Pentâge Winery's special attributes

Photo: Paul Gardner and Julie Rennie

Paul Gardner and Julie Rennie, who operate this winery at the south edge of Penticton, like to draw attention to what makes Pentâge Winery notable, aside from the wines. Paul grows 19 varietals in two vineyards. That gives him the flexibility to craft complex blends, as the current releases show. The winery limits its annual production to about 5,000 cases a year. It means that Paul has the time to pay attention to the wines he is making. The winery makes a point of bottling aging its reds (and some whites) for 12 to 36 months before releasing the wines. That means the wines are ready to drink when released even if they have the structure to age further in the consumer’s cellar.

Finally, visitors to the winery get to see one of the most individual cellars in the Okanagan: a cellar carved into the rock. Pentâge Winery opened its tasting room only in 2011, eight years after opening the winery. The reason: it took Paul eleven years to plan and dig the massive 500 square-metre (5,500 square foot) cave from the crown of hard rock commanding this vineyard’s million-dollar view of Skaha Lake. Cool and spacious, this cave accommodates barrels and tanks of wine in a feat of engineering unlike anything else in the Okanagan, except perhaps the cellars at Mission Hill and Phantom Creek wineries. You can even appreciate the ambiance without a tour by peering through the gigantic glass doors at the front of the cave.

Here are notes of four of the winery’s current releases.

Pentâge Rosé 2021 ($20). The winery describes this as a field blend, predominately Syrah and Zinfandel. The wine begins with hue of rose petals and salmon leading to aromas of watermelon, strawberry and cherry. There are layers of fruit on the palate – raspberry, strawberry with a touch of spice. 90.

Pentâge Hiatus Red 2017 ($28.48). This is a typically interesting Paul Gardner blend: 26% Petite Syrah, 26% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Zinfandel, 6% Tempranillo and 2% Syrah. Each varietal was fermented and aged separately for 18 months n French and American oak before blending. The wine begins with aromas of cherries and red plums. On the palate, there are flavours of cherry, plum, blackberry, black current with spice on the finish. 91.

Pentâge Syrah 2017 ($26.09). There is a small amount of Viognier here, co-fermented with Syrah in the tradition of Rhône wines. The winemaker used two different yeasts to add to the complexity of the wine. The wine was aged 18 months in French (70%) and American (30%) barrels, of which 30% were new. The wine begins with aromas of dark cherry and fig mingled with a hint of black pepper. On the palate, there are flavours of blackberry, dark cherry and blueberry. 91.

Pentâge Merlot 2018 ($25.22). This wine was aged 18 months in French (90%) and American (10%) oak, of which 25% was new. The wine was aged a further year in bottle before release. The result is a delicious wine with aromas of currants, plum, dark cherry and spice. On the palate, there are flavours of dark fruit, with a spice note on the finish. 91.