The Okanagan Valley Now: Why it’s time to drink these wines
I was fortunate to visit British Columbia recently and was able to squeeze in some quality time checking out the spectacular Okanagan Valley, a pristine wine region which has experienced tremendous change since my last visit ten years ago. Luckily, a few wineries were open with socially distanced tastings and the weather was perfect to spend some time outdoors. My host, Bram Bolwijn, is a passionate champion for the Okanagan and he provided years of insight on the wine region he now calls home.
The Okanagan is significant to Canada’s winemaking history. It is noted that missionary Father Pendosi first planted vines here in the mid-1800’s and is accredited with pioneering this emerging wine region. For the longest time only grapes such as Concord and Lambrusco were planted in this region. Then, approximately 30 years ago everything changed with the establishment of VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) and the improvement of both the quality and consistency of the wines that were reaching the International market. All hell has broken loose here in the best possible way and in a few short days I tried my best to wrap my head around why.
The Okanagan Valley is one of the world’s last great undiscovered wine regions. Extending north from the Canada-US border for 160 kilometres, it’s a semi-arid region in the rain shadow of the Coastal Mountains of BC. Millions of years ago, two tectonic plates collided to create the two mountain ranges that flank each side of the Okanagan Valley (the Coastal Mountains to the West and the Rocky Mountains to the East). The Coastal Mountains create a natural rain shadow to help protect against wet weather and the Rocky Mountains help protect against cold weather. While these plates are not as active as the fault lines closer to Vancouver Island, they continue to move, altering the geography of the region.
Lake Okanagan runs through the middle of the valley and in some areas reaches a depth of more than 700m. This glacier lake and the deep valley surrounding it were carved as glaciers slowly traveled from the north pushing their way down the valley. In the winter months, the lake does not freeze which results in what locals refer to as the ‘lake effect’ allowing grapes to grow at the northern edge of winemaking possibility - the 50th parallel. There is also significant lake reflection which assists the vines in ripening. In the summer, sunlight can last until 10:30pm, that’s a full 2 hours more sunlight per day than Napa! Today there is still a fierce wind that can come from North to South and vineyards can reach altitudes of 1200 ft.
A few other stat’s that may surprise you, the Okanagan has roughly 9,500 acres under vine and accounts for about 85% of British Columbia’s total vineyards. Take into consideration the Lake, the Mountains and the housing demands and it’s impressive that this much wine is produced with such limited usable land. Understanding land is very expensive and at a premium here, the cost to make wine is also very expensive, which has meant that BC has had to go into the premium category swiftly
The region is not a mono-culture of grapes but has acres of acres devoted to fruit trees and cherries which the region is internationally renowned for and that bloom in the spring. Most of the vineyards are located in the southern part of the valley where the climate displays arid, semi-desert conditions – we will get into that later. Driving north to south takes about an hour and a half, yet you travel through climates that vary so much it would take you about 20 hours to drive through Europe to see the same range. There are currently 4 four sub-Geographical Indications (sub- GI’s) within the Okanagan, including Golden Mile Bench, Naramata Bench, Skaha Lake and Okanagan Falls. Black Sage Bench could possibly be the next one and there is a push for three new regions proposed for the Central Okanagan – these include Lake Country, South Kelowna Slopes and East Kelowna Slopes. History continues to be made here.
I started my time off here in great company with Bram Bolwijn, sommelier extraordinaire, who introduced me to a few of the most iconic wineries in the region. Bram fell in love with the region several years ago when he came from Europe for what was meant to be a short work experience. He has now been in the Okanagan for four years and is an incredible resource. We started with Mission Hill Family Estate. Mission Hill was established in 1966 and then acquired in 1981 by Anthony von Mandl, patriarch of one of the regions’ pioneering winemaking families. Mission Hill has since been transformed into an architecturally stunning winery whose stunning hilltop location on Mount Boucherie in West Kelowna is surrounded by majestic mountains and the scenic lake below.
The winery’s underground barrel cellar is literally carved out of volcanic rock that provides an environment with perfect humidity and temperature control for ageing fine wines. Extremely impressive, even for me, who has seen thousands of the world’s most extraordinary barrel cellars.
Behind lock and key, I examined a bottle of Mission Hill Grand Reserve Chardonnay VQA from 1992 and Mission Hill’s Private Reserve Pinot Noir from 1981 (no VQA yet, West Bank Red wine) and also the 1988 Muscat of Alexandria from Mission Hill. To put this in perspective, there were only five wineries in BC the 1980’s and now the region has grown to more than 300!
All the wines we tasted at Mission Hill were fantastic but of course, the 2016 Oculus stood out as an age-worthy, delicious Bordeaux-style red. With big tannins, acid and structure based on Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine was both rich and savoury all at the same time. Important to note that Mission Hill makes three tiers of wine: Reserve, Terroir and Legacy. What is available in the Ontario market is typically the Reserve level wines that are handcrafted from fruit sourced 100% from Mission Hill’s family-owned estate vineyards to ensure consistency from vintage to vintage. While Mission Hill is based in Kelowna, the fruit for these wines is sourced from vineyard locations located throughout the valley and it’s important to note that what excels in Kelowna are cool climate varietals.
