For Canada Day, I wanted to celebrate a category of our beautiful BC wines that captures fireworks in the bottle – sparkling wines!
Not just any sparklers though – I want to focus on affordable, approachable, accessible fizz for every day. This is a huge market with tons of range when it comes to grape varieties and methods. It’s all about creativity – winemakers are having fun and finding a signature style that sets them apart.
First, a review of the methods.
The most commonly seen style is frizzante, which is the result of simply injecting CO2 into a still wine. Its gentle sparkle and affordability are key to this every-day style. The term itself is not commonly used on labels – frizzante is usually the default unless one of the other methods are mentioned on the bottle.
Frizzante style is a playground for experimentation and expression, and you’ll see white, rosé, and even reds in this category. Producers will use whatever they have access to, and often blend multiple varietals to combine aromas and flavours. Even packaging varies – cans, bottles, screw caps, crown caps, dark glass, clear glass… all are welcome!
The Charmat, or tank method (aka méthode cuvée close) utilizes a secondary fermentation in large steel vessels to introduce carbonation, with a little extra creaminess coming from lees contact during this stage. This method requires specialized pressure tanks so it’s less common than frizzante. They are a step up in refinement from frizzante, but still offer value relative to traditional method wines. Prosecco is the quintessential flag bearer for this style.
Coming into vogue is the Ancestral method, or pét nat style. Here the wines are simply fermented and bottled straight away to capture the natural fizz, often without filtering. Read more about this fun and sustainable style here.
Traditional method wines like Champagne that undergo a secondary fermentation in bottle are fast becoming exceptional in BC. These are discussed further here and are generally priced higher than the ‘affordable’ qualifier would allow. There are exceptions however, one of which is featured below.
The Masters of Charmat in British Columbia have to be Stoneboat Vineyards in Oliver. Their program goes back 15 years (the first in BC) and they are still one of the few Charmat method specialists in Canada. What also sets them apart is their choice of varietals used for their sparkling wines. Despite playing a very minor role in the BC wine scene, Pinot Blanc plays a major role in Stoneboat’s sparkling program. It’s certainly not the most common grape in their south Okanagan neighbourhood, but there’s a reason for that.
Stoneboat’s estate lies in a unique area of the valley which they call the Black Sage Gravel Bar. It’s a very stony boat in a sea of sand. These stones are crusted in calcium compounds, offering minerals to the soil and vines. They also absorb heat during the day and release it at night, encouraging further ripening. Renowned viticultural geologist Pedro Parra visited years ago and confirmed the extraordinary conditions at this site. So while Stoneboat’s entry level bubble has some Pinot Blanc, as you move up the hierarchy in the portfolio, the wines become more confidently focused on Pinot Blanc and therefore single-vineyard as well.
Tucked up against the mountains on the east side of the valley, cold air descends on the property at night and helps preserve acidity in the grapes which is essential to make exciting sparkling wines. This ridge to the east, as well as Mt. Kobau to the west, truncate the daily sun exposure. This, along with the little radiator rocks in the ground everywhere, are what make the Pinots so happy here.
While others have adopted the Charmat method, Stoneboat is still able to lead in this niche. With a new wine just added to their portfolio, it seems they are the ones to watch in this category. General Manager Andrew Young is certainly leading the charge with a passionate heart and proudly champions Stoneboat’s past, present, and future. Stoneboat’s sparklings are featured below, and represent quality at affordable price points. Many thanks to all the wineries who provided samples for this feature.
