Celebration! What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?

Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate! Whether you are intending to propose on February 14 or you were engaged on a previous Valentine’s Day celebrating is in order.

What says “celebrate” more than a bubbly or sparkling wine. A bubbly or sparkling wine from BC? Even better!

Here are our picks based on the BC Wines we’ve enjoyed before and that qualify as our #FavouriteThings that we personally recommend:

Bench 1775 2012 Blanc de Blanc

Meyer Family Vineyards Blanc de Blanc

Méthode Traditionnelle

Our inaugural NV Méthode Traditionnelle, Extra Brut sparkling has a fine and persistent mousse thanks to the traditional method secondary fermentation in the bottle. Clean, crisp, and fresh palate with mineral notes wrapped in flavours of orchard apples and pears, finishing with a rich and creamy texture from the extended bottle age. The wine is dry from start to finish making it the perfect aperitif wine.

This is an exceptionally delicious sparkling wine. You can’t go wrong if you choose this one for your Valentine.

Meyer is noted for excellent wines and in particular their Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are outstanding. Just why Meyer Family Vineyard is a #FavouriteThings highly recommended winery. See wine our reviews for Meyer wines here.

An alternative to purchasing wine is always a membership in the Wine Club. The gift that keeps on giving all year long.

BECOME A PART OF OUR FAMILY WHEN YOU JOIN MEYER FAMILY VINEYARDS WINE CLUB.

With all these benefits you’ll be feeling like one of the family in no time.

• Receive 4 bottles of award-winning wine 3 times per year (March, June & October)
• Priority access to limited-availability wines, library wines & new releases
• 10% discount on all wine that you purchase online or in our tasting room
• Exclusive access to our online wine club store
• Complimentary tastings in our tasting room for you and up to 3 guests
• Invitations to special “Family Only” events
• No additional shipping fees when you add-on to your wine club order
• No membership fees & no cancellation fees

Each “care package” is personally selected by our winemaker Chris Carson and will include a story about each wine along with a Meyer family favourite recipe to pair with your wine selection.

Wines are shipped directly to your door (unless you prefer to pick up at the winery).

More information here.

Crafting Single Vineyard Wines of Excellence.

In traditional French Burgundian style we focus on small case lots of varietals best suited and expressive of their unique place of origin with an emphasis on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Producing about 8,000 cases, we strive to create the finest wines possible. Our wines are hand harvested and hand crafted and we take great pride in each bottle of wine with great attention to detail. We hope that you enjoy our wines as much as we enjoy making them! JAK & Janice Meyer.

Meyer Family Vineyards

4287 McLean Creek Rd
Okanagan Falls, B.C. V0H 1R1

T: 250-497-8553
marketing@nullmfvwines.com

Tasting Room Hours

Apr 1st through Oct 31st
10am to 5pm
Nov 1st through March 31st
By appointment

CedarCreek Home Block Sparkling Brut Non Vintage

Blend
100% Muscat Ottonel

It all began in 1986 with our small Home Block vineyard. After three decades of making award-winning, estate grown wines from our signature vineyard sites, we figured we had something to celebrate. So we looked high and low for a perfectly balanced, single vineyard sparkling that met our hard-to-please standards. And since we couldn’t find one, we made one. Delicious problem solved. $24.99

The Vintage
An unusually wet spring led to a later start to the season; however, 2017 in its entirety was a hotter, more compressed season than normal. Bud break was 2 – 3 weeks earlier than in 2016, with an earlier harvest by 3 weeks. On average, the season brought smaller berry size, clusters and yields. Though yields were slightly smaller, fruit quality was excellent, characterized by high flavour concentration, moderate alcohol, balanced tannins, complexity and natural acidity.

Tasting Notes
Lovely  flavours of orange, tangerine, and flowers. The mousse is smooth with a soft entry and long lingering finish. A bright, fresh wine perfect for celebrating!

I absolutely love this one. For anyone who is “bubble” hesitant this is a wine that is lightly sparkling.

