10 BC Wines for Your Holiday Meals

Whatever you are celebrating this December, it’s probably with family and/or friends for a rich meal at some point.  Food loves wine, so here are a few of my recommended wines that should go with many dishes, or to enjoy on their own before or after your meal.

My Holiday BC Wine Suggestions

White Wines

Coolshanagh Chardonnay, Naramata Bench, 2016 ($25.99) – Light vegetal nose.  Medium body round with a thick mouthfeel.  Very flavourful showing tropical fruit and sweet spices as well as some apple.  Lighter acidity.  – 

Road 13 Vineyards Roussanne 2017 ($25.49) – is a bright deep gold colour in the glass. The wine has a very pronounced nose showing mostly ripe pineapple and oak. There is also some lemon, bramble leaf and maybe lanolin. With decanting you also get some peach aroma.  The wine is dry but it is very thick, round and smooth on the palate. It has lighter acidity. Flavours are primarily ripe and dried pineapple along with toasty oak and vanilla. I also picked up over-ripe pears and possibly dried lemons. There is also a touch of apricot towards the finish. With decanting the wine feels like it has a lighter body and I pick up minerality.  This wine has a long length finishing fairly peppery along with its pineapple, roasted pineapple and toasty oak flavours.   Decanting helps open this wine a little more. It would be great with roast chicken or turkey.  – 

Lariana Cellars Viognier 2018 – Nice deep ripe stone fruit nose.  Fuller bodied, off-dry, medium acidity, with quite fruity flavours.  Primarily stone fruits flavours along with some toastiness.  Quality.  Serve with a baked ham.

Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Road Chardonnay 2017 – Light toasty nose along with apple aromas.  Butterscotch and tropical fruit flavours, along with toast and oak.  The wine has a medium body, is smooth, lower acidity and buttery mouthfeel. Yum. More roast chicken here.  – 

Privato Woodward Collection Chardonnay 2016 ($25.99) – Light lemon colour. I really enjoyed the smoky, toasty, tropical fruit nose.  It has a medium body with medium intensity acidity.  Tropical fruit, in particular, ripe pineapple flavour.  Round with a buttery mouthfeel.  Balanced.  Elegant.  – 

Red Wines

Privato Pinot Noir 2017 ($26.99) – the grapes for this wine come from selected vineyards throughout the Okanagan Valley.  This wine is a medium intensity translucent garnet in colour.  Light smoke and red cherry aromas.  Medium-plus body, smooth with a thicker mouthfeel.  Fine tannins and light acidity.  Red cherries and nutmeg flavours, along with a hint of roses.  Also a bit peppery.  Long length. Very elegant. Roast duck breast or lamb chops would be nice pairings.  – 

Coolshanagh Pinot Noir, Naramata Bench, 2017 ($25.99) – pale translucent garnet in the glass.  Tea leaves and red fruits on the nose.  Tea leaves, red fruits, sweet spices and pepperiness on the palate.  The wine is dry with medium body / acidity / tannins. Very good. Try with salmon.

C.C. Jentsch Cellars Syrah 2016 – Medium-plus intensity ruby colour.  It has a nice raspberry and toasty nose.  It is dry and soft with a medium minus body.  Silky mouthfeel.  Raspberries and light touches of vanilla and pepperiness.  Off-dry finish.  – 

Lake Breeze Vineyards Meritage 2017 – This wine is a blend of Merlot (45%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Cabernet Franc (20%), and Malbec (10%).  It has a nice juicy black fruit nose. The wine is full-bodied and has a round, off-dry mouthfeel.  It is very fruit showing black fruits primarily.  You also get some minerality and pepperiness to the wine.  It has medium acidity and fine tannins; the tannins firming up on the finish.  

Road 13 Vineyards GSM 2017 ($36.52) – is a blend of 51.4% Grenache, 34% Mourvedre, and 14.6% Syrah. It is about 80% opaque garnet from rim to core. The wine has a medium-plus intensity, very nice nose, showing some smokiness, red fruit, black pepper, and juicy cassis fruit.  There is no change with the nose after decanting; still very nice. This wine is medium-bodied, dry, and round with medium acidity and fine tannins. The wine has a smoothness to it but an acidic edge as well. It has bright ripe red fruit and cassis flavours along with floral, some smokiness that then leads into black pepper. This wine is very flavorful and the fresh juicy flavours I think are due to the acidity in this wine. With decanting there is also a noticeable salty minerality from the wine.  It has a medium-plus length finishing with some pepperiness, tart red fruit and cassis, and light tannins. Decanting makes this wine even better. Enjoy with roast beef.