The  National Post has already called it “the Champagne among ciders”. It’s William Premium Cider, all-Canadian and certified organic, new in the stores in a four-pack of 473-millilitre cans for $9.99 as a specialty listing. It is a treat—and the colder the better.

A lot of what passes for cider these days is sweet and fizzy. This one is dry and tart in the English cider style, and full of ripe apple flavour. It’s delicious, fresh, and a good summer buy at approximately $2.50 a hit; definitely one for the summer sipping season. The name is William—as in Bill!—no S on the end. Oh, yes, since we’re all talking about gluten these days, it’s naturally gluten-free.

Keep some in the fridge or the picnic cooler. You may think a little differently about cider once you’ve tasted Ol’ Bill’s!

Chateau Miraval Cotes de Provence Rose 2012 ($28.99)
Angie and Brad hit the wine biz just in time for summer. It’s called château Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé 2012 and it’s a project of Famille Perrin (whose best-known wine is probably Château de Beaucastel) and, most recently, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt! Ah, the lure of the wine business; everybody’s getting into the act.

It was pianist Jacques Loussier who took ownership of the château in 1970, turning it into a recording studio, where the likes of Sting, Pink Floyd, and the Gipsy Kings have made music. Today it is the Jolie-Pitts’ summer residence, and its focus is solidly on the arts—music, cinema, theatre, local food, and fine wine. So far as I know this is the first wine commercially released under the Château Miraval label. The 2012 vintage is produced by the new partnership of Perrin and Jolie-Pitt. It is a speculative listing in the B.C. LDB, so there are very limited amounts—be the first on your block.

It’s a pale peach colour, light and pink, slightly sweet on the front of the palate. Make sure it’s very cold before serving. Decidedly a fun wine. Who’s going to be next in the wine game?

Here come the Wine Men
Two new Aussie wines, well priced for summer partying—a Chardonnay and a Shiraz, produced under the label of Wine Men of Gotham. Yes, I thought, another ditsy wine name from the land of ditsy wine names: Australia. Then I read the back-label explanation for the name: “Wine Men of Gotham is homage to the Wise Men of Gotham; an allusion to the reputed simplicity of the villagers of Gotham, England.”

Well, whatever floats your boat.

The wines are priced at $13.95 each, offering good summer value. The Chardonnay is redolent of pears and lemon in front, with a gentle hint of back-palate bitterness. It’s not exactly my style of Chardonnay, but it’s a good gulper and the price is certainly right.

The Shiraz is more to my taste: sweet-fronted, good and clean, well balanced andfruity; not so big as many Shirazes from Down Under. Could this be the next Yellow Tail wave hitting our shores?

Forbidden earth
The always-fascinating fruit winery in the Similkameen Valley—Forbidden Fruit—also makes some fascinating grape wines under its Earth Series label, one of them being the new SauVidal 2012 ($22 at the winery and select unafraid stores). This is a clever and fortuitous blend of all-organic Sauvignon Blanc and Vidal grape varieties: aromatic, full, and surprisingly sweet on the front palate, with pineapple and ripe fresh apricot flavours.

Very interesting, and it makes a good apéritif. Goes very well with all sorts of foods—try it with prawns, avocados, and juicy limes as appies.

Steamworks Saison and Frambozen (650 millilitres, $5.50 each)
One of the city’s iconic breweries has entered the retail market with these two new beers. Saison is herby and nicely bitter, one of the best of the new food beers I’ve come across. Frambozen is a raspberry-­flavoured brew, very refreshing. These two should not be served too cold.

Broker’s is back in town
They claim it’s “the world’s best gin” and have the accolades to back it up—Broker’s London Dry Gin, with the little black hat atop each bottle, has been absent from our shelves too long. Now it’s back in town, specialty-listed for $27.99. Keep it in the freezer for shots and perfect martinis. Yes, Virginia, there are people who don’t know you make real martinis with gin!

Poplar Grove Blanc de Noirs 2012 ($24.90)
A rich and luscious pink wine that runs rings around many of the rosés currently out there. Made from a blend of Malbec and Syrah, it has lots of backbone, great weight, delicious fruit, gentle back-palate bitterness, and beautiful colour. An excellent rosé for your patio and dinner table.