Searching For Ogopogo

 It's been a long climb from the early pre- VQA days when the promise of great wine easily exceeded our experience in the glass, but those times are quickly fading.

There is little doubt the Okanagan is as pretty a wine region as you might encounter globally and I've seen most of them. Its hanging benches, desert climate and brooding Okanagan Lake are the blueprint for wine country design and as locals have come to embrace their terroir, with our own mix of grapes and winemaking, the result is increasingly better wine.

One of the best things about the Okanagan Valley has been the steady improvement and investment in better vineyards. The old cliché about not be able to make good wine without good grapes is spot on in the Okanagan where useable heat units, necessary to accumulate sugar and eventually total ripeness are scarce and must be acquired at the start, middle and end of the growing season.

None of this comes cheap but for those who lament the rising price of B.C. wine, consider the value of B.C. real estate today, versus 20 years ago.

We began our tour last week at Tinhorn Creek where winemaker Sandra Oldfield is working hard to up the quality of Tinhorns special blends including the Tinhorn Creek 2Bench Oldfield Collection 2006. 2Bench is an alluring mix of sémillon chardonnay sauvignon blanc and gewürztraminer that see no oak. The plan is let the aromatics lead with some tropical aromas and have the chardonnay fill in the mid-palate with a bit of weight and texture. It's finished under screwcap that interestingly Oldfield tells us consumers think makes the wine appear softer and fresher.

From Tinhorn we made my way across the Valley East and south to Black Sage Bench and the new Black Hills Winery where winemaker Senka Tenant and vineyard manager Bob Tenant have crafted a tiny little perfect winery that is home to but a few labels led by Nota Bene and Alibi.

The current release Black Hills Alibi 2006, an 81/19 mix of sauvignon blanc and sémillon is simply a delicious drop of wine and a poster child for B.C. wine you can serve with food. Some of the juice is stainless steel fermented; some is fermented in oak puncheons. The result is a super fresh, stylish wine. The Tenant's are working on its complexity meter to get that up a notch but otherwise this is among my top ten labels in the valley and it will only get better.

From Black Hills it's minutes to Burrowing Owl, where former Whistler chef Bernie Casavant (Chef Bernard's and the Chateau Whistler) is now in charge of BOV's The Sonora Room Restaurant that opens everyday for lunch and dinner. It's the best place to eat south of Penticton and now the luxurious BOV Guesthouse appears to me to be the best place to stay in the entire valley.

Okay the wine, the wine. Although I'm not normally a big fan of cabernet franc, no one does it better in B.C. than BOV. The Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2005 is first class with its classic cedar and tobacco nose and bits of dried leaf, chocolate and cranberry. It's very supple on the palate with more spicy, cigar and cherry/chocolate notes. The finish is long, mouth filling and warm with fine fruit character and thankfully ripe tannins. Good now but will age.

On south to Osoyoos and the impressive Nk'Mip project. This is must stop for a winery tour and lunch on the balcony. Winemaker Randy Picton has whole-bunch pressed his Nk'Mip Cellars Pinot Blanc 2006 and fermented it in stainless steel. The result is a clean, fresh, pinot with delightful tropical fruit flavours and fine acidity. The finish is a mix of citrus and mineral notes that cleans the palate throughout the finish. Delicious and good value too. Now under screwcap.

Part one of the tour finished up in Okanagan Falls and Naramata Bench the next day with stops at See You Later Ranch and Lake Breeze. Both have impressive patios, Hawthorne gets the nod for the most spectacular view while Lake Breeze is the place to eat.

The latest See Ya Later Ranch Pinot Gris 2006 is a winner. The nose has a nice touch of earth mixed with yellow fruits honey and mineral notes. On the palate its rich and mouth filling with more honey, mineral, pear and green apple flavours. It's cleaner with less obvious oak than in previous editions.

The Lake Breeze Seven Poplars Chardonnay 2006 is every bit as good as the previous edition. The nose is an enticing mix of peach, floral, nutty notes while on the palate the wine is elegant but not without some appeal mid-palate fat and flavours of citrus lees mango and spicy, butterscotch. It's also better balanced than the 05.

As I alluded to earlier parts of the Okanagan are all grown up. Next week more about the northern end of this gorgeous Valley.

Wine     Tinhorn Creek 2Bench Oldfield Collection 2006, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Price      $23.00

UPC       00624802971209

Score     87/100

Remarks              An alluring mix of sémillon chardonnay sauvignon blanc and gewürztraminer.

Wine     Black Hills Alibi 2006, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Price      $23.90 winery direct and restaurants

UPC       833665003068

Score     88/100

Remarks              A poster child for a B.C. white wine you can serve with food.

Wine     Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2005, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Price      $33.00 winery direct and restaurants

UPC       626990005056

Score     90/100

Remarks              Supple style red with spicy, cigar and cherry/chocolate notes.

Wine     Nk'Mip Cellars Pinot Blanc 2006, Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $16.99

UPC       836909000045

Score     87/100

Remarks              Delightful tropical fruit flavours with fine acidity.

Wine     See Ya Later Ranch Pinot Gris 2006, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $19.99