Naramata Bench

The Naramata Bench located on the south-east side of Lake Okanagan has become one of Canada's prime wine growing regions. There are now close to fifty wineries operating on the bench. It all began back in the 1980s when Vera and Bohumir Klockockas founded Hillside Cellar. Lang winery opened in 1990 and became the first Farm Gate winery in BC.

With abundant sunshine, the cooling of the lake waters and moderate temperatures along with great terroirs grapes have prospered producing fine wines. This of course, brought others to the bench.

Tim Watts and Bob Ferguson started planting their vineyards in 1989. They named their winery after the railroad that once ran through Naramata, Kettle Valley.

D'Angelo winery open in 2002 when winemaker Sal D'Angelo a very successful Ontario winemaker and winery owner was extremely impressed by the Okanagan he  decided to open on the bench. Sal has had great success with the Tempranillo grape.

One of the most successful and very popular wineries  is Poplar Grove under winemaker Ian Southerland. Another winery that became very popular was Red Rooster originally founded by Beat and Prudence Mahrer. They sold it to Andrew Peller Ltd. but loved the business so much they came back and opened Ruby Blues winery.

Recently Black Widow owned by Dick Lancaster has been collecting more than its fair share of rewards including Gold at the recent All-Canadian.

La Frenz is one winery you do not want to miss when visiting the bench. Their Liqueur Muscat and Tawny port sensational.

The Naramata Bench is full of wineries that have impressed very one with their wines. The list includes Serendipity under winemaker Bradley Cooper (and his own label Black Cloud),Lake Breeze, Laughing Stock, Marichal Vineyards and fruit wine Elephant Island.

At the far end of the Bench is Van Westen Vineyards  They started as farmers almost 60 years ago and today are know for its cherries and white wines.

Yes I am forgetting to mention so many other wine wineries  like Misconduct, Meyers Family Estate, Moraine Estate and Nichol Vineyards and Perseus.

At the 2015 Canadain wine awards Deep Roots Winery Syrah won for best red. They also won for their unoaked Chardonnay


Se all the Naramata wineries

The beautiful Shuswap is situated in south-central British Columbia, northeast of Vancouver. The Shuswap Lake system offers more than 1,000 kilometres of shoreline to explore, amidst spectacular scenery and a pristine environment. The Shuswap offers a four-season playground that boasts the largest houseboat fleet in Canada, and one of the largest in the world, offering a fabulous way to vacation with family and friends, lazily drifting along the lake gazing at blue skies and gorgeous mountains.

Here you will find a number of wineries, many of them starting up in the last few years. This is  a region for Cold Climate wines. Cool climateregions definitely get just as hot as warm climates in the peak of the season. However, it is the fact that the temperatures drop off so quickly towards harvest that make the wines taste different. Lower temperatures preserve the acidity but they also make it difficult for grapes to ripen. You can generally assume that cool climate wine regions tend to produce tart fruit flavors and have more acidity.

These wineries need to be very selective in the grapes they grow and vineyard planting. One of the early and must successful wineries in Salmon Arm is Larch Hills Estate. They made some very good Ortegas over the years.

In 1992 John and Catherine Koopman started Ovino winery also in Salmon Arm. Their signature blend is Foch-Pinot Meunier. The newest winery in Salmon Arm and one to keep an eye on is Marionette winery owned by Amanda Eastwood and Jamie Smith both highly taned winemakers.

Down the road in Tappin you will find Recline Ridge a family operation that has won its shre of awards in the last few years. Continuing south from Salmon Arm you come across Sunnybrae Vineyards overlooking the lake. Mark Walenburge is the consulting winemaker here. He has helped establish a fine reputation for the winery

Up  a little north  of Salmond Arm  sitting on the northern side of Shuswap lake is Celista Winery. Winners of 32 medals in the last 5 years. The winery is owned by Jack Ootes and his wife Marg. Jack is a former MLA and cabinet Minister for NW Territories.

The Shuswap wineries have proven you can make good wines in the northern end of the Okanagan with had work and dedication.

