Crafted in B.C. – A Special Report and Buyer's Guide

by Geoffrey Moss, MW

During the 2025 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada, the 24 judges took the time to taste through more than 80 so-called replacement wines made by BC wineries using imported grapes. The wines were considered in isolation – they did not receive medals, nor did the scores count towards the Winery of the Year title. Instead, you’ll find a single rating for each wine, an average across at least three judges, with the top wines getting a second look later in the competition. The goal is to help you make more informed purchases. After all, these are the wines you’ll see at cellar doors and on retail shelves over the months to come. The top wines are the ones we recommend – and that we’d buy ourselves. These are listed below.

We need to go back to January 2024 to understand the birth of this BC-centric category. A severe cold snap resulted in temperatures dropping as low as -30°C across the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. The damage was immediate, significant and widespread. Grape growers lost an estimated 97% of their crop in a matter of days. Cold-sensitive varieties, like syrah, were particularly hard hit.

Those who were lucky escaped with bud damage. Fruitful primary buds may have been lost, but secondary and tertiary buds allowed the vine to survive. If you walked through some vineyards during the 2024 growing season, they were surprisingly green and lush. Only when you took a closer look did you realize there was no fruit to be found.

Not everyone was so lucky. Many growers had to replant blocks or entire vineyards after vines succumbed to the extreme cold temperatures. For some, this was already on the horizon. The leafroll virus infects many South Okanagan plantings from the 1990s, and vine loss just moved the timeline forward. For others, this provided the opportunity to adapt and pivot, replanting to different varieties that are better suited to our changing climate (and fickle consumer preferences).

Faced with little to no crop, many wineries quickly looked here, there, and everywhere for fruit. It was about more than just survival. For many, it was the only way to maintain jobs, hold onto retail shelf space and wine list placements, and fulfill shipments for wine club members. The search for fruit happened even as the regulatory bodies were slow to act.

Wineries with commercial licenses have always been able to sell international wine bottled in British Columbia. But there’s an important caveat: the wine is subject to the same duties and markups as imported wine from global producers. The reduced margin means importing grapes (or wine) doesn’t always make financial sense. There are also no allowances for wineries with stricter land-based licenses.

Eventually, exceptions were granted to allow for the replacement wines to be exempt from markup (up to a cap, determined by a winery’s rolling sales by value). And land-based wineries were granted a path to participate, too. By the time this happened, most wineries had already secured fruit, plowing ahead regardless of the uncertainty — a clear sign of the necessity of doing so.

The majority of fruit was sourced due south: Washington, Oregon, and California. Serendipitously, all three states had a surplus of grapes last year. Fruit was easy to come by — whether you were looking for fruit from top vineyards, renowned AVAs, or at rock-bottom prices. We became each other’s solution. There was also the geographic proximity, meaning fruit could be trucked directly to the winery, in addition to the climatic and stylistic similarities.

It’s important to note that these decisions were made, and fruit was picked, well before the November 2024 election. Or “before the madness,” as SpearHead Winery puts it. To boycott these wines as “American” would only hurt BC wineries — and demonstrate a misunderstanding of the situation.

Some producers went even further abroad, as far as New Zealand. And some stayed within Canada, sourcing fruit from Niagara. For all the talk of a Canada-wide VQA system, we have to keep in mind that the similarities end with the passport of the fruit. It’s a three-day drive from Niagara to the Okanagan, and a significant stylistic shift. Although BC finally gets to experience some of the best of Niagara, as in the Tantalus 2024 Riesling from Grimsby Hillside and Piccone Vineyards, it’s easy to understand why it wasn’t the right decision for others.

Regardless of where the fruit comes from, you’ll see a mixed bag in terms of how the wines are packaged and labelled. A Wine Growers British Columbia task force recommended the term “Crafted in BC,” which conjures the “Cellared in Canada” labelling of a bygone era. (Admittedly, it’s hard not to think of Keanu Reeves in The Replacements when you talk about “replacement wines.”) Some wineries have created new brands, sub-brands, or tiers for the replacement wines to avoid potential confusion with their BC wines. Others have clearly stated the origin, such as the state and vineyard, on the front label, bearing in mind that AVA regulations mean that it’s not possible to invoke AVAs like Walla Walla or Willamette Valley. And some wineries have relegated all relevant information to the back label, with a font size best viewed through a magnifying glass.

