Western Living Magazine
Why Longevity Is the Future of Furniture Design
Photos: Peek Inside the Homes of NHL Stars
5 Reasons Homeowners Are Choosing Custom Aluminum Pergolas
3 B.C. Wines to Drink This Fall, From Big Reds to Sparkling
How to Support Summerland’s Wineries One Bottle at a Time
3 Delicious Recipes to Try for Your Next Taco Night
The Past Is Always Present in Québec City
Where to Wine and Dine Around Kelowna in 2026
Farm to Glass: 13 Kelowna Spots That Celebrate Okanagan Bounty
10 New Furniture, Lighting and Decor Finds for 2026
In Living Colour: 8 Striped Home Finds for Summer
The Unsettling Wallpaper in A24’s ‘Backrooms’ Has a Very Vancouver Backstory
PHOTOS: Party Pics from our 2026 Designers of the Year Awards Party at Inform
Introducing the 2026 WL Designers of the Year
Robert Ledingham Memorial Award 2026: Schédio Spaces
What goes best with brunch? Bubbles, of course! These three bottles are fantastic—don't be fooled by the humble bottle cap that keeps them sealed up tight.
B.C. has always been sneakily good at making bubbles: Blue Mountain, Summerhill and Sumac Ridge have long been local stalwarts of crafting sparkling wine with solid value. But the last few years have seen a pop of new players in the game: they take their winemaking very seriously, but they’re hell-bent on having the public treat their bottles not as some special-occasion treat but rather as the amazing food wines that they are. And to prove it, they top them with that most plebian of closures—the humble yet effective bottle cap. People are taking some major notice of just how good these wines can be. The team at JoieFarm will release a brut rosé next summer, and Meyer Family Vineyards has a sparkling in the works as well.2012 Bella Sparkling Rosé ($24) Winemaker Jay Drysdale makes bubbles and nothing else. For this rosé he uses 100% Gamay grapes from the Seacrest Mountain Vineyard in Oliver. Then he charges too little for the result—a bracing take on fruit and citrus.2011 Road 13 Sparkling Chenin Blanc ($40) Pam and Mick Luckhurst go full Loire Valley by using only the finest Chenin grapes they can get their hands on. The result is a refined, balanced take on green apples with a biscuit undertone.2012 Haywire The Bub ($25) Christine Coletta and winemaker Michael Bartier encapsulate (get it?) this new sparkling trend perfectly: low alcohol, nice acid, classical proportions, low price and zero pretension.
Neal McLennan is the wine and spirits editor for Vancouver and Western Living magazines, where he susses out the wonderful (and occasionally weird) options for imbibing across Western Canada.
Are you over 18 years of age?
Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox 3 times a week.