This year’s holiday dinners are probably going to look a lot different than they have in past years. It’s a hard reality to swallow, but some delicious BC wine should help with that!

To help us make decisions, we asked eleven of our favourite local wineries to each pour us a pick to enjoy within our bubbles this holiday season…

2015 Poplar Grove Legacy
36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 19% Malbec, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

“Rich intensity begins with deep garnet hues in the glass. Bold aromas of cassis and black cherry arrive rst with a strong and sultry backbone of dark chocolate. Our Legacy’s prominent and considerably big mouthfeel is a culmination of plums, vanilla, and blackberries. With time this wine gains both subtlety and complexity as tannins soften and flavours develop.”

2018 Blue Grouse Quill Red
Merlot 75%, Cabernet Franc 11.5%, Marechal Foch 13.5%

“This robust red wine exhibits aromas of caramel, black cherry, and licorice with rich cocoa and cloves on the finish.”

2018 CedarCreek Estate Meritage
40% Malbec, 40% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon & 8% Cabernet Franc

“We love this wine around this time of year; dark fruits, rich and round, and a great food pairing wine…or just on its own by the fire.”

2016 Queen Taken Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay

“This wine has essences of citrus peel and white peach, pear and wet stone, combined with delicate floral notes. The palate has generous fruit flavours of peach, nectarine and apricot, layered mid-palate richness and focused acidity, providing a long, textured, mineral finish.”

2016 Coolshanagh Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay

“This elegant wine exhibits aromas of straw, green apple and lychee with a rich and layered texture. Ideal to pair with wild salmon and creamy pasta dishes.”

MERLOT 2018
100% Merlot

“Nose: Black forest cake, baking spice. Palate: Stewed black + blue fruits, fig, sweet tobacco. Finish: Lively, rich + long. Overall: A fresh and full palate, gorgeous tannins, this wine is a lovely and purist expression of Similkameen terroir that finishes with chalky minerality.”

2016 Fitz Brut
66% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Noir, 6% Pinot Blanc, 2% Meunier

“This time of year we always have a bottle of sparkling on hand. Made in the traditional method this bubble has a subtle bouquet of apple and pear with brioche notes. Dry and textural with bright acidity.”

A Noble Blend 2019
Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Auxerrois, Muscat

“This aromatic wine exhibits an intense nose of guava, nutmeg, and clove. This spiciness continues on to the palate and opens up with unctuous flavours of lychee, coriander and guava carrying through to a grapefruit-fresh finish. Overall, the flavours and texture of this wine are focused and intense.”

2018 Reserve Meritage
45% Cabernet Franc, 44% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Malbec

“Fresh blackberry, brambleberry, dark cherry and hints of vanilla with a refined and structured finish.”

Painted Rock Red Icon 2017
38% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, 20% Petit Verdot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 2% Syrah

“Nominated as a Decanter “Wine of the Year”, Red Icon is Painted Rock Estate Winery’s flagship wine. It invites you in with rich aromas of cassis, black cherry, bramble fruit and nutmeg. Elegantly balanced with smooth tannins and bright acidity, the palate offers more dark fruit, blueberry and chocolate notes.”

2018 Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay

“Reds tend to be the star of the show as we transition into winter, but we love turning to a rich and complex white for its versatility from sipper to dinner companion. A bright golden colour, this wine exhibits classic Chardonnay notes of hazelnut, crème brûlée, lemon curd moving through to spicy notes of clove and rye. The lemon curd carries through to the palate juxtaposed with juicy, white grapefruit and white peach cobbler. Beautifully well-balanced with nice weight up front and bright, mineral-driven acidity that carries the lengthy finish.”