Winemaker, Charlie Wagner makes his Silver Chardonnay in it's purest form - with no oak contact. It is 100% Santa Lucia Highlands fruit and it is made in concrete vats. A brilliant idea, in 2008, Charlie began releasing it in attractive (and reusable), grey ceramic bottles that represent those very concrete vats where the wine is made.
Expect brown butter, spiced honey, mineral and pineapple chunks and yellow apple notes. It has a lovely richness in the mouth with wonderful freshness. Impressive concentration with flavours of spiced butter, lemon zest, lees and coriander. Great persistence with interesting savoury components and a long, mouthwatering finish.
©copyright 2013 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 22nd, 2013

This glorious Muscat is wonderfully fragrant and is my favourite of the JoieFarm portfolio.
It's pale straw in colour with the extraordinary scents of lavender soap, ginger, rose petals and lychee, white grapes and orange zest. It attacks your palate with white nectarine, grapefruit peel, lavender pastilles and star anise. It boasts an oily texture, has a whisper of sweetness, amazing concentration and a potent and lengthy finish.
Pristine. Made from Moscato Giallo and Moscato Canelli both grown on the Naramata Bench.

©copyright 2013 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 16th, 2013

The Mavety family has been growing grapes high above Vaseaux Lake in the South Okanagan since 1971. Since 1991 they have been making their own wines under the Blue Mountain label.
Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Gamay Noir is their focus.
Consistent and elegant with an Old World character the 2011offers spicy and savoury notes of leather and pepper, beet greens and dried herbs atop rhubarb and tart red berries, smoke and cedar. The palate is smooth it is a restrained style with plenty of acidity. Good concentration and flavours of juicy red fruits, spicebox and cigar. The finish is lengthy and trails bittersweet cocoa.
©copyright 2013 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 16th, 2013

Notice the glossy new labels on Blue Mountain’s reserve sparkling wines. This 2005 vintage is dominated by Pinot Noir with the addition of 35% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Gris. It was aged sur lie (on the residual yeasts from the secondary fermentation in bottle) for six years, to add complexity.
Made in the traditional method, it went through a secondary fermentation in bottle and was then aged sur lie for six years. It offers toast and Bosc pear, tart red berries and bread dough with undertones of apple, nuts and honeysuckle. An impressive creamy mousse describes the palate; it is an elegantly woven wine with citrus, brioche and ginger biscuit flavours clinging to the finish.
©copyright 2013 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 16th, 2013

An delightful expression of creamy yellow Bartlett pear, honeysuckle, orange blossoms and a spritz of exotic citrus. It is simply fantastic on the palate - weighted and slick with wonderful concentration. It has a whisper of sweetness offset with racy acidity. The flavours of citrus peel and crisp pear cling to your tongue and persist on a lengthy finish.
Recommended pairings: salmon, spicy crab cakes, prawns, baked chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce or seasonal turkey dinners.

©copyright 2013 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 16th, 2013

Terravista owners, Stella and Bob Tennant established Terravista Vineyards near Penticton after selling Black Hills Estate several years ago. The Figaro (one of two whites they make) is made from white Rhone grape varieties, Viognier and Rousanne.
It has a pristine nose of white blossoms, exotic citrus, apricot and peach stone with undertones of ginger. The palate is tangy and crisp but it has a lovely silky (almost oily) weight. Attractive clean fruit layered with lime, grapefruit and honey flavours, which cling to the finish.
©copyright 2013 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 9th, 2013

A Gamay Noir that will make you fall in love with Gamay Noir, if you aren't already.
It's scented with raspberry tea, white pepper, cedar and fine spice and rounded out with crushed flowers and hints of wild purple berries. The palate is just as appealing with juicy berry flavours, pepper, dried tobacco leaf and cedar chips.
An elegant wine that responds nicely to a slight chill and partners well with cedar planked salmon, pork tenderloin with berry sauces, grilled chicken, chorizo or soft, washed rind cheeses.
©copyright 2013 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 8th, 2013

Good pinosity.
Typical sour cherry and red currents, rainforest floor and cedar chips, leather and green herbs with fine spice. Light in body with tart red fruit, leather cocoa and spicebox flavours wrapped in an earthy shell. Good acidity here that provide good pairings with fish and runny cheeses or squash ravioli or creamy mushroom pastas.
©copyright 2012 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 7th, 2013

I review very few German Pinot Noirs (mainly because there are few available in Canada), so I was pleasantly surprised to see this one come across my desk.
Pleasing aromas of raspberries, violets and sweet spice lead to an earthy core of cedar/rainforest floor and carrot tops. The palate is smooth and very light in body - red fruit and cedary flavours dominate. It is fresh and straightforward but has a very clean palate.
Pair with fish, soft/creamy cheeses or mushroom risotto.

©copyright 2012 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - April 12th, 2012

Pioneering a new wine region in BC, Fort Berens is located at the base of the Fraser Canyon, near Lillooet.
Their vines are now old enough, that they are able to rely upon making this wine from their estate fruit.
This vintage is a paler cherry blossom pink colour, which I prefer. It's delicate and fragrant with vanilla, rose petals, sweet summer berries and orange blossoms. The palate is tangy and is reminiscent of a bowl of summer fruit spritzed with tangerine oil. Nice job this vintage. There is some backbone here and fine spice and cedar flavours on the finish, but the acidity and lively character will draw you back to your glass again and again.
Pair with a wide range of foods: salmon, a cheese platter, cassoulet, pork, turkey or grilled veggies.

©copyright 2013 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 3rd, 2013

The always highly anticipated JoieFarm Re-Think Pink! Rose is the benchmark for pink wine in British Columbia. They've been making it in a serious manner (before pink became uber-popular) since day one and although it changes vintage to vintage and some years are better than others, we still eagerly await its release.
The 2012 is spot on. Drier than the last vintage with a brilliant cran-ruby hue, it maintains the previous blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay with a splash each of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris.
It has a berry bowl of aromas - Raspberry, wild summer berries and strawberry are layered with nectarine peel and pink grapefruit. The palate is focused; it is tart and tangy with flavours of strawberry, vanilla, orange peel and raspberry tea. Excellent length with a mouthwatering finish.
Pair with... Almost anything. Fish, white meats, cheese and charcuterie, salads and starters, picnics, a good book...
©copyright 2013 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Diva reviewed - May 2nd, 2013