Valentine’s Dinner

A Romantic Evening at Home Block

Tasting Experiences:

Complimentary Estate Tasting: Showcasing bright, expressive, aromatic wines sourced from our Okanagan vineyards

Platinum Tasting: Bringing out the most character from individual blocks to make premium vineyard-driven wines

Silt & Stone Experience:  Gifted with two amazing blocks of Pinot Noir planted in the early 1990’s, Block 2 & Block 4 of Home Block Vineyard have some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in BC.  The Silt & Stone Experience explores the very tangible impacts that each block’s soil composition has on the wines, as well as vintage variation between the 2012 and 2016 Pinot Noirs. 

Call (778) 738-1027 for information and reservations.

The story of CedarCreek begins with the vision of Senator Ross Fitzpatrick.  Born and raised in the Okanagan, the future senator worked alongside his father during the ‘40s and ‘50s at MacLean & Fitzpatrick, a fruit packing and shipping company.

Though his education and career took him away from the valley for three decades, he returned in 1986, and purchased his first Okanagan Valley winery and vineyard on a site overlooking Okanagan Lake.  At the time, there wasn’t much belief in the idea of wine being produced in the valley, let alone wine that could stand among the best in the world. He became a pioneer in the planting of vinifera grape varieties to produce premium quality wine.

Few others shared the same vision of what the Okanagan might become, among them – the von Mandls.  CedarCreek grew into one of the leading wineries in the Okanagan Valley – twice winning Canada’s “Winery of the Year” award.  In February 2014, the Fitzpatrick family announced the transfer of ownership of CedarCreek to the von Mandl family.  With this, two of the region’s pioneering winemaking families came together over a shared vision for the future of the Okanagan Valley.

Today, we honour the Senator’s vision for the 50-acre Home Block Vineyard. Winemaker Taylor Whelan is building upon three decades of winemaking history and defining a new chapter with estate-grown, organic wines.  Because of planting decisions made in the early 1990’s, we now have 30-year-old vines at the heart of everything we do, and seek to showcase them in increasingly nuanced ways.  We commit to this land daily with integrity, authenticity, and a commitment to quality.  On that, you have our word.

Nominated: Air Canada / enRoute Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2019.

At Home Block Restaurant, we embrace the bounty of the Okanagan while our name pays homage to the Home Block Vineyard which surrounds us. Our building is crafted from fieldstone and 100-year-old reclaimed barn wood and our cuisine draws on those elemental roots. We integrate natural cooking methods like our wood-fired grill fueled by timber from local orchards and seasoned barrel staves. The result is honest, confident, and approachable food that unites flawlessly with CedarCreek wine.

Come soak up the spectacular views of the lake, vines, and valley with us.  Book on Open Table or call 250-980-4663 for reservations.

 

The View Pearls Traditional Brut

This elegant, dry, sparkling Riesling has notes of crisp green apple, citrus and subtle minerality which dance on your palate with lively effervescence. For centuries the delicate procession of bubbles in sparkling wines has been referred to as “perlage”. We call it Pearls.

Pairing: Pairs well with celebration! Also pasta with a buttered cream sauce, buttered popcorn, Brie chesses, shrimp or shellfish, stuffed mushrooms and fruit based desserts. Shortbread cookies are a fun and surprising pairing; the acidity in Champagne cuts through the rich butter of the cookie.

$29.95

Pearls wine ranks as our #FavouriteThings. Valentines Day, the Pearls sets the tone for the occasion.

“Wine Your Valentine” event on Friday, Feb. 14^th from 5-8 pm here at the winery:

“Wine Your Valentine will take place Friday February 14^th.   Start your romantic evening off with a visit to The View anytime between the hours of 5:00-8:00 pm.   We will be featuring  wine and small bites food pairings in our cellar and barrel room, all set to the beautiful sounds of live acoustic guitar.   Cost is $25 at the door and includes a gift as well as discounts on wine and cider purchases.”

