A comprehensive look at BC wine today.
Wine Growers British Columbia gathered the province’s leading producers under one roof for the annual Swirl Around BC Wine Expo, an exclusive day-long celebration designed for trade and media. More than 60 wineries representing the province’s diverse growing regions poured their latest releases, offering a comprehensive look at the state of BC wine today.
The day unfolded in two parts: a dynamic walkaround tasting of new releases and a series of curated seminars tackling the industry’s most pressing challenges.
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Working my first harvest in Oregon 2024.
Last fall, I did something I never thought I’d do, I worked a wine harvest. Not from the sidelines, not as an observer, but right there in the thick of it cleaning tanks, sampling, sorting fruit and even helping with blending trials. I didn’t pick grapes (turns out, that’s its own brutal art form), but I did just about everything else, thanks to the incredible generosity of Tracy Kendall at Folly of Man in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
It was messy, physical, humbling, and absolutely thrilling. I came away with sore muscles, purple-stained hands, and a deeper respect for the craft than any wine tasting could ever offer.
Winemaker Alison Moyes with the just bottled 2024 Chardonnay.
But even as the last tank was pressed off and the cellar began to quiet down, I knew I was only just beginning to understand the life of a wine. So when winemaker Alison Moyes of Solvero Wines in Summerland, BC invited me to join her team for bottling, I jumped at the chance. Their 2022 Chardonnay was recently crowned Best White Wine in Canada at the All Canadian Wine Championships, and this time, they were sealing up the 2024 vintage.
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It’s a truth universally acknowledged in tasting rooms and patios alike: rosé is a wine that makes people smile.
More than just a summer sipper.
There’s a reason for that. It’s easy to love. Rosé doesn’t ask much of you, just pop the cork, pour it cold, and bask in the moment. But herein lies the danger: too often its charm is mistaken for a lack of depth. Rosé has become the wine equivalent of a vacation fling, flirted with in summer and often abandoned by fall.
We’d like to argue for something radical: rosé deserves to be taken seriously. Not in a nose-in-the-air, decant-it-for-two-hours kind of way. But seriously, as in worthy of attention, worthy of respect. And above all, worthy of being part of the year-round conversation in wine.
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Manzil Restaurant.
We went to Manzil expecting a great meal. After all, the Dhaliwal family’s original restaurant, Masala Bistro, had long been a favorite at Kismet Estate Winery in BC’s Okanagan Valley, known for its generous hospitality and deeply satisfying, spice-laden dishes.
What we hadn’t expected was just how evolved the experience would be. Manzil offers a modern, refreshingly light approach to Indian cuisine, delivering bold, vibrant flavors without the heaviness. It’s thoughtful, refined, and perfectly paired with the family’s wines.
It begins with a name: Manzil means “home” in Hindi. But this is no ordinary homecoming.
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A clear vision.
Some wineries make great wine. A few shift the conversation entirely. CheckMate Artisanal Winery is one of those few. Situated on the Golden Mile Bench in the South Okanagan, it combines bold ambition with focused precision, and the results speak for themselves.
From the outset, CheckMate set its sights high: Chardonnay and Merlot crafted to stand alongside the best in the world.
It’s not just a standout in British Columbia; it’s one of Canada’s most ambitious wine ventures to date.
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