Last February, the B.C. Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers named Kelcie Jones the year’s Best Sommelier in B.C. The young wine director at Michelin-starred Burdock & Co. in Vancouver has also launched her own This Is Wine School. She holds a DipWSET (a diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust) and is currently pursuing a Master of Wine qualification.
Her love affair with wine began after working in a restaurant while attending university. Jones took some time off to visit France through the WWOOF program (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms), and found herself staging at a small organic winery in Provence.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to learn more about wines from the vineyard,” says Jones.
Back in Vancouver, she naturally gravitated to restaurant work. “I kind of knew at that point,” she says. “I loved being in restaurants; I loved the energy.”
She worked at Chambar for several years before moving to Burdock about a year ago. “I got to know chef Andrea Carlson. She is a very thoughtful chef, and we share many values: produce-forward, low intervention wines… I was excited to get to pair wines with her foods,” Jones says.
So which wines are at the top of this award-winning sommelier’s list of favourites?
“I recently went to New York and got to have a pinot noir from Sylvain Pataille from Marsannay in France. It was a fairly recent vintage; I think we drank 2019. It’s a wine that’s very alive and bright and herbal, aromatic, unique, juicy and fresh,” she says, adding she’s enjoying the pendulum swing away from heavier styles of red wine.
“People have moved away from that, because they’re a little bitter in that tannic structure, and you have to age them…and also your food choices are fairly limited when you have 15 per cent alcohol. It’s nice to have fresh, rich reds, because I like to drink wine; I don’t like to have to chew on it.”
As for whites, Jones is enthusiastic about Portuguese Vinho Verde (“I love alvarinho”) and praises its “very bright and refreshing acidity,” noting that it’s a natural choice for a location like Vancouver that’s rich in seafood.
When asked what’s exciting you in Canadian wines, Jones says “I’m very much a fan of old vines Riesling from Tantalus in Kelowna. I love Syrah from Nichol in Naramata,” she says. “I’m quite B.C.-focused because I live and work here.”
By Sarah B. Hood