THE VIEW WINERY & WARDS CIDER OUR HISTORY

The View Winery is situated on a parcel of land that has been in the Turton/Ward family for 5 generations. Historically, fresh market apples were grown on the property. In the mid 1990’s a transition began and vineyards and cider apples were planted. Spartans and McIntosh gave way to Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Ehrenfelser and Pinotage vines as well as cider apple varieties such as Belle de Boskoop, Chisel Jersey and Bulmers Norman.

In 2006, plans began to make our own premium wines and the beloved old packinghouse built by Great Granddad Ward in 1922 was transformed into a winery and cidery.

The View now produces over ten thousand cases each year. Our diverse portfolio of award winning wines includes Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Ehrenfelser, and our signature reds: Pinotage and Pinot Noir. Our rosé has emerged as a favourite as have our Silver Lining Estate blends. In 2013 we added Canada’s first wine in can with our wildly popular BLING Sparkling Wine.

Original plans were to build a new retail store and tasting room at the top of the property hence the name “The View”. However, we have grown to love and embrace the unique historical qualities of our family property, so instead chose the original apple packinghouse for our wine shop and winery/cidery.

Built by George Ward in 1922, the packinghouse is the last from its era in the Kelowna area.

With an eye on the future but a keen sense of celebrating our past we now look forward to sharing this important part of Okanagan history with everyone.

With an age-old family recipe and the expertise of our winemaking staff, we proudly craft Wards Ciders which honour our past and our commitment to quality.

40 Knots Soleil Rosé Brut

Inspired by the work of LGBTQ, and our society’s rising shown as a pink sun rising, we created pink bubbles to celebrate.

“We are all a part of the solution… including those that have taken actions against us”.  Tim Cyr.  

Root stock planted 2005- 2007 from France on glacier till soil facing the Salish Sea.  2016 brought the perfect climate to this perfect Coastal Cool Climate terroir.

Tourmaline hue, earthy aromas backed with light berry fruits and fresh baked bread.  Strawberries shine with a bramble bush character and fresh citrus.  Pair with naturally sweet kushi oysters.

GOLD winner in the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards 2018.

“Valentine’s Day always has me thinking of our sparkling tribute to LGBTQ1 named Soleil Rose, depicting society’s acceptance of the group as a pink sun rising, thanks to groups Gay Pride.” – Brenda Hetman-Craig – Owner at  40 Knots Winery

A local Island favourite. We think you will enjoy this one when shared with your Valentine. 

40 Knots Estate Wines

At the edge of the Salish Sea, these wines are distinctly shaped by this windswept, sun-soaked vineyard.  Grown with traditional farming methods, with little to no intervention.  Our grapes are hand selected to bring you clean, aromatic and juicy wines.

What’s in it for you?

Delicious and natural, rooted in our cool climate to give you fruit forward juicy and elegant wines.  You can taste the difference.

What’s NOT in it for you?

No chemical and unnatural preservatives.  We are vegan and gluten free and achieve Gold for our efforts.  Customers thank us all the time, because they say they can now drink wine again with no adverse effects.   It is because of our Green Farm.

Unsworth Rosé Charme De L’Ile

25.00

*Online wine orders must be in multiples of 12, mixed cases are accepted.

Charme De L’île (charm of the island) is the regional name shared with Vancouver and Gulf Island wineries for the sparkling wines made using the charmat method and representative of the local terroir.

Salmon in colour with bright, raspberry, strawberry and rhubarb notes. Dry with beautiful balance and a fine, persistent mousse.

This limited release Charmat-method sparkling wine is made from 100% Cowichan Valley Pinot Noir offering seasonally festive notes of cranberry, pink grapefruit and ginger with a creamier, bigger body than our regular Charme De L’Ile.

Our signature non-vintage blend is crafted each year with a paradoxical goal of consistency and ever greater quality. And all while remaining grounded in a sense of place. It is 100% Pinot Noir. Up to 25% reserve wine.

