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Friends and I (including Joyce and Bryan) have formed a beer club called Garibaldi Club. To date our Garibaldi Club has had 13 beer nights, so it was about time we had a wine night. Plus it was good timing for not one, but two couples in our club, who are getting married this year, to obtain some feedback/ideas on potential wines for their nuptial-day shenanigans. Please note: Prices listed below are mostly based on the BC Liquor Stores website and may vary depending on monthly promotion, and it will be priced differently at private, independent liquor stores as well.

Whites

Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Gewurztraminer (2012/2013)
Canada – Alc 12% – Sweetness 02

If you are looking for something light and crisp to go with a spicy meal (or samosas, which we just so happened to have whilst sipping on this semi-sweet Gewurz) then this is a great choice. It’s got a lovely balance of flavour and sweetness without being too much. Out of 11 people there was only one or two people who said it wouldn’t be their choice, but overall it was quite enjoyable. BC Liquor Stores: $13.29 – good price for a VQA

Saint & Sinner Pinot Grigio (Vintage Not Specified)
Canada – Alc 12% – Sweetness 00

Now for someone who isn’t usually a Pinot Grigio fan I actually really enjoyed this white. It’s sweetness rating is 00 yet in my palate’s opinion it was closer to a 01 – not super dry as a 00 rating may suggest. Overall there wasn’t a negative comment in the house – it was easy drinking and quite refreshing – this may very well be seen at one (or both) of the weddings! BC Liquor Stores: $11.29

Gazela Vinho Verde (Vintage Not Specified)
Portugal – Alc 9% – Sweetness 00

I’m not going to lie, this was just not my style. I am a self-proclaimed rich, red wine drinker for the most part – although I do mix it up and of course coming into summer I will be drinking more whites than reds. But if I had to pick between a white or a red, majority of the time I would go with the red. Having said that, if you are not a huge wine drinker and it is a hot, sunny day, this may be the wine for you. Then again you may just want to save on the calories and drink a soda water instead – they have similar, non-existent taste profiles. Most comments from the audience were easy-drinking with not much flavour. BC Liquor Stores: $9.59

Cono Sur Organic Sauvignon Blanc (2013)
Chile – Alc 13.5% – Sweetness 00

Sauvignon Blanc is known for its mineral/grassiness, which isn’t my first choice in a white, so that’s why I liked this one because it wasn’t heavy on the Sauv Blanc usual suspects. Perhaps it also helped that we had a lot of different flavours bombarding our taste buds with the 50 pounds of food we had consumed – perhaps with an untainted palate the story may be different. Remember kids, for a “proper” wine tasting we shouldn’t have too many outside influences such as strong foods and flavours but in our case it was all part of the evening’s fun and adventure. BC Liquor Stores: $12.59

Gray Monk Kerner (2013)
Canada – Alc 11.7% – Sweetness Unknown

We had this white as our “dessert wine” of the evening, although I would call it more of a sweet table wine. Dessert wines are more your late harvest and ice wines. The sweetness rating is not listed for this Kerner but if I had to have a guess it would be between 6-8. It may also be that we had a lot of dry wines before this one so that would also skew our sweetness radars. The flavour was very light and easy on the palate but you may not be able to drink a lot of this wine due to the sugar rating. Gray Monk Online Price: $16.59 (Not available at BC Liquor Stores)

Roses

Finca Los Primos Frizzante Rose (2014)
Argentina – Alc 11% – Sweetness 04

This is a strawberry-sweet, slightly carbonated rose for those who enjoy a sweet wine that has some flavour and isn’t just purely sweet. I believe what saves it is the interesting blend of 50/50 Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the descriptive words on the bottle says “pinky” – need I say more. BC Liquor Stores: $10.69

Barefoot Pink Moscato (Vintage Not Specified)
USA – Alc 9% – Sweetness 01

Again another strawberry-sweet rose however it tasted even sweeter than the last Finca Los Primos rose. To me it was more like a sweetness rating of 6-7. I would drink this more as a dessert wine. BC Liquor Stores: $8.69

Reds

Shift It Shiraz (Vintage Not Specified)
Canada – Alc 12.5% – Sweetness 01

Another contender for a wedding wine, this Shiraz doesn’t have the usual pepperiness you come to expect of a Shiraz and is a well-balanced, lighter version. It pleases the masses – perhaps the sweetness rating of 01 as opposed to 00 helps – with the only negative comment being “maybe it is too easy-drinking and will cost more in the end if people like it too much.”  BC Liquor Stores Online Price: $8.79

Black Cellar Malbec Merlot (Vintage Not Specified)
Canada – Alc 13% – Sweetness 02

This was the heaviest red of the evening which was surprising since it has a sweetness rating of 02. I would say it was closer to a 01. You can also feel the alcohol warm up your insides – not pool-side sipping wine on a hot day that is for sure – but it did pair well with the stronger cheeses and I wouldn’t mind this with a steak – my kind of style. BC Liquor Stores: $8.79

Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Pinot Noir (2014)
Canada – Alc 13% – Sweetness 01

Last but not least, this is another style of wine that would be one of my personal picks although it was actually more like a dry than off-dry as the sweetness rating may suggest. So that is why I finished the night off with a few glasses sitting by the fire (one of those fires you can have the “flames” on but leave the heat off – it is May in the Lower Mainland after all) and having a few laughs with good friends. Blackcherry – check. Slight tannins – check. Hard cheeses – check. Delicious! BC Liquor Stores: $13.29