Wine bars in Metro Vancouver are rapidly expanding their wine lists to include natural wines, due to popular demand. You may be wondering: what classifies a wine as ‘natural’? A number of factors are included in the definition, such as wines made with organically or biodynamically grown grapes, low intervention processes, and having little or no preservatives added.
By Catherine Dunwoody
Here are some hot spots to hit—and what to sip:
VV Tapas Lounge
VV Tapas Lounge offers flights of all their natural wines that are sold by the glass, plus happy hour deals at 50% off where the guest receives the wine ‘blind’ (no peeking at the label) and is asked to try to guess the grape or region for a VV gift certificate. Be sure to try BC natural wines like the Free Form Riesling from Summerland, and Artakama’s Syrah, from Oliver.
957 E Hastings Street
Vancouver
Pacific Breeze Winery
Visit New Westminster’s Pacific Breeze Winery’s to try their 2020 Orange, a natural style wine, available by the glass or to take home. They call it Orange because of the colour that appears naturally, without added colour or flavour. The wine is naturally fermented with minimal winemaker intervention, un-fined and unfiltered.
# 6 – 320 Stewardson Way
New Westminster
Township 7
Township 7, based in Langley, produced a 2021 Reserve Chardonnay that was spontaneously fermented, plus barrel fermented in French oak, and the grapes are farmed sustainably. Go by the tasting room for a try, then take a bottle home.
21152 16th Ave.
Langley
The Beach House Restaurant
The Beach House Restaurant in West Vancouver has a few natural wines on their list, with Haywire Switchback Pinot Gris topping it as one of BC’s nicest. You can also sample this wine at Piva Modern Italian in New Westminster.
150 25th St
West Vancouver
Provence /TWB (The Wine Bar)
Provence/TWB in Vancouver serves eighteen natural wines by the glass and more than twenty-five by the bottle. Ryan Johnson, Assistant Wine Director says these are two of his favourites:
“Autour de l’Anne Wonder WomAnne Pet Nat Rosé, Languedoc, France, uses the oldest sparkling method called Méthode Ancestrale, where wine naturally finishes fermenting in bottles with nothing else added. The grapes ripen in the hot Languedoc sun from a biodynamic producer then aged in the cool and humid climate of Loire region affectionately referred to as Loiredoc.” Johnson also suggests Mas de Gourgonnier Les Baux de Provence, 2019 saying, “the folks at Mas de Gourgonnier were pioneers in organic vineyard farming starting back in the ’70’s. Practising non-interventionist winemaking, they were natural before anyone called wine ‘natural.’ We lovingly call this our house red at Provence because of its approachability.”
1177 Marinaside Crescent
Vancouver
Looking for other wine bars that serve natural wines? In Vancouver, try Bar Susu, Dachi, Juice Bar, Published on Main and Hanai.
There are many ways to get here by transit. Visit TransLink’s Trip Planner to find your way.
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