B.C. winegrowers hope 2025 will be about as different as it can be from 2024.
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Reflecting on 2024, it is evident that no growing seasons are alike anymore, and from the view of B.C. winegrowers, they hope 2025 will be about as different as it can be from 2024.
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The local wine story of the year was the January deep freeze that wiped out more than 90 per cent of the buds destined to be the 2024 vintage and perhaps fatally wounded as much as 50 per cent of all vines in the ground. That last number is estimated until we see how many vines come back to life this spring. Anyway you cut it, the vineyard damages have been devastating. As the year progressed, some talented people lost their jobs or left the province to work elsewhere, with no near-term prospects of work in B.C.
Still to play out is how consumers react to a recovery plan that includes local wineries making wine with foreign grapes. So far, no official list of wineries making wine using California, Oregon, or Washington fruit is available, but sources tell me a majority of B.C. wineries are planning to do so. The other shoe to drop is how wineries unaffected by the freeze or holding adequate stocks position themselves while waiting out for the return of local crops — will they support their neighbours or play the authentic card?
Since the wine in question is not eligible to be VQA certified, how it is made, labelled, and where it appears in retail stores will be a bit of a dog’s breakfast — as it has been for decades. That said, the province’s top producers are on a mission to impress you with their winemaking prowess, working with familiar grape varieties, and while familiar, they are excited to see what they can do with new terroirs.
On another front, 2024 was a big year for the temperance lobby, which took a page from the highly successful disinformation industry to push what Christopher Snowden, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute for Economic Affairs, has described as “a catalogue of anti-drinking tropes, half-truths, and brazen lies.” Look beyond the border to see how harmful misinformation has become and the threat it could pose to those who produce wine and those who drink it responsibly.
If devastating climate events and the anti-alcohol lobby aren’t enough to contend with in 2025 and beyond, the real elephant in the room is the current inflated price of wine. The increased cost of wine in all B.C. stores, wineries, and online stores has spurred significant concerns for consumers of any age. When you see scores of wine in government stores on sale every month, some for $5 to $10 less than last month, you can understand why buyers might think they are being abused.
If left unchecked, relentless price gouging could lead to a significant decrease in wine consumption, if it already hasn’t. If you think paying $60 in a restaurant for a 3-4 euro wine is outrageous, wait for the increases coming from a falling Canadian dollar — and that’s before the coming tit-for-tat tariffs kick in.
Suffice it to say it will be an interesting year, but one thing will never change. The people making the best wine and selling it at a fair price will be sure to survive. They will be our focus in 2025. To those readers on a restricted budget, we promise to give you at least one pick a week that meets the requirements of authenticity and affordability in an area around the $20 mark, if not less.
We kick off the New Year weekend wine picks with five highly affordable, quality wine selections that are reliable elsewhere on this page. They are picks that should be around all year, so file them away for reference. The vintage will change without you knowing until you see the label, but it is not a significant factor in the case of consistently well-made wines. It doesn’t excuse B.C. liquor authorities from seeming unable or unwilling to publish the correct vintage of every product they sell online despite demanding that information from suppliers on every listing application.
Buckle up. Buying and selling wine will not be for the faint of heart in 2025.
Weekend wine picks
Cono Sur Bicicleta Reserva Viognier, Region del Valle Central, Chile
$12.99 I 88/100
UPC: 7804320405407
Cono Sur has been a Chilean champion of sustainability; hence, the bicycles ridden by employees mark the label of this wine. More than a decade of solid releases makes this an easy wine to recommend for the price, with its aromatic guava, rose petal/maraschino cherry nose and a ripe mix of pear, peach, and apricot flavours throughout a creamy, soft palate. There is just enough fruit to let this work with a delicious, spicy Thai or Chinese dish.
Ruffino Orvieto Classico, Umbria, Italy
$11.99 I 88/100
UPC: 8001660126750
One visit to the hilltop town of Orvieto will change the way you think about Orvieto Classico, a wine that consistently can punch above its weight, leading with its distinctively fresh style. A mix of Grechetto, Procanico and Verdello that is long on freshness with buttery, nutty, pear and mineral flavours. Perfect for Dungeness crab cakes.
Paul Mas Grenache Noir, Sud de France, France
$14.99 I 88/100
UPC: 03760040423517
This wine hits all the marks for value. The price is crazy low, and the style is always fresh and juicy. It’s an authentic entry-level Grenache scented with all the garrigue of southern France and pitching raspberry, black cherry, and brown spices that fire up a finish made for barbecue meats or winter-roasted vegetables. Stock up.
Luccarelli Primitivo, Puglia, Italy
$14.99 I 87/100
UPC: 8019873924650
Primitivo is the Zinfandel of southern Italy, offering spicy plum/prune/fig fruit and savoury dried herb aromas and flavours. The palate is soft, ripe and warm with black cherries, chocolate, and balsamic notes with a touch of acidity poking through a low tannin finish. Twist off the cap, order a pizza, or make a lentil stew cooked in Primitivo and spend a cheap evening in Puglia.
Mouton Cadet Rouge, Bordeaux, France
$19.99 I 89/100
UPC: 0878448002609
Sometimes, ancient brands have trouble overcoming their past, but Mouton Cadet seems to have emerged from decades of ordinary to become something Baron envisioned in 1930. The goal was to make something more accessible and affordable in Bordeaux. Under its new director of wines, Jerome Aquirre’s mostly Merlot blend with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc has done just that. It offers a fragrant red/black fruit nose streaked with bits of earth and spice, offering black cherries, raspberries, and a touch of olive, tannin, and spice. The palate has a real Bordeaux bent as if it was farmed and made with care, not just bottled. It is good value and is ready to drink.
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B.C. wine of the week
Bartier Bros. Rosé 2023, Okanagan Valley, B.C.
$19.99 I 88/100
UPC: 628055147312
The ’23 is barely pink, likely because no red grapes are involved in the recipe. The latest is made from 56 per cent Summerland Gewürztraminer, while the Black Sage Bench Terrace is responsible for 24 per cent Chardonnay, 10 per cent Pinot Gris, 8 per cent Kerner, and 2 per cent Viognier. The style is all Bartier, which is super clean and spare with zero lees contact. The flavours run down the citrus fruit line with a pinch of rose petals on the nose. Light, refreshing, quaffable, and dry, it is the essence of the Terrace, with trace minerals to guide you through the finish.
Value wine of the week
Château Pesquié Ventoux Terrasses Rouge 2022, Rhone Valley, France
$21.99 I 90/100
UPC: 3760149591032
The Pesquié Terrasses Rouge ticks many buy boxes. It grows at an altitude of roughly 300 metres on a mix of 30-year-old estate vines on the slopes at the foot of Mount Ventoux. The soils are stony limestone with iron oxide, sands, and clays. The property is certified organic, and the farming and winemaking techniques are Demeter-certified biodynamic. The blend is 60/35 Grenache/Syrah with a mix of local varieties that, post-ferment, are aged for several months in stainless steel and cement. The nose is a black raspberry, cherry, and mulberry affair that spills onto the palate. There is also an attractive stony mineral underside that stiffens a fresh finish. There is excellent value here, something quickly fading among the best Rhône labels. Think of pizzas, kebabs, charcuterie, vegetable pies, and terrines.