“In this series I am bringing you an exclusive list of wines for Valentine’s”
Once you’ve passed the early stages of a relationship, the Romance, and when you’ve gotten to know each other, exploring your love of wine together may add a spark to your Passion for Valentine’s Day.
Passion, a feeling of strong and barely controllable emotion.
Moon Curser Dead of Night 2022
Moon Curser’s flagship blend of Osoyoos East Bench grown Syrah and Tannat. Bold, rich, age-worthy and so very delicious. One of a kind.
4 X GOLD MEDALS – 2025 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada, 2025 Global Fine Wine Challenge & 2024 Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition & DOUBLE GOLD MEDAL – 2025 Great Northwest Wine Platinum Awards
The 2022 vintage of our flagship Dead of Night is comprised of the top performing barrels from each of our Syrah and Tannat blocks. This wine is exceptional, with a deep ruby colour that hints at its depth and complexity. On the nose, a complex bouquet unfolds, revealing notes of dark fruit, coffee, gingerbread and dried fig. The backbone of acidity carries the palate of this dry, full-bodied wine, while the fine tannins provide a luxurious mouthfeel. The intense flavours of raspberry coulis, pomegranate, blackcurrant, cocoa and cedar dominate the palate, while the rich oak profile adds depth and nuance. Whether enjoyed within a year or two of release, (preferably after decanting) on its own, or paired with a gourmet meal like braised lamb, a hearty beef stew, mushroom bourguignon, dark chocolate chili & cherry brownies, or a triple cream brie, this wine will be sure to impress. Dead of Night will continue to benefit from aging up to, and beyond, 2034.
Haywire Gamay 2022
Varietal: 100% Gamay Noir
Geographical Indication: Okanagan Valley BC VQA
100% Gamay fermented in small open top tanks and Nico Velo concrete with twice daily punchdowns for four weeks. 50% whole cluster for increased mid palate weight. A lovely, delectable herbaceousness and a silky finish that only Okanagan Gamay can deliver. Textbook. Pair with gourmet pizzas or charcuterie
Available online $33.99 or also available at WineClub.ca by subscription.
Appearance: A rich and deep ruby red
Nose: Enticing aromas of dark fruits, blackberries with a hint of cranberry. As it sits it continues to develop leading to some tobacco scents and rich goodness.
Palate: This wine delights with richness that follows the nose. A medium body that promises balance with mellow notes. Light tannins that fold into the flavours of the wine. This wine is a chameleon that pairs well with many dishes. The ripe, dark fruit predominates without being heavy. Lingering with some interesting spicy notes to finish.
Food Pairings: I really put this wine through its paces. Although the wine is richer and riper than a Pinot Noir it was easily on a par for pairing with turkey. It was also so versatile as to pair nicely with an array of dishes; baked acorn squash, balsamic Brussel sprouts with a crispy, buttery topping, baked bread stuffing, turkey and of course mashed potatoes and copious amounts of turkey gravy.
I have to say I was surprised by this wine. Although Gamay is not overly heavy I find it more hardy than a Pinot Noir. I love a rich wine, and this one with its oh so light tannins, overwhelmed me as a paring with turkey. It was definitely the favoured wine of the four adults at the table.
Decanting: 2 hours or more including chilling to 18-19 degrees celsius (notes in italics MyVanCity)
Bartier Bros. Illegal Curve 2022
Bold and smooth.
A bold and dynamic red blend of mostly Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, the Illegal Curve has ripe plum, blackberry, and a touch of pepper.
A full bodied, savoury, and expressive blend.
The Bartier Bros.
We’re from this Valley. We grew up here, we know it, we love it, we are a product of it and we feel responsible to it. Our wines are an expression of the valley, being true to the language that can describe any aspect of the Okanagan; bright, fresh, refreshing, pristine, unspoilt, alive and so on . . .
Our ambition is to make great wines. Great wine can be found all over the world but it’s important for us not to merely copy those wines because by definition, great wine is unique and identifiable to its origin. Of course, great wine also by definition should be delicious. In the Okanagan Valley, we have a rare and precious combination of growing conditions; relatively high altitude, desert climate (hot days, cool nights), low humidity, tolerable winters from our moderating lakes, young soils lain over glacial till and all of this occurs at a very high latitude from the equator. The Okanagan epitomizes all of the great qualities, which the entire global wine industry scrambles to define itself as being.
Fort Berens Cabernet Franc Reserve 2022
Tasting Notes
A wine of elegance and stature, featuring a combination of cassis and blueberry notes with a hint of pencil shavings. This full-bodied wine has richness from the oak, a smooth tannin structure, and hints of dark chocolate flavour following through on the palate.
Awards & Accolades
- 93 points – John Schreiner, johnschreiner.blogspot.com
Vineyard Notes
100% estate grown grapes from Dry Creek Vineyard, planted in 2009.
Winemaker Notes
The grapes for this reserve wine were hand-harvested and sorted before destemming and crush. A 2-day cold soak allowed for optimal fruit extraction before fermentation. During fermentation, a combination of punchdowns and pump-overs were completed for the extraction of flavour, tannins, and colour. A further post maceration of 8 days were done on completion of fermentation for further colour and fine tannin extraction. The grapes were gently pressed and matured in 225L French oak barrels for 15 months including 60% new oak and 40% 2nd fill barrels.
