The blended family vintage
Photo credit: Courtesy of State of Washington Tourism
The 2024 vintage in British Columbia will go down as one of the craziest in history. No winery in BC’s interior was spared the effects of devastating extreme cold temperatures in the previous two winters, and not every producer was affected equally. Some were able to make enough wine to squeak by. Others were brutally left with little harvest, or none at all.
The provincial government was not expedient in announcing clear changes to regulations that would allow BC wineries to make wine using grapes and/or juice from outside the province. There otherwise exists an 89% markup for this, which one would be eager to avoid. Without much certainty or confidence, some held their breath and had to scramble later when it became clear what the rules would be. Others gambled by contracting growers and sourcing fruit before anyone knew what was going to happen.
Opportunity knocks
Once permission was granted, most turned immediately south to Washington State. Here they found equally desperate growers whose contracts had been cancelled by the state’s largest producer, Chateau Ste Michelle, due to the company scaling back operations. Each side of the border became the other’s life raft.
Other BC winemakers found specific appellations in Oregon or California and used their fruit to craft intentional wines that would emulate their specific style. With temporary exemptions granted, we could even have pressed juice trucked in from Ontario.
In all cases, the common thread is that BC winemakers were searching diligently - boots on the ground - for the best quality fruit, to match what they’re used to at home. This was not about cutting corners or compromising to get by. There was a universal and singular focus on the highest standards, so they could give us their very best.
Fast forward to today, and we are looking at the new wave of wine releases, which are the final products of this whole emotional maelstrom we’ve been through. As our vines come back online and look to produce healthy crops once again for 2025, freshly bottled whites and rosés have begun to hit the market. You will see many familiar varietals like Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc. Some new friends like Grenache or Cinsault may have made their way into a rosé - exciting opportunities to try something different. These quick-turn-around wines serve a couple of purposes.
First, they give us more delicious wines to drink and keep us connected with the producers making them.
Second, they keep the wineries in business and their people employed. Massive win for our industry!
Do you see any reason to shun or disparage the wines of this vintage? Because I sure don’t. The wineries did what they had to do to survive. Their products, before and after this whole ordeal, are not diluted or degraded by the decisions they made.
Photo credit: Courtesy of State of Washington Tourism
A blended family
These wines are a necessary part of BC’s wine history. Maybe it didn’t have to be this way, but it is this way and we can embrace it. They will not be reflective or expressive of our local regions, sites, and soils. But wine is more than that. What are reflected and expressed are the resilience, vision, innovation, and creativity of the people behind the label. That’s who we are celebrating when we open these bottles.
Many wineries are using language like ‘crafted in BC,’ or ‘made in Canada’ for transparency, which puts the emphasis where it belongs. You may sometimes see the media refer to them as ‘replacement wines’ or something else that distinguishes them as ‘other.’ I prefer to think of them as part of our new blended family - and they are welcome.
I’m therefore happy to review these wines and share their stories like any other. This list is by no means exhaustive but will be continually updated, so stay tuned! Some info on the different regions is provided below as well.
Mayhem (Okanagan Falls)
Mayhem sourced fruit for this vintage from different sites in Washington. Pressed juice was transported back to their Okanagan Falls facilities to continue with the winemaking. Though potentially a one-off collaboration, it is evident that Mayhem was not satisfied making wines that amount to platitudes. Three characterful releases are featured below.
Mayhem 2024 Sauvignon Blanc | Wahluke Slope AVA, Washington
Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of Sauvignon Blanc coming out of Washington this year! The juice for this wine was pressed and shipped up to Okanagan Falls, where fermentation took place in stainless steel with 4 months resting on lees. 11% of this was in seasoned barriques, acting to slightly soften the sharp acidic edge while retaining the characteristic aromas. Gooseberry, lemongrass, lime, grapefruit, green pepper, and a bit of passionfruit are alive in this vibrant and zippy Sauvignon Blanc. Just shy of medium-bodied, the subtle texture is nice, rounding out the profile but not distracting from all the vivid fruit qualities.
Mayhem 2024 Pinot Gris | Ancient Lakes AVA, Washington
This Pinot Gris was picked in mid September, pressed, and transported to Mayhem’s facilities as juice to begin cool fermentation - mostly in stainless but a portion was in seasoned puncheons. 4 months of lees contact enhances the soft, round texture laid down by the neutral oak. Pale gold with a touch of copper, there are medium intensity aromas of green melon, apple, and citrus with a clean, chalky personality. The acidity is pronounced on this dry Pinot Gris, but it is soft and approachable due to the winemaking decisions. Very pleasant and easy to drink, and one to reach for all day.
