With the COVID-19 spread and everyone hopefully staying at home to help minimize the spread, what can you do for fun? There are only so many re-runs that you can watch on TV. Why not try something fun with friends remotely, plus help BC wineries? Have a virtual tasting. If you have a laptop, tablet or smartphone, it will have a built-in microphone and webcam. All you need is wine and wine glasses.
Where Can You Get BC Wine?
There are many BC wineries offering discounts and/or free shipping so you don’t have to leave your home. Below are a few that I know of but if a winery you like is not shown below try going to their website. They may have a special.
Some BC wineries offering specials:
- Clos du Soleil Winery 10% off 6 or more + free shipping
- Kitsch Wines free shipping
- Monte Creek Ranch free shipping on 6 or more
- Averill Creek Vineyard free shipping on 6 or more
- Black Market Wine Company 50% off shipping
- Evolve Cellars free shipping ($25 value)
- Mission Hill Family Estate free shipping
- CedarCreek Estate Winery free shipping
- Harper’s Trail free shipping on 6 or more
- Upper Bench Winery and Creamery free shipping. Use coupon code: freeshipping2020
Pick 6 wines from one of these wineries, or your favourite winery, and get your friends to order the same 6 wines.
Once the wines arrive, you can use something like SKYPE, Facebook, or ZOOM to host your virtual wine tasting. I’d suggest arranging the wines in the order of:
- sparkling
- aromatic whites or rosé
- oaked whites
- light-bodied reds (e.g. Gamay or Pinot Noir)
- full-bodied reds (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah)
- dessert wines
Have each person in the virtual tasting lead the tasting for 1-2 wines. Each person could do something like tell the others about the grape variety, or how the wine was made, or when the first time they tasted this wine, or where they tasted it. Or suggest a food pairing. Be creative. Have fun and enjoy BC wine.
