I have two more sparkling wines for you to consider for your holiday purchase. The two sparklers are from BC’s Hester Creek Estate Winery. The Hester Creek Ti Amo 2021 is a Charmat method (think Prosecco) sparkling wine, while the other wine is the Hester Creek Old Vine Brut 2019 made from Estate Pinot Blanc fruit using the Traditional Method (think Champagne). Let me tell you about them.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Hester Creek Estate Winery Ti Amo 2021 (BC $21.99)
Winemaker’s notes for this wine, “this year’s vintage of our Prosecco inspired wine is primarily Pinot Gris, complemented by Gewürztraminer and Sémillon. The grapes were grown mainly on our estate and our Vineyard Manager’s neighbouring vineyard on Road 8, and were hand harvested early in the season. The fruit was carefully sorted, whole berry pressed, cold settled, and then cool fermented in stainless steel tanks. Following blending, the wine was re-fermented in the Charmat method for a period of 6 weeks and then bottled cold to retain the lively effervescence. A fabulously fresh frizzante crafted to be fruity, floral and fun.”
Appearance: Pale lemon green colour with medium-sized bubbles.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas of fresh stone fruits and oranges plus a touch of lees.
Palate: Medium-dry, round with a soft mouthfeel. Medium acidity leaves a light prickle on your tongue. Creamy medium-sized bubble. Pears, apples, and other stone fruits plus a touch of blossom and green fruits. Very inviting fruit flavours. You also get some pear skin flavour with air.
Finish: Medium-plus length with lingering flavours of lemon and orange, pear and some bitterness from grape stem tannins.
A fun wine to sip with inviting fruit flavours.
Rating: 
Hester Creek Estate Winery Old Vine Brut 2019 (BC $34.99)
This is only the second vintage of this sparkling wine. The winery recommends enjoying this wine with “an olive tapenade, spot prawn ceviche or fresh Pacific oysters with a Meyer lemon ginger mignonette sauce.” Winemaker’s notes for this wine, “From our historic 1968 Golden Mile Bench vineyard, this traditional method sparkling wine is made with grapes from our rare Old Vine Pinot Blanc vines. The grapes were handpicked early to half full bins to prevent oxidation, then meticulously hand sorted and whole cluster pressed, ensuring only the best quality juice. The resulting clean and delicate juice was cold settled for 3 days and racked to stainless steel tanks and cold fermented for 24 days to dryness. The base wine was then aged on fine lees for 24 months of en tirage to develop the classic rich and creamy autolytic characters. Following riddling and disgorging in the spring of 2022, our winemaker added a proprietary dosage prior to final packaging. A beautifully balanced blanc de blanc Brut that will cellar gracefully for years to come.”
Appearance: Medium intensity lemon green colour in the glass, with quite active fine bubbles. The bubbles last for much longer in the glass than they do for the Ti Amo. You can see the difference in bubbles between the Charmat method and the Traditional method when you compare these two wines side-by-side.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity aromas of stone fruits, orange and a hint of coconut.
Palate: Off-dry, round with a light mouthfeel. Very fine creamy bubbles. Crisp red apples, peach and blossom flavours on the palate. Some grape stem bitterness.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing with peach, crisp apple, and some bitterness.
A quality wine with long-lasting fine creamy bubbles.
Rating:
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these two wines via the Hester Creek website:
Hester Creek Estate Winery Ti Amo 2021
Hester Creek Estate Winery Old Vine Brut 2019
These wines may be available at your local wine shop, but you will need to ask.
