Canada Day July 1st became Rosé all Day!

One of my favourite things to do on Canada Day is get together with friends from the neighbourhood.  Each year a different theme and this year the Canada Day theme was Rosé wine! As always the only requirement is the wines have to be from BC.

As I just happened to have a supply of BC Rosé wine on hand it became my turn to be the host! Yes! So Much Fun!

Please note that these Rosé wines were ones I had on hand on my wine rack and some may be either Sold Out or no longer available. If the wine below has a price it was either still available or available as a current vintage.

Here is what we indulged in:

Bench 1775 Brut Rosé

The wines that form our Brut Rosé come from 2014 and 2015 and were harvested early for acidity. The grapes were picked into small bins and quickly transported back to the winery for whole-cluster pressing. Fresh, lively and fun, pair this bubbly with avocado salad or fresh catch.

A lively elegant blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, this sparkling wine has been aged on lees and blended over two vintages for complexity. The unique copper hue comes from precise Pinot Noir skin contact.

Best paired with cheeses and light food.

Evolve Pink Effervescence 2017

Every choice you make has intention – to accomplish, create, and grow.

With Evolve Cellars, our intention is to craft friendly and approachable wines, providing a pure expression of the grapes grown at our estate vineyard and by our south Okanagan grower partners. Fruit-forward with a bright freshness typical of the area, our wines are a celebration of this great region and how we can evolve together.

Celebrate your next step forward with the natural spirit of the Okanagan in every bottle of Evolve Cellars.

Like us, for every step you take forward, every thought you have; everything you’ve ever tried to accomplish, you’re always striving to achieve your best. To constantly change and grow. And we raise a glass to you.

Wait no longer – just pop open and raise a glass. You might gets notes of ripe peach and rich berry fruit in your glass from this 97% Pinot Blanc and 3% Merlot blend, but all you really need to know is that it is sparkly, just like you.   

Fort Berens X Sparkling Rosé 2018

British Columbia Lillooet VQA Rosé

In May 2019, we will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of fort Berens Estate Winery. Fort Berens 2018 Sparkling Rosé X is the perfect wine for celebrating all the milestones before us: the 10-year anniversary of both our winery and Dry Creek vineyard, and the establishment of the Lillooet VQA.

Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Sparkling Rosé X is medium-bodied, fragrant with citrus and crisp orchard fruit and a hint of toasted bread crumbs on the nose. The effervescence keeps the slightly off-dry palate crisp on the finish. A worthy salute to this exciting moment in time. Savour it chilled with grilled salmon, a fresh summer salad and all your parties this summer. We salute all pioneers and everyone that supported us in building this new wine region, which is now proud to carry its Lillooet VQA label.
Winemaker Notes
The grapes for this wine were sourced from three remarkable vineyards in Lillooet. Pinot Gris from a small block in Fort Berens’ Dry Creek vineyard, that Heleen prunes and thins each year. Chardonnay from the newest vineyard in Lillooet: Fraser Bench, owned by Keith & Jodi Pawloski. The gorgeous colour comes from a block of Marechal Foch vines, planted in 1970 by Robert Roshard and are dearly called “Papa’s Old Vines” by Christ’l Roshard and Doug Robson, who continue to care for the vineyard. These grapes were harvested early September and fermented together in a stainless-steel tank. The secondary fermentation was completed in a pressure tank to make the wine sparkling and shine for this very special occasion.  $22.99

 

Haywire Baby Bub 2018

Baby Bub is our 375ml half bottle of Pink Bub and as such is a perfect tribute to our daughter Alison, known as The Bub, Bubster or Alibubba in her earlier years.

WINEMAKING  A limited amount of Pink Bub is made with grapes grown on our Summerland and Oliver vineyards with secondary fermentation taking place in charmat tanks. We add a drop of red wine to the dosage to give Pink Bub its lovely pink hue.

WINE PROFILE  Hints of wild strawberries with a touch of sweetness and mouthwatering acidity; the body is fresh and lively with lovely depth.  $15.90

Mirabel Rosé of Pinot Noir 2016

Gentle handling of the Pinot Noir, including cool fermentation in stainless steel and six months of lees contact, produced this delicate, dry, saignée-method Rosé. The wine offers subtle aromas of guava and melons with a citrus twist overlay.

Mirabel perfectly represents the Reimer family’s stunning South East Kelowna hilltop estate and vineyard overlooking the beautiful Okanagan Valley.