This is a charming little wine that speaks “celebration”. For young lovers and those young at heart!

Built on family and a passion for wine & food.

Meet Tim and Colleen Turyk – the visionaries and proprietors behind Unsworth Vineyards.

The Turyk family has a long history in the Cowichan Valley area, spending summers at Shawnigan Lake – a much-loved lakeside community that has been attracting families for generations. Tim’s mother Marjorie summered at the lake as a child and made it a part of her own family ritual, bringing Tim and his sisters there every year.

Having grown up watching Cowichan Valley’s homespun wine and food culture evolve, Tim’s ears perked up when he heard about a small vineyard and winery that was for sale in the fall of 2009. After 40+ years working in BC’s fishing industry, he was looking for a new challenge.

One look at the spectacular property and early 1900s farmhouse, and Tim knew he’d found something special. Colleen saw the vision too and they bought the farm, so to speak.

It was the heritage around Marjorie that inspired the name – Unsworth was her maiden name.

From expanding the operation and restoring the farmhouse, to building a brand around sustainably managed vineyard practices, the Turyk’s and their team have built Unsworth one vine, one bottle, one blend at a time.

TIME 2018 Brut

While the literal definition of TIME may be elusive, it is an observed phenomenon which allows us to honour key moments in our shared journey through life. With 50 years of experience in the South Okanagan, the winemaking team knows that our unique terroir can offer the right wine to celebrate any occasion. Enjoy this TIME Brut together.

Made in the classic méthode cuvee clos, fine bubbles open up to a complex, layered bouquet of fresh citrus and notes of toast. The palate shows a rich creaminess and texture, enhanced by a refreshingly crisp finish.

Enjoy TIME with friends and family…anytime.

$34.99

Sharing or an intimate celebration, this is a great choice for celebrations.

About ENCORE

ENCORE Vineyards is a progressive Okanagan-based wine company that owns and manages TIME Winery, Evolve Cellars, and the McWatters Collection. The experience of the ENCORE Vineyards team is unmatched in the Canadian wine industry landscape.

TIME Winery is a fully operational winery, tasting bar, restaurant and guest experience centre located in the heart of wine country in downtown Penticton. There guests can taste a complete portfolio including TIME’s decadent wines as well as sibling labels, Evolve Cellars and McWatters Collection.

Evolve Cellars offers approachable, bright, delicious and affordable wines at a Lounge located inside the winery’s cellar.

The McWatters Collection is an exclusive offering of small lot wines: a legacy label that celebrates the McWatters family and its role in forming BC’s wine industry.

The team ENCORE Vineyards is led by president and CEO Christa-Lee McWatters, a well-known figure in the British Columbia wine industry and daughter of the late Harry McWatters, British Columbia wine pioneer. Christa-Lee carries on her father’s legacy with the help of her sister Darrien McWatters who is the company’s director of operations. Winemaker Graham Piece manages the relationships with the grape growers and oversees the portfolio for all three brands, while chef AK Campbell oversees the kitchen team and a rotating menu of comforting seasonal cuisine.

 

PENTAGE FIZZ ROSÉ 2019

Blend:  Field Blend

Palate:  fresh ripe red berries, with bright acidity and rhubarb notes on the finish

About:  this fun, summer sparkler pairs beautifully with a patio

Lightly bubbled with bright strawberry flavors mingling on the palate with hints of rhubarb on the finish.  Fruit forward with bright acidity – simply delicious.  Serve ice cold.

The wine was gently fined and filtered and received a final CO2 polish immediately before bottling.

$21.65

Another delicious choice for your Valentine’s Day celebration. Why not make it a Valentine’s “weekend”? Enjoy!

FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1996…..

Pentâge Winery is a boutique winery nestled on 23 acres overlooking Skaha Lake in Penticton, British Columbia.

