We have had some turmoil in Canada and in BC for wines in 2025. Many BC interior wineries suffered from the 2024 cold snap causing them to either not produce any wine in 2024, or importing grapes from across the border, or from Ontario. We also had the removal of USA wines from BC government liquor stores. Overall, we had fewer wines for us to purchase and enjoy in BC in 2025, but the 2025 harvest was bountiful, so I’m expecting to see many BC wines in my 2026 top wines’ lists.
These are exceptional wines that almost reached my rating of 
, but had some component, such as aroma intensity, length, acidity, balance, etc., could be slightly better. I have a separate article for the wines I rated at for 2025 coming up next.
Here are my top 
– star wines that I reviewed for 2025.
BC and Ontario Wines (7 wines)
All but one of these wines are from British Columbia. I have one wine from the Niagara region of southern Ontario. This past year I invited Ontario wineries to send me samples of their Cabernet Franc wines to review and give me, and my readers, a better idea of the style of Cabernet Franc produced in the region. So the Cabernet Franc wine in my list from Ontario is not in BC liquor stores, but I hope that BC liquor stores, do bring in Ontario wines, as they offer a different style of wines and are a good alternative to wines from the USA at the moment.
Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars Gold Label Brut 2022 – shows a clear pear skin colour with lively, medium-sized bubbles and fresh aromas of pears, apples, and brioche. Dry and medium-plus bodied, it offers creamy, mouth-filling bubbles with flavours of apples, pears, apple skin, and a touch of grape stem bitterness. The medium-plus finish carries pear and apple notes alongside persistent creaminess and a subtle bitter edge.
Evolve Sparkling House Brut Rosé 2018 – shows a bright peach skin colour with persistent fine bubbles. The nose is pronounced with red fruits, lees, and strawberries, while the dry, full-bodied palate offers creamy bubbles, high acidity, and flavours of red fruits, cherries, peaches, and later red apple. It finishes medium-plus to long with tart red fruits, grape stem bitterness, and notes of cherry, peach, and red apple.
1 Mill Road Syrah / Pinot Noir 2024 – A blend of WA state and BC grapes. This wine has a bright raspberry colour. Fresh, sweet red berry fruit aromas. Medium body with a smooth, soft mouthfeel. Medium acidity and light tannins. Tasty red cherries, red fruits and a touch of sweet spices. Medium-plus length with medium intensity fine grained tannins. Some pepperiness on the finish.
Bordertown Vineyards & Estate Winery Reserve Cabernet Franc 2019 – presents a deep garnet colour with medium-plus aromas of toasty red fruits, ripe plums, oak, tobacco, and pepper, which soften slightly after decanting. The palate is dry with a smooth, lighter mouthfeel showing juicy red fruits, plums, and black cherries, accented by cocoa, capsicum, and black fruits with swirling, gaining more weight and texture in the glass. It finishes medium-plus to long with firm, drying tannins and a mix of red and black fruit, plums, and pepperiness, showing no notable changes after decanting.
Hester Creek Estate Winery Garland 2022 – shows an opaque black-garnet colour with aromas of capsicum, plums, red fruits, cocoa, cinnamon, and cedar, which transition to black fruit aromas after decanting. The palate is silky and smooth with red and black fruits, plums, black cherries, and touches of cinnamon, vanilla, candied cherries, and pepper, gaining more juicy berry and floral notes with air. It finishes medium-plus to long with bright red fruits, sweet cherries, cinnamon, pepper, and oak, supported by medium drying tannins.
Hester Creek Estate Winery The Judge 2022 – shows a deep garnet colour with aromas of red and black fruits, plums, toast, vanilla, sweet spices, cherries, and oak, remaining consistent after decanting. The palate is medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel, offering juicy berries, plums, cherries, sweet spice, pepper, and hints of capsicum and cocoa, supported by medium acidity and chalky tannins. It finishes medium-plus to long with ripe fruit, lingering cherry, candied notes, and light pepper, adding some tarter fruit flavours after decanting.
Dobbin Estate Cabernet Blend 2020, Ontario – opens with medium-plus intensity, inviting aromas of cedar, plums, juicy berries, and sweet spice, carrying through without change after decanting. On the palate, it’s dry, smooth, and softly textured with ripe black fruits, cedar, and a hint of candied cherry, supported by medium acidity and dusty tannins that firm up toward the finish. A medium-plus to long finish follows, showcasing black fruit and tart berries with a touch of bitterness after decanting. A well-structured, quality Niagara red blend.
USA Wines (6 wines)
Before the removal of USA wines from BC liquor store shelves, we had the Vancouver International Wine Festival, with the theme country being the USA. All the wines below were tasted during the Festival.
Gloria Ferrer Blanc De Blancs NV, California – This was the first sparkling winery in Carneros with plantings started in 1984. Every block in their vineyard is harvested and fermented separately before blending. The winery is certified sustainable since 2016. This wine is made from Chardonnay and 97% up to 100% estate fruit. This sparkling wine has a bright, clear medium lemon colour. Medium intensity apples and toast aromas. Medium body, slightly off-dry. Small biting bubbles. Toast, citrus fruit and crisp apple on the palate. A long lingering length.
