Deborah Podurgiel scored this wine: 90/100

Lovely and enticing on the nose, Nostalgia's Viognier 2025 is fragrant with clover honey, apricot, stone fruit with fresh aromas of orange blossom and lemon cream silky and bright on the palate. Dry, medium-bodied, fresh and refreshing, chill it up and enjoy it with a medium-spicy orange and ginger chicken dish. Drink or hold to 2029. Tasted July 2026.

Deborah Podurgiel scored this wine: 94/100

Love the 2025 Late Harvest Riesling from Fort Berens Estate Winery! It's addictively delicious! Rich, but not cloying, and silky smooth on the palate, it is a beautiful dessert wine with a mouthful of clover honey, apricot, tropical fruits and lime zest flavours ultra-balanced with racy acidity to match its sweetness. A perfect pairing to the wine is a Burnt Basque cheesecake, creamy on the palate, with the wine's bright acidity cutting through the richness of the cheesecake. Also paired with an apricot and cottage cheese tarte -- less rich, but here the Late Harvest Riesling compliments the cake with its apricot and lush fruit flavours. Chill it up and enjoy it with either of these two desserts, or try it with a simple fresh fruit cup. Tasted July 2026. The Riesling, grapes for this vintage were sustainably grown and sourced from the winery's Dry Creek Vineyard in Lillooet (planted in 2009). Drink now or hold to 2035. Winemaker Notes: "The grapes for this wine were left to hang for an extended period and dehydrated naturally on the vine resulting in partially raisined grapes and a concentration of sugars. Grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed, and crushed, followed by five days of skin contact to maximize extraction. After pressing, fermentation continued in a stainless-steel tank, and was carefully halted at the optimal residual sugar level."

Deborah Podurgiel scored this wine: 92/100

What a pretty summer sipper rosé from Adega on 45th. A new release from the winery, the 2025 is enticing and pretty on the nose as well with aromas of baked red berry pie, wild strawberry, pink grapefruit, cotton candy, subtle fine herb and minerally notes with a zesty red berry and citrus zesty finish, dry, fresh and elegant on the palate. Patio perfect, chill it up and enjoy it with grilled salmon dishes or a simple snack of olives and charcuterie. Winemaker Notes: Produced from 100% Pinot Noir, hand-harvested from Starz Vineyard, Kaleden, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. Fermented in stainless-steel tank, retaining all the wine's fresh fruit flavours. Tasted July 2026.

Deborah Podurgiel scored this wine: 93/100

Lunessence Winery's Black Label Series Viognier 2025 is exactly how a Viognier should taste. It can be difficult getting this grape (and wine) right, and this vintage is a beautiful expression of the grape with aromas of summer-kissed apple, orange and ginger blossoms, dry, medium-bodied and zesty with bright acidity, honeyed apricot, orange blossom and subtle ginger spice flavours that linger and replay on the palate. Absolutely a master class in balance. Tasted July 2026. Crafted from 100% Viognier and grapes for this vintage were sourced from the Dragon Mountain Vineyard on Summerland Lakefront. Grapes were whole cluster pressed and the wine rested four months on its lees in neutral oak barrels and stainless-steel tank.

Deborah Podurgiel scored this wine: 93/100

A simply superb Pinot Gris from Blue Grouse Estate Winery! Pure essence of fresh pear, apple and minerally aromas, this Vancouver Island PG is dry, fresh and silky with ripe Bartlett pear, greengage plum, mineral and soft lemon zest flavours lithe, refreshing with beautifully balanced acidity and a caressingly long ripe pear finish. So, so good! Tasted July 2026 with pan-fried Hokkaido scallops. Winemaker's Notes: crafted from 100% Pinot Gris sourced from Blue Grouse Estate and partner vineyards, Enrico, Saison, and Deol. Each lot of grapes were vinified separately to preserve site expressions and nuances for the final blend. "Fermentation and aging took place in a mix of vessels, with 67% in concrete cube, 20% in French oak barrel, and 13% in stainless steel. Partial malolactic fermentation added softness and textural roundness through the mid-palate."