Located a few kilometres north of Kelowna and just steps away from Okanagan Lake, Gray Monk Estate Winery dates from 1972. They have a portfolio of impressive varietals around the $25 mark, but many people gravitate to their lighter-bodied Latitude Fifty White, which is an easy-sipping blend of Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Müller-Thurgau.
Latitude Fifty has abundant orchard flavours of peach, apricot and pear combined with exotic notes of lychee and pineapple. Off-dry, creamy, and very tasty, it’s easy to see why this $17 charmer is a bestseller.
The sun-drenched Puglia region in southernmost Italy produces some of that country’s most delightful wines. The Botter Appassimento, a blend of Merlot, Primitivo and Negroamaro grapes, is made from fruit that has been semi-dried on the vine, thus adding further complexity. The result is a silky smooth and plummy wine dominated by black cherry, blackberry, and plum.
Bold and balanced, the Appassimento is gorgeous inside and out: the eye-catching bottle is wrapped in heavy paper decorated in a luscious Art Nouveau style. It’s available at Everything Wine and is very good value at $25.
I’m not usually any kind of a sherry sipper, but the Gonzalez Byass Nutty Solera Medium Sherry ($24) has a pleasingly syrupy unctuousness and gobs of flavour – you’ll taste candied pecans, orange marmalade, walnuts, raisins, and toffee.
It's semi-sweet but nicely balanced by acidity, making it a good match for hard cheeses, tapas and cured ham. And even if you don’t want a glassful of this amber elixir either before or after dinner, it's brilliant in marinades for pork tenderloin or braised chicken.
McGuigan Wines was founded in 1880 in Australia’s Hunter Valley and has long produced an interesting portfolio. Their “The Pick” Chardonnay is, at $18, a cut above their entry-level wines.
Fruit driven, balanced, and crisply refreshing, this Chardonnay has orchard fruit flavours such as pear, peach and apple, some pineapple for a tropical flourish, and oaky-buttery-vanilla notes to go with the round and creamy mouthfeel. “The Pick” is a fine patio sipper and ideal for most seafood and chicken dishes.
All prices include tax.
