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Okanagan-Taste

Wineries to watch

While we may not – yet – be able to visit wineries the way we used to, many are now getting ready to re-open for tasting experiences. Curbside and non-contact pick-up has become the norm, and buying wine online is generally seamless.

Before heading out to a winery be sure to check their website and social media channels for updates, or grab the phone and call for info on tastings as they now may be by appointment, held outdoors, and will be limited to smaller groups.

As these experiences become part of a new reality, consider checking out a winery that’s new to you; that may mean a virtual experience, or maybe buying a wine you’ve never tried. Here are a few to watch. Some new to the scene, some with refreshing and exciting changes.

Marionette Winery, Salmon Arm: the winemaking team of Amanda Eastwood and Jamie Smith gained their skills in Europe, where both have pursued a formal education in viticulture and oenology. Jamie’s hometown is now home to this small production, focussed on low intervention, describing the vineyard as its own living ecosystem. Try: 2017 Wild (Merlot). 

Winemaker’s CUT, Oliver: If the artistic labels don’t draw you in, the story surely will. Comparing its winemaking style to the director’s cut of a film, the vineyard also has a soundtrack. Classical music is played to the vines. Winemaker Michal Mosny hails from Slovakia, bringing a decidedly unique view and style to the Okanagan Terroir. Try: 2019 Grüner Veltliner. 

Play Estate Winery, Penticton: A spectacular view over Skaha Lake, new theatre-inspired labels, a new winemaker, and a new chef in the bistro. Stephanie Bryers established herself in Ontario, then travelled to hone her winemaking. Chef Dominic Dibartolomeo comes from several long-heralded winery bistros in the Okanagan. Try: 2019 Rosé de Syrah, Play-to-Go takeout/delivery meals. 

Mt. Boucherie, West Kelowna: Many changes await a grand re-opening, from the brand new gorgeous construction of a wine and visitor experience centre, the addition of The Modest Butcher bistro, and new faces; Brett Thiessen in the vineyards, and Jeff Hundertmark in cellar, another transplant from Ontario. Try: Mt. Bubbles (Frizzante-style sparkling). 

Ex Nihilo, Lake Country: The winding road is an adventure unto itself, and if you haven’t travelled it in a few years, prepare for a new dining and lounge space indoors, in addition to the outdoor wood-fired pizza. “Out of Nothing” and inspired by art came the winery under owners Decoa and Jeff Harder, now with winemaker Jim Faulkner. Try: 2018 Pinot Noir.

There are a number of wineries, breweries, distilleries, and cideries that anticipated a stellar 2020 season as their first in business, or they might have just hitting their stride after investing in their business for several years. No doubt this year will be like no other, but despite current challenges, here’s to raising a glass and still making positive memories.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

A creative thinker with more than two decades of experience in communications, Allison is an early adopter of social and digital media, bringing years of work in traditional media to the new frontier of digital engagement marketing through her company, All She Wrote.

She is the winner of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association's 2011 and 2012 awards for Social Media Initiative, an International LERN award for marketing, and the 2014 Penticton Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award for Hospitality/Tourism.

Allison has amassed a following on multiple social networks of more than 30,000, frequently writes and about social media, food and libations as well as travel and events, and through her networks, she led a successful bid to bring the Wine Bloggers Conference to Penticton in June 2013, one of the largest social media wine events in the world, generating 31 million social media impressions, $1 million in earned media, and an estimated ongoing economic impact of $2 million.

In 2014, she held the first Canadian Wine Tourism Summit to spark conversation about the potential for wine tourism in Canada as a year-round economic driver.

Allison contributes epicurean content to several publications, has been a judge for several wine and food competitions, and has earned her advanced certificate from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.

In her spare time, she has deep, meaningful conversations with her cats.

She can be reached at [email protected]



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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