Cadre Wines Tangent Albarino 2023, Edna Valley, California – The Albarino grapes for this wine were picked in November 1st which is very late for a white grape to allow the acidity to be manageable plus to give much more fruit flavour. A long hang time for the grapes anywhere in North America. This wine has a medium-plus bright lemon colour. Medium-plus nose with aromas of lemon, honey, citrus and ripe stone fruits. Medium body, smooth and soft with texture on the palate. High acidity. Stone fruit flavour with touches of salinity, honey, oranges, and grape stem. Longer length with some pepperiness on the finish. Delicious.
Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay 2021, California – It has a medium-plus intensity lemon colour in the glass. Ripe roasted apples and sweet spices on the nose. Medium-plus body with a smooth, thick, round mouthfeel. Ripe roasted apple along with sweet spices and oak flavours. Peppery toward the finish. Creamy mouthfeel.
Domaine Drouhin Arthur Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2023, Oregon – with decanting offers a rich bouquet of tropical fruits, vanilla, and light butterscotch, with a silky, round mouthfeel and medium acidity. On the palate, ripe pineapple and sweet spices transition into oak and pepperiness toward the finish. Decanting lightens the body and enhances the peppery notes, though the core fruit and spice profile remains intact. (This was a wine I had received before the USA wine removal from BC liquor stores that I tasted at home.)
Erath Reserve Collection Pinot Noir 2021, Oregon – Dick Erath was one of the pioneers of the Willamette Valley and grape growing in Oregon. This wine has a clear, medium garnet colour. Medium-plus sweet spices, red fruits, and floral on the nose. Pretty aromas. Medium-plus body, round, with higher acidity. Candied cherries, red fruit, floral (prominent) and light sweet spices on the palate. Medium-plus length, finishing sweet cherries, nutmeg and tart red fruit.
Citation Wine Oregon Pinot Noir 2006, Oregon – An amazing wine, just released, with 15 years of aging. This wine has a translucent, clear garnet colour with slight bricking. Aged red fruit and oak aromas. Dry, with a medium-minus body. A smooth mouthfeel. Aged red fruits and sweet spices on the palate. Medium acidity and light intensity, fine-grained tannins. Slight pepperiness on the finish. An acid-driven wine.
The Rest of the World Wines (8 wines)
Almost all the wines in this category are either from France or from Italy. This is in part to wineries from these countries coming to Vancouver to offer us tastings and masterclasses.
Domaine Rolet Cremant du Jura, NV, France – sparkling wine made with a blend of different grapes. It has aromas of fresh pears and Delicious variety 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.
le Rughe Prosecco Brut, NV, Italy – a fresh stone fruit nose. Fuller bodied. High acidity. Delicious flavours of mandarin oranges and stone fruits plus a touch of lime. A mix of small creamy and biting bubbles. Medium-plus length.
Valpanera Carato Chardonnay 2022, Italy – This oak aged wine has medium-plus, bright lemon colour. Very nice, fresh, lifted pineapple aroma. Medium body, dry, with a smooth mouthfeel. Tropical fruit, roasted pineapple and butterscotch on the palate plus soe sweet spices on the finish. Delicious.
Domaine Duseigneur Catarina Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2021, France – offers a deep garnet hue and a rich, complex nose of red and black fruits, black cherries, with a savoury touch of meat and oak. On the palate, this wine is smooth and full of dark fruit intensity, with nuances of anise and nutmeg spice, balanced by medium acidity and tannins. After decanting, the wine softens, revealing juicier fruit notes and finer tannins, while the finish remains long and structured with dark fruit and a touch of pepper.
Viña Don Melchor Cabernet 2021, Chile – A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Merlot. It is opaque garnet in colour. Medium intensity, juicy berry aromas. Dry, medium-plus body and flavour intensity. Silky smooth and soft mouthfeel. Juicy, sweet berry flavours plus touches of cinnamon, dark chocolate, black pepper, and salty minerality. As the wine opens up in the glass, I also picked up a hint of capsicum. Light, fine-grained, dusty tannins. Nice, bright acidity. Medium-plus length.
Monte del Frà Valpolicella Amarone 2019, Veneto, Italy – A medium-minus, dull garnet colour in the glass. Light intensity aromas of rich, sweet, ripe cherries and candied cherries. Medium-minus body with a lean, soft mouthfeel. Sweet spices, cedar, soft red fruits along with some pepperiness and ripe red cherries toward the finish.
Castello di Gabbiano Alleanza 2019, Tuscany, Italy – This wine has a very deep, dull garnet colour. Medium intensity aromas of rich, ripe, red fruits and cedar with more on the palate, plus sweet ripe cherries and sweet spices. Medium-plus body, with a smooth and round mouthfeel. Medium acidity and medium-plus tannins. Firm tannins and sweet cherries on the finish.
Catherine & Claude MARÉCHAL Savigny-lès-Beaune, Vieilles Vignes, 2022, France – Medium intensity translucent garnet colour. Light, fresh red fruit and nutmeg aromas. Medium body, medium acidity and firmer tannins. Raspberries, cherries and nutmeg flavours, plus a hint of violet. Medium-plus length.
More Wines That Would Rate 4.5 – 5 Stars
While I did not write down a score for every wine I tasted, I know that many of the wines listed in these articles below are in the 4.5 – 5 or 5 star range.
Iconic Wineries of British Columbia Holiday Preview
Township 7 and the Global Sparkling Wine Landscape Masterclass
My Last South Okanagan Stop to Taste Wines with La Stella Winery
Celebrating 10 Years of Wines and Friendship With World Wine Synergy
