It is Easter weekend coming up for many people around the world, and the world is still in turmoil with COVID-19, since I last wrote this article one year ago. There are many traditions besides the Easter celebrations among different faiths but enjoying meals with family and friends is a big part of each of them. Here are 6 BC VQA wines that I reviewed from Fall 2019 that I think will nicely complement fish, poultry, and/or pork dishes, plus a few BC wines that I tasted in 2020 and the first 2 months of 2021. Look for these wines at a BC Liquor Store or at a private shop like Save On Foods, Swirl, or Everything Wine for the largest selection. I hope we all have a safe Easter weekend and I hope we can get together with family and friends soon after we are vaccinated this year.
A Few BC Wine Suggestions from 2020-21
Hillside Winery Heritage Series Pinot Gris 2019 (BC $28) – A very big juicy wine with tropical fruit aromas and flavours. You also get pears, a touch of oak, nutmeg, and vanilla, and some pepperiness on the finish. 
Hillside Winery Heritage Series Viognier 2019 (BC $28) – A Viognier with unique aromas of chai spice, along with pears and tropical fruits. Silky smooth with stone fruits, tropical fruits, salty minerality and some grape stem on the palate. 
Enrico Winery Celebration Charme de l’ile 2019 (BC $25.50) – Ripe, crisp apple and stone fruit aromas and flavours. Prominent apple blossom flavour as well. Medium-sized bubble. A celebratory, easy to drink, sparkling wine.
Enrico Winery Shining Armour Pinot Gris 2018 (BC $22.75) – A mix of citrus and stone fruits, along with toasty oak on the nose and palate. It is bigger but still soft and round with medium acidity with decanting. A polished wine. Needs decanting.
Roche Wines Texture Pinot Gris 2019 (BC $21.90) – A wine with a light ripe stone fruit nose, along with honey and spice. It has a thicker, round mouthfeel with a subtle acidic edge. A mix of pear, apricot, apple and a touch of floral on the palate.
SpearHead Winery White Pinot Noir 2019 – A delicious, delicate wine with stone fruits, citrus and white flowers on the nose and a mix of stone fruit and tropical fruit flavours, along with some minerality. – 
Church & State Marsanne 2017 (BC $34.49) – A big wine with big aromatics of pineapple, vanilla and oak that continue to the palate. This wine is silky smooth with a big buttery mouthfeel. –
Scorched Earth Winery Pinot Noir 2016 (BC $24.95 + taxes and deposit) – A beautiful crystal clear pale garnet colour. Medium-plus intensity smoky raspberries and other red fruits on the nose upon opening. Medium body, dry and round with red fruits, toast, light oak and floral flavours. Fine tannins. Youthful exuberance.
Gold Hill Winery Cabernet Franc 2016 (BC $34.99) – A Cabernet Franc with finesse. Nice ripe red berries and cassis on the nose and palate plus some cedar, cocoa and chocolate flavours as well. Semi-round, dry, with fine tannins. More black fruit flavours and rounder with decanting. –
Gold Hill Merlot 2014 (BC $34.99) – Lots of inviting red fruits, plums and baking spices on the nose and palate. It is slightly off-dry, very smooth with light tannins and acidity. –
Privato Grand Reserve Pinot Noir 2015 (BC $54.99) – The grapes for this Pinot come from Lake country, and this wine won a Double Gold at the All Canadians last year. This wine is a lighter translucent garnet colour. Lots of cedar, red fruit and sweet spice aromas. These aromas continue to the palate, plus you can add red cherries and candied red cherries. The wine is soft and round with fine tannins. Light cedar and red fruit finish. Also a touch of dill. –
6 BC VQA Wine Suggestions from 2020
Indigenous World Winery Chardonnay 2017 – Light toasty, vanilla, and apple aromas. The wine is dry and soft with a medium-plus body. Crab apple and other apple flavours mixed together with vanilla and some sweet spices. An elegant wine.
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.
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. –
50th Parallel Estate Pinot Noir 2016 – this wine is made from 6 different Dijon clones they grow in their vineyard. The wine is a lighter translucent garnet in colour. It has a funky earthy nose but leads to nice red fruit and raspberry aromas. The wine is a medium minus in body, dry with a smooth mouthfeel. Medium acidity and light tannins. –
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.
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. –
