When these awards first started out, having a category like this would have been tricky—most somms included a bottle or two of B.C. wine to be supportive, but the idea that a serious list would keep its focus on B.C. would have been amusing. That said, there were pioneers—Raincity Grill and later Aurora Bistro showed that it was possible to be serious and local at the same time. The inaugural winners in this category channel much of that sense of adventure.
Gold: Water St. Cafe
First up is the stalwart Water St. Cafe, whose prime location in tourist-heavy Gastown makes it a key ambassador of what this province can do with grapes. The list here is both thoughtful and broad: there are 80 bottles and dozens of vintages on offer—everything from albarino to zinfandel.
300 Water St., Vancouver
waterstreetcafe.ca
Silver: Stem Japanese Eatery
Earning the silver is the smaller but beautifully crafted list at Burnaby’s Stem—it proves there’s truly no cuisine that B.C. wine can’t make better.
5205 Rumble St., Burnaby
stemjapanese.ca
Bronze: My Shanti
At bronze winner My Shanti, where longtime industry champion Vikram Vij goes all-local with pours like the custom Vij’s Lanterns from Kismet Winery—a perfect match for his trailblazing menu.
15869 Croydon Dr., Surrey
vijs.ca/my-shanti
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