Abbotsford is a city located in the Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver.

It is one of BC most rapidly growing communities along with an increasing number of breweries and wineries.

Old Abbey Ales on Fraser Highway produces 30 Belgium style beers proving a  comfortable tasting with pints, flights and grower fills.

Ravens Brewing company on Townline road works with local growers to produce European and west coast beers in a traditional approach.

Field House Brewing Co on West Railway Street has a great philosophy

WE BELIEVE IN COMMUNITY, FAMILY AND OLD SCHOOL VALUES THAT SEEM TO HAVE BEEN LOST IN THE BUSY WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN. LET’S TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER AND BUILD SOMETHING GREAT.

Of course, there are the wineries. Currently 4 with more opening soon

Single Tree Winey: Garnet Etsell and his wife Debbie had established a successful farming business in the valley, as their family grew and matured they realized their turkey farm was not going sustain their sons and families. The solution, start a winery. The vineyard was first established in 2010.

Mt Lehman Winery the first to open here: Located near the city of Abbotsford in the Mt Lehman area which the winery is named after. Mount Lehman is situated on an area of upraised land (hence, where the "Mount" comes into the name), that lies between the flat plains of Matsqui Prairie to the east and Glenn Valley to the west . The winery started in 2000 by Vern and Charleen Siemens, converting the family dairy farm into a winery.

Maan Farms has a long and proud history of providing quality local produce to the citizens of Abbotsford, the Fraser Valley, and Greater BC. Started in 1977 by Jawahar and Gurbachan (Grandpa and Grandma) Maan with the help of their three children.

Campell'sGold Honey Farm and Meadery Mike and Judy Campbell have been active in bee keeping since 1997and are members in good standing of the B.C. Honey Producers Association, the Surrey Bee Keepers Association, and the South Fraser Valley Bee Keepers Association. They produce Mead and Melomel a combination of Mead (honey wine), and fruit or berries Metheglin a traditional mead with herbs and/or spices added is made seasonally.

The Fraser Vally

The World Knows it!

 

Here in Canada, we make wine. We make outstanding wines. Wines that are known around the world; from China to England and into Russia. Major wine writers that only a few short years ago ignored our wines; today they are shouting and applauding our wines.

The world knows our wines, but does Canadians!   We like to visit places like the Okanagan and the Niagara Peninsula, but we were doing that before the wine revolution. Who buys Canadian wine for their dinner party? For their wedding? Who orders Canadian wine when dining out.

When visiting wine shops, I watch what people are buying. It is not BC wines ( I live in BC) I most cases its whatever is on sale. Canadian wines are seldom on sale. I have been to the grocery store three times to check on their VQA wines. Besides the staff, I was the only one there.

The last four wineries I visited I was the only one there. Why not take a nice drive through this beautiful land of ours and visit a winery bring along a picnic lunch or enjoy a cheese tray on the wineries patio. Some wineries even have restaurants with world class chefs.

Come on Canada our wineries produce some of the world’s best wines and your serving me California wines at your dinner party.  Please support our wineries you will be glad you did.

Recently my wife and I have visited Chaberton Estate Winery, Township 7, Mt Lehman and Singletree.

Recent wines enjoyed at home  are listed here.  Canada’s wine regions listed here.

Winery Names

I find it quite interesting how many wineries chose their name. Many simply chose their family name, Di Profio, Kitsch Family Wines, Konzelmann Estate Winery and Norman Hardie. Others go with animals, Nighthawk Vineyards, Skimmerhorn Winery, Soaring Eagle Winery, Wild Goose, Equifera Estate Winery, and  Red Rooster.

Jim and Midge Wyse selected their location based on the Canadian Grape Atlas (Ag Canada 1984), which identified this area as the best grape growing region in the country. Being nature lovers and with a vineyard surrounded by a wildlife preserve that in the past has protected the endangered burrowing owl, the naming of the winery was easy, Burrrowing Owl

There are those that chose landmarks or location for their name, Vineland Estates Wines, Turtle Mountain Vineyards, Township7, Sleeping Giant and Seven Stones.

