In honour of Vancouver Pride celebrations, I propose a rainbow of wine to fuel the festivities and toast our vibrant LGBTQ+ community.
Wine doesn't form a conventional rainbow. There are no deep greens or blues (at least not naturally occurring) but its multiple colours are still just as beautiful and diverse.
Of course, yellows and reds abound. The former is represented by white wines where maceration of juice and grape skins is largely avoided. They may be as pale and limpid as water or the deepest of lemon as well as everything in between. Reds, on the other hand, get their colour from leaving the skin of black grapes in contact with the must. They range from garnet and ruby all the way to vibrant purple.
In between the two is a parade of pinks. Rosés result from a brief maceration of those dark-skinned grapes for just the faintest blush or slightly longer for an intense salmon.
Then there is orange wine. A small and peculiar category, it harkens back to how wine was crafted in ancient times. Essentially made like a red, white wine grapes are macerated with their skins anywhere from a few days to months. Fascinating shades of golden, amber and orange ensue along with weird and wonderful flavours and textures.
Finally, the delectable browns. These are wines that have seen long slow ageing in barrels. The purposeful oxidation gives a palette of russet to mahogany. Think sherry, madeira and tawny port.
We are often so focused on consuming the wine in our glass that we fail to appreciate its magnificent colour. Here's to observing all the colours of the rainbow and drinking to Pride!
2016 Yealands, 'Land Made' Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $19.99 BC Liquor Stores
Despite a shy straw hue, this is super assertive and extraverted, with guava, nettles, gooseberry, fresh grass and wet stone. A thirst-quenching summer sipper, it also represents the colour green for all of Yealands' environmentally friendly, sustainable and carbon neutral initiatives.
Little Farm, Pied de Cuve, Orange, Similkameen Valley, BC $40-43private wine stores such as Liberty Wine Merchants & Firefly
After 10 days of skin contact, this Riesling achieves a deep golden-orange tone. Fermented with wild yeast and bottled without filtering or fining, it's slightly cloudy and not for those seeking mainstream. However, the adventurous palate will appreciate its unique expression of ginger, tangerine and apricot, and tactile tannic mouthfeel.
2016 Gassier, 'Sables d’Azur' Côtes de Provence AOP, France $20-22 private wine stores such as Sutton Place, Kitsilano Wine Cellars & Sheraton Wall Centre Fine Wines
Despite long being maligned and misunderstood, we now all seem to be united in our love for pink. Here's a classic from Provence; appropriately pale, properly dry and suitably demure in its expression. Delicate raspberry and pink grapefruit nuances define this refreshing, easy to drink rosé.
Lini 910, 'Labrusca' Lambrusco Reggiano DOC, Italy $18.99BC Liquor Stores
As charismatic as it is quirky, the Lini Lambrusco is a sparkling red sporting a cheerful deep purple colour. Bursting with the summer's freshest blueberries and black cherry, it exudes sheer happiness with plenty of frothy and fizzy bubbles for celebration. Dry and slightly grippy, it’s the ideal BBQ companion.
n/v Alvear, 'Solera 1927' Pedro Ximénez, Montilla-Moriles DO, Spain $29.49 375ml BC Liquor Stores
Deep mahogany and pure hedonistic deliciousness. Made from sundried grapes, then long-aged in oak barrels which are constantly replenished with younger vintages, Alvear's Solera 1927 offers intense flavours of raisins and prunes with caramel and walnut. It is plush, luxurious, velvety smooth and lusciously sweet. Enjoy this elixir over ice cream for the ultimate dessert.
Prices exclusive of taxes
