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We loved the 2021 vintage of Hard Row to Hoe Estate Pinot Noir, and the 2022 continues that trend.

W**emaker Julian Shaver continues to craft a powerful, sleek, and seductive w**e, attributed to the glacial gravel soils and the distinct desert-like conditions of the Chelan AVA.

What a perfect Thanksgiving w**e, with its berry aromas and flavors, and its refined and earthy elegance.

So, of course, we opened a bottle to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with friends. Wish we had a second bottle to pour for the US Thanksgiving feast too.

We wanted to open a BC w**e to begin our celebration of Canadian Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago, so we poured this sparkling w**e that was kindly gifted to us by friends: The Hatch 2025 B. Secco.

This 100% Chardonnay sparkling w**e, from Hatch W**ery in West Kelowna, is light, bright, and breezy, fruity with fine bubbles and mineral notes. The w**ery describes it as having “a lively, flirty personality.” It’s playful, just like the attitude at the w**ery in BC’s Okanagan Valley.

For example, their website states: “We make w**e the only way we know how: with heart and chaos. Formulas are for math, not w**e. Every bottle is a little different, a little rebellious, and entirely Hatch.

Tucked into the West Kelowna hillside, our w**ery is a place where the lines blur between art, w**e, and general tomfoolery. We’re not here to impress you with marble floors or hushed tones. We’re here to pour good w**e, tell better stories, and maybe even shift your understanding of what a tasting room can be.”

This sounds like a place to add to the list on our next visit to BC w**e country.

My heart is always happy when I visit my hometown of Vancouver.

We first tasted Syncline 2025 Picpoul at Taste Washington in March and immediately knew we would be drinking more this summer. And we did.

We ordered a few bottles from our incredible online retailer, Full Pull W**es and also tasted it again at our monthly w**e club in July. Simply delicious and delightful!

And guess what? It’s still delicious during these cooler fall evenings. It’s like a bottle of sunshine, comprising 100% Picpoul sourced from Washington’s renowned Boushey Vineyard.

Syncline 2025 Picpoul checks off all our boxes for an outstanding white w**e – light, bright, fresh, lemon flavors backed by notes of wet stone, with bracing acidity and salinity.

But be sure to serve it very chilled – either with seafood, a cheese plate, or simply sip it without food. It’s that good.

Syncline Cellars is nestled in the Columbia Gorge, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards co-owner and founding w**emaker Judy Phelps describes 2022 Barbera as “a weeknight-friendly Barbera with weekend-level charm.”

Made from organically certified grapes from Washington’s Wahluke Slope, this Barbera features a balance of juicy fruit, lively acidity, and a mineral edge. As Judy puts it, “It’s the kind of bottle that turns a Tuesday into a feast without any fuss.”

We tasted it at the w**ery last July, and at the time, I predicted we would likely pair it with hubby’s delicious spaghetti. So that’s exactly what we did when good friends brought over a bottle earlier this month. (We still have a bottle in our cellar, which we plan to serve with my beef stew or maybe with pizza.)

Every time we travel to Manson, in WA’s Lake Chelan AVA, we always visit Hard Row to Hoe. And we always come home with smiles and lots of w**e.

Chaberton Estate W**ery 2025 Estate Grown Dry Bacchus is a delicate white w**e, featuring flavors of peaches, pears, and citrus, crisp, refreshing, and clean, threaded with minerality.

The grapes are sourced from the oldest vines in the Estate vineyard in Langley, B.C.

Serve Dry Bacchus with goat cheese, crab, prawns, sushi, or sashimi. Or pair it with a simple charcuterie board and good friends, like we did.

It’s hard to beat the price point of $22 CAD. This tasty white is definitely worth a quick 30-minute drive across the border for us to pick up a few bottles.

At Chaberton Estate W**ery, you’ll find a wide variety of appealing white w**es, a popular bistro, and a beautiful setting. We encourage you to add it to your itinerary if you’re visiting the Vancouver area.