Limited Edition Wines

For a minute, I thought I was in California. The woodsy tasting room was filled with raucous wine tasters sipping white wine and nibbling cheese, and in the warehouse a string band played hot jazz as a crowd gathered around a table in the corner, where the red wines were being poured. Stainless steel tanks on one side, racks of oak barrels on the other, and stacks of case boxes behind the band made it look like any garage winery release party you'd attend in Santa Rosa.

More BOYs today, as we round up favourites from the past 12 months in this Best of the Year exercise. This week, domestic whites under $20.Last on the list—and I debated, because this isn’t a wine made from B.C. grapes, but it is made in B.C., and not with any of those sneaky “cellared” notes on the back. Rather, it’s a proud product of New Westminster’s singular winery and our only true garagiste, Pacific Breeze.

This outstanding red wine is cellared by Pacific Breeze Winery right here in New Westminster, B.C. The grapes are Californian and, oh, so palatable. You will love the rich flavour. This is a perfect complement for any red meat or, of course, our special feature from Tracey Mackintosh's prize winning chili featured in our "Stiiring The Pot" article in this newsletter. You can find this wine at most private liquor stores & beer & wine stores for around $26.99. This is a MUST try!

Definitely 5 out of 5 stars. Enjoy!

Tracey Johnson

Wow. What a turn out! The 6th annual Wine Fest at the Surf was fantastic. There must have been at least 140 people. People even came from Victoria and Nanaimo just for this wine tasting. And the food -- artisan cheeses, breads and chocolates -- ohhh the chocolates. But most of all the wines. There were some absolutely amazing boutique wines. Of course I couldn’t try them all, but I certainly focussed on some new varietals and others that typically I didn’t think I would like.