The wines I write about in this column come to me in many ways. They might be something I tried by the glass at a restaurant, a bottle I bought for home, a sip at a trade tasting, or a sample that was shipped to me. Truth be told, it’s those samples that are written about the least since, unfortunately, the not-awesomes outweigh the awesomes, and I have no desire to tell you about wines that suck. Samples I’ve received lately were starting to pile up, and what motivated me to tackle them was a near-constant refrain I hear in the Gastown office where I work. If my door is ajar, as people pass by in the hallway, I hear it.

“Why do you have all that wine?”

Isn’t that funny? I mean, I don’t think I’d walk past a stranger’s office as they were working away and lean my head in to ask, “What’s up with all of those binders?”

That comment has been thrown my way a few extra times recently, so I decided to pull out a glass and the ol’ spit bucket and see what gems I could pick out from the pile. The benefit of working in a busy building is that once I finish sampling wines, I can pass ’em along to the neighbours. It’s not like I’m going to take home a couple dozen 90-percent-full bottles and polish them off in the next day or two. You know that’s not what I’d do, right?

Here are some of those gems—and the bottles the lawyers next door are happily bringing home for dinner.

CedarCreek 2013 Ehrenfelser (Okanagan Valley, B.C., $18.95, B.C. Liquor Stores)
The Ehrenfelser variety in question is a genetic crossing of Riesling and Sylvaner, so we know that there will be aromatics leaping out of the glass. Said aromatics include ripe peaches and fresh-sliced Asian pear. Those peaches continue on the palate and they’re quite juicy. Fruit cocktail and lime leaf follow, and there’s a charming, subtle waxiness in the texture, perfect for tackling spicy Thai takeout.

Quails’ Gate 2012 Pinot Noir (Okanagan Valley, B.C., $24.99, B.C. Liquor Stores)
There’s a wide spectrum of Pinot Noir styles out there, from ripe and berry-fruit-driven with generous oak to more delicate, floral, and earthy fare. Quails’ Gate has always knocked it out of the park with Pinot, and they’ve done it yet again. I’d venture that this one has quite the nod to the Old World, all truffle, wild mushrooms, and wet earth on the nose, leading to dark cherry, black wine gum, and stewed plum flavours. A lighter style with good acidity, it’ll prove a worthy adversary to mushroom and thyme risotto.

Undurraga 2012 Sibaris Carménère (Colchagua Valley, Chile, $15.99, B.C. Liquor Stores)
As a kid, whenever I’d go to a movie theatre I’d eat Junior Mints. As soon as I gave the glass a swirl and got all of those dark-chocolate and mint notes, there I was waiting for the curtain to go up on Ghostbusters. Take a sip and a whole bunch of cherries flood the palate, with those chocolate and mint notes coming along swimmingly.

Brumont 2012 Merlot-Tannat (Côtes de Gascogne, France, $14.99, B.C. Liquor Stores)
This easy-drinking, fruity wine has all of the round, red fruit from Merlot and the sturdier, more tannic black fruit from the Tannat grape woven together all bright and in harmony. There’s just a hint of sweeter red licorice and candied-aniseed character to make it thirst-quenching and easily quaffable. Think poultry, wild game, and pizza. A great value, this is a Tuesday-night wine at its finest.

Maverick Estate Winery 2012 Sofia (Okanagan Valley, B.C., $30 for 500 millilitres, visit the Maverick Wine website)
Winemaker Bertus Albertyn was turning quite a few heads with his stellar work at Burrowing Owl for a few years before venturing out on his own at Maverick. We don’t produce a lot of port-style wines in B.C., and even fewer are worthy of much conversation. How wonderful to have this new kid on the block arrive on point. The wine is made from 100 percent South Okanagan Syrah, while the spirit used to fortify it is distilled from Maverick estate grapes at Maple Leaf Spirits in Penticton. Before being added to the wine, that brandy spirit is aged for 12 months in oak, which keeps everything nice and smooth. Full of dark chocolate and cinnamon with a good dose of heat; there are some roasted chestnut and almond characteristics that should make it a hit around the holidays. You can order it directly from the winery, and it’s starting to pop up in a few private stores around town, too.