In Support of B.C. Wineries
Winery, Vineyard Owners and Winemakers are a resilient bunch, but it has been three years, some say more, that the wine industry and hospitality industry in general have been feeling the pain. Even Mother Nature seems to have had a nasty hand in shredding wine tourism with the onslaught of fires, floods, landslides and even pestilence. Am I painting a picture of doom? No, this is the ‘new reality’ and I hope not the ‘new normal’ as several wineries have either closed their wine cellar doors with a “For Sale” sign or pivoted to some other business.
So what can we do as locals? Well, of course, buy local wine. But we can also support the events wineries organize, the fundraisers, the local wine festivals and weekend markets they frequent, the wine dinners they support, and if you can’t get out and visit a winery because you may need to take a boat to get there or paraglide in 😉 then yes, buy the wine. There are a lot of wineries to choose from and some great wine bundles offered by direct to consumer shipping. If that’s not possible, check out your local wineshop or the BCLiquor store near you. Following is a mix of wine events, by no means exhaustive, but some coming up in September and October 2023, along with a small sample of the wines I have personally tasted and reviewed. I follow a point system as does many wine reviewers, but have excluded these since none of the following wines are less than 90 pts., which means they’re pretty terrific.
Cheers. *(* Deb Podurgiel / cultureofwine.
Fort Berens Estate winery is the first winery in the wild and emerging wine region of Lillooet. The winery was recognized as #3 in the list of Top 10 Small Wineries in Canada in the 2022 Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada. Mark your calendars for September 30 2023, for Fort Beren’s Winery Food and Wine Pairing Event and what will surely be an amazing culinary experience at Cordo’s Resto Bar in Kamloops with Sommelier Mark Coster and Chef Mitch Shaffer. For tickets and inquiries, call Cordo’s at 778 471 8035.
Nk’Mip Winery have several food, wine pairing and tasting experiences until October 9 2023. Here is just a sample: Four Food Chiefs – Food & Wine Experience will continue to October 9 2023, Thursday through Monday with seatings at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. ($55 per person). The Four Food Chiefs; Bear, Salmon, Bitterroot and Saskatoon berry, represent the key elements of Indigenous Cuisine paired with Nk’Mip Cellars award-winning wines. The tasting is a semi-private experience in the winery’s Qwam Qwmt Gallery and shares the legend of the Four Food Chiefs who will lead you through the fun and exciting world of pairing food and wine.
Contact Nostalgia Winery Inc. about their 6th Annual Crush Party event on October 1 2023 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There’s lots going on with costume competitions, prizes, music and good old fashion fun. Through this event, the winery will be raising funds for a local rider participating in the Tour de Cure, a fundraiser for BC Cancer Foundation. Entry is by donation and an amount of $5 per guest is suggested. First come, first served. There will be a food truck, snacks and, of course, wine available for purchase from the wineshop.
Check out Privato Winery and Vineyard at Westsyde in Kamloops to enjoy some family time at their annual Pumpkin Patch event – $25 for a Family Group Pass (2 Adults and up to 4 children).
The whole winery and vineyard is decorated with pumpkins and fall scenery. Enjoy the hot chocolate, hot apple cider (and wine tastings), photo booths and the pumpkins.
Township 7 Winery & Vineyard are celebrating their 23rd Anniversary at both winery locations: Naramata Bench on September 16 2023 and South Langley on September 16 and 17 2023. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy award-winning wines and charcuterie from Poplar Grove Cheese and live music (1 to 4 p.m.). Prizes will be given throughout the day. Complimentary wine tastings of their Provenance Wine Series (no less) to mark the occasion will also be featured.
So, all this talk about celebrating is making me thirsty!
Black Market Omerta 2022 Rose / Okanagan Valley, B.C. $26
Produced from 100% Cabernet Franc. Grapes were hand-harvested, sorted and treated with kid-glove care with a gentle, whole cluster press over a five-hour period. Only the free-run juice was used to make this crisp, delish and delicate rosé.
Fresh on the nose and palate, Omerta (2022) is dry, medium-bodied with dried strawberry, dark cherry and soft citrus flavours balanced with medium-plus acidity and a lingering rhubarb and pink grapefruit zest finish on the palate. Very nicely done! Tasted August 2023.
CedarCreek Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2022 Okanagan Valley B.C. $25
CedarCreek Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2022 is absolutely stunning with well-defined and fresh fruit flavours. Dry, medium-bodied and lush with ripe pear, apple, soft citrus, melon and delicate ripe stone fruit flavours with a silky, rounded and lingering lemon curd finish. Very poised and showing beautiful purity of fruit. Tasted August 2023.
