Pinot Noir Lover's Preview – Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026
24 Pinot Noirs & Where to Find Them At the Show
The 2026 Vancouver International Wine Festival runs this year from March 7 to March 14. If pinot noir holds a special interest for you, this year’s festival offers a unique opportunity to compare and contrast pinot noirs from several countries including: Australia, Chile, Italy, New Zealand, Uruguay, the United States as well as pinot noir based red Burgundy from the featured country France. And then you can compare them to pinot noirs grown here in British Columbia, from thirteen different wineries. So overall, it’s a great chance to taste a wide variety of pinot noir terroirs and styles.
Exploring B.C. Pinot Noir GI and Sub-GI Regions
What are GIs and Sub-GIs?
B.C.’s new appellation system is based on what are called Geographical Indications or GIs that were created using a combination of criteria specific to each region. The most important elements were a shared watershed area and/or elevation zones that encompassed both existing and potential growing areas. There are now nine GIs throughout the province as well as twelve of what are known as sub-geographical indications known as sub-GIs. Sub-GIs demonstrate unique climates, soil types and the resulting wine styles.
Of the 24 red pinot noir wines available at the festival this year, B.C. is providing more than half of them drawn from wineries located in 3 GIs as well as 5 Sub GIs.
Using This As Your Guide to Pinot Noir at the Festival
Sometimes the organization of booths in the main tasting room at the festival can seem a little confusing but it is really pretty straight forward. The booths are numbered (from 1 to 114 this year) in alphabetical order by country.
All the red pinot noir wines available at the festival this year are listed below organized by booth number so if you are looking at this on your mobile phone you can scroll down as you move in order from booth to booth.
Keep in mind that most wines can be purchased at the festival store
Pinot Noir Wines By Booth Number
Australia
Booth 12 INLAND TRADING CO | AUSTRALIA
By Farr RP pinot 2022
Australia is not as well known for their pinot noirs but its cooler regions can produce world class wines. Wine By Farr Wines is a family-owned and operated winery that has been producing world-class wines since 1994. The winery is located in the heart of the Moorabool Valley, in the cool southern climate near Geelong, Victoria. Their RP Pinot Noir (the winemaker’s mother’s initials) is Farr’s top single vineyard pinot noir made from a high density planting of Pinot Noir. I recently tasted one of their more entry level pinot noirs and it was a stunner. So this is not to be missed.
Canada
Booth 14 8TH GENERATION VINEYARD | SUMMERLAND LAKEFRONT SUB-GI | OKANAGAN VALLEY B. C.
The acclaim that 8th Generation Vineyard has received over the years for its white wines, principally their rieslings, may begin to explain why their silky, elegantly balanced pinot noir is so often overlooked and underappreciated. A husband and wife team, Bernd Schales is an 8th generation winemaker and Stefanie Schales a 10th generation winegrower. They quickly established a reputation for quality and consistency. They have won numerous medals at Canadian wine competitions for their pinot noirs.
The vineyard areas in Summerland Lakefront are strongly moderated by the lake and are situated in benches that hug Lake Okanagan. This area's wide variety of soils is due to the varying historical seasonal outflows from Trout Creek.
Due perhaps to the vineyard's unique placement in the Trout Creek delta the wines are quite distinct with typically fuller, savoury fruit, more complex, textured tannins and a hint of minerality in the finish.
Pinot Noir 2023
This is a 100% Pinot Noir from the estate vineyard in the Summerland Lakefront Sub-GI. This wine will be demonstrating what is a second pinot noir era for the winery. Following the 2018 harvest, they removed their established, tightly clustered Pinot Noir vines and replanted in 2019 with a German clone characterized by varied berry sizes, promoting looser clusters and improved airflow. 8th Generation pinot noir Current Vintage & Availability
Booth 24 DA SILVA VINEYARDS | NARAMATA BENCH SUB-GI | OKANAGAN VALLEY B. C.
Though the winery was created in 2006, the Da Silvas are long time growers, having originally moved to the Okanagan in 1955. They currently draw from 11 different vineyards for their wines. To underscore the importance of provenance, the names of the growers, the exact latitude and longitude of the source vineyards as well as the vinification are detailed on every bottle.
Pinot Noir 2022
This pinot noir was sourced from the Blenheim Hill Vineyard and the Lazy Dog Vineyard in the Naramata and Penticton West benches.
Da Silva Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability
Booth 25 EX NIHILO | LAKE COUNTRY SUB-GI | OKANAGAN VALLEY B. C.
