I had the opportunity to try six of Joiefarm’s wines today, all being part of the new 2012 vintage.

Hilariously pronounced by many customers (“Joey”) – some with confidence, some hesitant, and most with charm – these wines are popular with the locals, but personally, I’ve never been drawn to their wines. They take advantage of BC’s relatively cooler climate and vinify mostly white grapes, although their PTG has been praised by Jancis Robinson (all hail the queen). All good checkboxes for reasons to buy, but perhaps it’s the 20-30 dollar price point (which honestly, makes sense for some good BC wine anyways) or perhaps it’s the weird combination that the labels bring: simple but somehow ugly. That’s just me, though. I think it may be the serifs or the sickly green.

Labels aside, I was happy that I tried these wines after wondering about them for so long. Most if not all of the wines had bright and ripe fruit balanced by minerality. Perfect for the current (!!!) and upcoming sun.

2012 Joiefarm Pinot Blanc

Pleasantly surprised. Probably my favourite in this lineup, and probably the best Pinot Blanc I’ve tasted in a while. Bright melon and honeydew flavours embrace the nose and palate. A medium body gives a bit more of a weightier impression, and a restrained stony character with a tart kick provides refreshment.

2012 Joiefarm Unoaked Chardonnay

A fruitbowl: bright apples, tangy pears, and pineapple, but an unmistakeable aroma of banana – a unique style of unoaked Chardonnay. Medium plus to high acid on the palate. Some liked this better last vintage while some enjoyed this one better. I enjoyed it, but it’s not what I expected.

2012 Joiefarm Noble Blend

Juicy stone fruit, persimmon, spice, and flowers. Gewürztraminer is the lead singer here (despite comprising 33% while Riesling is the main component at 38%) and an off-dryness is balanced by a good amount of acid. Riesling is the lead guitar, while Pinot Blanc, Pinot Auxerrois, Schoenburger, and Muscat mellow and round out the wine as bass guitars and backup singers.

2012 Joiefarm Riesling

A little restrained on the nose, but maybe the wine was too cold. Stony citrus with a mere pinch of sweetness and a mouthwatering and refreshing acidity. Smells of almost-just-about-ripe peaches.

2012 Joiefarm Rosé

Generally restrained on the nose with aromas of candied strawberries and raspberries. Dry, medium bodied, with a balance of fruity yet savoury. This wine displays the fruitiness of a New World rosé, but is subtly expressed, sort of like the almost-white part of the watermelon that’s closer to the rind. 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Gamay, 5% Pinot Meunier, 5% Pinot Gris.

2012 Joiefarm Muscat

Not what I expected, and in a good way. Ginger, juicy stone fruit, floral. A medium-dry palate is coupled with a bright lemony tongue-coating acid. This wine can be a tough sell (or buy) to/for people who will expect the medium sweetness and the lower acid of some Moscato, but it’s nice to see livelier expressions of these grapes. A blend of Moscato Giallo and Moscato Canelli.