Fort Beren’s Estate Winery 2020 Meritage Lillooet, B.C. $32
Love this soft and plushy Meritage (2020) from Fort Beren’s Estate Winery. A lush and smooth, dark-fruited, red wine blend of 65% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, this vintage is dry, medium-plus-bodied and savoury on the palate with ripe dark cherry, plum, crushed black raspberry, mocha and vanilla flavours balanced with medium acidity and finishing with a medium-plus-length. Tannins are ripe and rounded and the wine is very approachable now or hold to 2028. Bottled under screw cap. Tasted August 2023. Each varietal for the 2020 vintage was vinified and matured separately in French oak barrels for 15 months prior to the final blend by the winery’s winemaker, Alessandro (Alex) Nel. The winery suggests pairing it with a beef tenderloin, prime rib, or fresh ravioli in tomato sauce dish.
Fort Beren’s Dry Riesling 2022 Lillooet, B.C. $26
Fort Berens Riesling 2022 Lillooet, B.C. $23
Pale yellow with a light green hue in the glass, Fort Berens Estate Winery Riesling (2022) is super fresh and clean with medium-plus-intensity aromas of fresh-cut apple, white florals, green melon, lemon-lime and grapefruit zest with a touch of anise and minerally notes on the nose and palate. Dry, medium-bodied and balanced with medium-plus acidity and a medium-plus-length lemon tarte finish, I just love the cool, refreshing and silky mouthfeel on this wine! A nicely balanced, food versatile and solid Riesling to enjoy with veggies and dip or your favourite grilled cheese sandwich recipe. Tasted August 2023.
Hester Creek Estate Winery 2022 Ti Amo Sparkling (Foundation Series) Okanagan Valley, B.C. $22
This is the first year the winery has added Viognier and Chardonnay to the blend. The Viognier provides lifted fruity apricot notes, while the Chardonnay adds structure and complexity to the wine. Fragrant with light intensity aromas of rose petals, apple compote, clean and refreshing on the palate with ripe stone fruit, a light toast. Chill and enjoy it on its own or with light cheeses like Edam and Fontina. Drink through 2024. Tasted September 2023.
Hester Creek Estate Winery 2022 Pinot Bianco (Storied Series) Okanagan Valley, B.C. $22
Absolutely stunning! Effortlessly complex, Hester Creek Estate Winery’s Storied Series Pinot Bianco 2022 teases out its flavours layer by layer. Produced from 100% Pinot Blanc grapes from the winery’s historic estate property, 67% of the grapes for this vintage were sourced from Block 4 with the balance from Block 9, and 86% of the grapes were whole berry pressed into stainless steel tank for fermentation with the balance barrel-fermented in two-year-old French oak barrels. Dry and medium-bodied, this wine is super fresh. It even looks fresh in the glass with its light straw-green hue and medium-intensity aromas of ripe green melon, lemon zest, dried pear, fine herbs, vanilla, lightly toasted nut, grassy and minerally notes, silky and lingering on the palate. Only 350 cases made of the 2022 vintage and available at the winery’s wine shop, Bench club and online. Drinking beautifully now through 2025. Tasted September 2023.
Lunessence Winery & Vineyards, Small Lots Series 2022 Chardonnay Naramata, B.C. $35
Now this is special! Lunessence Winery and Vineyard Small Lot Series Chardonnay is made in exceptional vintages only and I can tell you that the 2022 vintage is exceptional. This is the second release of this wine (after the 2019 WineAlign Platinum Award winner) made with 100% Chardonnay sourced from the Naramata Bench. The grapes were wild fermented in neutral oak barrels and the wine was aged on its lees for five months in stainless-steel tank.
Fresh with aromas of ripe apple, citrus curd and toasted nut, the wine is dry, medium-plus-bodied, mouth-filling with ripe yellow apple, citrus zest, nutty and leesy flavours crazy plushy and ultra-balanced with a very long finish. Whether you are a Chardonnay lover or not, you don’t want to miss out on tasting this beautifully crafted Naramata Chard. with a lot of finesse. Tasted August 2023.
Lunessence Winery & Vineyards, Small Lots Series 2022 Vin Gris (Gamay Noir) Summerland, B.C. $33
Lunessence Winery and Vineyard, Small Lot Series, 2022 Vin Gris is the winery’s second release of SLS Vin Gris. Some might think that Vin Gris is produced from Pinot Gris grapes with skin contact, however, this one is produced from Gamay Noir grapes sourced from a single vineyard on Summerland lakefront. So unique, it’s barely coral pink in the glass and fragrant with exotic florals; red berry, ripe peach and nectarine flavours, leesy and textured on the palate with a zesty and lingering finish. Very fresh and tangy, Vin Gris 2022 is made with 87% whole-cluster pressed Gamay Noir grapes with 13% made in the saignée method, and essentially bleeds off the juice from the crushed grapes giving it a pretty pink gold colour, fruit concentration, structure and a soft dusty tannin texture. The wine was aged on its lees in stainless-steel tank and neutral French oak barrels. Tasted August 2023.
