Anthony Gismondi: Celebrate your long weekend with B.C. wines

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COVID-19 continues to test the patience of British Columbians, and It wouldn’t surprise many if the province is heading toward another shut down at some level to check the spread of the virus.

You would think watching America implode for the second time in four months would have made a bigger impression north of the border. Yet from folks lying about where you live to jump the line at the ferry terminal to swarming winery tasting rooms and swamping the beaches with oversized bubble groups, we seem determined to go down the same rabbit hole.

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Anthony Gismondi: Celebrate your long weekend with B.C. wines Back to video

This weekend the safest place to celebrate B.C. Day with a glass of local wine is probably on your balcony or deck of for the lucky, in the backyard. If you are going to venture out, please choose a socially distanced patch of grass, or beach and keep your distance from the crowds.

What to drink is another question, although the answer is getting easier every year. The choice has never been wider, and the quality has never been better, so we have decided to create some likely scenarios and paired some labels up to match the story.

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For those who love B.C. wine but think it is too expensive, we have rounded up some of the best buys in the market.

For even more savings, get together with some friends and combine your order at the closest Save-on-Food grocery store selling wine. To get the most out of your order, share a case selection for a 10 per cent discount plus another $12 case discount and swipe your points card too.

White wines to look for include:

• Gehringer Brothers Classic Riesling $11.99

• Road 13 Honest Johns White $14.99

• Hester Creek Character White $15.99

• Gobsmacked Cyclops Love (The Hatch) $15.99

• Meyer Family Gewürztraminer $17.99.

Reds we like include:

• Road 13 Honest Johns — Red $18.49

• Hillside Winery Merlot $19.79

• Bench 1775 Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah $21.49

• Le Vieux Pin Winery Petit Rouge $21.49

Pinot Noir continues to ascend the list of grapes that will likely put British Columbia on the global wine list. Here are some of the best Pinot Noirs we tasted this year from the least to the most expensive based on winery prices:

• Oak Bay Vineyard 2018 $20

• Tantalus Maija 2018 $22

• Nichol Vineyard 2018 $26

• Lightning Rock Elysia Vineyard 2018 $35

• Coolshanagh Pinot Noir 2017 $37

• Foxtrot Pinot Noir The Waltz Vineyard 2017 $44

• Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Micro Cuvée McLean Creek Vineyards 2018 $60

• Martin’s Lane Dehart Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015 $100

Two of our most promising wine grapes versus what’s out there in the world, ironically, are the hardest to gain favour with consumers. B.C. Riesling and Syrah can be sensational, yet we can only surmise that what consumers would describe as “strong” flavours could be the reason behind why there is so much resistance to buying them. Less demand is good news for those who love these wines because the supply is plentiful, and the prices remain mostly reasonable.

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Our suggestion is to serve them as a duo to guests this weekend, one Riesling and one Syrah and see if you can entice your closest (bubble) friends to consider changing their minds about these outstanding wines.

In the affordable category, we recommend Quails’ Gate Riesling $18 and the Mission Hill Reserve Shiraz $27. For top-flight experiences, try the Martin’s Lane Naramata Riesling $55 or the Tantalus Old Vines Riesling $32 and pair with the Le Vieux Pin Syrah Classique $45 or the Painted Rock Syrah $43.

Finally, may we suggest you honour Dr. Bonnie Henry this long weekend by practicing the best COVID-19 protocols so that we all might enjoy eating and drinking outside well into the fall.

Weekend wine picks

Cipes Blanc de Blanc 2012, East Kelowna, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

$37.99 I 91/100

UPC: 00779000138067

I love the sharp focus and the stony, salty, citrus, mineral notes. Electric on the palate, this sparkler is built for to age with a foundation of rich acidity that defines the north Okanagan as the true Canadian cool-climate region. Already seven years in the bottle, you can feel the creamy textures and toasted lees note that permeate its refined mousse, yet it has an electricity that sets it apart from most of its peers. The fruit is all estate and certified organic. Freshly shucked oysters are the ticket with this real wine.

