Touring B.C. Wine Country Gets Serious

The winery is tucked away above Naramata Road and easy to miss if you are driving too fast or simply admiring the view of the lake. The tasting room opens briefly once a year, at least while they have wine to sell. This autumn it's Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., until Oct. 7.

Like many Okanagan reds, it is usually the current edition that is the star and that's certainly the case with the Laughing Stock Portfolio 2005, easily the best we've tasted from winemaker David Enns.

Burdened early on with the "cult wine" tag, Portfolio is beginning to spread its wings, shedding some of those green notes and dry tannins for a slightly more expansive palate of ripe cassis and black fruits and better oak integration. A solid effort from a label getting better each time out.

Upon departing Naramata and heading north to Westbank, plan on a leisurely 40-minute drive if you choose not to linger in the delightful towns of Summerland or Peachland. The latest in Okanagan luxury accommodations is the Cove Lakeside Resort at Westbank. If you are in the Okanagan on Sept. 30 you can check out the Cove Lakeside during its "Best of B.C." event -- a farm-to-fork theme that features Okanagan wines with B.C. cheeses, meats, breads and other edible cuisine combined with local musicians and artisans at work. For more information, you can contact reservations at 1-877-762-COVE.

From the Cove Lakeside it's a short drive to two Westbank jewels, Quails' Gate and Mission Hill.

At Quails' Gate, the Stewart family has come a million miles and dollars from the original farm winery that first opened on the side of Mount Boucherie in 1989. The winery's latest improvement is a gorgeous, expansive tasting room/visitor centre that sports a breathtaking view of the lake.

Under the intense focus of winemaker Grant Stanley, Quails' Gate is carving out its place among the region's best chardonnay and pinot noir producers, and you can add some very fine aromatic labels to the mix too. The latest Quails' Gate Pinot Noir Limited Release 2005 takes it all up a notch. Slightly riper with less resin and celery salt, it's beginning to really smell and taste like pinot. The nose is a mix of spicy black cherry fruit with bits of barnyard and compost aromas reflecting Stanley's love of terroir over pure fruit flavours. It finishes as a cool climate, supple red with slightly gripp-y, youthful tannins at the backend. An uncomplicated pinot for current drinking.

Mission Hill has a new president, and a breath of fresh air, in Californian Daniel Zepponi. Zepponi's family was the 'Z' in ZD Wines when he was growing up. More recently he spent nine years in a variety of strategic management roles at Foster's Wine Estates (California). Zepponi will oversee all operations of the family owned winery, including viticulture, winemaking, sales, marketing and hospitality, and my sense is he will lighten the air at the tight-as-a-drum hilltop winery.

The timing is perfect given Mission Hill's latest investments in vineyards and technology that should finally allow the quality of its wines to supersede the architecture of the site. The Mission Hill 2004 Oculus has just been released at a formidable $70. It is the best yet and it's only the start of a series of vintages that should benefit from all the latest investments. At 74-per-cent merlot, the '04 Oculus possesses a softer, more enticing "drink-me" factor that earlier editions lacked, along with plenty of cedar, cassis and savoury black fruit undertones. It's young and will need time but at this price it should be available for a bit.

Sandhill Syrah Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2005 isn't a northern wine but without a physical winery, Sandhill's roots are best tied to Kelowna-based winemaker Howard Soon, whose partially torn Achilles will no doubt make the 2007 harvest memorable. This is the first Sandhill syrah and it comes in a highly concentrated, almost soupy, style. There are plenty of peppery meaty resiny flavours flecked with bits of plummy black fruit. The finish is warm as in alcoholic. It's a bit of a bruiser that is going to require more finesse in the vineyard and the winery to reach a higher level. Best with roasted meats at this point.

Along the east side shoreline of Kelowna, two-time Wine Access Canadian Winery of the year CedarCreek remains at the top of its game.

As we wait for the bigger 2005 reds to be released this fall, don't miss the CedarCreek Gewürztraminer 2006. It's bright and fresh on the palate with a delicious mix of lime, peach with just a hint of summer sausage. The texture is perfectly oily with a spicy (ginger) lemon finish. It's a very versatile food wine -- think turkey this Thanksgiving and patio sipper wine.

Finally, be on the lookout for the Tantalus Riesling 2006 in local private wine shops. Much like the '05, the latest Tantalus has an equally inviting floral, orange blossom-peachy nose with a high dose of minerality and a pinch of salt. It's almost Mosel-like in its crispness and red apple crunch, with more lime rind and green peach flavours in the finish. It's a crisp, lip-smacking style that will appeal to purists and food lovers.

LAUGHING STOCK VINEYARDS PORTFOLIO 2005, OKANAGAN VALLEY
Price: $37 private wine shops and restaurants
UPC: 8504510011060
Score: 89/100
Remarks: A solid effort and getting better each time out.

QUAILS' GATE PINOT NOIR LIMITED RELEASE 2005, OKANAGAN VALLEY
Price: $27 winery direct, restaurants
UPC: 778856104205
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Lovely, uncomplicated pinot from B.C.

MISSION HILL OCULUS 2004, OKANAGAN VALLEY
Price: $70 winery direct, private wine shops and restaurants
UPC: 776545981110
Score: 89/100
Remarks: At 74-per-cent merlot in 2004, Oculus has the "drink-me" factor.

SANDHILL SYRAH SANDHILL ESTATE VINEYARD 2005, OKANAGAN VALLEY
Price: $19.99 private wine shops and restaurants
UPC: 058976320615
Score: 87/100
Remarks: A bit of a bruiser best served with roasted meats.

CEDARCREEK GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2006, OKANAGAN VALLEY
Price: $16.99
UPC: 778913026058
Score: 88/100
Remarks: A delicious mix of lime and peach with just a touch of meat character.

TANTALUS RIESLING 2006, OKANAGAN VALLEY
Price: $19.90 private wine shops and restaurants
UPC: 626990054474
Score: 89/100
Remarks: A crisp, lip-smacking style that will appeal to purists and food lovers.