Here in British Columbia, we love our local wines. But a question always lingers in the minds of serious wine lovers: how do our favourites truly stack up against the world’s established benchmarks?
To try to answer that question, I attended the seven stars Masterclass hosted by Township 7 Vineyards & Winery who are celebrating 25 years of producing sparkling wine. Our host, Anthony Gismondi, set the stage noting that “I always like to make sure that we keep benchmarking ourselves against the rest of the world to see where we’re at.” The discussion of the wines was lead by Township 7’s winemaker, Mary McDermott. Over three distinct flights of six sparkling wines, we would benchmark a top BC sparkling against its global peers, explore the full depth of the Township 7 winery’s portfolio, and finally, investigate the ability of Township 7’s wines to withstand the test of time through select verticals. Here are the three flights of wines.
Wine Flight #1
The first flight was a blind wine tasting to see how Township 7’s sparkling wines fare with its international peers. The line-up of wines, with overall comments and my tasting notes. We only had 20 minutes to review the wines in each flight, so my notes are not too detailed.
| Overall Discussion | My Tasting Notes |
| Gramona, La Cuvée Corpinat 2018 (Spain): A blend of Xarel·lo and Macabeo aged 39 months on lees. This Spanish sparkler was distinctly aromatic and ripe. As Mary noted, its bubbles were like “sparks on your tongue,” a bright, zesty character that stood apart from a softer, creamier mousse. | It has a bright lemon colour. Medium intensity citrus and apple aromas. Dry, medium-plus body with a lightly round mouthfeel. High acidity leaving a light prickle on your tongue. Light flavours of apples and lees. Medium to medium-plus length. |
| Township 7 seven stars Sirius 2017 LD (British Columbia): A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Fraser Valley, aged for an extended six years (72 months) on lees. Mary explained this was a special experimental batch, with an extra 12 months of lees aging. It was a significant step up in complexity, with one taster noting, “Love the salinity, the kind of savoury edge to it.” | A light mix of lemon and straw colours. Light aromas of lees with a hint of citrus. Dry, medium-plus body with a lean mouthfeel. High acidity. Apples, brioche, citrus plus a touch of stone fruit flavours. Light intensity, small biting bubbles. Medium-plus length with a tart finish. |
| Black Chalk Classic Sparkling 2020 (England): A blend of 46% Pinot Noir, 42% Chardonnay, and 12% Meunier, aged 22 months on lees. The English contender’s terroir shone through brightly. “It’s really chalky,” remarked one taster, “I thought this was probably the champagne.” | A bright, medium intensity lemon colour. Light toasty nose with a lesser amount of apple. Dry, medium-plus body. Medium sized, biting bubbles. Crisp apple and bruised apple flavour with a touch of citrus. Medium-plus length. |
| York Vineyards Reserve Brut NV (Ontario): A Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend aged 72 months on lees with 24 months in French oak. This wine sparked debate. Some likened it to “White burgundy with bubbles”. | Medium-plus intensity bright lemon colour in the glass. Light aromas of apple, spice and mint. Small biting bubbles with a creamy texture overall. Nice flavours of apples along with a touch of nutmeg. Medium-plus length. |
| Benjamin Bridge Brut Reserve 2014 (Nova Scotia): This 2017 vintage was softer, frothy and puffy, showing how the iconic producer’s style has evolved from its fiercely acidic roots, noted one taster of a 2004 that he remembered tasting. | Lighter lemon colour. Quite a toasty nose. Dry with high acidity. Medium-minus sized biting bubble. Tart citrus behind toasty flavour. Medium-plus length. Citrus, toast and some bitterness on the finish. |
| Louis Roederer Vintage Brut 2015 (Champagne, France): The classic benchmark. A blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, with 34% of the wine seeing oak, it represented the standard against which all others are measured. | Medium-plus lemon colour. Light aromas with bruised apples. Dry, medium-minus sizzed biting bubble. Mouth filling. Apple and bruised apple mainly, with lesser amount of citrus and oak flavours. Medium-plus length with a soft finish. |
Our verdict in the room is that the Township 7 Sirius 2017 LD was a top contender, with its complexity and structure putting it in direct competition with the classic Champagne. Her wine also recently won the Top 50 BC Wines award for the winery.
Wine Flight #2
With the international benchmark set, the second flight turned inward for a deep dive into Township 7’s own “seven stars” series. This was a chance to understand the full breadth of winemaker Mary McDermott’s vision, as she guided us through the distinct personalities of different grape varietals and winemaking styles within her portfolio. While many sparkling wines are made using the traditional grapes used in Champagne, (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier), outside of the Champagne region, other grapes are also used. The last two sparkling wines in this flight use Riesling and Viognier grapes.
