With Easter happening this weekend and most preparing a celebratory meal I thought we might look at some home-grown British Columbian wines for the occasion.
Maybe one of the four wines
included below might fit the bill.
Jackson Triggs
2009 Viognier Silver Series (593129)
British Columbia
$15.99
Jackson Triggs has wineries in both Ontario and British Columbia. The 2009 Viognier Silver Series (593129) comes from the Okanagan Valley.
Viognier, a white grape, is often used in blending with Syrah, a red grape, both in its French, Rhne Valley origins and in many New World Shiraz wines.
This is done to soften Shiraz and to help stabilize the colour in the red wine.
The colour of this Jackson Triggs Viognier is a soft gold with delicate floral aromas, with apricot and peach. Soft tree fruits prevail on the palate of this light to medium-bodied wine with a light creaminess before the touch of acidity on the finish.
This bottle is $15.99 and a great addition to an eggy Easter brunch.
Hester Creek
Pinot Blanc (467316)
British Columbia
$15.99
Hester Creek winery of the Okanagan is situated on what is called the Golden Mile Bench near Oliver.
It's interesting that because of its latitude this area gets more annual sunshine than California during the summer growing months.
This could be the reason the 2010 Hester Creek Pinot Blanc (467316) is so well developed. Like the previous Viognier, this wine is also light gold in colour but has very different aromas. Here apple and pear are the most prominent aromas with melon and some tropical fruits appearing later.
This medium-bodied wine is fresh with crisp apple, pear, honeydew melon and a touch of pineapple.
While it is clean and crisp on the finish there is a touch of sweetness at the end.
For $15.99 a bottle I think it would pair well with traditional Easter fare.
Ganton and Larsen Prospect Winery
Ogopogo's Lair 2009 Pinot Grigio (307082)
British Columbia
$14.99
When looking for a Pinot Grigio I will often look at the alcohol content and colour of the wine.
This tells me a lot of the style of the wine and what I can expect. I find the European styles to be crisp and lighter in flavour. The Ganton and Larsen Prospect Winery Ogopogo's Lair 2009 Pinot Grigio (307082) with its fuller-body is more appealing to my tastes.
This wine has a warm golden pink tone. The Pinot Grigio grape takes on a pinkish hue when it is full ripened and this ripeness is reflected in the colour of the wine. But that is not the only difference. A riper grape has a higher sugar content which translates into ripe fruit aromas and flavours.
This $14.99 wine is ripe with peach and melon aromas. On the palate, those ripe fruit flavours create a medium to full-bodied wine.
This is a lush wine with a slightly acidic finish that keeps it fresh amid a creamy fruity quality and a good choice for that roasted bird or glazed ham.
Gray Monk
Pinot Noir (251835)
British Columbia
$16.99
If you're looking for a red wine to serve this Easter then I'd like to suggest one from the family owned Gray Monk winery.
I would recommend the 2009 Pinot Noir (251835) from the Heiss family's estate. The colour in this wine pays tribute to the origins of the grape in that it is a light burgundy and its original home is Burgundy, France. Clean fresh aromas of ripe red cherry, raspberry and strawberries dominate but in the back there is an earthiness that adds to its appeal.
On the palate, this wine delivered what it promised on the nose with ripe red berry flavours and an unexpected softness. While the wine's light-body didn't have the crispness I expected, it did have a long finish. I think it would pair very nicely with either roast
turkey or glazed ham.
This estate wine is $16.99 a bottle.
