Bella Wines
Established in 2011, Bella Wines has spent over a decade pushing the boundaries of winemaking in BC. They were the first winery in the province to insist on natural winemaking, and the first to produce Methode Ancestrale wines (pet-nats), let alone focus exclusively on bubbles. Their path has marked them as not only trailblazers in the industry, but as downright heretical in a province that had never seen winemaking approached in this way. Bella’s unconventional style is far more than simply an affectation, however, and what sets Bella wines apart runs much deeper than simply being the ones who paved the way.
Jay has always been driven first and foremost by expression and stewardship of the land. Bella has focused primarily on only two grape varieties (Chardonnay and Gamay), because Jay chose them as the best representatives of what the terroir of BC can offer. Not satisfied to simply showcase single vineyard varietal expressions, Jay has gone so far as to produce varietal wines from specific clones of those varieties, so that his wines can more thoroughly examine the possibilities of the land. At the same time, his farming practice has continually evolved beyond organic and even biodynamic farming. These days he is working hard to make the estate farm a completely closed loop, producing even his own sprays. This care for the land and dedication to holistic natural farming is what makes Bella special, and what makes their wines so singular.