Top Drop ’25 on Deck: Still Time to Go!

Top Drop ’25 has almost arrived!

Tuesday sees the return to the Roundhouse of Top Drop Vancouver (May 13th.). This laid-back showcase tends to highlight mainly smaller wineries and other craft producers. It’s popular with wine enthusiasts and sommeliers looking to tweak their lists.

This year’s edition of Top Drop includes a few cideries and craft breweries plus international artisan cheeses for sampling between sips.

A hefty BC Presence

Among newer or lesser-known BC wineries you’ll find at Top Drop are: Apāra, Sunday in August, Vasanti, St. Katharina and Whispering Horse—all worth checking out.

Apāra is (afik) BC’s first “Proudly BIPOC & LGBTQIA2S+ Owned” winery, established in 2022 in Okanagan Falls. Apāra means “having no limit or boundaries.” A Sunday in August (from Salt Spring) is one of Canada’s more unusual winery models. You can read about them in a piece I wrote for Edible Vancouver Island.

Whispering Horse winemaker Laurent Fadanni

Vasanti is a family owned winery that’s evolved from long-time growers, the Sidhu family, who supplied grapes to others for 25 years or so before establishing on their own with an emphasis on red varieties. Sparkling specialists Jordan Kubek and Tyler Knight are the team behind St. Katharina Vineyard (Summerland).  And Whispering Horse has emerged as one of the Fraser Valley’s more noteworthy recent arrivals, in the hands of winemaker Laurent Fadanni.

They’re part of a formidable BC contingent that also comprises Blue Grouse, Averill Creek, Cedar Creek, Hidden Vines, Martin’s Lane, Phantom Creek,  Stoneboat and Tantalus. There’s also one other, significant Canadian entry, Nova Scotia’s Lightfoot and Wolfville.

Top Drops from elsewhere, too

A thoughtful international Top Drop line-up roams from the likes of Uruguay’s Bodega Garzon and Germany’s Nik Weis and Dr. H. Thanisch to a formidable, multi-regional Italian contingent and a good cross section of French terroir-driven players, plus more.

There’s still time to buy tickets to Tuesday’s The Main Event or register for Top Drop’s afternoon Trade tasting. Not to mention a handful of fun events on Monday evening in Yaletown. And if you’re reading from Alberta, Top Drop happens again in Calgary on May 15th. 

Check topdrop.com for tix and full info.