It’s harvest time in the Okanagan and the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival is in full swing.
All of which means there’s no time like the present for a swing through the valley (check thewinefestivals.com for a full list of events). Prior to judging at this year’s B.C. Wine Awards, I took a brief tour and found plenty of new developments.
Indigenous World Winery is B.C.’s second First Nations-owned winery, which has sprung up just off Highway 97, immediately before the downhilll approach to the Kelowna bridge. Westbank First Nation have built an impressive tasting room and elegant restaurant, with a grand patio looking northwest up Lake Okanagan. The bar is beautifully appointed and the kitchen delights with tastes such as Pacific anchovies and “native spiced salmon.”
Look for: Hee-Hee-Tel-Kin Red 2013 (60-40 Cabernet Franc/Merlot, from Black Sage) good value, luscious, layered and approachable (90 points, $18.49).
Play Estate is a brand new winery right above the curved southern approach to Penticton, before you hit the airport and bypass turn off.
Longtime food and beverage pro Mohamed Awad (ex Spirit Ridge and Black Hills) runs the show and makes the wines. The winery and bistro, with its sweeping vistas and deck overlooking Skaha Lake, is an absolute stunner.
In development is a 14-acre vineyard, in part producing Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, and Viognier. In case you’re wondering about the name, a theatrical theme runs through everything to the smart, art deco inspired label. First tastes imply good things to come indeed.
Blink and you’ll miss it. Evolve Cellars is located at the northern edge of Summerland in the former Bonitas Winery.
A quick turn to the right leads down to a bench (not visible from the highway) with stunning lake views, plus a tasting room and a good bistro. Evolve makes value-priced, varietally true wines that are widely available, including a soft and fruity, apple and pear-toned Pinot Blanc 2015 (89 points, $14.99).
Evolve is part of the McWatters collective, known as Encore Vineyards. In due course the wines will be made at Time Urban Winery in downtown Penticton.
The former Pen-Mar cinemas building is being transformed into an impressive winery, tasting bar and bistro slated to open in mid-2017. Nearer completion (spring opening), Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards is the former Greata Ranch.
Here the Fitzpatrick family is growing grapes almost entirely for premium sparkling wine production. In a region not short on impressive panoramas, the new winery may well boast the area’s most breathtaking crush pad view. In addition to a classic sparkling wine cellar, also under construction are a casual bistro and tasting room.
Running the show is Four Seasons alumnus Jeff Hanson.
With its easily accessible location (you can even hop a fast boat down from Kelowna) this spectacular site will be a magnet for weddings and other events. First sips of Fitz, the inaugural Brut, suggests the wine will easily match the views.
This week’s pick:
Black Hills 2014 Syrah
While the Nota Bene 2014 (93 points) deservedly gets plenty of praise, don’t overlook the 2014 Syrah 91: Smoky, peppery notes of damson and black cherry precede a textbook palate of black pepper, spice and some savoury hints, with firm tannins, and managed oak through a lingering finish ($34.70, 91 points).
Tim Pawsey writes about wine for numerous publications and online as the Hired Belly at hiredbelly.com. Contact: [email protected].
