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Before 2014 completely fades from memory, I wanted to summarize more than a dozen forays into the Okanagan Valley and recognize a number of people places and wines.
It’s the kind of information you can tuck away and use in 2015 if you are planning an Okanagan adventure.
Let’s start with surprises. Kaleden probably isn’t on many wine itineraries, but the out-of-nowhere arrival of Skaha Vineyards Unoaked Chardonnay ($20) and Krz Legz Skaha Vineyards Rogue 2012 ($40; 500ml) an equally attractive fortified wine would suggest a visit is in order. The chardonnay has wowed judges all year in several competitions. It is so impressive I have suggested they drop the un-oaked moniker and simply let it shine as a terroir-based wine. Be it Skaha West or Kaleden, this Okanagan Valley subregion has amazing potential.
Stag’s Hollow Winery has been around a long-time now but in the last three or four years, winemaker Dwight Sick has really come to terms with the Okanagan Falls site and together with owners Larry Gerelus and Linda Pruegger, it’s a rising star in the Okanagan. One need only taste the Stag’s Hollow 2013 Grenache ($30). The 2012 grabbed a solid silver at the WineAlign Nationals but in Year 2, this rare grenache offering, with a pinch of syrah, is making a case for more vines in the south Okanagan. But diversity reigns at this property, so don’t miss the delicious Stag’s Hollow Riesling Amalia Vineyard 2013 ($20).
Speaking of Okanagan Falls, all those new Blue Mountain RD (recently disgorged) fizzes await you at the winery, where sparkling wine is moving to whole new level. Also, don’t miss the 2011 Reserve Pinot Noir ($30). Nearby Meyer Family Vineyards is trying to redefine Okanagan chardonnay, moving away from new oak and closer to its terroir. It’s a purer style that has wide appeal among food and wine connoisseurs. Another newcomer making some noise is Liquidity Vineyards. It is still finding its way but early releases of viognier, pinot noir and chardonnay have shown a great deal of promise, as has the on-site restaurant that should be on everybody’s lunch or dinner list when travelling south of Penticton.
Another winery that over-delivers for its size is Stoneboat Vineyards. It joins Blue Mountain with a long history of grape growing in the valley that seems to have served them well as they turned to winemaking. Stoneboat sits on the northern tip of the Black Sage Benchland on what the Martiniuk family calls the Black Sage Gravel Bar. There, two to three feet of sandy, gravelly loam give way to hundreds of feet of rounded, similarly sized stones that were deposited by ancient glacial meltwater. It a magical spot, a truly special terroir that adds some much-sought-after minerality and complexity to the wines. The Stoneboat Verglas Botrytis Affected Icewine ($55; 375ml) is one of the best in the valley.
A couple of kilometres north at Le Vieux Pin, winemaker Severine Pinte has just finished her fifth harvest, transforming a winery with a goal into the real thing. With a Masters in viticulture and oenology, Pinte has reset the winery from the vineyard out and is making some outstanding bottles of wine. Syrah and viognier are the early stars but this winery will improve as Pinte and her team settle into the terroir, refining the winemaking to reveal more of the land. It’s a great spot to stop and taste, just east and south of downtown of Oliver. Find some Le Vieux Pin Equinoxe Syrah Viognier 2011 ($80) and put it in your cellar.
I’m out of space, so this topic will continue next week. In the meantime a few words about finding these wines perhaps the single biggest question I field about any local wine recommended in this column. Start online at the winery website, then visit a VQA wine store or try the BC Liquor Store website.
