Benches That Mark A Valley

The Okanagan town that lies some 40 kilometres south of Penticton and a mere 20 kilometres from Osoyoos and the American border is surrounded by wineries and vineyards. It is believed that 60 per cent of British Columbia's VQA wine is grown within the Oliver postal code and it is also home to 52 independent grape growers or 22 per cent of all British Columbia growers.

The town is 88 years old thanks to Premier "Honest" John Oliver, who established the community in 1921 as a settlement for veterans of the First World War. Not long after, an irrigation system was put in place and Canada's only desert became a prosperous fruit-growing area. Fast-forward to 2009: Oliver has the largest combination of vineyards (4,500 acres) and commercial wineries (21-plus) in the country and it is growing.

Farther south, Osoyoos has quickly latched onto the success of Oliver, boasting some of the most sought-after vineyard sites in the valley and adding hotels and resorts to attract visitors in record numbers.

It's all about the benches in the south Okanagan. As I often said, the Okanagan is much like any wine valley except there are vineyards up on the sides of the benches and hills where they are supposed to be and a lake where most others have vineyards.

If I was allowed to organize the Okanagan, I would make the benches the focus of every map, appellation and wine name in the valley. While government officials, wineries and growers are squabbling about mediocre wine regulations that do nothing but encourage mediocre wine, everyone is missing the point.

It's the benches, people.

We need to establish the name of every bench with grapes on it in a series of small appellations that would link the wine to the land and the producer, and protect all that with laws that have teeth. It wouldn't be long before consumers were reaching for the wines of the Golden Mile Bench, the Black Sage Bench, the Osoyoos Lake Bench and many more. Of course those names would be linked to vineyards and bottles, and have real meaning on the label because they would be the subject of strict audits.

Multi-bench blends would present little problem to a label that would note it as a south Okanagan "Benches Blend." In the same way, Burgundy and Rhone use the word "Villages" to denote their fruit blends from more than one town.

As consumers, we do not require much more to invest our money in premium local wines. Unfortunately, none of this is likely to come to pass for some time in the south Okanagan barring the reappearance of new "Honest" John who thinks of wine first and politics second.

Hester Creek Trebbiano 2008 is a delicious south Okanagan wine that should be identified as coming from the Golden Mile Bench; instead, it carries the Okanagan Valley tag that could just as easily mean it is from Vernon or Osoyoos. From vines now more than 30 years old, winemaker Rob Summers does a fine job of capturing the fruity aspects of this extremely rare North American planting. The wine is fresh and bright on the palate with tropical fruit notes. Melons, white peach, apricots, passion fruit and lime rind dance across the palate. It's a versatile wine you can serve solo as an apéritif or with classic summer chicken dishes. Well done.

The Martiniuk family seems to understand the market better than most new wineries as evidenced by its new Stoneboat Vineyards Chorus 2008. Chorus is an attractive, aromatic, affordable, summer sipper that hits all the right notes for the price. Look for clean fresh mineral notes and bright citrus grapefruit lime rind flavours. The blend is a mix of pinot gris, pinot blanc, viognier, chardonnay, kerner and müller-thurgau.

The latest Tinhorn Creek 2Bench Oldfield Collection 2008 has just been released, new package and all. 2Bench mixes sémillon, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, viognier and muscat, some of which is co-fermented to better meld fruit flavours, according to winemaker Sandra Oldfield. The wine is fresh and bright and should stay that way under screwcap for years. Look for aromatic notes on the nose with tropical fruit flavours supported by bright acidity underneath. Just a baby that will further improve, but should be a summer seafood favourite.

Osoyoos-based Nk'Mip Cellars Riesling 2007 continues to impress. Look for pleasant honey notes throughout its bright green apple and peachy fruit flavours that finish with a touch of sweetness and minerality. Perfect for assorted satays.

Across the lake on the western side of the valley, Osoyoos Lake Bench winemaker Pascal Madevon gives us Pétales d'Osoyoos 2004. This second label or baby Osoyoos Larose has really improved in the bottle, offering a dry, round, supple palate and rich tobacco, coffee, black cherry jam, licorice and smoke flavours. Love the finesse. It is ready to drink.

The Le Vieux Pin Apogée Merlot 2006 is an Oliver big boy at a big price. Rich, round and full-bodied in style, the tannins are youthful and dry. Big coffee, vanilla, toasted oak, tobacco, cedar, plum, black cherry, herbal, smoky flavours. Good intensity, but somewhat warm and alcoholic. This will definitely need two to five years to soften up.

Hester Creek Trebbiano 2008, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Price      $19

UPC       00626990057567

Score     87/100

Remarks              Serve solo as an apéritif or with classic summer chicken dishes.

Stoneboat Vineyards Chorus 2008, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Price      $17

UPC       626990094104

Score     87/100

Remarks              Look for clean fresh mineral notes and bright citrus grapefruit lime rind flavours.

Tinhorn Creek 2Bench Oldfield Collection 2008, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Price      $23

UPC       00624802971209

Score     89/100

Remarks              Just a baby that will further improve but should be a summer seafood favourite.

Nk'Mip Cellars Riesling 2007, Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley

Price      $17 VQA Stores only

UPC       836909010532

Score     87/100

Remarks              Perfect for assorted satays.

Pétales d'Osoyoos 2004, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $25.00

UPC       871610004005

Score     87/100

Remarks              Now showing finesse and ready to drink but will hold or improve for 2-3 years.

Le Vieux Pin Apogée Merlot 2006, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price $65 winery direct

UPC       N/A

Score     88/100

Remarks              Tobacco, cedar, plum, black cherry, herbal, smoky flavours. A steak wine.