50-year-old vines still producing fine wines in Oliver
They are thick, twisted and gnarly now. But the 50-year-old Pinot Blanc, Trebbiano, Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines at Hester Creek Winery in Oliver produce intense and elegant grapes that result in wines reminiscent of the Old World.
“We are honoured to be a steward of these rare, old vines,” said Hester Creek president Mark Sheridan.
“The risk-taking spirit of the early B.C. wine pioneers is something we are proud to be part of.”
In 1968, immigrant Joe Busnardo arrived on a 76-acre sun-drenched, east-facing bench with sloping hills just south of Oliver.
He planted the plot with classic vinifera grape varietals he grew up with in northern Italy – Pinot Blanc, Trebbiano, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
He was a pioneer in planting quality vinfera vines in the Okanagan because the vast majority of the grapes then were hybrids and vitis labrusca varieties known as fox grapes.
Eventually, all those hybrids and foxes would be ripped out to make way for viniferas so the Okanagan could thrive with a modern grape and wine industry.
Hester Creek started 50th anniversary festivities this week at the Vancouver International Wine Festival by pouring samples of its Old Vines Trebbiano ($23).
To mark the occasion, Hester Creek will also be issuing special bottlings of wines from half-century-old vines and holding commemorative events throughout the year.
Some of the upcoming parties include an Our Roots Run Deep dinner with winemaker Rob Summers at Laurel Point Inn in Victoria on April 17, Old Vines seminars and tastings with Summers May 4 and 11 during the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival, the May 12 release of Commemorative Garland wines and June 15 and 16 summer kick offs with barbecue lunches and music.
Check HesterCreek.com/50th for more details.
“Congratulations to Hester Creek in their historic contribution to helping make B.C. wine internationally renowned,” said B.C. Wine Institute CEO Miles Prodan.
“The British Columbia wine community has accomplished a remarkable feat in the past five decades. Growing from an unproven, nascent industry with a small handful of experimental premium vinifera vineyards to today over 900 vineyards in a business that contributes $2.8 billion in provincial economic growth annually.”
Groceries and wine
Indubitably, my favourite aspect of grocery shopping is wine tasting.
Nothing brightens the dreary errand of picking up food on a Wednesday afternoon like a sample, or two, or three, of wine.
This past Wednesday at the Save-On Foods in Kelowna’s Orchard Plaza, Karine Sylvestre of Bench 1775 Winery in Naramata was a welcome distraction from the task at hand.
Standing behind the counter in the B.C. Wines section of the store, she had bottles of the winery’s 2016 Pinot Gris ($19) and 2016 Viognier ($22) chilling in a giant bowl of crushed ice and 2014 Merlot ($30) breathing in a decanter. Of course, I had to have some. The Pinot Gris was fresh and minerally with aromas and flavours of apple, melon and pear.
Sylvestre suggested pairing it with roast chicken.
I had to make do matching it with a little chunk of Armstrong Monterey Jack cheese Save-On had speared on toothpicks.
The Viognier is big and bold and a little off-dry, a perfect foil for spicy food or sipping on its own.
And the Merlot is classic with a nose and taste of cherries, plums and cocoa.
If you buy a bottle of any of the wines being sampled that day, you get $1.50 off.
Save-On has winery representatives pouring samples every afternoon.
Today is Black Dog Cellars from Okanagan Falls, Sunday will be Moraine from the Naramata Bench, the winery scheduled for Monday jammed out, while Tuesday Gold Hill from Oliver will be pouring, Blasted Church from Okanagan Falls on Wednesday, Lake Country’s Intrigue on Thursday and Mission Hill from West Kelowna on Friday.
$6,000 raised
Last week’s Farm Friends event in Vancouver pairing Okanagan wines with Alberta beef raised $6,000 to support the B.C. Hospitality Foundation’s scholarship program.
The so-called stand-up grazing and drinking reception was meant to demonstrate the B.C. wine industry had no intention of boycotting Alberta products in the wake of Alberta’s ban of B.C. wine as part of the Trans Mountain pipeline dispute.
The boycott ended just hours before Farm Friends was to start at Edible Canada restaurant last Thursday, but the event proceeded and raised money.
Participating wineries included 50th Parallel from Lake Country, Culmina from Oliver, Dames from Vancouver, Liquidity from Okanagan Falls, Painted Rock from Penticton, Summerhill Pyramid from Kelowna, Poplar Grove from the Naramata Bench and Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland.
West Kelowna’s Quails’ Gate Winery also just finished a fundraiser for the B.C. Hospitality Foundation.
A November and December sales promotion for both Quails’ Gate and Lake Sonoma (Quails’ sister winery in California) wines saw $1.50 from every case sold in B.C. forwarded to the foundation.
The $5,000 raised will go to scholarships and helping hospitality workers facing money problems due to illness.
Wine and travel
Try some European wines today, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., during the annual Spring Travel Show at Kelowna airport.
Public Liquor will have a booth at the show pouring wines to inspire travel to where they were made, be it France, Italy or Spain.
Other booths include airlines, travel agents and hotels, all also inspiring spring and summer travel.
You can also buy raffle tickets for a chance to win a variety of prizes, the biggest being a $2,000 travel credit with Icelandair.