The family’s commitment to quality is evident in this first vintage of Rosé produced from the estate’s sustainably-farmed Pinot Noir: fresh, delicious, and endlessly food-friendly.  SOLD OUT

The 2017 is still available at $30.00

Monster Rosie 2017

eye  Pink Power! Bright pink quartz in colour.

nose    Vibrant aromas of wild strawberries, sweet cherries and cranberries.

mouthElements of electric grapefruit with notes of strawberries and bright fruit flavours on the finish.

$17.90

Monte Creek Rosé 2017

Wild fermented Rose (AKA yeast from the grapes and floating around in the winery doing the dirty work)! Why would we do that, when Rose is supposed to be dumbed down and quaffable? To add layers of texture and flavour. Quaffability undiminished. No dumbing allowed. 100% Marquette is used in our Rose. This red wine grape with the French name is a new world creation that ripens early and is well suited to cooler climates. These small berries with pink pulp provide a nice skin-to-juice ratio and a pretty colour, ideal for our crisp and fresh Rose.

2017 was a pretty normal year until sometime in July when the first of the wildfires broke out. Every year has its challenges, in 2017, it was the smoke. Our brave vineyard workers donned their particulate masks day in and day out and worked through the difficult conditions. Meanwhile, our vines were hard at work producing beautiful fruit under smoky skies. Yes, there is a risk that smoky flavours can find their way into the wine, but here at Monte Creek we took absolutely every effort to mitigate those effects. We pick in the early dawn to keep the fruit cold, hand sort absolutely every cluster of fruit, press lightly, and a myriad of other strategies. It’s a ton of effort, but the results are wines that are fresh, flavourful, and exactly what you would expect from a quality British Columbia wine.   $17.49

The View Distraction Frizzante 2017

A crowd pleasing, fruit forward, mildly effervescent, dry, sparkling made from Pinotage, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Ehrenfelser.

The View’s estate grown Pinot Noir, Pinotage and a blend of aromatic whites coalesce in the vivacious sparkling rosé. Featuring succulent notes of strawberry and pink grapefruit.

The 2018 currently available $19.95

The View Pinotage Rosé 2017

The only one of its kind in North America, Pinotage Rosé boasts intense aromatics of strawberry and cotton candy followed by flavours of pink grapefruit and tart cranberry. Dry, crisp and elegant, we call it delicious.

Pair it with poultry, arugula, strawberry and walnut salad, Caprese salad or prosciutto and balsamic flatbread.

The 2018 is currently available $22.95

The View Voulez View Rosé 2015

Unfortunately this Rosé is long Sold Out but the good news is it has been replaced by the Silver Lining which just won double gold in the All Canadian Wine Championships! Follows are the tasting notes for the Silver Lining.

A rosé of Pinotage, Baco Noir and a blend of aromatic whites. This fruity rosé features aromas of strawberry and watermelon followed by a succulent citrus finish.

Pairs with soft cheeses, Asian noodle, quinoa and summer salads, as well as prawns, pork ribs and poultry. $19.95

Vanessa Rosé 2018

Winemaking
The Rosé harvest is one of the most exciting times at Vanessa Vineyard as it is the begin-ning of our Harvest and the team is eager to pick. Our goal this year was a lighter, more delicate colour, so we were attentive to have minimal extraction from the skins. Whole cluster pressed, chilled and fermented slowly in stainless steel tanks with a proprietary yeast selection, this Rosé has been made at cool temperatures to fully enhance the fruit. Delicate colour, aromas and flavours reminiscent of Southern France embody the 2018 Vintage.

Flavour Profile
A 100% estate grown blend of 67% Syrah and 33% Merlot picked early to make a dedicated, fresh, dry Rosé. Pale pink in colour with a subtle but complex nose showing strawberry, raspberry, potpourri, red apple, orange zest and some dried thyme and sage notes. The palate is dry, medium-bodied, intense and fresh with crisp acidity and flavours running from dried herbs through tart strawberry and raspberry, orange zest, grapefruit, pepper and with some complex wet stone minerality on the long finish. Pair this with local charcuterie, pulled pork sandwiches, picnics or caprese salad.  $24.99

With thanks to the wineries featured here for their generous gift of wine which allows me to facilitate this article. All but one was received by me, complimentary and I purchased one of the bottles of Rosé. Tasting notes (in italics) courtesy of the wineries.

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