Hillside delivery
The Okanagan now has an astounding 183 wineries.
And the newest one, which just opened its doors on Thursday, is Here’s the Thing in Oliver.
“So many good stories begin with: ‘Here’s the thing,’ so that’s what we named the winery,” said Leah McDowell, who owns the property with her husband, Jamie.
“Our story is fun, relaxed and casual with good wines at fair prices.”
The winery may be small, but it stands out on Black Sage Road as it sits pretty on the slope, a yellow, gabled, Cape Cod-style complex of tasting room and storage facility.
“Yellow attracts people,” said McDowell.
“The yellow draws them in and then they’re also wowed by the industrial farmhouse interiors and the wine, of course.”
A sketch of the little yellow house also graces all the bottle labels.
McDowell got into the winery business after selling her two VQA Wine Store licences in Abbotsford and Langley to Save-On Foods as part of the wine-in-grocery-stores shift.
My wife, Kerry, and I were among the first to get a taste of Here’s the Thing’s inaugural releases, which are made by nextdoor neighbour Michael Bartier of Bartier Brothers Winery.
The Living the Dream 2017 rose ($20) is the lightest blush of pink, a result of blending Pinot Gris with some Cabernet Franc.
As such, it offers up aromas and flavours of peach and apricot, rather than the traditional strawberry.
A lighter interpretation of the classic floral, honey, lime and peach of Viognier is there in the 2017 Hundred Percent Viognier ($25).
Very few Okanagan wineries make a standalone Rousanne, so Here’s the Thing’s Really Rousanne ($25) stands out with whiffs and tastes of lemon and orange peel.
The 2016 Seriously Syrah ($30) is true to its name with a serious, smooth profile ranging from violets and plum to pepper and roasted meat.
The One More Thing Cabernet Franc Merlot ($35) is more fruit-forward with plum, blueberry and cherry. Hillside 2017 rose ($20) Merlot Cabernet Franc ($22)
Nothing brightens a dreary Tuesday morning at the office like a wine delivery.
That’s why I perked up when Jody Schwindt, the sales and marketing manager at Hillside Winery on the Naramata Bench, popped by with a box of wine under her arm.
The contents are the eclectic line up of spring releases Hillside 2017 Gewurzt ($20) Unoaked Pinot Gris ($22) ranging from rose and 2017 aromatic whites to a barrel-aged 2016 white and 2014 and 2015 reds.
Winemaker Kathy Malone has nailed each varietal and style with minimal intervention letting the Naramata fruit speak for itself.
That’s why the 2017 rose ($20), made with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, starts with wild flowers and ends juicy with strawberry, raspberry and cherry.
The Unoaked Pinot Gris 2017 ($22) is an intriguing pale orange-pink colour with aromas and flavours of peach, melon and green apple.
The off-dry 2017 Gewurztraminer ($20) is classic of the varietal with fragrance of honeysuckle and passionfruit and grapefruit, ginger and kiwi on the tongue.
Five months in oak barrels following a long, slow fermentation in stainless steel tanks gives the the 2016 Reserve Viognier ($24) a rich and silky palate of honeysuckle, vanilla, apricot and even pineapple.
It’s all there — juicy raspberry, wild strawberry, cherry, blackberry and currant — in the medium-body, fruit-forward 2014 Pinot Noir ($24).
Merlot and Cabernet Franc have blended nicely in this 2015 vintage ($22) of plum, blackberry, cherry bouquet and flavours.
Also from 2015, the newly released Syrah ($26) is powerful, but elegant, with lifted raspberry, clove, espresso, currant and cardamom.
With the May long weekend here, the Hillside tasting room is open extended hours, and also offers outdoor seated tastings.
The Hillside Bistro is also open, serving up casual wine-country dishes to pair with your favourite Hillside wine.
Black Hills trio
The trifecta of spring releases from Black Hills Winery in Oliver are designed to impress.
The 2016 Viognier ($25) is complex, but delicate, opening with fresh-cut lemon and evolving to chamomile (the daisy-like flower, not the tea), pear and and peach.
Black Hills’ first vintage of 100 per cent Pinot Noir rose in 2016 was such a hit, the winery decided to do it again with a 2017 ($27).
The results are even more dramatic with a pink that’s reminiscent of red licorice and strawberry jam balanced by bright cranberry and rhubarb.
Alias 2016 ($25) is one of those everything-but-thekitchen-sink blends that works beautifully.
The blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Schoenburger, Muscat and Ehrenfelser creates a white unabashedly made for sipping, or gulping, on the patio, or the boat, on a hot day.
Expect tropical aromas and flavours like lemon peel, pineapple and passionfruit, but also Okanagan contributions like apple and peach.
Steve MacNaull is The Okanagan Weekend’s business and wine reporter and columnist. Reach him at steve.macnaull@ok.bc.ca.