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Canada-U.S. trade war has added another layer of uncertainty for growers, distributors, and buyers, so locals have to pick up the slack if you want to be part of the solution.
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Summer unofficially comes to an abrupt end this long weekend — not by the calendar, but by the return of work and school schedules. Labour Day also resets our internal clocks as we notice shorter days and cooler evenings, but we can probably count on six to eight weeks of decent weather before the rain settles in.
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It is also the time when we turn our attention to our annual search for those hardworking Labour Day reds that sustain us through fall and winter. As I write this, the Canada-U.S. trade war has added another layer of uncertainty for growers, distributors, and buyers, and it’s hard to know what the future will bring. If there is any good news, Canada doesn’t export much wine globally, so locals have to pick up the slack if you want to be part of the solution.
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It won’t be easy, given the price of domestic wine, which has risen sharply over the past decade. As it happens, I’ve been tasting some of the best red wines in B.C. this week and will slowly sprinkle them out in this column until the end of the year, but not today. All the top wines, the ones consumers are likely to have heard about, are priced at a level that makes them occasional wine buys, not go-to Wednesday night wines.
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West Coast Table
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High wine prices are not just a local phenomenon. It’s happening worldwide, and it’s one of the biggest reasons wine sales are down. Ironically, much of my career was spent trying to get wine on the table and serve it with food to make it part of everyday life, yet it seems to be sliding back into an occasional drink bought, you guessed it, for special occasions.
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Today we are focused on a handful of local reds for fall that are well made, pleasant to drink, and hold the line below or near the $30 mark, seemingly the new bottom of the retail market price in B.C. for wine that delivers something more than just a drink.
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You may not think of the Shuswap as a wine country, but a warming climate and careful winemaking give us a barbecued red partner in the Sunnybrae 2024 Bastion Mountain Red $23. Way down south, the Maverick Estate 2022 Rubeus $25 is a good example of what the South Okanagan Valley can produce, but we need more wineries to commit to producing an affordable red blend with substance.
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The Elephant Island 2020 Think Again Merlot $29 is everything you could want in an introductory Merlot, with a bit of stuffing. On a completely different plane, the Monte Creek 2023 Living Land Series Cabernet Franc $29 offers a little Loire with a lot of Okanagan.
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Interestingly, it’s the diversity of our wine production that could be our eventual saviour. I’m sure Zweigelt was on no one’s tasting list, yet the Four Shadows 2023 Zweigelt $27 is a good example of the cherry and blackberry, plummy-fruited red wine created in 1922 by crossing Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. Cabernet Franc is having a moment in B.C., and again, this critic prefers the slightly richer B.C. style to the leaner, branchy Loire types. A good example to seek out is the Lightning Rock 2025 Carbo Cabernet Franc Avail Vineyard $25.
Other reds to watch for include: Lakeboat 2023 Merlot $30; Nk’Mip Cellars 2022 Talon $30; Dirty Laundry 2022 Kay’s Syrah $30; Blasted Church 2022 Syrah 2022 $30; Poplar Grove 2022 CSM $30; Rust Wine Co. 2025 Lazy River Vineyard Gamay 2025 $30.
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That’s a start. Of course, we’ll keep seeking out and sharing other top values as we come across them this fall.
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Weekend wine picks
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Sunnybrae Bastion Mountain Red 2024, Shuswap
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$23.10 | 90/100
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UPC: 627843132578
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Marechal Foch isn’t my favourite, but like any wine, when made with care, it can reach another level. The ’21 shows distinct character. It has an opaque purple colour, and the nose offers an inviting chocolate aroma with almost no wild-dog notes. On the palate, it blends fresh blue fruit, smooth tannins, and subtle American oak. Its high acidity helps balance everything. The fruit is from a sustainably certified vineyard. Barbecued ribs, anyone?
