I was hosting an industry wine tasting at Railtowns 2 Chefs And A Table late last year when I first heard of the neighbouring Vancouver Urban Winery. Almost every sommelier or journalist attending the tasting came up to me at one point, asking what was with That Winery Place Down The Block.
Less than a year later, Vancouvers only commercial winery has become a force to be reckoned with in our industry, the least of which being the initial release of their Roaring Twenties Cellared in Canada (C.I.C.) house brand of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Argentinean Malbec.
Lets not cut that one short though; its nice to have a (decent) wine finished and bottled in our region that confidently shares its provenance on the label without duping consumers into thinking theyre drinking local wine.
The majority of Vancouver Urban Winerys business and whats had the town buzzing as of late is run under the Fresh Tap banner; a kegged-wine-on-tap program thats as simple as it is popular in the hippest restaurants and bars of San Francisco, New York and other global hotspots. Winemakers send their bulk product to the Winery, at which time the product is transferred into 19.5 litre kegs with a layer of nitrogen that keeps the wine fully preserved, whether youre drawing the first glass or the 101st.
And were not talking low-end, bulk brands either. Local wineries on board with the program so far include critically-acclaimed notables like JoieFarm, Le Vieux Pin, Laughing Stock and Nichol, while international wineries such as Oregons popular King Estate have tagged along as well.
The list of wine-on-tap benefits is lengthy. Not only are you always guaranteed the freshest pour possible, but theres way less environmental impact from shipping (less weight) to packaging (less everything.)
Newer restaurants in town like Granville Islands Edible Canada and Olympic Villages soon-to-open Tap & Barrel have been sold right away, putting in a couple dozen taps between them. More taps are popping up around Vancouver, literally on a daily basis, and this isnt something just for the casual kids Fairmont Hotel Vancouver has a couple new taps as well.
On a recent visit to Coal Harbours Mill Marine Bistro, I tried two different tap pours from the Okanagans Blasted Church Winery, both expressing the perfect, cheery style of wine that works perfect in this format. Their 2011 Hatfields Fuse (also in bottle at BC Liquor Stores for $17.99) comes tumbling out of the tap with fresh orange, peaches, lemon zest and sage, while their ruby-red 2011 Big Bang Theory (in bottle at private wine stores for around $22) will please any palate with bing cherry, blueberry, plums and clove.
If you want to run the whole gamut, drop by the winery at 55 Dunlevy any weekday between 11am and 9pm or keep your eyes peeled around town for wine on tap. Soon you wont have to look too far!