Mission Hill is very impressive and proprietor Anthony von Mandle left no stone unturned in creating architecturally inspired spaces that amplify the natural beauty of the region and introduce unexpected and thought-provoking art throughout the winery. All of the family-owned vineyards are either certified organic or close to finalizing the process of certification. Once all of the von Mandl family’s vineyards become certified, it would bring the total vineyard land certified organic in BC up roughly 17%, which is huge!
My next visit was to Martin’s Lane Winery. If you have not heard about this winery yet, I’m sure you will soon. These extremely limited quantities of single vineyard Pinot Noir and Riesling wines benefit from a 100% gravity-flow winemaking process in a stunning 6-level winery built into the side of a steel hillside (no added yeasts enzymes or nutrients, no filtering or fining). Super gentle and managed with the upmost care, you can certainly taste the purity and terroir of the carefully planned vineyards flanking the east side of Kelowna. All the wines were spectacular of course, but the 2016 Dehart Vineyard Pinot Noir captured me. Produced on an east/west facing slope which receives intense and prolonged afternoon sunlight, this single vineyard wine has both elegance and structure. The Fritzi’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, planted in 1997, did see more new oak (50%) which gave it a wild brambly fruit and herbal resinous quality. These wines take their time at the winery and the release for the 2016 wines is only just happening now.
The winery itself is one of the most architecturally stunning in the region and was designed by Seattle-based architect Tom Kundig. Winemaker and General Manager Shane Munn, originally from New Zealand, is as detailed and poetic as the winery itself, hosted me at Martin’s Lane. The winery is architecturally impressive and houses a very special commissioned art sculpture named ‘Vincent’ by Douglas Coupland which resides outside of the main entry. The sculpture’s missing ear is a nod to Vincent van Gogh. 3-D ear labels are featured on the large format bottles of Martin’s Lane wines (which are individually hand placed) and they reference the different vineyards and the artist himself.
After a long winding drive along the lakeshore, we arrived at the famous Black Sage Bench. Here, the landscape changes dramatically and we were now in the semi-arid desert-like area (not officially a desert because of too much rainfall). Beyond finding rattlesnake dens, wild mountain goats and sage growing forcefully on the roadside, the gorgeous vineyards opened up and sparkled nestled in hillsides.
I had the opportunity to meet Rob Achurch, Senior Viticulturalist who oversees all of the family-owned vineyards in the south Okanagan where each block is studied as much below the earth as they are above. Stephanie Vickers who is a full-time soil science technician has been busy studying the soils of this remote and relatively unmapped place and is responsible for understanding everything that is happening underground. Drones are used to map out everything that is happening above ground and they check on vine vigor, water stress and can impressively survey a property within an hour. A thermal camera helps to measure surface temperature and help plan irrigation management and zoning. They can also be used for getting topography data of a new piece of land to determine if it’s suitable to plant a vineyard and even be used for harvest times for selective harvests.
What was super impressive was that drones are also used in mapping elevation, aspect direct sunlight modelling and overall topography of the land. This combined with the soil studies not only help the whole wine region propel forward much quicker than one could mapping all of this land by hand, but can be use in weather stations which can help actively inspect for frost events, track vine growth and irrigation and mitigate freak weather patterns.
The organic commitment in the vineyards is extremely important. The soils here don’t naturally hold much water or life. By farming organically and utilizing worms, cover crops, beneficial insects and seeing the vineyard as one, this not only helps the vineyards but it also helps all the incredible wildlife in the region. I have to applaud the team here for taking such careful and thoughtful steps to not only craft the best wines possible from the land but to protect and respect all the incredible life that is in and around the vineyards.
The next stop was to one of my personal favourite Canadian wineries, Checkmate Artisanal Winery. Argentinian born Leandro Nosal who is part of the winemaking team at Checkmate explained that the winemaking philosophy there is to let nature take its course, with no fining or filtration in order to allow the full potential of flavour expression in these wines. The winery itself is impressive and the views incredible with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the vineyard sites that stretch into the horizon.
Old Chardonnay Vines at Checkmate
We tasted through the highly awarded tiny production line up of Chardonnay and Merlot wines. They farm five different vineyard sites in five different locations. These are some of the oldest vines in Canada, each a unique expression of their soil and mesoclimate.
We started with the 2016 Queen’s Taken Chardonnay which hail from the gnarly 47-year-old vines we encountered on our drive in. These Chardonnays are wild fermented, aged in 100% new oak barriques and are held for 1.5-2 years before being released. Moving onto the 2016 Knight’s Challenge Chardonnay, it was huge, impressive and had a distinct salty mineral character. The 2015 Queen’s Advantage, which uses the old vines at the winery, is on a cooler site benefiting from morning sun. There was only a mere 8 barrels of this produced, and it was fruit forward, creamy and had loads of stone fruit. The 2014 Attack is a field blend from the west side of the valley and offered up a very different perspective. This uber fresh and elegant wine won me over. The 2013 Fools Mate hailing from a cold year was stellar and clearly super age-worthy. Very pure and creamy all at the same time I could see this wine improving for several more years. The 2017 Fool’s Mate has already received a perfect 100 points from John Schreiner and yet again showcases Canadian wines can and will be leading.
