What wine to bring to meet the parents?

Have you ever found yourself wandering aimlessly around the liquor store for what seems like hours searching for that perfect wine for a special occasion? Picking a wine for any occasion can be daunting. You don’t want to be that guy, whose gift of wine receives a perfunctory thank-you and then gets put in a cupboard, never to see the light of day again.

What wine to bring to… meet the parents?

Meeting the parents is a seriously big deal. You should definitely bring wine. However, you can’t just bring any wine. Unless you want a quick exit out of the relationship steer clear of the two buck chuck special and pick something interesting. Avoid awkward conversation and death glares from dad on first meeting by bringing one of these great wines.

Sea Star Ortega 2014, Pender Island BC ($21)

Sea Star Winery on Pender Island is killing it. These guys know what they’re doing. Most of their wines have sold out for the second year in a row. Luckily there is some of their Ortega still to be found in select private liquor stores on Vancouver Island. This wine, a lively and elegant aromatic white wine, is the Gulf Islands in a glass. This coastal beauty has tropical fruit notes of grapefruit and melon on the nose with fresh briny acidity on the palate. Sea Star’s Ortega is fabulous on its own and even better with seafood. Win Mom over once and for all with this West Coast stunner.

Tenuta Olim Bauda Gavi 2014, Piedmont Italy ( $22.79)

This wine screams sophistication. Made from 100% Cortese, an Italian white wine grape, this Gavi is fresh and soft. Its delicate floral, lemony acidity makes it pair beautifully with salads and seafood. Cortese is well-structured and utterly amazing with food. It’s no surprise it is one of Italy’s most popular restaurant wines.

The Hatch Ross O 2012, West Kelowna BC ($15.99)

This wine is strange. Strange in a really good way. Ross O is a Pinot Noir made from the Spatburgunder clone with a splash of Gamay Noir and it is seriously funky. Ross O doesn’t taste like Pinot Noir, nor is it meant to. It is soft on the palate, yet very lush, with silky red berry fruit flavours. Its flavour profile is mostly earthy and quite savoury. Then there’s the label. I am not one to pick a wine by the label but Hatch Winery  is featuring some pretty awesome label art. If you’re looking for a great icebreaker, this is the wine for you.

 Torres Jaime I Primero 30 Years, Spain ($119.99)

Wine of course isn’t your only option when meeting the parents. You might consider Torres Jaime I. This Brandy is majestic. Jaime I is rich and deep with a complex bouquet of dried fruits, spice, molasses and candied orange. On the palate it is smooth and lush. Brandy is versatile. It’s lovely as an aperitif and even better sipped slowly after dinner. I guarantee this will impress.

– By Anna Romeyn