Mayhem 2024 Rosé | Wahluke Slope AVA, Washington
A very attractive pale pink rosé of 100% Merlot. The nose is beautiful and expressive with ripe strawberries, rhubarb, liquorice, and river rocks. A little bump of about 5 g/L residual sugar isn’t detectable as sweetness (the wine is dry), but it does nicely plump up the juicy fruit-forward body of this easy-drinking rosé. Connoisseurs may want a bit more acidity but as it is, this is still very lovely, soft, clean, and crisp.
Blasted Church (Skaha Bench)
Winemaker Evan Saunders found what he was looking for in the sustainably grown Andrews Family Vineyards of Horse Heaven Hills, the Columbia Valley’s second largest wine region. Multiple visits over the season ensured the grapes were grown and harvested to precise standards. The fruit for each wine was pressed and the juice transported by truck to their home facilities for winemaking. Evan has achieved a distinct style of soft, juicy, and compelling wines for this vintage.
Blasted Church 2024 Pinot Gris | Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Washington
After 2 hours of skin contact, the pressed juice was fermented back in Canada in stainless steel tanks. Here we have proof that a Pinot Gris, from anywhere, will reveal its true self if made well. The aromas are not assertive but the personality is there: Apple, pear, lemon peel, yellow plum, waxy melon rind, and chrysanthemum. Dry and medium-bodied, gentle fruit on the palate - this is a Pinot Gris lover’s Pinot Gris. Soft, a little creamy, and delicious.
Blasted Church 2024 Sauvignon Blanc | Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Washington
Kicking off with 3 hours of skin contact, the wine was fermented in both neutral oak and stainless steel. Characteristic aromas and flavours are in abundance - gooseberry, green apple, citrus peel, honeysuckle, and passionfruit. A Sauvignon Blanc that leans into the juicier side, still dry but with mouthwatering acidity and ripe fruit flavours that feel like a big bite of tangy, tropical produce. You’ll need a napkin.
Blasted Church 2024 Rosé Grenache | Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Washington
Grenache is always a great choice although not familiar to BC rosé drinkers. The southern Columbia Valley can provide the dry heat needed to ripen this red variety. Fermentation and aging took place in neutral French oak barrels. A Niçoise blush, with a vivacious nose of strawberries and cream, rhubarb, Rainier cherry, tomato leaf, and yellow plum. Palate is dry and leads with tart raspberries, and is animated by a delicate chalky texture. An exciting start to the spring season!
Blasted Church 2024 Hatfield’s Fuse | Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Washington
Blasted Church’s signature white blend, now with a Washington twist. This wine goes bang alright! A supernova of succulent apple, pear, peach, plum, melon, lime wedge, grapefruit, white blossoms, and a clean steely edge. All the components are doing their part - orchard fruit from the Pinot Gris (41%), body and florals from the Viognier (20%), juicy citrus and tangy acidity from Riesling (39%). An illustration of how we do dry, fruity white blends in BC. Versatile and hits the spot.
Winemaker’s CUT (District Village, Oliver)
Michal Mosny sourced fruit for this vintage from vineyards in the Yakima Valley in Washington. His approach has been consistent across the board - bright fruit expression and approachability, facilitated by mostly stainless steel fermentation and a bit of neutral oak for juicy wines with a soft edge. Michal chose to transport grapes back to Canada immediately after harvest and conduct all the winemaking steps in-house. None of these varietals are new to the Winemaker’s CUT portfolio - but you can tell they sure had fun with this vintage!
Winemaker’s CUT 2024 Sauvignon Blanc | Yakima Valley AVA, Washington
The backstory: 3 hours of skin contact followed by a long, cool ferment in 80% stainless steel and 20% neutral oak. The soundtrack: The volume is turned down but the ripeness of fruit is present. The plot: Primary fruit character featuring some gooseberry, lemon, white blossoms, grass, and lime pith. The medium finish is driven by citrusy acidity, which is ripe and juicy. A good entry-level Sauvignon Blanc for the masses.
