Do you know that the Okanagan Valley gets 2 hours more sunlight per day than Napa Valley during the July and August growing season and that the Okanagan is warmer and more arid than Napa? We should be able to get great ripe fruit, but as well as the Okanagan being a desert climate, we also get cool evenings allowing the grapes to keep higher acidity levels, so we can get wines that express their fruit characteristics plus have lively acidity. That makes a crushable wine. Here are 19 crushable wines, mainly white and sparkling, for you to enjoy this Spring and Summer. I recently reviewed them at the latest BC VQA Spring wine release. Enjoy Responsibly!
White and Sparkling Wines
50th Parallel Estate Riesling 2016 ($15.69+) – Light petrol and citrus aromas with more on the palate. Also some apple flavour. Medium body, higher acidity but still has some smoothness. This wine can age. 
Bonamici Cellars Pinot Grigio 2016 ($16.50+) – Very light nose. Medium body, dry and round with flavours of ripe stone fruit and some honey.
Bonamici Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Viognier 2016 ($19.25+) – Light herbal, green fruit and stone fruit nose. Fuller body, round with a mix of lychee, citrus and herbal flavours. Some bitterness on the finish.
Bordertown Vineyards Gruner Veltliner 2016 ($17.00+) – Ripe honey and stone fruit aromas. Dryish with medium acidity. Floral, apples and stone fruit flavours. An easy sipper. 
Okanagan Crush Pad Narrative Riesling 2016 ($19.99+) – Light petrol on the nose and on the palate.Medium body, dry with medium acidity and some minerality. Apple fruit flavour. –
Nk’Mip Cellars QwAM QwMT Chardonnay 2016 ($21.99+) – Nice ripe tropical fruit and vanilla oak aromas in the glass. More on the palate. Full body and round with sweet spices, oak, and tropical fruit flavours. Quality. – 
Perseus Select Lots Chardonnay 2016 – Light tropical fruit and oak nose. Medium plus body, buttery, round, with lighter acidity. Tropical fruit, oak and butterscotch flavours. –
Poplar Grove Winery Blanc de Noirs 2016 ($22.49+) – A rosé wine made with 55% Malbec, 25% Syrah, 10% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. Quite a few different grapes go into this wine. It’s pale orangey red. Very aromatic with aromas of tea leaves and stone fruits. Smooth and off-dry. Tea leaves, dried leaves, oranges, and stone fruit flavours. –
Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc 2017 ($16.59+) – Light stone fruit and baked apple aromas. Medium plus body and acidity. Dry. Toast, apples and some honey flavours. Sweet spice on the end. This wine will age.
Singletree Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2017 ($13.84+) – Light stone fruit nose with more stone fruit on the palate. Salty minerality and oranges also on the palate. Medium acidity. An easy sipper. –
Robin Ridge Winery Chardonnay 2016 – Nice ripe tropical fruit and honey on the nose. More tropical fruit on the palate with toasty oak and sweet spices. Medium plus body, round and butter. Quality. –
Sage Hills Estate Winery Brut Sauvage 2015 ($33+) – This organic sparkling wine is made using a wild ferment, and has no added dosage. Bruised apple nose. Dry with high acidity. Bruised apple flavour. Small biting bubbles. –
Spearhead White Pinot Noir 2017 ($19.29+) – Stone fruit mixed with green fruit aromas in the glass. Very flavourful; herbal, stone fruits, and peach skin. –
Stoneboat Vineyards Piano Brut NV ($19.99+) – Nice ripe, lifted stone fruit nose. Dry with high acidity and medium bubble. Apples, peaches, and peach skin flavours. Nice. –
Ursa Major Estate Winery Chardonnay 2016 (~$35) – Very aromatic, rich tropical fruit nose with more on the palate. Full bodied with medium acidity and some butteriness. Sweet spices with some pepperiness toward the finish. Quality.
Volcanic Hills Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2016 ($16.79+) – Pears, apples, and floral notes on the nose. Off-dry with medium body and acidity. Pears, apples and honey flavours. Good.
Red Wines
A few red wines when you fire up your BBQ.
C.C. Jentsch Cellars Syrah 2015 ($31.90+) – An intense nose with ripe red fruits, vanilla, cedar, and sweet spice aromas. Fuller body, soft and silky. Flavours of ripe plums, red fruits and sweet spices. Soft tannins. A big wine. –
Church & State Wines Meritage 2016 ($21.99+) – A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Capsicum and cassis on the nose and on the palate. Fuller body, silky with a mineral streak.
Church & State Wines Syrah 2014 ($31.99+) – Vanilla, slatey, dark fruit nose. Fuller body, with salty minerality. Deep dark fruit flavour along with vanilla and a hint of pepper. –