What we saw in this year’s tasting was just the first tranche of replacement wines, the spring releases. (Tank samples can’t be submitted.) More releases are to come, likely representing the best of the replacement wines. But what we’ve tasted so far is decidedly uneven. You can tell which wineries put in the effort, diligently selecting the right AVAs and investing in high-quality fruit from the best growers. Low price tags or one-stop-shop solutions may have tempted others. Maybe they didn’t quite get the logistics right. Or they could simply have bought wine in bulk to be bottled back home.

It isn’t easy to imagine the Okanagan and Similkameen going back to the way things were before, though. Winemakers were not only spoiled by choice but also by customer service. It felt like a revelation for some to work with professional grape growers who were attuned to their needs at comparable, or better, prices. Yes, even with the exchange rate. Contrast that with the Okanagan Valley, where short supply has resulted in sky-high prices on the spot market — and a take-it-or-leave-it mentality. Competition, as they say, can be a good thing.

We don’t know at this point what the next few years will bring. It’s not even clear what exemptions may be in place for this harvest, as many growers wait for replants to come into production. The good news is that many wineries with vines still in production are surprised by this year’s crop. It was a mercifully mild winter in the Okanagan and Similkameen, and vines have bounced back enthusiastically.

I’m just excited to taste wines from my favourite winemakers from new regions. Not because they’re better than the Okanagan — just different. Let’s embrace the detour as part of the journey. But my advice is to be selective as you do.

Below are the top Crafted in B.C. wines – listed by category. You will see a score for the average of all the judges and some wines may have additional reviews.

Chardonnay

Fort Berens 2024 Here and There Chardonnay, Washington, United States
Code Wines 2024 Chardonnay Grower Series, Washington, United States
Clos du Soleil 2024 Washington Series Chardonnay , Washington, United States
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan 2024 Reserve Chardonnay Winemakers Series

Other White

Lake Breeze 2024 Albariño, Washington, United States
Hester Creek 2024 Viognier Columbia Valley Collection, Columbia Valley, Oregon, United States Lunessence Albarino 2024, Columbia Valley, Washington, United States
Wild Goose 2024 Cascadia Gewurztraminer, Washington, United States
Wild Goose 2024 Cascadia Muscat, Washington, United States
Sumac Ridge 2024 Gewurztraminer Private Reserve
Blasted Church 2024 Viognier, Washington, United States

Pinot Gris

Noble Ridge 2024 Vilicus Pinot Grigio, Washington, United States
CedarCreek 2024 Pinot Gris, Oregon, United States
Poplar Grove 2024 Cascadia Series Pinot Gris, Washington, United States
SpearHead 2024 Dual Citizen Pinot Gris Roza Hills Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington, United States
Privato 2024 Pinot Gris, Washington, United States
Three Sisters Winery 2024 Crossroads Collection Pinot Gris, Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington, United States
Lake Breeze Vineyards 2024 Pinot Gris, Washington, United States

Riesling

Dirty Laundry 2024 Riesling, Washington, United States
Wild Goose 2024 Riesling Cascadia Blend, Washington, United States
Hester Creek 2024 Riesling Columbia Valley Collection, Washington, United States
Gehringer Brothers 2024 Riesling Washington, Washington, United States
Moon Curser 2024 Riesling Confiscated, Washington, United States

Sauvignon Blanc

Blasted Church 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, Washington, United States
Mission Hill Family Estate 2024 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand
Gehringer Brothers 2024 Sauvignon Blanc California, California, United States
CedarCreek 2024 Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand
Mayhem Wines 2024 Anarchy Sauvignon Blanc Columbia River Plateau, Washington, United States
Bartier Bros. 2024 Pristine Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, Washington, United States
SpearHead 2024 Dual Citizen Sauvignon Blanc Den Hoed Vineyard, Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington, United States

White Blends

Dirty Laundry 2024 Hush White, Washington, United States
Wild Goose 2024 Autumn Gold, United States