Lunessence Winery & Vineyards, Small Lots Series 2021 Pinot Noir Oliver, B.C. $35
From Lunessence Winery and Vineyard, Small Lot Series, 2021 Pinot Noir is a smooth, unfiltered and unfined Pinot Noir with grapes sourced from a warmer, premium vineyard about 75 kms south of the Naramata Bench. Of the barrels produced, four were selected to make this Pinot Noir. Smooth and lush on the palate, there are no rough edges on this dry, medium-plus-bodied and plushy PN with dark cherry, raspberry, savoury herbs, a touch of spice and whiff of campfire smoke on the palate. The 2021 vintage is in totally harmony with spot-on acidity, soft, rounded tannins, absolutely elegant, graceful and drinking beautifully now. The wine spent nine months in French oak barrels (25% new). Tasted August 2023.
Lunessence Winery & Vineyards Pinot Blanc 2022 Wine Peachland, B.C. $26
Love, love, love Lunessence Winery & Vineyard Pinot Blanc and Semillon white wine blend (89%/11%). Beautifully crafted, balanced and elegant with fresh hay, quince, bright apple, white pepper, citrus zest and minerally flavours, silky, long and zesty on the palate. Grapes were whole cluster pressed, barrel fermented and aged five months in stainless-steel tanks. So incredibly good and dangerously drinkable.
Okanagan Crush Pad Haywire Free Form Sauvignon Blanc 2018 Wine Summerland, B.C. $30
Wow! This is different and tasty! From Haywire Winery, Free Form Sauvignon Blanc is deep yellow in the glass, leesy and honeyed on the nose and palate, dry, medium-plus-bodied for a Savvy and complex with tropical fruit, poached apple, pear, pink grapefruit zest, dried fine herbs and briny mineral flavours chalky textured and bright on the palate. Produced in stainless steel tank and amphora with native yeasts and aged on its skins for nine months, then pressed off and left to ponder for an additional two months and bottled unfiltered. Yes, there is particulate in this wine and light chalky tannins on it as well. A free form SB to be sure, complex, structured, but delicate and zesty all at the same time.
Tightrope Riesling 2022 Fleet Road Vineyards Naramata Bench, B.C. $26
Love this bright and beautifully crafted 2022 Riesling from Tightrope Winery! Delicately fragrant with aromas of lime-lemon zest, soft stone fruit and pineapple notes; on the palate, this absolutely dry, medium-bodied Riesling comes through with bright green apple, lime leaf, pineapple, a hint of tropical fruit balanced with spot-on acidity, brilliant and long on the finish. Grapes are sustainably grown and hand-harvested from the winery’s estate Fleet Road Vineyard. After 14 hours of skin contact, the grapes were whole-cluster pressed into stainless-steel tank with a cool-fermentation between 11 – 14 ⁰C to maximize freshness and fruit flavours and that also took 30 days to complete. Some residual sugar (1.58 g/l) was allowed and gives this refined Riesling a beautiful balance of acidity and a note of sweetness to the wine. Tasted August 2023.
Township 7 Vineyards and Winery Provenance Series 7 Blanc 2022 Oliver, B.C. $25
Township 7 Winery & Vineyard outdid themselves with their Provenance Series 7 Blanc 2022! It is a terrific, fresh and zesty blend of Riesling, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay (Riesling and Viognier dominant). Fragrant with ripe peach, key lime pie, honeyed melon and fresh-cut apple aromas, the wine is just dry (12 g/l res. sugar), medium-bodied with ripe stone fruit, apple, pear, pineapple, lime-lemon zest and spicy notes beautifully balanced with fresh acidity and satin silky on the palate with a long finish. Absolutely delish and definitely in the Dangerously Drinkable category :). Grapes for the 2022 vintage were sourced from Fool’s Gold and Hidden Terrace (Oliver), Raju Vineyards (Osoyoos), Township 7 and Wheeler Family Vineyards (Naramata). All varietals were individually cool-fermented (13C), with specific yeasts for each, over a period of approximately 21 days. And, although the 2022 year “started off with a sense of doom” the winery also indicates “it turned out to be one of the best vintages in recent decades.” Such is viticulture, but so glad the season turned around for them. Tasted September 2023.
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