Winemaker’s CUT 2024 Unoaked Chardonnay | Yakima Valley AVA, Washington
A variation on a theme, this Chardonnay was given 3 hours skin contact before fermenting entirely in neutral oak, and aging 5 months in stainless steel. The nose carries lemon, apple, and yellow plum with a footnote of crushed rock, which will please those accustomed to the mineral complexity of BC Chardonnay. The palate is soft and juicy, with a subtle richness and whispers of vanilla and spice. Another friendly addition to the winemaker’s story of this vintage.
Winemaker’s CUT 2024 Grüner Veltliner | Yakima Valley AVA, Washington
Crushed grapes were given 3 hours to mingle before the juice said tschüssi and was pressed away to ferment in 35% neutral oak and 65% stainless steel. Aromas would be commonplace in a Viennese spring market - apple, lemon, pear, white flowers, and white asparagus. The palate is verging off-dry with ample acidity and a tangy green apple finish. Straight forward, juicy, and Riesling-adjacent.
Winemaker’s CUT 2024 Rosé | Yakima Valley AVA, Washington
Unconventionally (at least for BC) composed of both Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, pressed immediately without any skin contact. The resulting rosé is a handsome pale salmon colour. Fermentation proceeded over 4 months in stainless steel. The nose is strikingly expressive, predominantly of the Cabernet family’s green qualities - bell pepper and currant leaf. Dressing the salad is a tart red currant-strawberry vinaigrette, and the structure is pretty much right on the money. The vegetal character makes this wine unique for the local rosé sector.
Winemaker’s CUT 2024 Sparkling Grüner Veltliner | Yakima Valley AVA, Washington
This is a charmat method sparkler with the first fermentation in neutral oak, and the second in steel tank. It’s a pale lemon-green with vigorous bubbles, delighting with apple, pear, lemon zest, kiwi, melon, white blossoms, and a touch of gravel. Lighter bodied and refreshing, this is a gregarious style comparable to Prosecco.
Winemaker’s CUT 2024 Muscat | Yakima Valley AVA, Washington
Typical for this most fragrant variety, the Muscat from Sugar Loaf vineyard was pressed without skin contact and fermented in 100% stainless steel. The wine is nearly colourless with a barely-there pale straw hue. Expect a spirited aromatic presentation of orange blossom, honeysuckle, plum, apple, and lemon-lime spritzer. The off-dry palate has ripe acidity and is 100% fruit character, crisp and clean. A herald of summer.
Dirty Laundry (Summerland)
For the 2024 vintage, the Dirty Laundry winemaking team led by Mason Spink searched for optimal sites in Washington to produce wines similar to their popular portfolio. The same attention to care and quality was focused on fruit from Yakima Valley AVA, where grapes were crushed/pressed and the settled juice transported back to Summerland. The results are delicious, playful wines that manage to capture what Dirty Laundry is about. Taste these wines and see for yourself.
Vineyard blocks were picked and fermented separately in stainless steel. Alluring on the nose with medium intensity jasmine, cosmic crisp apple, a citrus trio of lemon-lime-grapefruit, and guava gummy bear. It’s clearly fruity and sub-tropical, but what is it? The palate confirms - phantom sweetness, full textured acidity, a fruit explosion, a refreshing and sprightly body. This is a Riesling, and a juicy, soft, and versatile one to be sure.
BC’s most popular white wine, this one will sell well all season long. Yakima Valley fruit was pressed without skin contact and fermented cool. The aromas speak confidently of Asian pear, melon, star fruit, and chrysanthemum. It’s dry, and both the mouth watering acidity and pleasant finish emulate ripe and juicy orchard apples. Fruity, soft, and round is the recipe for a patio pounder of a PG if there ever was one.
Dirty Laundry 2024 Sauvignon Blanc
Fruit was crushed and soaked 2 hours before pressing off the juice for transport. Cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks was accompanied by daily lees stirring. A unique and lovely expression with mild aromas of gooseberry, caper berries, mango, young thyme, hay, and hawthorn. From sip to finish, it’s the greenness and savoury elements that lead while the ripe fruit supports, all brightened with vibrant acidity. These qualities make this a punchy and enjoyable take on the varietal, especially in the context of a new wave of Washington-sourced Sauvignon Blancs being released in BC now.
Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, and Chardonnay from Yakima valley go into this flirtatious favourite. A cornucopia of concentrated fruit aromas like ripe apple and pear, citrus, melon, plum, kiwi, pineapple, and a cover crop of clover all sing a song for summer. The ripe character rings out through the fruit salad finish. Off dry, steely and playful, with florality and tang - this will disappear effortlessly but could pair well with burrata or goats cheese with a honey drizzle.
Dirty Laundry 2024 OK Sweetheart
Blending Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay, this year it’s a WA Sweetheart. Yellow apple, lemon, honeysuckle, tangerine, and candied ginger decorate this smooth and succulent summer sipper. With two fruity, off dry white blends to choose, go for this if you prefer something softer, rounder, with a bit more body.
Dirty Laundry 2024 Hush Rosé
This pale salmon-flesh-coloured rosé of 100% Washington Syrah smells of gooseberry, raspberry, underripe strawberry, peach, and a grassy herbaceousness. Approachably off dry, the wine is structured with tart red berry acidity, and charmed by a yummy finish of juicy strawberries and peaches. This is for everyone, but Sauvignon Blanc lovers especially will enjoy the clean, crisp presentation with some green fruit and herbaceous aromas.
Tightrope (Naramata Bench)
Each of three new releases were sourced from different vineyards in Washington’s Yakima Valley AVA. These wines transparently express both their warmer provenance (with riper, tropical fruit character) as well as Tightrope winemaker Lyndsay O’Rourke’s penchant for fun, snappy wines.
Tightrope 2024 Slackline Pinot Gris
Straight forward winemaking with cool fermentation in stainless steel and 3 months resting on lees. Giving tropical vibes, this Pinot Gris drums up candied apple, guava, white flowers, and lemon zest. Lively, ripe fruit character fills a medium-bodied palate with soft, round texture and a tangy finish. Very slick.
Tightrope 2024 Slackline Sauvignon Blanc
Only stainless steel vessels were used in the production of this made-in-Naramata Sauvignon Blanc, with 3 months resting on lees to enhance texture. The thesis of this wine is spectacularly ripe fruit. Gentle aromas of gooseberry, white blossoms, passionfruit, and green pepper declare the wine’s identity. The limey acidity on the palate is also ripe and salivating, facilitating a generously succulent Riesling-like finish. Well done.
100% Syrah from Yakima Valley was fermented in stainless steel and aged 3 months on the lees. A shade of briefly steeped rosehip tea, this rosé is crisp and tight with tart cherries, strawberries, red liquorice, grapefruit, sweet basil, and bramble on the nose. The main theme on the palate is lip smacking tart red fruit. The wine is dry and medium-bodied and is led by electric, tangy acidity. Unironically well-balanced and delicate.
Poplar Grove (Naramata Bench)
The vineyards of Washington were scoured to find the perfect sites for the varietals Poplar Grove planned to vinify into two expressive and intentional wines for 2024. They called these 2 wines the Cascadia series, underlining the unity and fraternity of the Pacific Northwest and ignoring arbitrary borders.
Poplar Grove Cascadia Series 2024 Rosé (Club Member Exclusive) | Wahluke Slope & Yakima Valley AVAs, Washington
Malbec is a rare but smart choice for rosé making, and one Poplar Grove is used to. This one comes from two different regions of the Columbia Valley, supplemented with 8% Muscat. Fermentation of press fractions was conducted in their Penticton home cellar, all stainless and low temperature. Rosy hibiscus pink in colour, this rosé offers quite a lot of red and black fruit like plum, dark cherry, loganberry, and watermelon, along with pear drop, violets, and honeysuckle. Gentle acidity tickles the rear palate, with tart blackberries closing off the fruity finish. Unique for its darker berry profile - thanks Malbec!
Poplar Grove 2024 Cascadia Pinot Gris | Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley AVAs, Washington
Acombinationof Pinot Gris from Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley provide a balance of ripeness and freshness, topped up with 3% Viognier, 2% Sauvignon Blanc, 1.5% Chardonnay, and 1.5% Muscat. Pressed juice arrived at Poplar Grove for fermentation and blending. The nose is striking with steely citrus, grass, apple, pear, white blossoms, chalk, and crushed rock. An elegant Chablis impersonator with bright citrus character, a crunchy and well-balanced palate with high acid, and a stony finish. A steal at $21.65 per bottle!
*This list will be continually updated, so please stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks!
This Blog Post was written by our contributor: Matt Tinney with MT Wine Consulting (@mtwineconsulting).