Writing about BC wines is a challenge for me. It’s a challenge because one of my biggest problems with the BC wine scene (other than our ludicrous liquor bureaucracy) is the lack of any proper critical appraisal of BC wines. Media outlets simply do not pan bad BC wine – instead either singing the praises of wines that simply can’t compare to international competition, or just not writing about wines that aren’t very good.

This is a huge shame to me because it doesn’t allow the BC wineries that are putting all their efforts into making quality wines that speak of place to shine through. These are the wineries we should be highlighting and juxtaposing to those wineries that haven’t got it quite right, particularly in the spirit of the 2010 Olympics where we are trying to highlight the BEST of Canada.

In the end, after many tastings, I think BC has the potential to become a wine region that produces consistently excellent quality wines. So, when I taste wines from BC I’m looking for wines that are courageous and that are taking the risks necessary to show unique ‘BC’ qualities. Given that we are such a new wine region, it takes a lot of courage and risk to try to put oneself out there and make wine in a BC style that does not mimic the likes of California and Australia.

From the perspective of new wineries, it is understandable that they wish to put a product out there that will sell, and so it is easy to emulate styles that are already proven successful in this market (i.e. US and Australian wines). The perfect analogy arises when we think back to high school days: when someone is insecure they try to copy something that is popular – but the best things about people arise when they are showing their own unique qualities and what is naturally good about who they are. BC is in just this dilemma. We are the “tweens” of the wine-world and we haven’t quite found our sense of self yet. When the likes of giant wine corporations like Vincor are dominating Olympic venues, it is time to start getting the word out on the best small producers in the province and not ’underwriting’ poorly made wines with ambiguous or meaningless reviews - it is the wineries taking risks and achieving results that deserve the praise and the pay-off. It is a wine writer’s duty to seek out and find these types of wineries and give them exposure and help them tell their story.

I’m going to be harsh in these reviews, but only because I want to highlight the quest for a sense of ’BCness’ in our wines and to promote what BC has to offer that is unique from every other region. Given some of the wines I tasted at Taste BC this year, I know that some of the wineries I will be profiling are going to pull through and show that they are taking the first steps towards adulthood.

The first winery I’m writing about is Hester Creek. I found writing this article very difficult because, to be honest, I did not enjoy the wines. But, I do appreciate how hard it is to get things right in the Okanagan and how wineries feel they need to cater to what they perceive to be mass-palate appeal. Hester Creek winery is situated in the Golden Mile area of the Okanagan. Here we go…

Hester Creek Pinot Gris 2008

With a nose of pear, nectarine, and peach, this was big and rich and finished off with hints of citrus, vanilla and honey. The palate brought more nectarine and peach – this is quite a big and full wine, but it is also overly rich and alcoholic. This is essentially a mimic of a basic Alsatian off-dry style. It’s actually not bad – I was honestly expecting less of the wine. However, it is hard to get a lot of the subtler fruit characteristics and aromatic complexity one comes to expect from well made Pinot Gris. The finish is also off-balance and somewhat sticky and hot. This wine would work better if it took more chances, reduced the residual sugar, and went for a fully dry and refreshing style. Also, as the wine warms up to serving temperature from fridge temperature it essentially loses its tightness and becomes a bit of a mess with flavours splashing all over the place.

In the end, this is somewhat of an innocuous wine that is ultimately inoffensive but also pretty boring. At this price point you can definitely get some decent whites, but this wine will certainly be better than most other Pinot Gris at this price point, except for carefully selected wines. But keep in mind that if selected carefully, you can get a far superior white to this for the same price. 13.8% ABV.

Fair

$17

Hester Creek Semillon Chardonnay (unoaked) 2008

The nose doesn’t give up a lot – maybe some sweet citrus (lemon and orange), licorice and a hint of minerality. The palate brings some mineral and is a bit tighter and firmer than the Pinot Gris, which is nice. There is actually a mineral component here behind the subtle citrus notes. I like that the wine is subtler and less punchy than the Pinot Gris since this gives it the ability to compliment food much more readily. I also enjoy the herbal and spice kick that the Semillon adds to the blend and I do think this wine is doing more than a lot of whites at this price point.

That said, the wine has unbalanced alcohol and, again, it isn’t as clean and crisp as it should be. It also does not quite have a sense of place nor is it a QPR mega-find. While many people would find this to be fine, to me it is exactly what I tend to associate with BC white wines that hope to achieve mass appeal: no sense of place, off balance alcohol, and not as crisp as it should be. However, you have to be fair here and you have to compare this wine to others in the same price category. 13.8% ABV.

Good

$16

Hester Creek Reserve Merlot 2005

This is very green on the nose, and is almost rubbery, with butterscotch and oak trying to hide the green bell pepper aromas that are a sign of ineffectively ripened fruit. The butterscotch and oak (mostly American) dominates the fruit on the palate, which also brings out plenty of vanilla and dill. There’s really no actual fruit showing through in this wine. I feel harsh here, but I can’t go anywhere good with this wine, especially at this price. I even tried to drink this with a burger (the easiest meat to pair with a big rich red) and they didn’t even go together because the oak flavours were so over the top.

No Good

$26

Hester Creek Cabernet Franc 2005

The nose on this is grapey, plumy and has cocoa dust, but ultimately is not giving up a lot right now. The palate is brighter and cleaner than the merlot, and while there is still way too much oak here, it is more retrained. This allows some of the herbaceous quality of the Cab Franc grape to come through, which is a good thing. My big concern with this wine, though, is its price. It is not delivering what it should at this price point at all. There are so many examples both of international wine and local BC wine that knock this out of the water. Many of the wineries I will be profiling in the next couple of weeks are perfect examples of how BC can over deliver for these price points. This wine is not one of them.

Fair to Good

$26

Overall this was an extremely disappointing look at BC wine, and it is unfortunate that this is how the series began. However, I see this as a good point of juxtaposition for the wineries to come. BC does make excellent wine – but it is wines like the ones I just reviewed that give many the impression that we don’t really know what we’re doing here. While we do have plenty to learn, steps are being taken to push the envelope and challenge the quality threshold, and, as I discovered at the recent Taste BC tasting, there are BC wineries that are absolutely going down the right track (see, for example, my recent article on Le Vieux Pin’s “Belle” Pinot Noir). I look forward to sharing my discoveries with you.

*Full disclosure, I received these wines as samples.