Owned and operated by Paul Gardner & Julie Rennie.  It all began in 1996, already a home winemaker, Paul’s dream was to one day open a winery in the Okanagan Valley.

It started out as a mini-weekend get-away to the Okanagan and the weekend turned into a real estate quest when we happened to stumble upon 4400 Lakeside Road.  At that time the property was an abandoned orchard – “it had everything right wrong with it” said Paul. With his vision and immense passion…..the dream started to unfold.  The land was contoured in 1996 and Spring of 1997 our Vista Ridge Vineyard was planted.  Our first vintage was a small lot of 1999 Syrah and the rest is history…

We limit our annual production to approximately 5,000 cases a year – this enables us the ability to create exceptional small lot releases and maintain our hands-on approach for quality control.

Our commitment to excellence begins in the vineyards.  We believe the foundation of a great wine is most truly reflected by the soil and climate – also known as the “terroir”. Our low-yield cultivation strategy produces the top-quality grapes essential to our premium, limited release, hand-crafted wines.

Steller’s Jay Mountain Brut

The harvesting of our premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes for Mountain Jay Brut begins in mid to late September which assures ideal sugar levels. The Pinot Blanc follows and is added to the Brut base. Early harvesting of these grapes ensures a crisp, fresh acidity in our traditional method sparkling wine.

TASTING NOTES

Aromas of citrus and green apple, with hints of biscuits and semi-toasted almonds. The palate is crisp and clean with apleasant and persistent mousse, while the refreshing acidity provides a long, clean finish. A well-orchestrated blend of 38% Chardonnay, 34% Pinot Blanc, and 28% Pinot Noir.

FOOD PAIRINGS

Steller’s Jay Mountain Jay Brut displays smooth flavours which complement a variety of dishes. This dry, delicate sparkling pairs beautifully with flavourful seafood dishes such as sushi, caramelized sea scallops or rich lobster risotto. And never forget the simple luxury of a fresh chocolate-dipped strawberry with a glass of Steller’s Jay.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Steller’s Jay sparkling wines are hand crafted in the Okanagan Valley using the traditional French “Methode Classique.” First produced in 1989, Mountain Jay Brut stays true to its tradition by remaining one of Canada’s preeminent sparkling wines. White peach and golden hues flatter the ripe orchard fruit and citrus blossom aromas in this crisp and complex sparkling wine. Rich flavours of toasted nut and red berries layer the palate, resolving to a soft and creamy floral mousse finish.

Definitely a classic! We personally recommend as one of our #FavouriteThings. For any occasion and especially a celebration.

Haywire Vintage Bub 2013

When originally released, the wine demonstrated classic warm bread aromas and a crisp green apple finish. Now, with aging, toasted hazelnut aromas are emerging with a creamy red apple palate and white grapefruit freshness to finish.

A very special bubbly for your Valentine this year!

Haywire offers pure, lively, wines that reflect the unique cool climate terroir of Canada’s Okanagan Valley. The portfolio includes pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot noir, gamay and traditional method sparkling wine. Founded in 2005 by Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie, “haywire” is an old Canadianism that refers to wires used for baling hay. Haywire tended to tangle and be unpredictable making it an apt description of the pair’s impromptu decision to forgo retirement and journey into farming and wine making.

Today, their venture includes Okanagan Crush Pad, a state-of-the-art 40,000 case winery, 320-acres of vineyard and farmland, and a focus on creating natural wines exclusively from organic grapes. With home vineyards Switchback and Garnet Valley Ranch now organic certified Haywire has become recognized as making some of the most game-changing wines from the region. Winemaking is in the capable hands of New Zealand native Matt Dumayne who works with consulting winemaker Alberto Antonini. The entire team is committed to farming wines that are lively and elegant and let the natural beauty of the Okanagan Valley shine through.

Tasting notes and bottle shots courtesy of the wineries. My personal notes (in italics). All opinions are my own. I have personally sampled all of these wines on previous occasions, many often, and think you will enjoy them as much as I have.

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