The Jancis Robinson x Richard Brendon collection. RichardBrendon.com photos

If your cupboards are crammed with variety-specific glassware, you might be tempted by a more streamlined approach to sipping. You might, in fact, be tempted by Jancis Robinson’s universal wineglass, made by the UK’s Richard Brendon “to offer the best tasting experience for every wine, whatever its colour, style or strength, including Champagne, port, sherry and beyond.”

You can now find it for sale at several wineries in the Okanagan Valley, including Painted Rock, Poplar Grove and Okanagan Crush Pad, whose co-owner, Christine Coletta, has had a working relationship with Robinson since the 1990s. These wineries were part of a delegation that travelled to London this summer to promote Canadian wine at the annual Canada House tasting arranged by Global Affairs Canada. The Okanagan Wine Initiative wineries also took part in a tasting at Selfridges that resulted in B.C. wines being carried at that grand department store.

Jancis Robinson. RichardBrendon.com photo

Most excitingly, Robinson, arguably the most pre-eminent wine critic on the planet, was so impressed by what she tasted that she produced two pieces praising B.C.’s wines in the Financial Times and on her own website. “The collaborative and creative spirit that fuelled Napa’s pioneers is certainly evident in B.C. today… and the wines are increasingly impressive,” she wrote in the Financial Times.

The affection is mutual, at least when it comes to Robinson’s glassware, which is as elegant as it is practical—it’s even dishwasher safe. Among the items in the lineup are the sleek wineglass, Young Wine Decanter and Old Wine Decanter. Prices vary, depending on the retailer, from $45 to $65 for the wineglass and $125 to $230 for the decanters.

For more info, visit richardbredon.com or contact the wineries directly. Alternatively, if you can’t get to the valley to pick up your glasses, the line is also available online through the Toronto luxury retailer Hopson Grace. hopsongrace.com

Vitis Magazine

Vitis is is an indispensable seasonal guide for vintners, sommeliers and weekend imbibers alike that is dedicated to British Columbia’s rapidly evolving wine culture.