My pool of knowledge when it comes to the best BC wines is a shallow one. Frankly, when it comes to British Columbia wines, we’re not even talking kiddie pool-deep. More like a thimble. Luckily, I have Luke Whittall of the excellent blog and podcast Wine Country BC as a friend and guide. He’s been on this blog before, providing an excellent BC Wine 101. But that’s not enough Luke nor British Columbia wine talk, so I had to have him as a guest on the Wine Without Worry podcast. I can’t fit in the entire wealth of information provided in a short half-hour into one blog post, but I can tease you with these tidbits focusing on the Okanagan Valley:

• The white wine grape to seek out: Gewurztraminer. Recommended by Luke: Quails’ Gate. Recommended by me: Red Rooster.
• The red wine grape to seek out: Syrah. This was a surprise to me; expected Luke to say Pinot Noir.
• Check out Dirty Laundry Vineyard. The name of this winery does not, to my chagrin, have anything to do with the Don Henley song. But rather inspired by a brothel that was accessed via a laundromat. Certainly a more titillating tale.
• Sparkling wine fan(atic) like me? Visit Summerhill Pyramid Winery. And how about a sparkling Chenin Blanc, sealed with a bottlecap? Road 13 Vineyards will satisfy your needs; no corkscrew required.

Luke and I also reminisce about meeting at the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, OR. If you like stunning views of Mt. Hood and an exceptional menu to match, peruse this recap of our visit to nearby Phelps Creek in the Columbia Gorge. We also confess to our fondness for The Academic Wino and Jordan Cabernet. Oh, and Vancouver Island is discussed as well. Also, Luke is a recovering musician and does all the music for his podcast. Alright, I’m getting a little sidetracked so, without further ado, here’s the show:

 Lake Okanagan photo courtesy Kelly Nigro.

Tags: best bc wines, dirty laundry vineyard, quails gate gewurztraminer, red rooster gewurztraminer, road 13 sparkling chenin, Wine Without Worry