Food Pairings
This rich and versatile wine pairs well with grilled steak, vegetarian lasagna with eggplant, a decadent chocolate dessert, or savour it on its own as you relax by the fireplace.
Aging
Enjoy this wine now, or it will age beautifully to 2030 and beyond.
Hester Creek 2024 MERITAGE
Tasting Notes
The nose hints of ripe blackberry and lapin cherry with vanilla notes followed by a palate filled with cassis, blackberry and hints of cedar and vanilla. The finish is long with a full tannin structure. Pair this full-bodied wine with BBQ striploin and seasoned vegetable skewers.
Vineyard Notes
The 2024 vintage from Hester Creek was sourced from just south of the border in the Columbia Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA). This AVA and its sub-AVAs were chosen for the proximity and similarities to the South Okanagan with respect to terroir, varietals and viticultural history. We chose the vineyard blocks based on our quality standards and all the winemaking was done in-house by our winemaking team. Across the sub-AVAs, bud break began in late March with a cool spring. By July, temperatures climbed to above average and balanced out the Growing Degree Days. The season produced large grape clusters with small berry sizes, leading to great quality fruit for winemaking. Each cluster of grapes for Hester Creek was hand harvested, starting with our Sauvignon Blanc on September 2, and ending with Cabernet Sauvignon on October 11. The grapes were brought to our crush pad in recyclable containers and hand sorted by our team before continuing the winemaking process.
Winemaker Notes
A blend of Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes were all hand harvested from the Red Mountain AVA. The Cabernet Franc and Malbec were the first to be harvested on October 4, 2025 and were cold soaked for two days prior to being co-fermented for 10 days. The Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested on October 3 and 5, cold soaked for one day before a 14-day fermentation. All lots went through a malolactic fermentation before being pressed off and cross blended to age for eight months in American and French oak. The final wine was racked blended and bottled on July 10, 2025.
Township 7 2022 Provenance Series Cabernet Merlot
TASTING NOTES
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with inviting aromas of cassis, black cherry, and a touch of
eucalyptus. The palate is smooth and well-balanced, featuring juicy black cherry and cassis, elegantly
framed by supple tannins and nuanced layers of cedar box and cocoa.
STYLISTIC NOTES
This blend highlights the distinct terroirs of Naramata and Osoyoos in the South Okanagan, bringing
together the best of both sites. Carefully selected barrel groups were chosen to create a fruit-forward
wine with soft tannins and intricate complexity. The grapes underwent a 14-day fermentation using
pigeage and delestage techniques to enhance rich fruit expression. Following fermentation, the wine
was aged for 18 months in a mix of American and French oak, preserving its vibrant fruit while adding
depth and subtle sophistication.
FOOD PAIRINGS
Beef Stroganoff, or smoked tofu with stewed lentils, sharp aged cheddar.
Blasted Church Big Bang Theory 2024
Winemaking
The grapes were grown in the Horse Heaven Hills, at Andrews Family Vineyards, a member of Sustainable WA. The soils are very similar to what we have in our own estate vineyard and our grower vineyards in Osoyoos, which allowed us to assemble a wine that is true to our house style. The similarity between the sites was a big contributing factor in our decision to source our fruit from this site.
Grapes were hand harvested September 23rd and 30th at the ideal balance between flavour, tannin evolution, sugar level, and acidity. Bins were loaded into a waiting temperature-controlled truck for transport up to our cellar in Okanagan Falls for processing, fermentation, and aging. On arrival in our cellar, the fruit was destemmed and transferred to tanks for 7-day cold soak prior to fermentations. Tanks were pumped over once or twice per day and macerations ranged from 18 to 21 days.The wines were transferred to French oak barrels for MLF and aging. After 3 months in barrel, the blend was assembled and put back to barrel for another 3 months of aging prior to bottling.
While we did work to preserve the freshness and limit the extraction, the Horse Heaven Hills AVA produces fruit with thick skins and big tannin potential, which we wanted to showcase as well. The result is a rich, ripe expression of Big Bang Theory, and we are incredibly proud of how the wine came together.
Tasting notes
Colour: Deep ruby.
Nose: Ripe plum, dark berries and cherries, floral, vanilla, and chocolate.
Palate: Plum and dark cherries with fine-grained tannins balances the richness, while the acidity helps to preserve the freshness.
Residual Sugar: 4.1 grams/litre
Pairings
The 2024 Big Bang Theory is a versatile wine. The richness and structure will allow it to stand up to red meats, grilled sausages, rich mushroom dishes, lasagna, or any pastas with red sauce. Pizza would also work incredibly well!
Awards
92 Points – BC Wine Trends
“Lush plum and black-cherry flavours glide across the palate, supported by fine-grained, lightly leathery tannins. Bright acidity keeps everything fresh and lively, while the fuller texture delivers a smooth, fruit-forward finish that lingers with satisfying depth. Delicious now, but with the structure and balance to age gracefully if you have the patience,” writes Julian Park, awarding the 92-point score.
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Wine notes courtesy of the wineries. These wines were featured in our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions feature. To view all the recommended wines click here.
Feature image: stock, Township 7 image: courtesy of the winery. Images (except as noted) MyVanCity.