Winter whites ready for the holiday wine sipper

Holiday white wines

White wine in winter is a wonderful thing.

Here are five winter whites that are ideal for holiday sipping, and they’ll transition us into 2024, too.

Wine: Solvero Wines 2022 Pinot Gris

Winery: Solvero Wines

Why drink it? Talented winemaker Alison Moyes (Osoyoos Larose, Liquidity) is leading the charge at Solvero Wines, with chic, delicious wines such as this Pinot Gris. Thanks to minimal intervention and neutral French oak, a rich fruit bowl of flavours shines through: peach, pear, apricot, pink grapefruit, honey. Serve chilled.

Pair with: Roast turkey, chicken, mildly seasoned salmon, sushi, spaghetti carbonara or pasta with white sauce

Price: $25

Wine: Upper Bench Estate Winery 2022 Riesling

Winery: Upper Bench Estate Winery

Why drink it? Because Riesling is one of the world’s greatest wine styles, and Upper Bench’s version is awesome. That’s why. Winemaker Gavin Miller’s 2022 Riesling is fabulously racy, balanced and dry, with notes of lime, green apple and honey. It’s also a wine that beautifully transitions all seasons; it’s as delicious and appropriate on a hot summer day as it is at Christmas dinner. Serve chilled.

Pair with: Roast pork, charcuterie, Thai green curry, sushi, smoked salmon.

Price: $26

Wine: Hillside Winery 2022 Heritage Series Viognier

Winery: Hillside Winery

Why drink it? Viognier is an ancient wine grape associated with France’s Rhone Valley, where it likely ended up after the Romans went through in the third century. Flash forward to now, and it’s found in wine regions around the world, including the Okanagan Valley. This excellent example from Hillside is aromatic, with notes of white flowers and baking spices. Serve chilled.

Pair with: Roast or grilled chicken, turkey or salmon, or cheeses such as Brie or Comte. The wine’s natural spiciness help it stand up to dishes such as pad thai or butter chicken, too.

Price: $28

Wine: Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars 2022 Pinot Blanc

Winery: Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars

Why drink it? This medium-full-bodied white wine has pretty floral and wet rock aromas combined with stone fruit flavours: think peaches and nectarines. The grapes are hand harvested and the wine spends five months in neutral oak and stainless steel before bottling. Genetically related to Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc is an often under-appreciated white wine grape in Canada but it really deserves to be in our glasses more often.

The Mavety family, which owns Blue Mountain, makes other beautiful wines, too, including one of the Okanagan’s best Gamays which, similar to this white wine, would be a brilliant addition to your Christmas table.

Pair with: Turkey, roast chicken.

Price: $29

Wine: Phantom Creek Estates 2021 Viognier

Winery: Phantom Creek Estates

Why drink it? The sixth most planted white variety in British Columbia, Viognier makes a wine that is stylish and food-friendly. From vineyards located on the Golden Mile Bench, this example has notes of honeydew melon, mandarin orange peel and pineapple. Time in French and Austrian oak gives it some spice, but there’s a touch of mineral sass to keep things balanced. Serve chilled.

Pair with: Roast chicken, hard and soft cheeses, salmon, maybe a creamy dip with seedy homemade crackers.

Price: $40

This is part two of a four-part series spotlighting great wines for the holidays, featuring selections of red, white, sparkling and sweet wines.

Eight great red wines for the holidays

Wines for the holidays

As we start to gear up for the holidays, entertaining and gift-giving may be on your mind. And what a better way to celebrate this time of year then with a bottle of fine wine. To help you decide, Castanet 's wine columnist, Shelley Boettcher, has put together four suggestion lists featuring some of the best reds, whites, sparkling and sweet wines she has tasted this year. Today, and for the next four Sundays, we present her four lists of holiday worthy wines.

If you’re a wine lover, you know there’s something special about a fine bottle during the holidays.

Whether you’re searching for a last-minute gift or for wines for big feasts and entertaining, I have ideas—eight, in fact.

Here, for you, are eight great reds I tasted earlier this year. They’ll make good additions to festive gatherings or quality gifts for wine-loving friends and family.

Wine: Time Family of Wines, 2020 Chronos Merlot

Winery: Time Family of Wines

Why drink it? Some wines just taste like Okanagan at harvest. Medium-full-bodied and capable of aging, this Merlot has all those brambly, warm flavours and aromas you’d expect: blackberry, ripe cherries, cinnamon and vanilla hints. It should age beautifully, too. If you can, buy an extra bottle or two for the cellar.

Pair with: Thanksgiving turkey, short ribs, lamb or Mediterranean-style grilled veg dishes (ratatouille, perhaps?)

Price: About $30

Wine: Noble Ridge 2020 Reserve Meritage

Winery: Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery

Why drink it? A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and just a hint of Malbec, this balanced full-bodied red has notes of blackberry, blackcurrant, raspberry and cooked strawberries, plus hints of spice and vanilla, thanks to 14 months in French and American oak.

Meritage, incidentally, refers to the fact the wine is a blend made from the “noble” red grapes found in the Bordeaux region of France; the word Meritage refers to the winemaking style but doesn’t infringe on the French region’s legally protected designation.

