orange blossom tea, clove, cardamom and lavender. The flavors are elegant with peach, apricot and … [Read more...] about Wild Goose Vineyards 2013 Gewürztraminer, Okanagan Valley, $19
Wild Goose Vineyards 2012 Red Horizon Meritage, Okanagan Valley, $22
Hagen Kruger continues to rack up praise for his nascent red wine program, and he’s done well with this Meritage of Merlot (55%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) and Petit Verdot from the family’s Kerry Hill and Secrest vineyards in the southern Okanagan. Lovely oak tones create sweet aromas of a freshly steamed mocha, dark plum and blackberry. On the palate, that oak profile is … [Read more...] about Wild Goose Vineyards 2012 Red Horizon Meritage, Okanagan Valley, $22
Bella Wines 2013 Sparkling Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay Single Vineyard Oliver East Side, Okanagan Valley, $24
One of the Okanagan Valley’s most decorated winemakers, Michael Bartier, began working with Cerqueira Vineyard along British Columbia’s Black Sage Bench soon after it was planted in 1999, and here Naramata Bench bubbles producer Jay Drysdale creates a beautiful single-vineyard sparkling wine from its Chardonnay. Aromas of dusty white peach, dried ginger and honeysuckle include … [Read more...] about Bella Wines 2013 Sparkling Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay Single Vineyard Oliver East Side, Okanagan Valley, $24