With all the calamities around us lately, it is an appropriate time to give thanks for what we have, and to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends in Canada. Whether you enjoy a traditional turkey with stuffing gravy, potatoes, brussel sprouts, and pumpkin pie for dessert, or a ham, or a vegan main dish, there should be a BC wine to pair with your meal. Looking back over this year so far and the BC wines that I have tasted, I present to you 2 sparkling, 4 white wines, and 4 red wines that are available through BC Liquor Stores or private wine shops as designated below. Cheers.
10 BC Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner
Sparkling Wines
Backyard Vineyards Blanc de Noir Brut NV ($24.95) – This bubble has light pear skin colour. Light apple nose. Higher acidity with small to medium bubble. Tart green crisp apple and citrus on the finish. Nice. Available at Swirl Wine Store in Yaletown or the winery in Langley. 
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Grand Reserve Entourage Brut 2010, BC ($28.99) – This is a sparkling wine that I didn’t know was available in BC, but was very happy to try it. It has a nice ripe citrus and apple plus toasty aromas. High acidity, with flavours of apple and a little toast. Small bubble. Available through BC Liquor stores.
White Wines
Bordertown Vineyards & Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2016 (~$15.99) – Light melon nose. Medium body and acidity, with a slight acidic prickle. Melon, pears and a later on a hint of peach flavour. Delicate. Serving fish or a light vegan dish would work here. Available at BC Liquor stores.
TIME Estate Winery Chardonnay 2014 ($28.25) – A deeper golden lemon in colour, which I’m guessing in part comes from new oak barrel aging. Fuller intensity, very nice nose, with aromas of ripe pears, pineapple, butterscotch and vanilla. Dry, round and silky with a fuller mouth feel. Soft acidity to this wine. Lots of pears and pineapple, with a light oak treatment. The wine has a buttery, viscous feel to it which I like. Medium plus length, finishing with some pepperiness along with more pineapple. Very good quality wine. Should go well with roast chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. Available at Legacy Liquor store in Olympic Village.
Indigenous World Ehrenfelser 2016 ($17.99) – Nice ripe apples and pears on the nose. Dry, medium body with medium acidity. More apple and pear flavours, along with some peach. Very tasty. Available at Everything Wine.
Evolve Cellars Pinot Blanc 2016 ($15.99) – Pale straw colour. Medium intensity nose, but very fruity aromas. Lots of stone fruit, green apples and either toasty oak or flint. The wine is dry, soft and round with a bigger mouth feel. Apple flavour primarily, with lesser amounts of pear and peach. There is also some stony minerality to this wine. With decanting, the acidity, although not too strong, softens a bit more. The wine also becomes quite floral, and reminds me a bit like Gewurztraminer. The wine has a longer length, with mouth watering acidity, finishing with citrus, citrus rind, and stone fruits. Try this one with ham. Available at Legacy Liquor store in Olympic Village. 
Red Wines
Arrowleaf Pinot Noir 2015 ($28.55) – Very aromatic, ripe raspberry and cherry, together with some smokiness and light vanilla/oak nose. Medium plus body, with raspberries, cherries, red fruit, some floral and spiciness. Roundish. Soft tannins and some salty minerality. Very good quality. Turkey or ham with this wine. Available at Legacy Liquor store in Olympic Village. The Arrowleaf Rose is also an excellent choice at Legacy.
Robin Ridge Gamay Noir 2014 ($31.85) – Nice plummy nose. Dry, medium minus body, round and light acidity. More plum flavour and some spice on the palate. Very good. Available at Legacy Liquor store in Olympic Village.
Lunessence Winemaker’s Cut Syrah 2015 ($33.99) – These grapes were handpicked; fermentation was 100% natural, and took place in stainless steel tanks. The wine was aged in a variety of oak barrels for 14 months. Medium plus intensity ruby colour. Translucent but almost opaque at the core. It has a medium intensity nose, showing violets, raspberries, and plums with smoked meat later on. An intriguing nose. With decanting the floral component reduces, and you pick up some nutmeg aromas. The wine is dry and round, a bit silky, with medium tannins and a lighter mouth feel, and fuller flavour intensity. More ripe plums and black fruit, followed by ripe raspberries. You also get a hint of smokiness, black pepper and light oak touch. Medium length, finishing with flavours of cherries and plums, along with some bitter oakiness. A big, rich wine, for a big rich dish. At Swirl Wine store in Yaletown.
Culmina Hypothesis 2012 ($40.99) – A a blend of 57% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 19% Cabernet Franc. It has blackberries and oak aromas on the nose. Full bodied, dry, with quite a round mouth feel. Blackberries, nutmeg and oak, with floral on the mid palate. Firm, fine tannins on the finish. Another big, rich wine, for a big rich dish. At Swirl Wine store in Yaletown.