The experience of dreaming about and creating their vineyard out of ten acres as well as a Frederick Hart sculpture, prompted Jeff and Decoa Harder to name their winery Ex Nihilo, which means “out of nothing”. Their first pinot noir vintage was in 2010.
Pinot Noir 2022
The 2022 Pinot Noir was crafted using grapes from two vineyards in the Okanagan Valley. A small portion came from a well-established vineyard in West Kelowna, while the majority was harvested from the home vineyard at Ex Nihilo.
Ex Nihilo Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability
Booth 26 FORT BERENS ESTATE WINERY | LILLOOET GI B. C.
The Lillooet GI is set well apart from other British Columbia GI areas and is roughly defined as all lands below 1,000 meters in elevation along a stretch of the Fraser River from about 25 km north of Lillooet to just south of Lytton. It also includes a smaller section along the Thompson river before it joins the Fraser River at Lytton.
The winery is located directly across the Fraser River from the community of Lillooet, located 325 kilometers North of Vancouver just above 50°N in latitude. Despite being located at the intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, Lillooet experiences a warm-summer humid continental climate, has a long growing season and is often the “hot spot” in British Columbia Summer weather reports.
2024 Pinot Noir
2024 saw a catastrophic freezing event that hit B.C.’s interior winegrowing regions very hard. In some cases, entire vineyards froze and had to be replanted. The fruit for this wine was from the winery’s Dry Creek Vineyard where fortunately, enough fruiting buds survived the 2024 freeze to produce 30% of the normal crop.
Fort Berens Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability
Booth 27 GRAY MONK ESTATE WINERY | LAKE COUNTRY SUB-GI | OKANAGAN VALLEY B. C.
Gray Monk is one of the five original estate wineries that pioneered the modern B.C. wine industry and is also one of the very few wineries in the country where four generations of the family have been involved.
The winery opened in 1982 near Okanagan Centre, a neighbourhood and formal ward within Lake Country, on the East shore of Okanagan Lake, just North of Kelowna above the 50th parallel. Originally, Gray Monk focused exclusively on white grape varieties but in the early 2000s they added red grape varieties to the mix. The grapes for their pinot noirs are sourced from throughout the Okanagan Valley.
The winery was sold to Andrew Peller Limited in September of 2017.
Pinot Noir 2023
Gray Monk Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability Currently available in B.C. Liquor Stores.
Booth 30 JOIEFARM WINERY | NARAMATA BENCH SUB-GI |OKANAGAN VALLEY B. C.
Founded in 2002, JoieFarm was originally a cooking school and gastronomic guesthouse. Their first vintage was in 2003, when they became only the fourth winery to grow from the Naramata Bench. The tasting room opened its doors in 2015.
The En Famille series highlights small-lot wines, crafted from select vineyard sites of significance. They exemplify the cool-climate lake moderated desert terroir of the Okanagan Valley. Contributing vineyards can include Chapman Road Vineyard, Okanagan Falls • Albrecht Vineyard, Naramata Bench • Smethurst Vineyard, Naramata Bench • Con Vida Vineyard, Skaha Bluffs
En Famille Pinot Noir 2022
Joie Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability
Booth 31 LAKEBOAT VINEYARD & WINERY | SKAHA BENCH SUB-GI | OKANAGAN VALLEY, B.C.
An up-and-coming region, the Skaha Bench sub-GI is situated south of Penticton, on the east side of Skaha Lake. Located in Kaleden, Lakeboat Vineyard & Winery opened its tasting room doors to the public in 2022 . The wines are made exclusively from Kaleden-grown grapes.
Pinot Noir 2022
Lakeboat Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability
Booth 34 MORAINE ESTATE WINERY | NARAMATA BENCH SUB-GI | OKANAGAN VALLEY B. C.
Moraine is a family-owned winery and vineyard overlooking Okanagan Lake, located just minutes from the city of Penticton. The winery owners here are the husband-wife team of Oleg and Svetlana Aristarkhov. They relocated from Alberta, where they had lived for 15 years, bought a vacation home and planted a small vineyard. When a nearby winery ironically called Zero Balance went into receivership they purchased the property and it’s small existing vineyard. Since Moraine made their first vintage of pinot noir in 2012, the wines have always been in good hands.
Moraine Pinot Noir 2023
Moraine Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability
Booth 39 QUAILS’ GATE WINERY | WEST KELOWNA | OKANAGAN VALLEY, B.C.