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Elephant Island Think Again Merlot 2020, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley
$25 | 91/100
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UPC: 626990214984
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This 100 per cent estate-grown, Nuttall Road Vineyard Merlot is the kind of Merlot we should be making all over the mid- and south Okanagan. Maybe not at 15.5 per cent alcohol, but in 2020, given the acclaimed vintage and the wine’s balance, it’s more fun to drink than not. The winery says, “If a velvet smoking jacket and a slow-burning stare could be bottled, this would be it.” If you have been ignoring B.C. Merlot, Think Again indeed. Fine value at $29.
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Monte Creek Living Land Series Cabernet Franc 2023, Okanagan Valley
$28.99 | 89/100
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UPC: 775412910017
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The ’23 Living Land Series Cabernet Franc is moving toward a richer, darker-fruited style, with pleasant aromatics. Ripe blackberries and plums blend with tobacco and earthy, savoury notes to create a pleasing red. A little Loire with a lot of Okanagan makes this a perfect foil to grilled meats, mushroom pie, or roasted root vegetables, all fall and winter.
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Four Shadows Zweigelt 2023, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley
$27 | 89/100
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UPC: 696852118408
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Light on its feet, this Zweigelt belies its generous, luscious mouthfeel, with lively, juicy, spicy blackberry, blueberry, and cranberry notes that make it perfectly suited to grilled chicken. The nearly one hectare of Zweigelt at Four Shadows were planted in 1999, but it took nearly two decades before the winery decided to get serious about the farming and winemaking of this off-the-beaten-path red. Try something new.
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Rust Wine Co. Lazy River Vineyard Gamay 2025, Cawston, Similkameen Valley
$30 | 91/100
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UPC: 812289272760
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The Rust Gamay hails from South Cawston’s Lazy River Vineyard in the Similkameen Valley. The vines were planted 30 years ago in sand, clay loams, and granite. The style is refreshingly light and bright, with forward plum and rhubarb, and a wash of spice and minerality that, in my opinion, places it in Beaujolais country. Impressive and should be a hit with Bojo fans.
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B.C. wine of the week
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Moon Curser Dolcetto 2025, Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley
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$30.99 | 90/100
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UPC: 626990152859
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We love that we can experiment with something like Dolcetto to see what it can do in the Okanagan. The Italian variety is planted in the loamy sands of Fernandes Vineyard in Osoyoos. The winemaking is simple: keep everything cool, crush and ferment the grapes, and bottle them the following spring. Expect a juicy, lightly aromatic red wine with violets, plummy, jammy allure, black fruits, and a touch of black pepper. It has a small amount of tannin to work through, but it will be perfect now with grilled beef, a side of onions and mushrooms, or Bolognese pasta.
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Value wine of the week
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Rust Wine Co Gewürztraminer 2025, Golden Mile Bench, Oliver, Okanagan Valley
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$25 | 91/100
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UPC: 626990098720
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We thought the ’22 was impressive; the 2025 is a star. South Rock Vineyard sits at the southern end of Oliver’s famed Golden Mile Bench, B.C.’s first official sub-appellation, and is home to some of the oldest vines in the province. The vines, clone 47, were planted ungrafted in 1973. They open with pleasantly subdued (for Gewürztraminer) notes of quiet ginger and floral undertones, supporting a dry palate of litchi fruit, rose petals, and tangerine, with a tiny but important hit of bitterness just before the finish. It’s a sophisticated Canadian version of gewürztraminer that was the top-scoring Gewürztraminer at the 2026 wineAlign National Wine Awards.
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Tickets are now on sale for the Tenute Calì Winery Dinner at Sopra Sotto on Commercial Drive on Thursday, Sept.17, 6:30-10 p.m. The evening celebrates the diversity of Italian wine, featuring elegant Sicilian whites bursting with Mediterranean freshness alongside the timeless charm of Tuscan Chianti and its food-friendly character, all thoughtfully paired with an extensive multi-course menu. The six-course, six-wine menu is priced at $145.
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Wine people give back in a big way, and on Sunday, Sept.27, O’Rourke Family Estate is hosting Music and Wine in the Vines, a fundraising partnership with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra. The evening will support both orchestras and feature music, wine, and canapés across multiple estate settings, from the vines with sweeping lake and valley views to the estate caves. Full details and ticket information at orourkefamilyestate.com.
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