Festivals board
Cailleteau is the French word for quail chick. As such, it’s the perfect name, and metaphor, for the just-released Gamay nouveau red wine from West Kelowna’s Quails’ Gate Winery.
Just like a newly-hatched quail, the Cailleteau wine is a baby.
The moniker, and imagery (there’s a watercolour painting of a quail chick on Cailleteau’s label) also tie in nicely with Quails’ Gate Winery’s name.
And, yes, a lot of quail call Okanagan vineyards home.
In the tradition of France’s Beaujolais nouveau, which is also made from 100 per cent Gamay grapes, Cailleteau is a young and fresh wine, meant to be enjoyed right away in celebration of the harvest.
Traditionally, it’s also released on the third Thursday of November.
Nouveaus are also a first taste of the wines from the current year and an indication of what the vintage will taste like in the future.
“The grapes for our Cailleteau were picked Sept. 28 in the Drought Vineyard just one kilometre from the winery off Boucherie Road,” said Quails’ Gate assistant winemaker Ross Baker.
“The grapes went in the tanks as whole clusters and for nine days, rather than yeast being used to ferment it, carbon dioxide was pumped in so the grapes could ferment themselves.”
Then, only 1,800 bottles, priced at $20 each, were released.
“It’s a fun, fresh, juicy and fruity wine meant to be drunk immediately because it really is the first taste of 2017,” said Baker.
“But, the ripe cherry and blackberry aromas and tastes indicate red wines from the 2017 vintage will be fruity and complex.”
Because of its limited production, Cailleteau is only available at the winery’s shop and on-site Old Vines restaurant.
Waterfront Wines restaurant in downtown Kelowna also has it on its wine list.
Quails’ Gate developed a Gamay nouveau because its French-trained winemaker, Nikki Callaway, wanted to bring some Old World fall tradition to the Okanagan. Last year was the first release. And, the repeat this year, remains the only nouveau wine made in the Valley.
Callaway wasn’t at the launch of Cailleteau last week at the winery.
She was in Fort McMurray leading a tasting for 300 women.
Speaking of Quails’ Gate, the winery’s marketing and communications manager, Lindsay Kelm, is the new chair of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society.
The society is all about the development of wine tourism in the Valley.
It puts on the spring, summer, fall and winter Okanagan Wine Festivals and signature events such as Cropped in Penticton during the fall festival, WestJet Wine Tastings in Kelowna during the spring and fall festivals, the Best of Varietal Awards in conjunction with the spring fest and B.C. Wine Awards to kick off the fall fest .
“As our industry continues to flourish, the society also continues to elevate its events and award programs to promote positive growth in B.C.’s wine and culinary tourism sectors,” said Kelm.
“It is a truly exciting time in the B.C. wine industry and I am so proud to be part of it.”
The rest of the society’s 2017-18 board is made up of:
– past-chair: Bruce Hibbard, Hester Creek Winery
– Julian Scholefield, Okanagan Crush Pad
– Annika Betts, Wayne Gretzky Okanagan
– Dominique Dooley, Public Liquor
– Jonathan Rouse, associate dean of wine, food and tourism at Okanagan College
– Andy Gebert, St. Hubertus and Oak Bay wineries
– Jan Nelson, Tinhorn Creek Winery
– Melody Schneider, Sandhill Wines
– Daniel Bibby, Nighthawk Vineyards
– Carolyn Nixon, BNA restaurant
– Angela Brown, Valley First Credit Union
– Geoff Barlow, Container World