JAMES NEVISON James Nevison is an award-winning wine writer and educator and the co- founder of HALFAGLASS. He is the wine columnist for The Vancouver Province , where his column “The Wine Guy” appears each Thursday. James is the co‑author of seven bestselling books on wine in Canada, including Had a Glass 2015: Top 100 Wines Under $20 . Follow his wine musings @hadaglass.
Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, BC
There are now 22 officially recognized Geographical Indications (GIs) throughout the province, according to Wines of British Columbia. The province of BC remains the primary GI, then there are nine regional GIs and 12 sub-GIs. Just last year, BC’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food announced the establishment of six new sub-GIs (all located within the Okanagan). Why does this matter? There’s been a real push to give distinct BC growing areas their dues, and Geographical Indications help codify the significance of each unique region by guaranteeing provenance. Legally, if a bottle of BC wine carries a GI or sub-GI on its label, the grapes inside must be 100 percent BC grown—and at a minimum 95 percent grown within the specified geographic region. This facilitates both sense of place and sense of pride. Find yourself drawn to the allures of a Riesling from the Lake Country sub-GI? Well, then try another Riesling from another winery with the same sub-GI! With this in mind, here’s a mini-tour of BC wine country through six bottles:
Vancouver Island The Island is home to several wineries, many of which are clustered in the region’s singular sub-GI of Cowichan Valley (the first sub-GI recognized outside the Okanagan). Offering a cooler growing climate in general, Vancouver Island vineyards grow an eclectic mix of vinifera and hardy hybrid grapes. The majority of Island-grown wines are sparkling or white, with the cooler temperatures tending to keep fruit tones bright and acidity crisp. Unsworth Vineyards is a Cowichan Valley champion; look to their Pinot Gris for great Island representation.
UNSWORTH VINEYARDS PINOT GRIS BC VQA $25.99 30432 This classic fruit- forward BC Pinot Gris features pear and apple tones and is nicely balanced in a fresh and texturally engaging style.
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