In the 2007 vintage, the Joie Winery dedicated its Pinot Blanc to Vancouver wine expert Barbara Philip MW, who devoted her Master of Wine thesis to exploring the proposition that Pinot Blanc could be the Okanagan’s signature grape. She concluded that the variety has that potential but that there is just not enough excitement about Pinot Blanc wines to carry the region.

Joie set out to make an exciting Pinot Blanc and has succeeded brilliantly. Using grapes from north Okanagan vineyards at Winfield, the winery fermented the wine in barrels, using natural yeast, and then stirred the lees in half the barrels to enrich the structure. The result is a complex wine, probably the best Pinot Blanc anyone has made in the Okanagan. It begins with aromas of apples and almonds. The taste is crisply fruity, showing citrus, green apple and minerals. The texture adds to a long, satisfying, dry finish. 91