No. 1 in B.C.
At the same National Wine Awards, Oliver’s Road 13 was deemed the No. 1 winery in British Columbia.
“This wouldn’t be possible without all the efforts of our exceptional composition of winemakers, the cellar team, vineyard staff and the many people who have made this dream possible since we began in 2003,” said Road 13 general manager Joe Luckhurst.
“With a special tribute to our terroir, the dirt, that defines and drives the incredible wines we are able to create.”
Road 13 racked up a lucky 13 medals on its way to being named best in B.C., the pinnacle being platinum for the 2014 Similkameen Collective GSM ($43.50).
The GSM stands for Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, the three grapes in this concrete-aged blend that produces an elegant, medium-bodied red smelling of forest floor and tasting like foraged berries.
Road 13 was golden with three vintages, the 2015 Syrah-Malbec ($32), 2013 Sparkling Chenin Blanc ($40) and 2012 Fifth Element red blend ($43).
The National Wine Awards were held late last month in Wolfville, N.S. with 1,700 wines from 242 wineries vying for medals.
Redstone from Beamsville, Ont. was named Canadian winery of the year with 10 medal wins, including platinum for its 2013 Limestone Vineyard South Riesling ($19) and 2013 Chardonnay ($25.50).
Off the grid
The Off the Grid name at this West Kelowna winery is a bit of a misnomer.
“When we built, we wanted to be totally off the electricity grid,” said Nigel Paynter, who owns the winery with his wife, Hayley, his brother, Travis, and his wife, Sheri.
“But, we are hooked up to B.C. Hydro. However, with our recent solar panel installation, we plan to be net-zero in no time.”
Twenty solar panels costing $15,000 were outfitted on the roof of the tasting room by West Kelowna-based IPS Integrated Power Systems.
Depending on how often and strongly the sun shines, the panels should harness 6,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, enough to power the winery with some left over to sell back into B.C. Hydro’s grid.
The winery likes the fact the same sun that helps grow the grapes also powers the facility.
Off the Grid’s sustainability is also boosted by the fact its organic and the tasting room is straw bale (for insulation) and post-and-bean construction.
Goats also roam the vineyards eating weeds so no herbicides have to be sprayed.
Those goats also feature prominently on Off the Grid’s labels.
One of the labels is the 2016 Pinot Gris ($24), which is considered the winery’s signature wine because the 2015 edition won a gold medal at the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival’s Best of Varietal Awards for its minerality and honey and apricot finish.
Off the Grid’s 2015 Unoaked Chardonnay was also golden.
With only 1,400 cases of good wine produced a year,
Ale trail
It’s not all about wine in the Okanagan, as the Kelowna Ale Trail affirms.
The B.C. Ale Trail, a partnership of Destination British Columbia and the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild, has developed the Kelowna trail to point suds lovers in the direction of micro beers.
Tree Brewing, the veteran of the city’s craft beer movement has had a brewery and tasting room in the North End on Richter Street for over 20 years.
There’s also the Tree Beer Institute restaurant on Water Street at the Delta Grand hotel.
Also downtown there’s BNA Eatery & Brewing and Kettle River Brewing.
Red Bird Brewing will soon open on Richter Street, a stone’s throw from both the original Tree and Kettle River. Want to mix bowling and beer? Do so at Freddy’s, the brewpub attached to McCurdy Bowl.
Boundary Brewing is on Neave Court off Highway 97 east of Sexsmith Road.
Check out BCAleTrail.ca.
Steve MacNaull is The Okanagan Weekend’s business reporter and columnist. But he loves to eat and drink too, thus his new column, Fill ‘er Up, on the Wine & Dine page. Reach him at steve.macnaull@ok.bc.ca.