Pair with: Lamb, steak, prime rib, hard cheeses, beef stews.

Price: $43

Wine: Moon Curser Vineyards 2021 Syrah

Winery: Moon Curser Vineyards

Why drink it: Syrah grows so well in the Okanagan, and Moon Curser makes an excellent wine with it. Well-balanced, savoury and bold, it has flavours of blackcurrant, dark chocolate and blueberry, with notes of cinnamon and vanilla on the nose.

Pair with: Spicy sausages, spicy red pasta sauces (arrabbiata or puttanesca, perhaps), lamb or charcuterie.

Price: $33 for 750 mL, $80 for a magnum

Wine: Haywire 2021 Gamay

Secrest Mountain Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Winery: Haywire

Why drink it? The 2021 Gamay is made with wild yeasts plus all organic and estate-grown fruit from Secrest Mountain Vineyard near Oliver. With well-balanced cherry, sage and peppery flavours, this very pretty wine is medium-light-bodied with a medium garnet colour and a medium-long finish.

Pair with: Roast turkey or chicken, pan-seared duck breast, salmon or a mushroom pasta or risotto.

Price: $32

Wine: The Hatch 2020 Portmanteau of Merit and Heritage

Winery: The Hatch

Why drink it: This is essentially a Meritage — a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc — but without being called one because, well, trademarks and things. It’s medium-full-bodied and well-balanced, with plummy, jammy, cocoa, spicy, smoky aromas and flavours.

Pair with: Pork tenderloin, says the winery team. I’d add lamb shanks, steak or grilled red peppers and mushrooms to the list.

Price: $31

Wine: Road 13 Vineyards 2020 “John Oliver” Malbec

Winery: Road 13 Vineyards

Why drink it? Dark purple-red in colour, this Malbec has plenty of heft and jammy dark fruit flavours: plums, raspberries, a hint of pomegranate juice. Hand-harvested and sorted, it ferments for a month on skins before pressing and is aged 18 months in French oak.

Pair with: Prime rib or ribeye on the grill, of course, and a platter of grilled Mediterranean-style vegetables (red peppers, zucchini and eggplant) with olive oil and oregano.

Price: $80

Wine: Hester Creek 2021 Character Red

Winery: Hester Creek Estate Winery

Why drink it? Hester Creek’s perennially popular Character Red is one of those bottles that pairs with all kinds of dishes and, best, pleases pretty much every red wine lover. A blend of Merlot (from an old Italian clone), Syrah, Petit Verdot and Malbec, it touches all the red bases: juicy, spicy, savoury, with a medium-long finish. Keep a few bottles on hand for impromptu holiday gatherings or last-minute gifts. The 2022 vintage is on the verge of being released, so watch for it, too.

Pair with: Burgers, pizza, steak, hard cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano or aged cheddar.

Price: $23

Wine: Tightrope Winery 2020 Cabernet Franc

Winery: Tightrope Winery

Why drink it? Eye-catching branding aside, this Cab Franc is a medium-bodied, classy red with notes of raspberry, white pepper, leather and strawberry. A crowd-pleaser, it is very versatile and will pair well with myriad foods and occasions.

The grapes are handpicked from the winery’s Thomas Vineyard on the beautiful Naramata Bench, and the wine spends 12 months in oak before bottling.

Pair with: Lamb burgers, beef tenderloin, grilled eggplant and zucchini seasoned with garlic and herbs.

Price: $35

The Hatch 2020 Portmanteau of Merit and Heritage

'Full bodied, well balanced'

Wine: The Hatch 2020 Portmanteau of Merit and Heritage

Winery: The Hatch

Why drink it: When was the last time you laughed when you bought a wine? Or drank it? That’s one of the things I love about The Hatch. Jason Parkes and team make seriously good wines, but they have fun with what they do, and it shows.

This is essentially a Meritage — a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc — but without being called one because, well, trademarks and things. It’s medium-full-bodied and well-balanced, with plummy, jammy, cocoa, spicy, smoky aromas and flavours.

Pair with: Pork tenderloin, says the winery team. I’d add lamb shanks, steak or grilled red peppers and mushrooms to the list.

Price: $31

Music pairing: What a Wonderful World by Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan

Sandhill Wines 2020 Method Traditionelle Blanc de Blancs

Sandhill Blanc de Blancs

Wine: Sandhill Wines 2020 Method Traditionelle Blanc de Blancs

Winery: Sandhill Wines

Why drink it: This sparkling wine is made in the traditional method, which is to say that it has undergone a secondary fermentation in the bottle, similarly to how Champagne is made in France. It’s also a bit of a unicorn wine, meaning that the Sandhill team hasn’t made a lot of it (only 255 cases) and they’re mum about future releases. (This one took three years to perfect.) It’s lovely, a beautiful aperitif wine with a fine mousse and creamy, toasty notes. It’s made from 100% Chardonnay, which is why the words “Blanc de Blancs” are on the label, from the French term that literally refers to the fact it’s made from all white wine grapes.

Pair with: Smoked salmon, oysters, shrimp salad, soft mild cheeses.

Price: $35

Music pairing: Pulling Mussels (from the shell) by Squeeze