With their first pinot noir being released in 1989, Quails’ Gate Winery has a serious claim on being the first pinot noir producer of the modern (vinifera) era in British Columbia. Their original vineyard was purchased in 1956. Both their regular pinot noir and their Stewart Family Reserve have been made now for over twenty-five vintages. They have also produced limited releases of pinot noirs based on Dijon clones and the 828 clone as well as a Richard’s Block pinot noir to honour the winery’s founder.
Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2022
This Stewart Family Reserve wine has won numerous medals in Canadian and international competitions over the last 15 years. It’s a mixture of blocks and clones grown at Quails’ Gate’s West Kelowna estate on the Mount Boucherie Bench.
Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability Currently available in B.C. Liquor Stores.
Booth 40 SAGE HAYWARD VINEYARDS | GULF ISLANDS GI | B.C.
Sage Hayward Vineyards is located on Saturna in the Southern Gulf Islands, between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. The first vines were planted here in 1995 but the vineyard and winery\\ then under a different name and ownership, languished until the Sage Hayward family acquired it in August of 2020. They inherited a vineyard that had been left fallow for nearly a decade. It’s now a family-run vineyard, winery, and bistro.
Pinot Noir 2023
This 100% estate Pinot Noir, grown on the estate property in their Falcon Ridge and Raven Hill vineyards.
Sage Hayward Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability
Booth 41 STONEBOAT VINEYARDS | OKANAGAN VALLEY | B.C.
Pinot noir does not generally show its best in the South Okanagan Valley, usually defined as the section South of Okanagan Falls. The intense heat and relatively high number of growing degree days are a better fit for grape varieties like cabernet sauvignon and syrah. Pinot noir, preferring a cooler climate, mostly becomes denser, less expressive and cheerless in such an area versus its usual more spritely self.
The Stoneboat Vineyards reserve pinot noir is one of the few exceptions in the region. The winery is located on the East side of the Valley in the Black Sage Bench area of the South Okanagan, sometimes called a ‘pocket desert’ because of the abundant sunshine and low rainfall. Initially founded by the Martiniuk family and opened in 2007, the Stoneboat home vineyard sits on an exceptional terroir called the Black Sage Gravelbar. The deeper soils there contain rounded stones frosted with a coating of calcium and other minerals, known as carbonate skins. During a visit, Pedro Parra, an international terroir consultant, confirmed that some of the world’s great wines are grown upon similar rocks. Stoneboat Vineyards’ pinot noirs show flavours of black tea, dried cherry, baking spice and are often given lift and interest by a current of minerality from that limestone presence.
Stoneboat Pinot Noir Reserve 2023
Booth 43 TIGHTROPE WINERY | NARAMATA BENCH SUB-GI | B.C.
Graham and Lyndsay O’Rourke are a formidable viticultural & winemaking team. Their first vintage was 2012. The winery has a particular focus on sustainability. Graham is one of the founding Directors with Sustainable Winegrowing BC (SWBC). Their pinot noirs have won medals at both the Wine Align National Wine Awards as well as the Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition.
Pinot Noir 2023 Home Vineyard
The grapes for this wine was sourced from their Fleet Road & Marmot estate vineyards.
Booth 45 UNSWORTH VINEYARDS | COWICHAN VALLEY SUB-GI | B.C.
The Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island is the second most important pinot noir wine area in B.C. After the Okanagan. Though not as well known, it is one of the province’s significant pinot noir growing areas. Nestled between the central range of island mountains and the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland, it has proved to be an ideal spot for cultivation of the vine.
This very cool climate region has since the early nineties produced some outstanding pinot noirs from a clutch of producers located there.
Founded by Tim and Colleen Turyk, Unsworth is a relative newcomer to the Cowichan Valley, having released its first pinot noir in 2012. In June 2020 Unsworth Vineyards was sold to Barbara Banke and Julia Jackson of Jackson Family Wines.
Pinot Noir Cowichan Valley 2023
Chile
The long narrow shape of Chile combined with a wide range of altitudes, enables tremendous diversity in terms of climates and terroirs. Though better known for its cabernet sauvignon, carmenere, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, pinot noir is becoming more widely grown and with great results.
Booth 49 LABERINTO WINES | MAULE VALLEY | CHILE
Laberinto is a small independent producer in the Maule region of southeast of Chile in the foothills of the Andes Mountains and on the shores of Lake Colbún. The first vineyards were planted in 1993.
Pinot Noir Cenizas 2024
The fruit originates from a three hectare, single vineyard block of volcanic soils planted in 1998 at an elevation of 550 meters. It is farmed organically and biodynamically.
