Whitetail

We’re 100 per cent on the level when we tell you that this year’s winning alcoholic beverage is a wonderful wine from Millarville. No, there are no vineyards there (and good luck to anyone who tries to plant one). Rather, this “wine” is made with wildflowers.

Shock and awe are the standard responses that winery owner Hugo Bonjean says he gets when introducing his products to hospitality professionals. “It’s most enjoyable for us at this point to go into the top restaurants around the world with our flower wines from Millarville,” he says. “You meet with the sommeliers and it just knocks their socks off. They say, ‘Wow, we did not expect this.’”

Bonjean, who runs the winery with his wife, Ilse de Wit, hails from a multigenerational winemaking family with vineyards in central France. He and his family settled in the Millarville area in 1997. The idea to make wine was a product of both his roots and a commitment to living off the land. “We started out with dandelion wine — because almost everybody in Alberta has a grandfather or grandmother who used to make dandelion wine — so we decided to craft a royal version of that,” Bonjean says.

Clearly, this is not your grandad’s dandelion wine. Spirit Hills hires pickers to gather local wildflowers and then harvests the nectar and the petals, which are then fermented with honey and berries. The winery offers tours and tastings that guests have ranked on-par with tours in places like California’s Napa Valley. Spirit Hills exports to Europe and Japan and its wines have been served in Michelin-starred European restaurants.

Their winning Whitetail is an oaked violet flower wine, perfect for sipping on a patio or pairing with white meats, seafood and cheeses, and is proof that, while wine from Millarville may be a curiosity, it’s also a legitimate world-class beverage.

$24
spirithillswinery.com

What the judges said:
“Alberta wildflowers intertwine with the exquisite artistry of winemaking — nature’s essence, bottled. It enchants the palate with its crisp, delicate flavours and smooth finish.” -Jocelyn MacGregor