Home for the Holidays with Fort Berens

Home for the holidays will again have very special meaning as we settle in with our families and loved ones to celebrate the season. We hope that your hearts and homes are filled with all the joy that this season brings.

Wine Suggestions
If you are looking for some wine suggestions for this holiday season, here are a few recent reviews from some wine writers about our wines.

Meritage Reserve 2018: John Schreiner awarded this wine 94 points. He described it as: “This is drama in the glass: bold aromas of cassis, blueberry and cherry are echoed by the abundant fruit on the palate. The finish lingers and lingers. This is an elegant and sophisticated wine.”

White Gold 2019: John Schreiner awarded this wine 92 points. He explains: “The wine begins with aromas of apple, vanilla and butter. Rich on the palate, the wine delivers luscious flavours of peach, apple and butter. The oak is subtle and the fruit is the star.”

Read John’s reviews on these and a number of our other wines here,

Chardonnay 2020: Certified Sommelier Deborah Podurgiel rated this wine 91 points for NatalieMacLean.com. Deborah explained, “Fort Beren’s Estate Winery Chardonnay 2020 is a dry, medium-bodied, and mouth-wateringly good Chard with lime-lemon zest, crunchy apple, melon and white-fleshed stone-fruit flavours with just a touch of oak…A match made in Chardonnay heaven with grilled Coho salmon and herbed mini potato galettes!” Read the full review here.

Meritage 2018: Certified Sommelier Deborah Podurgiel rated this wine 92 points for NatalieMacLean.com. Deborah described this wine as follows, “Fragrant and enticing with aromas of dark cherry, mulberry, deli meat, cooked bacon; dry, medium-plus-bodied, lush and mouth-filling with fresh dark cherry, raspberry, chocolate, cedar brush, savoury herb flavours and beautifully balanced acidity. Tannins are fine-grained and velvety.” Read the full review  here.

Wine Pairings
This special time of year means it’s a great time to open a special bottle of wine. Wondering what our winemaker Alex Nel is drinking for Christmas? He was recently featured in an article from Steve MacNaull where he shares his top 3 wine recommendations for the season. You can read the article here.

Here are some additional thoughts on pairing our reserve wines with a number of festive meals this holiday season. If you are interested in trying something new in the kitchen, take a look at our collection of recipes and suggested pairings.

Last Minute E-Gift Cards
Still looking for the perfect last minute gift, or someting for the hard to buy for person on your list? An e-gift card may be the perfect choice. We can send e-gift cards in denominations of $50-$250.

Our Wines Around BC
As you are looking to pick up wine for the days ahead, you can find our wines at Save-on-Foods stores with a wine section, private liquor stores, and Government Liquor Stores around BC, as well as a selection of private liquor stores in Alberta.

From time to time, our retail partners feature our wines in their liquor stores. We currently have our wine on sale in stores as follows:

Chardonnay – $1 off at BC Government Liquor Stores
Chardonnay – $1 off plus get 150 More points at Save-on-Foods
Meritage – a number of private liquor stores around BC have our Meritage on feature this month. This includes all 4 Metro Liquor Stores, where it is on sale, plus Sommelier Shanyn Ward named it as “Shanyn’s Selection”.

Stay well and stay safe as you enjoy the holiday season.

Cheers!

Rolf de Bruin
Co-founder and co-owner
Fort Berens Estate Winery

Information and images courtesy of the winery.