Sweet Grapes and New Owners

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Features

The “little sweet one” comes to BC from Italy

Mainly grown in the Piedmont region of north west Italy, Dolcetto is gaining a toehold in the Okanagan. Despite the name, which means “little sweet one” in Italian, the low acidity, early-ripening variety produces large quantities of easy-drinking, dry, red wine mainly for local consumption. But finer examples are emerging, and the secret seems to be the light marl soils found in the Alba district in Piedmont.  In the Okanagan, Dolcetto has found a home at Stag’s Hollow Winery in Okanagan Falls. When owners Linda Pruegger and Larry Gerelus acquired Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard 2 km south of their home vineyard in 2012, they decided to plant Dolcetto vines along with Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Tempranillo, Vidal, and later Orange Muscat and Albariño. Stag’s Hollow’s winemaker Dwight Sick enjoys the challenge of crafting exemplary wines from newly introduced varieties.

2015 Dolcetto

Combining quality and character, 2015 Dolcetto from Stag’s Hollow does not need a tannin level to make an impression. Deep ruby and viscous in the glass, it exudes juicy, succulent, richly-extracted black cherry, blackberry and plum fruit, nuances of licorice, black pepper and mushroom, and a flourish of bitter almond on the finish. Accompanies pizza and pasta with tomato sauce, or try with South African Babotie.  $21.99 ****½

BC's Oldest Wine Brand Changes Its Name This Year

Conviction is the new name for Calona Wines, the longest continuing winery in BC. For some, it is hard to say goodbye to the name that survived many trials, tribulations and owners since the winery made its debut in 1931 as Domestic Wines & By-Products (changing to Calona Wines only a few years later). Looking to revitalize a familiar name and label that may be past its prime, marketing wizards at Andrew Peller Ltd., Calona’s parent company, set out to find a new brand. Conviction pays tribute to the acumen of founders like Guiseppi Ghezzi, Peter Casorso, Cap Capozzi, W.A.C. Bennett, Monsignor W.B. McKenzie, et al. Founders are depicted on the new labels as edgy, unsentimental caricatures with a humourous twist. Under the supervision of winemaker Sydney Valentino, Conviction is made at the same sprawling, Andrew Peller facility in downtown Kelowna, which also produces Sandhill and Peller Estate Winery’s BC wines.

Conviction 2015

Open a bottle of Conviction 2015 “The Industrialist” Sovereign Opal and find that, despite the new label, it features the latest rendition of delightful wine that helped to establish Calona’s creds as a producer of great quality wines at affordable prices. As a cross of Muscat and Maréchal Foch, the variety emerged out of Summerland Research Station trials in the 1970s and has been grown at Casorso Vineyard where it produced its first crop in 1987. Calona and now Conviction have found a winner in this winter hardy, early-ripening white variety. Notes of lychee and custard accentuate the flower-scented nose and the crunchy, off-dry palate exhibits essences of anise, white pepper, bartlett pear and lemon peal. An everyday thirst-quencher, 2015 Sovereign Opal has the chutzpah to handle lighter fish, poultry and pork dishes as well as mildly spicy Asian food. $13.99 ****

New Owners at Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery

Despite little change in outward appearance, the transfer of West Kelowna’s Mt. Boucherie Winery to new owners ranks as a major BC wine story in 2016. The origins of Mt. Boucherie stretch back to 1975, when Mehtab Gidda, a Punjabi wheat farmer who immigrated to Canada, first purchased a vineyard on the Westside. Intending to convert to apples, he changed his mind when he realized that the market was more favourable for grapes, and vines were easier to grow. Eventually, vineyard holdings increased to include 11 acres surrounding the winery, 37 acres in Okanagan Falls, 60 acres in Oliver and 161 acres in the Similkameen Valley. That and annual production of 25,000 cases make Mt. Boucherie an important player in BC wine industry circles. Enter four Vancouver-based investors who acquired Mt. Boucherie prior to the start of the 2016 harvest. With accomplished winemaker Jim Faulkner on board for his sixth harvest, they brought in a management team headed by food industry specialist Craig McCulloch. They did not waste any time kicking off the process of upgrading and expanding plantings and facilities by replacing 75 acres of vines, adding a new crush pad, crusher-destemmer and conveyer belt, and purchasing 120 new French oak barrels.

2013 Family Reserve Syrah

At over 160 acres, Mt. Boucherie’s largest vineyard holdings are found in the Similkameen Valley where the stony, gravely and silty soils retain summer heat long after the sun sets. It is the source of fruit for 2013 Family Reserve Syrah, a classy, powerfully-structured red wine, 90% aged in French oak for 18 months. It delivers ripe, richly textured plum, bing cherry and blackberry fruit, with expressions of licorice, black pepper, vanilla and toasty oak, cushioned by silky, finely-textured tannins. Cellar for 3 to 5 years or enjoy now with a roast rack of lamb. $35  ****½

Monte Creek Ranch

Creating a new winery on the banks of the South Thompson River near Kamloops takes a farsighted entrepreneur, much like the pioneers of past glory. A modern day adventurer, Gurjit Sidhu of Sidhu and Sons Nursery in Mission acquired 1,200 acres in 2009, consisting of history-rich, 900-acre Monte Creek Ranch on the south side of the Thompson and 300 acre Lion’s Head Ranch on the north shore. 40 acres of grapes at the Monte Creek Ranch site includes such early-ripening grape varieties as Maréchal Foch and five cold hardy U. of Minnesota hybrids, recommended by retired provincial government grape expert John Vielvoye, such as Marquette and La Crescent. A cooler site on the valley floor, windmills are used for air movement to reduce the risk of frost. The land is also used to grow Haskap berries, house beehives and produce honey, and raise grass-fed cattle. On the wind-whipped north side of the valley, 20 acre Lion’s Head Vineyard is more favourable to vinifera varieties such as Riesling and a trial plot for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as Minnesota hybrids.  

Considering the dangers of shoulder season frost and extreme winter cold on the northern periphery, Minnesota hybrids provide a safety net for venturesome growers. They are sure to ripen well and produce concentrated berries from the sun-baked summers along the South Thompson. Any way you slice it, consumers and visitors to Monte Creek Ranch’s recently-launched “mission-style” winery astride the Trans-Canada Highway will be curious about these strange, new-fangled varieties and describing them as complex hybrid crosses will not be sufficient. The following review features a successful, affordable red blend sure to please many.

2015 Hands Up Red

In this easy-drinking blend, the mix includes Marquette and Frontenac Noir, Minnesota hybrids grown at Monte Creek Ranch, and Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc sourced from the Okanagan Valley. The softly-textured palate features fresh, ripe, candy-like cherry and blackberry fruit, infused with a splash of cranberry, plus notes of pepper and licorice. Pair with hearty beef stew.  $16.49  ****

All ratings out of 5 stars*****