by Treve Ring | It’s March, and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom on the coast. Fitting then, that my tastes turn towards one of the grapiest, most perfumed, expressive and fragrant of the aromatic grapes, muscat.

Hold up! I know what you’re thinking. You’ve tried muscat – the sweet, often spritzy, candied, easy-access gateway grape that flooded our shelves these past two years. Yes – those have their baby shower time and place, but this, my good friends, is not that. JoieFarm Muscat is (thankfully) pretty much dry-ish with just a bump of residual sugar to remind you what grape you’re dealing with and to prime the palate to eat. Think Lillet – the perfect aperitif.

This wine however, is serious enough to take you through the whole meal, especially if you’re feasting on Thai green curry or papaya salad. This sprightly muscat covers the spectrum of floral and fruity flavours, from crystalline lime and pear blossom to lychee, honeydew, and fragrant freesia. Blending moscato giallo (yellow muscat) and moscato canelli (white muscat) from the Naramata Bench has resulted in this intense, crisp and just off-dry juicy white that’s lively and vibrant on the palate with wild herbs and exotic spices on the finish. Entirely unique for BC, and perfectly fitting to toast the return of the cherry blossoms.

I recently asked proprietor and founder Heidi Noble about its Message In A Bottle…

 Joiefarm Muscat 2013 | Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, BC | $23 | +40139

Straight up – why did you make this wine? We make the JoieFarm Muscat because I have a soft spot for the wines of Northern Italy. They remind me of holidays and eating 12 courses of antipasti before dinner. Basta! I love the highly aromatic nature of Moscato Giallo which is so intoxicating on the nose, light in alcohol and cleans up with such brisk acidity. Who doesn’t love a 10.5 % wine? The Moscato grapes are as delicious for eating out of hand as they make delicious wine. On the crush pad you can smell these grapes from down the road when we are processing them. No joke.

Where are the grapes from? The grapes are from the JoieFarm Estate Vineyard at the winery property in Naramata. They were planted in 2007 and are now in their seventh year of production. These vines are essentially “gardened”. They get the royal treatment at Joie.

Your ideal pairing with this wine would be…? A plate of charcuterie: prosciutto, pecorino and deep-fried stuffed olives.

Favourite BC wine, other than yours? My favourite BC wine is Jay Drysdale’s Bella Gamay Sparkling. I can’t resist the pink bubble.

What do you drink when you’re not drinking BC wine? I drink Champagne at every given opportunity, but you will mainly find pinot noir, sangiovese, barbera, white burgundy, spatlese riesling and cru beaujolais in my cellar. Secret wine vice: I have a deep love of Ridge Zinfandel, [which is] ironic, considering how much pinot noir I make and drink. You got to get your rocks off somehow…

MORE MESSAGES IN OTHER BOTTLES