| Overall Discussion | My Tasting Notes |
| seven stars Polaris 2021: The original Township 7 sparkling wine, this 100% Chardonnay is the winery’s “guiding light.” It’s known for its elegance, pure fruit character, and bright aromatics of apple and citrus. Grapes come from an Oliver and a Naramata Bench vineyard. | A deeper lemon colour. Medium intensity aromas of brioche, citrus and a touch of honeysuckle. Fuller bodied. Citrus and toast on the palate. Higher acidity. Tiny, biting bubbles. Add a touch of stone fruit, apples, and a touch of oak on the finish. |
| seven stars Sirius 2017: Made from 59% Chardonnay and 41% Pinot Noir from their south Langley vineyard. The same wine from the first flight, but this was the version aged for five years instead of six. Mary explained this was part of her experimentation with aging, noting this version was “fresher, a little bit less autolytic,” while the six-year offered more complexity. | A lighter lemon colour. Light citrus and brioche nose. Dry, medium-plus body with textured mouthfeel. Small biting bubbles. Brioche, nuttiness and bruised apple on the palate. Medium-plus acidity. Medium-plus length with bruised apple and some bitterness on the finish. |
| seven stars Aurora 2021: Made from 100% Pinot Noir from Okanagan Falls, Mary described this style as “structurally elegant.” It receives a slightly higher dosage, she explained, to “balance out if there’s any astringency whatsoever,” perfecting the wine’s texture. | A light lemon colour. Medium-minus lemon-straw colour. Light aromas of apple, citrus and toast. This wine is dry, medium-plus body with a round, thicker mouthfeel. Medium acidity and light bubble. Apples plus a touch of chalk on the palate. Medium-plus length with a lightly tart finish. A finesse wine for me. |
| seven stars Nebula Rosé 2020: A fan favourite, this popular rosé sparkling (formerly named Equinox), made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, is noted for having more texture and structure, with inviting aromas of strawberries and rhubarb that customers love. | A pale lemon colour. Nice, sweetish aromas of apple blossom and a touch of toast. Medium-minus body with a light mouthfeel. Medium acidity. Light bubble with the wine becoming smooth on the mid-palate. Apple and apple blossom flavours. A touch of drying tannins on the finish. Medium-plus length. A soft, light wine. |
| seven stars Regel 2022: An aromatic sparkling made from 100% Riesling. It’s aged for only one year on lees to deliberately preserve the grape’s distinct and vibrant varietal character. | Very bright, medium intensity lemon colour. Medium intensity aromas of apple, petrol, and mint. Medium body, with a soft, smooth mouth feel. Medium-plus acidity. Light biting bubbles on the tongue. A dry finish. |
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seven stars Vega 2022: An unusual and fun sparkling wine made with 100% Viognier. With a higher dosage, Mary designed it to be an approachable and enjoyable wine, especially for newcomers to the world of sparkling wine.
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Medium-minus intensity bright lemon colour. A quite flinty nose, plus a touch of pine needles. Slightly off-dry with a medium body. Flint and pine needles plus a touch of bitterness. |
A Tale of Two Terroirs
This flight beautifully illustrated the diversity of the portfolio, driven by both grape and place. Mary spoke of her intense focus on “mousse management”, a term she uses for the techniques that achieve a “creamy fine bubbled mousse” reminiscent of the French style. The tasting also highlighted a fascinating contrast in terroirs. Mary explained why the Fraser Valley, home of Sirius, is ideal for sparkling. It has a longer growing season where bud break is early but harvest is late, often in October, versus late August in the Okanagan. This extended hangtime allows flavours, sugars, and acids to ripen cohesively, without the sugar “racing ahead.” This stood in contrast to the riper, more powerful fruit profile of the Aurora, sourced from the warmer climate of Okanagan Falls.
Wine Flight #3
The final flight was a journey through time. Its purpose was to demonstrate the aging potential of Township 7’s sparkling wines by tasting through “verticals”, multiple vintages of the same wine side-by-side. This is a common test for any premium wine, proving it has the structure and quality to evolve and improve in the cellar. We tasted through a vertical of the five-year-on-lees Sirius (2015, 2016, 2017) and the Nebula Rosé, formerly Equinox (2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018). As time was limited, I don’t have any notes on the overall discussion; just my tasting notes.
| My Wine Tasting Notes |
| Sirius 2015 – a hot year. This wine has a medium-plus intensity bright lemon colour. Light, fresh apple and floral aromas which continue to the palate. Fresh flavours. This wine is dry, medium-plus body with a round, soft mouthfeel. Medium acidity. Light bubble. Medium-plus to long length with a touch of oak on the finish. |
| Sirius 2016 – another hot year. This wine has a medium lemon colour. Medium intensity aromas of brioche and some earthiness. Dry, medium-plus body and texture on the palate. Oak, floral and oak flavours. Light bubbles. Medium-plus length. |
| Nebula Rosé 2015 – a deeper rose petal colour. Light strawberry aromas. Medium-plus body with a fuller mouthfeel. Strawberries and floral flavours. Medium acidity. Light, biting bubbles. A touch of tannins on the finish. |
| Nebula Rosé 2016 – a lighter orange-pink colour. Very light aromas. Medium-plus body with a soft texture. Medium acidity. Soft flavours of strawberries and red fruits. A touch of grape leaf on the palate. |
| Nebula Rosé 2017 – a light peach skin colour. Light nose with aromas of peach, apple, red fruits, and a hint of floral. Dry with higher acidity and more prominent, lightly biting bubbles. |
| Nebula Rosé 2018 – a medium wild rose petal colour. Light intensity fresh aromas of red fruits and a hint of orange. Dry, medium body with a soft mouthfeel. Strawberries, some tart red fruit, plus some orange and mint on the palate. Medium acidity. Lightly drying tannins on the finish. |
This final tasting crystallized the value of patience. It proved that high-quality sparkling wines are not just for immediate celebration but are worthy of a place in the cellar. With time, these bottles will evolve far beyond simple fruitiness, developing layers of nuance and depth.
Final Thoughts: The Verdict on BC Bubbles
The masterclass at Township 7 delivered a clear and powerful lesson. As General Manager Mike Raffan reminded us, this level of quality isn’t accidental. It’s the result of a ten-year, expensive commitment to building a proper traditional method program. Township 7 isn’t a new player on the block; they’ve been at the forefront of BC sparkling for the last decade, and this tasting was the result of that long-term passion and investment. Top-tier BC sparkling is no longer just a matter of local pride; it is a serious, world-class product built with intention, skill, and the potential for long aging.
