Just like Malbec, the white Semillon grape is not that well-known in BC wine production. Semillon is a blending grape in Bordeaux with Sauvignon Blanc to make White Bordeaux blends as well as it is used as one of the grapes to produce the sweet Sauternes wines. Semillon is a fuller bodied grape, and offers a waxy texture to the wine. In cooler climates it has citrus flavours while in hotter climates you get more peach and mango flavours. In Australia, Semillon is venerated as a single varietal wine in the Hunter Valley (cool climate) region. Hunter Valley Semillon can age for many years, taking on an oaked character, although no oak was used in the fermentation and ageing processes.
I have read that the Semillon grape is easy to grow and has a quite vigorous volume of grapes each harvest and would think that it would be a grape well suited to grow in BC. But how many wineries or wines are being produced from Semillon in BC? I visited the BC Liquor Stores website, Swirl Wine Store, Everything Wine, BC Wine Info Centre, plus the last 2 years of my tasting notes from various trade tastings, to see how many Semillon, or blends with Semillon, I could find.
Checking the winebc.com website, the list of the most planted white grape varieties, Semillon does not show up in the top six. The sixth most grape is Viognier with 90 hectares (2019 stats), so Viognier should have even a smaller number of hectares planted.
This stat does lead into the small number of wines with Semillon in BC. The breakdown is as follows:
- Single varietal – 9
- Blend – 21
30 wines in total. In blends, Semillon usually has an 20-30% percentage in a blend with Sauvignon Blanc, and possibly other grapes used in the wine. Semillon does show up in some of BC’s top tier white blends, such as Clos du Soleil Estate White Reserve and La Frenz Ensemble Reserve. The eight single varietal Semillon are made by:
- La Frenz Winery
- Lock & Worth Winery
- Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery
- Black Market Wine Co.
- Bartier Brothers Vineyard & Winery
- Lake Breeze Vineyards
- Anthony Buchanan Wines
- Clos du Soleil Winery
Which Wineries Are Making Wine With Semillon Grapes?
These are the wineries I determined through my search, but there may be others:
- La Frenz Winery
- Lock & Worth Winery
- Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery
- Black Market Wine Co.
- Bartier Brothers Vineyard & Winery
- Lake Breeze Vineyards
- Anthony Buchanan Wines
- Clos du Soleil Winery
- TIME Winery
- Bench 1775 Winery
- Kettle Valley Winery Ltd.
- Fairview Cellars
- Liber Farm and Winery
- Covert Farms Family Estate
- Blasted Church Vineyards
- Howling Bluff Estate Winery
- Black Hills Estate Winery
- Kismet Estate Winery
- Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
- Nk’Mip Cellars
- Hester Creek Estate Winery
If you know of other BC wineries making wine using Semillon grapes, please post your comment below. Thanks.
A Few BC Wine Reviews of Semillon Wines
Bench 1775 White Meritage 2016 (wine club exclusive) – This blend is made from 54% Semillon and 55% Sauvignon Blanc grapes; A white Bordeaux blend. Partially aged for 12 months in new French oak barrels. It has a youthful nose, with aromas of tropical fruit, vanilla, and flowers, evenly balanced. The aromas are more on the sweet than the citrusy side. It is off-dry, full-bodied, with a very silky mouthfeel. The lower level of acidity in this wine gives it a softer mouthfeel. More tropical fruits on the palate, with lesser amounts of pears and apples. With some air, I also picked up some green fruits and lime flavours. Stony mid-palate. With decanting the green fruit and lime flavours no longer were detected. The wine has a medium length, finishing off-dry, with some pepperiness, bitterness, vanilla oak, and tropical fruit.
Rating: 