Some went for the marketing bedazzle such as Dirty Laundry, The Foreign Affair Winery, Blind Tiger Vineyards, Burnt Ship Bay, Contraband Sparkling Wine, Daydreamer Wines, Laughing Stock Winery, Devil's Wishbone Winery and Double Trouble Brewing.

Now what about Elephant Island Orchard Wines.  Bedazzle perhaps but is a location. Miranda and Del Halliday named their winery after Elephant Island paying tribute to Miranda's Grand Parents (Wisnicki) who built their retirement home on the Island. Actually, it is not an island it's an affectionate name for their home on  Naramata Bench the name was originally Eye-Island.

Many wineries go for the historical name. Inniskillin was granted the first estate winery license in Canada. The name Inniskillin is Irish and is derived from the famous Irish regiment, the Inniskilling Fusiliers.

Other with historical names include Black Prince, Harpers Trail and Baillie-Grohman Estate winery

Some of my favourite names include, Dragonfly Hill Vineyards, Blue Grouse Vineyards, Golden Hills, Gray Monk Estate Winery, Half Moon Bay Vineyards , Henry of Pelham and Kraze ¯ Legz, just to name a few.

Another interesting story is that of Okanagan Falls winery Blasted Church.

 On a cool spring morning in 1929, a small crew from Okanagan Falls set off to a deserted mining camp some 16 miles away from home. Their mission: to dismantle an old wooden church and bring it back to Okanagan Falls.

The plan called for a controlled blast of four dynamite sticks inside the church in order to "loosen the nails". Odd as it may seem, the explosion spared the wood from damage during dismantling.

Save for losing the steeple, the plan succeeded. Now, the 120-year-old wooden church stands proudly in its second home of Okanagan Falls.

In naming their VQA wines "Blasted Church", they celebrate the ingenuity of this initiative and honour these pioneers for their vision, steadfastness and craftsmanship

 

Trius Winery at Hillebrand
Niagara on the Lake

Located in historic Niagara-on-the-Lake this winery is one of Canada's leading VQA producers. Makers of Trius wines. One of the pioneer wineries in the development of Canada's icewines. In 1995, they were the first Canadian winery to receive highest honors with the Pichon Longeuville Comtesse de Lalande Trophy (Best Red Wine in the World) at the International Wine and Spirit Competition. Owned by Andre Peller Peller Wines Ltd

Andrew Peller established Andrés Wines Ltd., the youngest of the large Canadian wineries in Port Moody, B.C. in 1961. he name Andrés was chosen as the closest to Andrew Peller's baptismal name 'Andreas', but with a French flair. In 1964, winery operations were established in Calgary, Alberta and in Truro, Nova Scotia. In 1970 Andrés entered the Ontario market with the purchase of Beau Chatel Wines in Winona. In 1974 Andrés moved into Quebec with the founding of Les Vins Andrés in St. Hyacinthe. In 1975 Andrés purchased the Valley Rouge Winery located in Morris, Manitoba. The Manitoba location closed in 1992 and in 1994 Andrés acquired Hillebrand Estates Winery, Canada's largest producer of VQA and premium wines, located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Hillebrand originally opened in 1979. They were among the first to produce icewine beginning in 1983. Years years Hillebrand reputation for producing quality wines grew. It became one of the most visited winery in the Niagara Region. In 2012 they changed the name from Hillebrand winery to Trius at Hillebrand

Dr. Joseph Pohorly was one of the first winery owners in Niagara. He founded Newark Winery in the Village of Virgil in 1979, one of the three original cottage wineries that opened in Niagara in the '70s and laid the foundation for the growth of the new Ontario wine industry. Joseph himself was no stranger to wines. Born in Vineland, Ontario, he began life as a farmer's son and learned how to grow grapes and other fruit crops from an early age, gaining an appreciation and knowledge of the land, of our geography and climate, and of the unique characteristics that make this viticultural area special.
They opened the first underground wine cellar in 1991 for the production of sparkling wines. In 1991 they introduced the Truis series of wines.