JoieFarm A Noble Blend 2018, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

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$24.99 I 89/100

UPC: 00692739000019

Noble Blend was always pleasant, but a lot of sweetish white blends are. In 2017 the style shifted, and in 2018, we see a much more interesting electric white wine that is better suited to food. It’s still based on the Alsace classic whites of Edelzwicker or Gentil. I love the freshness, the lime leaf, pure pear and spice that sits on the nose of this Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Auxerrois and Muscat blend. As good as the aromatics are, the juicy palate with its drier sheen and peppery finish is just so much more fun. Less cloying, more dramatic. Perfect for mussels, clams or fish tacos.

Tantalus Riesling 2019, East Kelowna, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

$24.99 I 91/100

UPC: 626990067412

We have said it before, and we will say it again; there is nothing regular about the “regular” Tantalus Riesling. The site is very much a trigger for this variety, not to mention Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, making East Kelowna a highly sought after corner of the Okanagan Valley. The Tantalus signature is a purity of fruit and, by definition, the electricity that takes your breath away. Grapefruit, limes, Meyer lemons, citrus zest, nectarines: you pick the freshest fruit flavours you can think of, and they are all here. Add in a stony, mineral backbone, and again why would you drink anything else? Drink or hold this for a decade and beyond. The price is a rare mistake in your favour. Back up the truck.

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Bartier Bros. Rosé 2019, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

$14.99 I 89/100

UPC: 628055147312

A price reduction no to be missed. The colour is a perfect pale pink/orange, at least for me a result of 38/33/29 mix of Merlot, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer, the latter an off-site addition from Summerland. The 2019 is restrained, dry, and elegant and all you could want in a rosé to sip in the late day with a bite of food, or for dinner, given its freshness and ability to pair well with food. Delicate with dry cranberry, citrus pomegranate flavours that finish crisp and clean. There is just the perfect hint of fatness or texture to help it slide down. Ready to drink and priced accordingly.

Mission Hill Reserve Meritage 2017, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

$26.99 I 89/100

UPC: 776545975232

The second edition of this 39/38/20/3 Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot is about as slick texturally as you can get. Elegance is the watchword here, especially up front, where the Merlot dominates. You feel the Cabernet Franc more on the mid-palate and in the back end, with its smoky, peppery, black cherry and a hint of dryness. The finish is long, round and silky with a savoury Okanagan twist. Perfect for a favourite steak cut. It spends 15 months in French and American oak, and the fruit comes off two estate vineyards, one in Osoyoos, and the second in Oliver.

Schell Family Crab Boil

Jennifer Schell includes recipes from many of the province’s top winemakers in The B.C. Wine Lover’s Cookbook. This traditional seafood boil, however, evolved from her own family’s shared culinary experiences. It’s a perfect way to use fresh, local sweet corn.

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2 packages Louisiana Seafood Boil spice blend

8 lemons, halved, plus extra

6 yellow onions, halved

36 new potatoes

6–12 mild Italian sausages, partially cooked

12 Dungeness crabs, humanely killed

12 cobs corn, shucked

24 large shrimp, shell on

12 ramekins filled with melted garlic butter, to serve

Sliced baguettes, to serve

Prepare your serving table by covering it with a thick layer of newspaper or water-resistant tablecloth. Fill a 44-quart pot (enormous, I know!) just over halfway with water, keeping in mind that the ingredients will raise the water level significantly. Bring to a boil. Add the spice blend, lemons and onions, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Drop in the potatoes and cook until just fork-tender, about 7 minutes. Add the sausages and bring back to a boil, then add the crabs, corn and shrimp. Boil for 9 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat. Strain your feast, then dump it directly onto the table! No forks or knives are necessary — roll up your sleeves and eat with your hands.  Serve with crab cracking tools and picks.

Makes 12 hearty servings.

Recipe match

A crab and prawn boil is an exercise in eating rich, so follow that thread with some rich Chardonnay flavours to cement a rich and rich match.

Kitsch Chardonnay 2018, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada $24

Bright, fresh mango, green apple streaked with ripe pear are just the ticket to match the rich texture and flavours of this crab boil.

Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2018, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada $30

Peaches, baked apple, hazelnuts, and caramel corn brings a cross-section of flavours to take on the boil.