Giftbox of the Top BC Wines

I have a holiday gift for you, a case of the top wines in B.C.

It’s a question I get asked time and again, ‘What’s the best wine?’ For your festive treat, I’ve turned to the judges of the 2025 Trends Top BC Wine Awards to do the sipping to answer that. This special selection of wines is curated from across the competition’s wine categories, a collection of 12 wines awarded the highest scores.

Bonus: as the competition draws entries from across the region, you’re getting some real gems shaped by distinct climats (that’s my new favourite French term for unique vineyard sites). In short: a climat is a specific place, with a specific personality, expressed in the glass.

Competition entries span the Fraser, Thompson, Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, and include producers of every scale: commercial, estate, small startups, iconic names, and new entrants and emerging brands.

Sisters Kirstin Wakal and Tasha Campbell blend art and winemaking at The Gallery Winery in West Kelowna. Top White Wine: 2022 Between Friends Riesling. Photo by Yvonne Turgeon.

Ready? Let’s unwrap!

Starting with the brightest in the box, let’s pull out the two best of show winners. The Top White Wine, The Gallery Winery 2022 Between Friends Riesling, would be a perfect pairing with a festive roast turkey supper, while the Top Red Wine, Winemaker’s Cut 2022 Syrah, is one to cradle as you wrap yourself in a cozy blanket and indulge in the nuances of beautiful spiciness and peppers.

Be sure to raise a glass to the winemakers. Judah Campbell navigated a tricky 2022 growing season on the slopes of The Gallery Winery in West Kelowna to craft a dry Riesling with vibrant acidity balanced by a touch of residual sugar, a style Campbell describes as having “tension. You’ll find winemaker Michel Mosny in his tasting room at the District Wine Village, pouring his Syrah and other gold medal winners. It’s a great time to visit—enjoy free skating on the outdoor rink, or plan to ring in the New Year at one of the Valley’s most distinctive wine destinations.

Our next trio of wines will get any party started: the sparkling Laughing Stock Vineyards 2020 Market Bubble (Naramata Bench), and a duo of festive pinks: SpearHead Winery Dual Citizen 2024 White Pinot Noir (Kelowna) and Dirty Laundry Winery 2024 Hush Rose (Summerland).

The reds span the range of top-tier wines the Okanagan produces, from medium-bodied, cool-climate expressions to bold Bordeaux-inspired blends. For our bottle selections, let’s start from the north. Santa knows best.

In West Kelowna, Kalala Organic Estate Winery’s 2021 Zweigelt highlights an Austrian grape that delivers an approachable, food-friendly red. Viticulturalist Karnail Singh Sidhu’s hands-on approach in the vineyard and cellar has shaped Kalala’s quietly distinctive portfolio.

Heading to Kaleden, just south of Penticton, Black Market Wine Co.’s 2022 Unsanctioned Series Merlot comes from a tiny half-acre vineyard meticulously hand-farmed by Mike and Frances De Jong. The site, known as Zoetermeer (Dutch for “sweet lake”), sits high on a windswept bluff, offering sweeping valley views and steady winds that nurture this climat.

Onto a golden duo, the Renaissance 2022 Pinot Noir and Renaissance 2022 Merlot, from Stag’s Hollow Winery in Okanagan Falls. These wines were released with limited-edition labels created by local artists to mark the winery’s 30th anniversary. (see top photo)

Our final trio takes us deep into the South Okanagan, where big reds come into their own. Just north of Oliver, stop in at Vasanti Estate Winery for the 2022 Cabernet Franc, a focused single-varietal from one of the region’s newer estates. Across on Black Sage Road Rainmaker Wines 2021 Malbec offers a plush, dark-fruited red with smooth tannins and the final pull, an elegant Bordeaux-style blend that brings richness, polish and balance, Phantom Creek Estates 2020 Petite Cuvée.