Food and wine experiences are plentiful, and Trius Winery at Hillebrand boasts the first and one of the finest, Winery Restaurants in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Several ongoing dinner series' fill the year with epicurean delight. Experiences include the Longest Table Dinner, Trius Red Barrel Cellar Dinners, the annual Icewinemaker's Dinner and the Harvest Table Dining Series.

Australian born Craig McDonald leads the winemaking team. believing that winemaking starts in the vineyard, Craig looks to our fertile land to inspire and guide his "hands-on" winemaking style: “Being in tune with the vineyard and adapting to the specific growing season is fundamental to our winemaking. Only when we have attained this synchronicity can we then add our personal touch.” -
The winery offers some very interesting behind the scenes tours
Awards and aculeates far too many to even mention

The Reif Estate Winery
Niagara-on-the-Lake

There is a long and rich history at the Reif. It is one of the founding Family wineries of the Niagara. Ewald Reif established the vineyards in 1977; opening their doors in 1982. In 1988 Klaus W. Reif moves to Canada to take over the reigns. Robert Parker Jr. put 1987 Vidal Icewine on his top ten wine list.

Klaus Reif's philosophy that "great wines start in the vineyard" is the cornerstone of the quality and integrity of Reif Estate wines. This belief, partnered with a commitment to produce predominantly estate bottled wines from our 125 acre vineyard, has provided our winemaker Roberto DiDomenico with the tools to produce world renowned wines.

Reif Estate Winery has a rich history in Icewine production as a pioneer with their first vintage of Vidal Icewine produced in 1984. This 10 acre vineyard block on their 125 acre estate is still used today to produce internationally acclaimed Vidal Icewine.

Their many awards include 1997 Tesoro takes Gold at International Wine & Spirit Competition. 2002 Best Canadian Winery at Wine & Spirit International Competition. 2004 Vidal Icewine is Wine of the year at Ontario Wine Awards. Klaus W. Reif receives Lifetime achievement award from Ontario Wine Society in 2010 and the list goes on.

The estate includes a Wine Sensory Garden and cellar dinning. Their wedding facilities are among the best in Ontario.

I am not there

 

Vancouver International Wine Festival

 

Where does one begin to tell the story of why I am not attending this year International Wine Festival in Vancouver.

Perhaps, a starting point would be my first visit to the festival, so many years ago.  My wife and I  just happened to be in the convention centre and realized a wine event was taking place. We decided to venture in, although the tickets were expensive.

It was not very enjoyable. A crowded venue, a battle to reach the tables where wines were poured. You were ignored if a potential buyer came up to the table. It would be many years before I would return.

In 2013, I did return this time as Media. I had applied a few years prior and had been accepted, but my wife was denied. They said only one representative allowed. I found that was not true. This time, my dear wife did not wish to take part in the long days of attending seminars and tasting wines. I happily did and had a very busy but good time. Barabara came to the major tasting event, and we stayed overnight at the hotel.

In 2014, I was looking forward to the festival. I planned my calendar around the event., putting in my media application on the very first day.  As the event approached, I had not received my agenda. I made an inquiry and was informed my agenda had been lost. Lost?  The event coordinator told me she would do her best to find me some seminars to attend. I received one that was not suited to my interest. My event was ruined.

In 2015 as the festival approached I contacted a friend and asked if he had received notice of applications for the event. He forwarded the information there was only one day left to apply. Why was I not send the information? I applied and once again the coordinator told all seminars were booked. I found out later there were numerous empty chairs. What is going on?

As the 2016 festival approached, I debated what I was going to do. I decided to make the decision when the newsletter is saying it was time ao apply for media passes arrived. It never came. I did get one saying last day to apply. I decided quite quickly the event was not worth going to.

Some reasons for not going

1.       Very few BC wineries in attendance

2.       No other province would be  represented

3.       It is extremely crowded.

4.       Bringing my wife to the main tasting night very expensive.

5.       Poor treatment by event coordinator.

6.       Parking costs

7.       Strick times for media sessions, advantage to those in the first group.