The holidays are hopefully a time for you to enjoy being among friends and family; typically over a meal or they could be your guests staying for a night or longer. What are some things that you could offer them to show off a bit of BC? Two suggestions could be 1) BC sparkling wine, and 2) BC wine jellies.
BC sparkling wine is getting more well-known here and abroad. According to winebc.com as of last December, there were almost 75 BC wineries producing sparkling wine. I would wager that the number of wineries producing sparkling wines as of this December has increased.
Haywire Winery Vintage Bub 2013
One quality BC sparkling wine you may want to consider offering to taste is Haywire Wineries Vintage Bub 2013 ($34.90). This Champenoise-style sparkling wine is bottle aged 5 years and is made with a blend of organically grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. No dosage was added after disgorgement. This wine has a deeper golden straw colour. A medium intensity nose showing citrus, nuttiness, pears and some toast. The one is dry with a creamy, lighter mouthfeel. I really enjoyed the small creamy bubbles from the wine. The wine has higher acidity and flavour intensity. I taste crisp ripe apples and baked pears, nuttiness and a touch of toastiness. The flavours of the apples and pears had a deep intensity. The wine had a medium plus length, finishing with mouth-watering acidity, along with the continuation of the fruit flavours and nuttiness. A very excellent sparkling wine for the holidays. You can buy it online at Haywire and probably at many wine shops around Vancouver, such as Liberty, Marquis Wine Cellars, and Everything Wine.
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There is a lot to enjoy in this sparkling wine; Small, creamy bubbles, deep apple and pear flavours, and nice toasty nuttiness.
Singletree Winery Wine Jellies
Wine jellies can be used like any other jelly except that you get extra flavours from the wine used to make the jelly. You may first think of serving it for breakfast on toast, but there are many other options to consider. A classic pairing is to add wine jellies to a cheese plate. You could also add some jelly to a fruit tart or pie that you are baking for dessert, or simply top a shortbread cookie. I’ve used jellies before with grilled sausages, in particular, South African boerewors, but I think any grilled pork or beef sausage with peppercorn or sweet spices in the sausage would work well.
Singletree Winery in the Fraser Valley started producing wine jellies a year ago, and I was able to taste their:
- Citrus Pinot Gris (with lemon juice, orange rind) and
- Spicy Pinot Noir (cinnamon, star anise, clove) jelly
The Citrus Pinot Gris definitely has a citrus and rind flavour. Tasting it on its own, it has a light mouthfeel, and bright flavours; not too sweet due to the citrus component.
The Spicy Pinot Noir offers sweet spices and red fruit aromas and flavours. Again not too sweet, but the jelly is a bit firmer. It does have a touch of spice, but it is not too peppery.
I tried both of these jellies with warm shortbread cookies and both were tasty; each offering different flavours to complement the cookies. I think having a cup of orange pekoe tea with this would be delightful. You can purchase these jellies at the Singletree Winery in Abbotsford, BC.
Thank you to both Haywire Winery and Singletree Winery for providing me with these samples of BC wine and jellies to try and write about. Happy Holidays.