The Merlots receive a long post maceration and receive 100% new oak for 22 months, brave but well played because, again, we are dealing with very healthy organic fruit. All the reds are wild ferment and throw sediment as they are not filtered or fined so make sure to decant! The 2014 End Game Merlot, which sits in sandy soil in the east, displayed delicate savory herbal notes, lots of red fruits, freshness and dusty tannins. Still youthful it finished fresh and lively. The 2015 Silent Bishop Merlot, which is from the west side, had darker more seductive notes with licorice and silky tannins. And lastly, the 2014 Black Rook Merlot, coming from the east side of the valley, was simply beautiful, filled with black cherry notes and firm dark tannic structure.
Driving back up the Valley en route to Kelowna, we made a stop in the newly appointed Okanagan Falls sub GI (2018). There are no actual falls here but more a series of rapids. This is where the you get into a small bottle neck that the glaciers formed many years ago and before everything opens up in the south and becomes much more desert like, it’s sort of like a doorway between two universes and has climatic features of both. Here, you benefit with large diurnal shifts in temperature but also because of its own unique terroir. Walking through the vineyards at Liquidity Wines to get a peek at the stunning bistro surrounded with modern art that will re-open in the spring, I felt like I was in another world. This winery is clearly very special and dare I say spiritual. Winemaker Alison Moyes, a native of BC, exuded the calm I felt around me in this quite hamlet surrounded by vineyards confronting the mists and imposing mountains. We started with the N/V Brut which is based on Pinot Noir that’s aged 20 months on lees. Tiny pearls met introducing a brioche and tart apple notes with a creamy mouthfeel and long finish. Very impressive. The Reserve Pinot Noir was so delicate and perfumed like lilac candies and spring violets. It was so pretty and fresh, I could not stop drinking it. Liquidity also makes some amazing Viognier that is very pure. Sadly, I ran out of time to visit the vineyards of the Naramata Bench but was able to view their beauty from the other side of the lake. I will definitely make time to explore this sub-region on my next visit.
The ‘falls’ (really rapids) at Okanagan Falls and a line up of delicious wines from Tantalus
At the end of my journey, I had a half day to spend at Tantalus which I have long been a fan of so I was thrilled they were able to squeeze me in (they’re not open to the public in the winter). They also do not have much product to sell as they tend to sell out quickly, and it won’t get easier to find their wines after a small, but excellent, 2020 vintage. As we drove up the laneway through the vineyards to the first LEED winery in BC, I noted the Salmon safe and Biosphere signs. I was very curious to chat to winemaker, Dave, not only about this but his push and involvement for a brand new ’Sustainable Wine Growing BC’ certification. I was happy to learn that this will be coming this spring and will encompass vineyard, winery and hospitality. With 73 acres in total, only 59 acres planted backs onto natural and protected forest which has nowhere to grow. But from the gentle slope at the crest of the hill sprawling down to the water this is like one giant vineyards with several different blocks. All but some of those from Martin’s Lane and the Rieslings and Pinot Noirs resemble each other from a terroir perspective. I was extremely excited to try the 2018 Old Vines Riesling, which were planted in 1978 using clone 21B. The Riesling is fiercely mineral driven, with electric acidity balanced with vibrant lemon and lime notes and a hint of residual sugar. Simply stellar and I can imagine will age and improve for a decade or more. The rosé was a real treat. Made from old vine Pinot Meunier along with whole bunch Pinot Noir for good measure, it was on the grander side of Rosé but had delicate rose and raspberry leaf notes. They make four sparkling wines here with lots of love and care that are seriously terroir driven as well. The 2018 Chardonnay Reserve will be the first of its kind to be released. With only 60 cases produced, this is an outstanding example of Chardonnay and I have to applaud the restraint used by the winemaker. This wine has so much natural dry extract and acidity that it is born to age. I think we will see lots of great Chardonnays from this tiny and conscious producer in the future.
I still have much to see and discover and will be back. Meanwhile, a huge thank you to my host Bram and the viticulture and winery teams. These are all ‘must visits’ on your next trip to the Okanagan. In the meantime I will share with you an ever-growing bucket list for when I go back:
Stay: Naramata Inn, Elderado Hotel
Eat: Cedar Creek Winery, Naramata Inn, Indigenous World Winery Restaurant (Indigenous owned), and Quails Gate
Winery Visits: Quails Gate, Burrowing Owl, Nk’Mip Cellars, Le Vieux Pin Winery, Painted Rock Wine, Sperling Vineyards, and Phantom Creek Estates
What to do: Skiing, Hiking, Golf, boating and anything outdoors!