Booth 50 VIÑA SAN PEDRO | LEYDA VALLEY | CHILE
Viña Leyda was a pioneer of Leyda Valley DO, near the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean and the Humboldt Current, planting the first vineyards in this sub-region of San Antonio in 1998.
Leyda Reserve Pinot Noir
Viña Leyda’s vineyards, and the region of Leyda in general, is characterized by its strong maritime influence with sea fogs in the morning and cooling afternoon breezes. Currently available in B.C. Liquor Stores.
Booth 51 VIÑA UNDURRAGA | VARIOUS, CHILE
One of the largest and oldest wineries in Chile, it was founded in 1885 by Francisco Undurraga. Viña Undurraga is certified as sustainable according to the Sustainability Code from Wines of Chile.
Pinot Noir Sibaris pinot noir 2024
Sibaris Pinot Noir Gran Reserva 2024
From the Leyda Valley, made with 100% Pinot Noir made from select grapes grown in their estate vineyards. Currently available in B.C. Liquor Stores.
Undurraga Terroir Hunter Leyda Valley Pinot Noir 2023
The grapes were sourced from a selected 2.97-hectare plot in the Leyda appellation, the well-known southern sub-region of San Antonio, 14 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean.
France
Booth 72 DOMAINE FOURREY | BOURGOGNE, FRANCE
Domaine Fourrey is part of a long family history rooted in the heart of the Chablis vineyards, in Milly, just a few kilometers from Chablis. Domaine Fourrey has existed for four generations and the estate has 25 hectares of vineyards. The vines are spread across a wide variety of climats, in the Chablis, Petit Chablis and Chablis Grand Cru appellations, as well as including a Bourgogne Pinot Noir.
Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2023
The grapes for this wine come from a small 20 year old vineyard of 0.72 hectares.
Booth 78 DOMAINE LAROCHE | BOURGOGNE / LANGUEDOC ROUSSILLON, FRANCE
Michel Laroche discovered the Mas la Chevalière vineyards near Béziers in 1995 after a long quest to find the perfect Languedoc site for cultivating chardonnay and pinot noir. The pinot noir thrives in the Northern Gard, in the Cévennes foothills.
Pinot Noir Mas la Chevalier 2023
Booth 79 MAISON LOUIS JADOT | BEAUJOLAIS / BOURGOGNE, FRANCE
Maison Louis Jadot is a winery founded by Louis Henry Denis Jadot in 1859. It is one of Burgundy’s largest producers, controls 270 hectares of vineyards in Burgundy including Beaujolais Crus and produces only (AOC) wines.
Bourgogne Pinot Noir Couvent des Jacobins 2022
Currently available in B.C. Liquor Stores.
Italy
Booth 91 ITALO CESCON ARTIGIANO DEL VINO | FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA / VENETO, ITALY
Italo Cescon was established on 1957, near Treviso.
Pinot Noir 2024
New Zealand
Booth 99 VILLA MARIA | MARLBOROUGH, NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand’s overall maritime climate is very friendly to pinot noir. The combination of latitude range, numerous river valleys and varied distances from the Pacific Ocean makes for expressive, detailed pinot noirs with considerable regional variation.
Villa Maria Estate Founded in 1961 Villa Maria Estate is one of New Zealand’s larger wine companies.
The Awatere Valley vineyards sit on a variety of hills and terraces in a braided river system that opens to the Pacific Ocean’s Cook Strait which runs between the North and South Islands. Similarly to other favoured pinot noir regions, the climatic influences are a combination of continental and maritime.
Taylor’s Pass Pinot Noir 2020
The Taylors Pass Vineyard sits on the northern bank of the Awatere River, running East to West through the Awatere Valley and out to the Clifford Bay in the Pacific Ocean.
Uruguay
Booth 108 LOS CERROS DE SAN JUAN | CANELONES / COLONIA, URUGUAY
Los Cerros de San Juan is the oldest winery in Uruguay. Originally from Germany, the Lahusen family acquired four ranches located between the San Juan and Plata rivers around 1854 and planted vineyards east of the tiny hamlet of Los Cerros de San Juan with imported European rootstock. With 45 hectares of vines, it produces a range of wines that are almost all varietally labeled.
Pinot Noir Lahusen 2023
United States
Booth 109 JACKSON FAMILY WINES | VARIOUS, CALIFORNIA LA CREMA
La Crema Winery was founded in 1979 by the Jackson family with the goal of creating wines from the best cool climate regions of California and Oregon. The winery specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varieties.
La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir 2023
