Top Drop Canada is a premier wine festival held annually in Vancouver, showcasing a curated selection of terroir-driven wines from around the globe. The event brings together over 40 international producers, including renowned estates from regions such as Piedmont, Champagne, and the Okanagan Valley. 50+ wineries in total. None from the USA this year.
Attendees have the unique opportunity to meet the winemakers and proprietors behind these handcrafted wines, gaining insights into their production processes and philosophies. The festival also features craft beer, cider, and sake.
I was able to attend the afternoon Trade tasting this week, which was followed by the evening public tasting. I spent two hours tasting white and sparkling wines. I started to taste a couple of red wines, but my taste buds gave out. No need to worry, as this week there is the Gambero Rosso tasting of Italian wines where the majority of wines will be red. Stay tuned for my Gambero Rosso red wine recommendations in the coming days.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Albino Rocca Chardonnay 2023, Italy – nice light, fresh aromas of pears and apples. Light body with a soft mouthfeel. Medium-plus acidity. Pears, crisp apple and a touch of spiciness. 
Apara Chardonnay 2022, BC – Light vanilla, floral and crisp apple flavours. Dry, medium body with a lean mouthfeel. Higher acidity. Light toast, vanilla and oak, and crisp apple flavours. Medium-plus length with a tart finish.
Bocale Trebbiano Spoleto 2023, Italy – Deeper lemon colour. Medium intensity stone fruit and stony aromas. Medium-plus body. Tropical and stone fruit flavours. Fresh flavours. Thicker body with a smooth mouthfeel along with some acidic prickle on your tongue. Quality.
Clos du Vieux Bourg Beaujolais Blanc 2023, France – made with Chardonnay grapes. It has a medium lemon colour. Medium intensity aromas of ripe stone fruits and apples. Medium-plus body, with a round, silky smooth mouthfeel. Medium-plus acidity. Apple and apple skin flavours.
Casale del Giglio Chardonnay 2024, Italy – It has light intensity aromas of melon and honey. Lighter body with a lean, smooth mouthfeel. Melon and salty minerality on the palate. Elegant.
Domaine Rolet Cremant du Jura, NV – made with a blend of different grapes. It has aromas of fresh pears and Delicious apples with more on the palate. Dry with many creamy and biting tiny bubbles that are mouth filling. Higher acidity. A touch of bitterness on the finish. Very tasty. –
Gerard Bertrand Domaine de l’Aigle Limoux Chardonnay 2023 – a biodynamic wine. It has a medium lemon colour. Toasty, butterscotch and roasted apple aromas. Dry, a medium-plus body with a smooth, soft mouthfeel. Toast, apple and roasted apple flavours, plus some pepperiness. Rich flavours. Medium acidity.
Champagne Henri Giraud Hommage au Pinot Noir, NV – This wine has a deeper lemon colour. Nice bruised apple nose. Dry, medium-plus body with a round mouthfeel. Higher acidity. Really refreshing flavours of apples and bruised apples. Medium-sized mix of creamy and biting bubbles fill your mouth. Delicious.
IWA Assemblage 5, 2023 – An assemblage of different sake made in separate prefectures. Different rice varieties and yeast strains go into making this sake. It has apple on the nose. Off-dry and very smooth and soft with lower acidity. Fuller body. Bruised apples on the palate. They also had the 2022 and 2021 sakes, which were differently flavoured. The 2021 was in particular, quite savoury in taste. Give these sake a try!
Nik Weis Laurentiuslay GG Riesling 2022, Germany – a single vineyard Riesling from the Mosel valley. It has light aromas of lemon and petrol, which continue to the palate. You also get some orange and apple flavours and a touch of bitterness. This wine is dry with a lean mouthfeel.
St. Katherina Vineyard Traditional Method Extra Brut 2020, BC – Light apple and petrol on the nose. It is dry with a light mouthfeel. Really high acidity. Crisp apple flavours. Creamy, small bubbles. If you can, buy this wine, but keep it in your wine cellar/cabinet for several years, to allow the acidity to lessen and the flavours to evolve in the bottle. This sparkling with reminds me of the Champagne Henri Girard Homage Pinot Noir above.
Thank you to Top Drop Canada for inviting me to this Trade tasting.
