Township 7 launches sparkling wine club

 

 

                        Photo: Winemaker Mary McDermott (courtesy Township 7)

 

 

This fall, Township 7 Vineyards & Winery launched a wine club dedicated just to sparkling wine.

 

The few Canadian producers specializing in bubble, such as Bella Wines at Naramata and Benjamin Bridge in Nova Scotia, also have wine clubs but Township 7 may be Canada’s only full-line winery with a separate club for sparkling wines. Members of the seven stars club are offered two annual shipments (in spring and in fall), each with six bottles of sparkling wine.

 

Township 7 has been making sparkling wine since 1999, some with grapes from its cool vineyard in Langley. Frustrated with trying to make table wine from those grapes, the winery had almost given up on that vineyard before Mary McDermott was hired as Township 7’s winemaker in 2014 and laid down a Langley cuvée the next year. She had started making bubble at an Ontario winery. “I love not only making sparkling wine but also drinking it,” she says. “It has been a passion of mine for many years.”

 

Township 7 makes five sparkling wines. Seven Stars Equinox is a sparkling Pinot Noir rosé. Seven Stars Polaris and Seven Stars Eclipse are both made with Chardonnay. Seven Stars Vega, just released and already sold out, is made with Viognier.

 

Seven Stars Sirius 2015, to be released next year, is 54% Pinot Noir and 46% Chardonnay, with grapes from Langley.

 

These wines are all made in the classic Champagne method, where the secondary fermentation – which makes the bubbles – occurs in each individual bottle. Sparkling wines also can be fermented in pressure tanks or even carbonated, but the most sophisticated are made like Champagne.

 

And Mary McDermott’s skill has been recognized.  Township 7’s Polaris 2016 was judged the best Canadian sparkling wine last year at the world championships in London.

 

Here are notes on current releases from this winery.

 

 

Township 7 Provenance Series Chardonnay 2018 ($21.97 for 598 cases). This wine is made with fruit from an Oliver vineyard. Half the fruit was fermented in French oak barriques and also went through malolactic fermentation. The other half was fermented in stainless steel, with no malolactic ferment. The outcome is a very balanced wine showcasing the citrus and peach aromas and flavours, with notes of vanilla and butter. 91.

 

Township 7 Provenance Series Merlot 2018 ($25.97 for 1,028 cases).  The wine begins with spicy aromas of black cherry and blueberry that are echoed on the palate. Long ripe tannins give the wine a satisfying texture. 90.

 

Township 7 Benchmark Series Reserve Pinot Gris 2019 ($26.97 for 148 cases). The
wine was fermented in neutral oak with wild yeast. To give the wine an Alsace-style richness, it was fermented for 21 days at slightly warmer temperatures. It had regular lees stirring as well. It shows aromas and flavours of pear, peach and melon. 91.

 

Township 7 Benchmark Series Reserve Sauvignon Blanc ($26.97 for 388 

cases). This wine, which includes 15% Sémillon in the blend, was fermented and aged seven months in French oak barrels (15% new). It is a wine so complex that it comes across with a cerebral personality. It begins with aromas of herbs, lime and gooseberry which carry through to the flavours. Bright acidity gives the wine a crisp finish. 91.

 

Township 7 Seven Stars Equinox 2016 ($45.97).  Made with Pinot Noir, the wine is seductive in every way: the romantic pink hue, the fine mousse, the fruity aromas and flavours. 93.

 

Township 7 Seven Stars Vega 2018 ($32.97). Only 1,296 bottles were made;
all were offered to the wine club. Made with Viognier – rarely used for bubble -  this wine has aromas of pink grapefruit mingled with brioche. It is creamy on the palate with a long finish. 91.