20 Under $20 in BC : May 2016

Let your taste buds travel

These past three weeks, our WineAlign West crew has been in Vancouver, Okanagan, Similkameen, Vancouver Island, Sonoma, Napa, San Francisco, New York, London, Champagne, Loire Valley and Paris. That’s not so bad for a pack of thirsty west coast wine geeks. It’s pretty evident from our picks, that our taste buds travel globally even when we’re shopping for wine in BC.

~ TR

Anthony Gismondi

Summer has arrived early on the west coast. Temperatures are well above average and it looks like its going to be a long, dry season. This bodes well for crisp, fresh, summer-sipper style wine sales to keep you cool while you cut back on your water usage. The recent fire events in Alberta remind us all to be vigilant in the forests all summer.

Errazuriz is doing a neat job with sauvignon as evident by the value in this super tasty Errazuriz Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc 2015. Refreshed by its proximity to the cold Pacific Ocean you get a wine that is slightly less aggressive than the Kiwi style and a lot more affordable.

Speaking of value, the Kvint Solaricco Fresco, a lean blend of pink traminer, viorica and aligoté, is crisp and bone dry. A summer charcuterie plate served al fresco is the ticket here.

My classy no sugar, no oak red pick is the Castello di Gabbiano Chianti 2014. Try it with barbecue grilled pizza.

Locally, the just released Quails’ Gate 2015 Chasselas – Pinot Blanc – Pinot Gris has summer written all over it. Juicy, fun and gulpable but with some minerality for interest.

The Heartland Shiraz 2013 is the best I have tasted in a while. Rich blackberry fruit makes this a classic shiraz that calls for a piece of grilled lamb. Good value.

Finally, can’t say enough about the latest Meyer Gewurztraminer 2014 that comes off a block of 22-year-old fruit that faces the setting sun. A drinkable food-friendly style you can serve on the patio with spicy tuna rolls and or vegetarian dishes. Don’t forget the suntan lotion.

Rhys Pender MW

I am just back from a trip through London, Loire and Paris. What a mixed bag of wines I have tasted along the way. Here are a few interesting ones worth trying this month.

Spending time in the Loire reminded me just how much I love its wines. They are crisp, fresh, juicy and so very drinkable with their lower alcohol levels and freshness. Because the region isn’t uber-famous the prices are usually very good too. An added bonus. At one market in France they were fortifying market goers by serving up small plates containing a few freshly shucked oysters and prawns with a glass of wine (yes, at 11am). It was a nice Loire Sauvignon Blanc served with it but a Muscadet would have perhaps have been even better. A great value example is the Ch. De La Gravelle 2014 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie. You may have to shuck your own oysters though.

That market happened to be in Chinon, which is much better known for its lively, juicy Cabernet Franc reds. A great value wine in the market for me is always the Jean Maurice Raffault Les Galuches Chinon, the 2013 being no exception.

Another wine I enjoyed in April was from a little further south, in Spain’s Aragon. The Evohé 2014 Garnacha Viñas Viejas is rich, soft and round and has some nice earthy and mineral notes for the price.

I feel lately like I keep going on and on about the Dão region of Portugal. It is a very serious wine region, without the recognition to achieve serious prices. This equals great value for the smart drinker. I recently re-tasted the Pedra Cancela 2010 Winemaker’s Selection and found it offered great savoury complexity at a great price.

I didn’t know what to expect when I tasted the Amalaya Torrontes-Riesling 2014 blend but it was quite nicely done. The floral aromatics of Torrontes with the zip and zing of Riesling results in a nice combo worth a try.

DJ Kearney

Here are some of my all-time favourite wines that tick all the boxes: killer value, food-worthy, and have soul.

Here in BC the hotly-anticipated spot prawn season is upon us. You could pull out a pricey Meursault for a fussy culinary preparation, but when those pricey crustaceans are simple flipped in a foaming pan of butter, garlic and parsley, I opt for Domäne Wachau’s 2014 Gruner Veltliner Terraces. And the wine that I’m going to sip as I peel the prawns (and I’ll heave a little in the hot pan in place of a squeeze of lemon) is the zingy 2015 Vinho Verde from Casal Garcia.

Whenever young, local goat’s cheese is in my salad, Marlborough sauvignon is needed, like a new-ish to market one like Te Pã 2014 Koha Sauvignon Blanc from the distinctive soils of the Lower Wairau Valley. Nervy and streamlined, and can handle a salad with grapefruit and chevre.

Finally two reds for the grill: the ever-delicious, soulful Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Clasico 2014 for grilled flank steak and chimichurri sauce, and a juicy, organically farmed 2014 Shiraz from Yalumba that will uplift smoky lamb chops.

Treve Ring

I have been tasting through dozens of the spring releases from BC, impressed by the generosity of the warm 2015 vintage.

In my mind, there is no better Riesling producer in BC than Synchromesh Wines, releasing no fewer than seven Rieslings this year, four of which are single vineyard from the 2015 vintage. And this pair, both sourced from 4 vineyards in Naramata and Okanagan Falls, illustrate the incredible diversity of style, and amazing value, this producer puts forth. Synchromesh Riesling 2015 is an amply off-dry, Kabinett-style, carrying 34 g/l RS, with perfumed pear blossom, key lime cordial, ripe apricot and fleshy peach on a round mouthfeel. Ample juiciness, with a cut of bitter key lime to hem everything in. Synchromesh Drier Riesling 2015 is in comparison to their straight Riesling (also a boggling $19) and still sings at 27 g/l RS, but with TA at 10.78 to keep the sugars neatly in check. With more late harvest grapes in this blend from Okanagan Falls and Naramata, cold cream, lime pulp, green apple, orange blossom hovers above a base of stone and citrus pith. The acidity here is tight and edgy, ideal for pairing with a wide range of foods – and at this price point, ideal for restaurants by the glass too.

Sea Star Ortega 2015 is also entirely on pointe this vintage, with tight pear, white peach, crystalline lemon and pink grapefruit ringing throughout this Pender Island coastal white.

From Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley comes the charming Unsworth 2015 Rosé. Pale pink in hue, with a hint of strawberry, red currant and earthy brie, this is a lean, bright and marine styled rosé, reflective of the coastal climate and ready for cured salmon or tuna.

Here’s a quick link to find the 20 Under $20 in stores near you.

WineAlign in BC

In addition to our popular 20 Under $20 shopping guide, we publish the monthly Critics’ Picks report which highlights a dozen of our favourites from the last month (at any price point), as well as Rhys Pender’s BC Wine Report, a look at all things in the BC Wine Industry. Treve Ring pens a wandering wine column in Treve’s Travels, capturing her thoughts and tastes from the road. Lastly, Anthony Gismondi closes out the month with his Final Blend column – an expert insight into wine culture and trends, honed by more than 25 years experience as an influential critic.

Editors Note: You can find complete critic reviews by clicking on any of the highlighted wine names, bottle images or links. Paid subscribers to WineAlign see all critics reviews immediately. Non-paid members wait 60 days to see new reviews. Premium membership has its privileges; like first access to great wines!