Good Wine Gal: Invictus Games 2025

Invictus Games 2025 Inspires Good Wine Gal!

"master of my fate and captain of my soul" ​

​This wine gal is deep in the hospitality side of things at Invictus Games 2025 hosted in Vancouver and Whistler in beautiful British Columbia. It is February and a cold one at that. In fact, snow still sits on the side walks and parked vehicles that don’t see much action, for more than a week. 

The games host 24 countries, with over 500 competitors, their support team and their friends and families. There are 1800 volunteers supporting a small but mighty core group of 140. The Vancouver Convention Center has been turned into a “home” with amenities that offer comfort and space looking out towards Burrard Inlet and the North Shore Mountains. These cold sunny days have made the setting glorious and the photo ops  unbeatable. 

They say you should start with the end in mind, which, when I joined IG 2025 in early January, I did. I was thinking about what we would be sipping when the games come to an end - on that final day? Bubbles is the only answer. It has to be bubbles. Not just any bubbles. The best bubbles. Oh, and my saber. There’s no better way to get a party started than blowing the top off a chilled bottle and hearing that perfect sound - a kind of delicate thunder of whosh-pop followed by cheering laughter as the fear of failure and the joy of success collide. The moment when the blade and the bottle become one only for that perfect split second brings immense reward. Streams of bubbles spilling over into glasses, sipping from flutes to quickly capturing the first fresh sips before the memory and the energy fades feels fabulous. Let’s sip and then toast and enjoy all that Invictus Games have inspired. I am thirsty.

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Champagne

​Champagne is made following a traditional method that is now referred to as “champagne method”. The recipe is complicated - start with still wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. Blend wine. Fill bottles. Top with a potion that creates a second fermentation. Rest for 3 years. Tip the bottles to capture the sediment in the neck. Remove sediment. Top up with a mixture of wine and a level of sweetness (there are six) to satisfy. Put a cork in it. Ready to go. It’s actually a little more technical than that but you get the picture. Only sparkling wine made using the traditional method from the region of Champagne, France, can be called Champagne. End of story. There are other regions in France that make sparkling wine using the same method are called "Cremant" and great value can be found if you are willing to explore. In addition, Cava from Spain and Cap Classique from South Africa are excellent options. To keep this brief, here are some recommendations for bubbles that are available at BC Liquor Stores. That is not the only place to shop or the best place to shop for wine in the Vancouver, Victoria or Whistler, but with 200 stores everyone can get in on the action. 

Recommendations

​Great Value: Tattinger Reserve Brut (dry) on sale for $75.99. Here are the notes from James Suckling: 92 Points, James Suckling: "Lemon, biscuit, fresh peach and pie crust on the nose. It's creamy and silky with excellent freshness and very soft bubbles. 40% chardonnay, 35% pinot noir and 25% pinot meunier. Base wine from 2020 (70%) with 30% reserve wines."

​Mid-Tier: Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve (dry) $91.99. Here is what James Suckling says:94 Points: "Remarkable depth of mature aromas - tons of candied lemon peel, dried pear and brioche - plus wonderful textural richness on the palate make this stand out amongst the regular Brut NVs. Then comes the intense and very long, mineral finish to crown this prince of the category. Based on 2016 base wines, but with 52% reserve wines, almost a third of which were 10 to 20 years of age. Drink or hold.

​Pink: Bollinger Brut Rose (dry) $164.99. Here’s what Wine Spectator has to say: 94 points: "Pretty hints of orchard blossoms and ripe fruit show on the nose of this statuesque rosé Champagne. Integrates a frame of vivid acidity and a rich underpinning of chalky minerality with a fine, raw silk-like mousse that carries the layered flavors of wild cherry and strawberry, peach skin and Marcona almond. A touch of pleasingly bitter pink grapefruit pith cleans the finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier."

​Top-Draw: Dom Perignon Brut Vintage 2013 $326.99. Here’s what James Suckling says: 98 points  “A driven and serious DP with aromas of chalk, biscuits, apricot stones and lemons. Some spice and dried flowers, too. So sleek and sophisticated. Elegant. Yet, it’s long and powerful, with a sharp minerality. Tight and precise.”

BC’s Finest: Hester Creek Old Vines Brut 2021 $39.99. Recently winning Double Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. Here's what the winemaker says: Defined and delicate beads sparkle up to the nose with full notes of citrus and toasty brioche. Fresh lemon zest embraces the palate with a light touch of stone fruit and a toasty mouthfeel that comes from 24 months en tirage. I've tasted and it's a winner!

That's A Wrap!

​It will be bittersweet to be sipping champagne because the Invictus Games will have come to a close. But a wine gal like me will savour the moment. Cheers to the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry for raising this community up. His mother would be so proud!