Western Living Magazine
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What goes best with brunch? Bubbles, of course! These three bottles are fantasticdon't be fooled by the humble bottle cap that keeps them sealed up tight.
B.C. has always been sneakily good at making bubbles: Blue Mountain, Summerhill and Sumac Ridge have long been local stalwarts of crafting sparkling wine with solid value. But the last few years have seen a pop of new players in the game: they take their winemaking very seriously, but they’re hell-bent on having the public treat their bottles not as some special-occasion treat but rather as the amazing food wines that they are. And to prove it, they top them with that most plebian of closures—the humble yet effective bottle cap. People are taking some major notice of just how good these wines can be. The team at JoieFarm will release a brut rosé next summer, and Meyer Family Vineyards has a sparkling in the works as well.2012 Bella Sparkling Rosé ($24) Winemaker Jay Drysdale makes bubbles and nothing else. For this rosé he uses 100% Gamay grapes from the Seacrest Mountain Vineyard in Oliver. Then he charges too little for the result—a bracing take on fruit and citrus.2011 Road 13 Sparkling Chenin Blanc ($40) Pam and Mick Luckhurst go full Loire Valley by using only the finest Chenin grapes they can get their hands on. The result is a refined, balanced take on green apples with a biscuit undertone.2012 Haywire The Bub ($25) Christine Coletta and winemaker Michael Bartier encapsulate (get it?) this new sparkling trend perfectly: low alcohol, nice acid, classical proportions, low price and zero pretension.
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