Blind Tasting Kit Reveal

2022 PINOT GRIS

Pinot Gris is the copper-skinned member of the Pinot family. It produces elegant white wines with a rich texture and complex aromatics.

Where it was grown
Wendell Vineyard, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
Arrowleaf Estate, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
The story of the 2022 growing season started with a blast of arctic air in late December 2021. The cold weather damaged some buds on the vines, reducing their potential yields. A cool and damp spring delayed budbreak and suggested it was going to be a short growing season. Summer was hot and dry but the highlight of the growing season was the fall, which felt more like an extension of summer. It was a phenomenal stretch of warm and dry weather that lasted through most of October. The extended season coupled with low yields produced grapes of excellent quality.

How it was made
The grapes were hand-picked at optimal ripeness throughout October and gently pressed to obtain juice of the highest quality. The juice was inoculated with a minimal dose of commercial yeast to provide a slow start to fermentation, allowing the yeasts that were naturally present on the grapes to add complexity. The wine was aged on the lees for a minimum of three months before filtration and bottling.

How it tastes
Subtle aromas of peach, pear, honeysuckle and lemon. On the palate it presents as a generously textured, dry wine with a smooth mid-palate, moderate acidity and ripe fruit on the finish. 🌱 Vegan Wine

Gold Medal - 2023 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 4.2 g/l
Acidity 6.1 g/l
Alcohol 13.8%

2021 SKIN FERMENTED PINOT GRIS

This was a tricky one! It’s not a rosé, but an orange wine.

Our take on an orange wine – Pinot Gris grapes treated like red grapes in the cellar.

We took the same Pinot Gris grapes we harvested for our regular Pinot Gris wine but instead of gently pressing the grapes, we crushed them and let them ferment on their skins, pulp and seeds for 18 days. This process extracts many compounds from the skins, deepening the colour of the wine and giving it a tannic structure like a red wine. It was aged in older American oak barrels for 20 months which softened the finish and imparted a creamy texture.

Skin fermented whites have more body and tannin, resulting in richer, more robust flavours than conventionally-made whites. They have the acidity of a white wine and the body of a red wine which makes them ideal food pairing partners.

Winemaking Notes:
Fermented for 18 days on the skins
Barrel aged for 20 months
Dry with a rich mouthfeel, soft tannins, medium acidity and a long finish.
Think apricot, grapefruit rind, salted butterscotch, tobacco, toasty oak, lightly-steeped black tea and vanilla

Best served with a slight chill: refrigerate for only 20-30 minutes prior to serving.

Where it was grown
Wendell Vineyard, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
2021 was one of the hottest and driest years on record in British Columbia. The early part of summer brought the highest temperatures ever recorded in the Okanagan followed by prolonged drought that lasted well into the fall. This resulted in a smaller than average crop of very ripe, concentrated grapes. Harvest started in early September and was finished by mid October. All in all, it was an extreme growing season that has created the potential of some truly unique wines.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 2.7 g/l
Acidity 5.2 g/l
Alcohol 13.0%
Cases Made 63

2021 ZWEIGELT

Pronounced 'ts-vi-gelt', this grape variety was created by crossing the Austrian grapes Blaufränkisch and St.Laurent. Zweigelt is one of the few varieties that can produce excellent red wines in a cool climate, and we are one of a handful of BC wineries producing a varietal wine from it.

Where it was grown
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
2021 was one of the hottest and driest years on record in British Columbia. The early part of summer brought the highest temperatures ever recorded in the Okanagan followed by prolonged drought that lasted well into the fall. This resulted in a smaller than average crop of very ripe, concentrated grapes. Harvest started in early September and finished by mid October. All in all, it was an extreme growing season that created the potential for some truly unique wines.

How it was made
The grapes were cropped at 1.9 tons/acre and harvested in early October with a high degree of ripeness. They were fermented and macerated for three weeks for a full extraction of colour and tannins from the grape skins. The wine was aged in Eastern European oak barrels for 12 months.

How it tastes
Plum, dark chocolate, black pepper with notes of tobacco. Medium to full-bodied on the palate with well-integrated tannins and richly concentrated fruit on the finish. 🌱 Vegan Wine

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 1.4 g/l
Acidity 5.6 g/l
Alcohol 14.0%