Moon Curser: Confiscated and friends

Photo: Harjit, Gurjit and Sukhi Harjit Dhaliwal

The current releases from Moon Curser Vineyards in Osoyoos include several wines labelled as “confiscated.” This is a cheeky reference to the Washington state grapes the winery bought after the severe January 2024 freeze reduced Okanagan wine grape production to five per cent of normal. Designating wines which are quite good as confiscated is consistent with the spirit in which founders Chris and Beata Tolley changed the winery’s original name, Twisted Tree, to Moon Curser, with labels that shook up the winery’s previously staid image.

What really made the rebranding succeed was the quality and the originality of the wines. The Tolleys often planted varietals that were exclusive, or nearly so, to their vineyards. Examples included Tannat, an old French variety at home in Uruguay; Carménère, another old French red now at home in Chile; Touriga Nacional, a Portuguese red; and Arneis, a lovely Italian white grape. The result is that Moon Curser wines have been as individual as the labels.

In 2023, the Tolleys sold one of Moon Curser’s vineyards to Gurjit Dhaliwal, his wife Sukhi and his brother, Harjit. The brothers have been Okanagan grapegrowers since 2007 while Sukhi became a nurse. After they purchased the vineyard, they discovered that Chris and Beata, both nearing 60, were ready to retire. The Dhaliwals had been thinking of opening a winery and jumped at buying Moon Curser, an established producer with award-winning wines. The ownership change was announced in December 2024, in spite of a reduced production from Moon Curser’s vineyards due to the devastating January freeze. Vineyards around Osoyoos Lake suffered less than vineyards elsewhere in the Okanagan. While Tannat did not survive the freeze and will not be replanted, most of the other varietals made it.

The new owners took over an inventory that included the “Confiscated” wines, made after Chris and winemaker Christian Scagnetti augmented Moon Curser’s 2024 production by sourcing excellent grapes from Washington State. “It was not an easy decision,” general manager Crystal Coverdale writes, “but when we saw Rocky Pond Estate Winery has some Lake Chelan fruit that suited Moon Curser well, Chris and Christian did the two-hour drive to check it out.” That enabled them to flesh out 2024 production. Most of Moon Curser’s vineyards recovered in 2025. The white wines from that vintage are bright and expressive. Expect the reds to be very good, judging from Moon Curser’s 2025 Dolcetto, the best example of that Italian varietal I have tasted from the Okanagan.

So far, the 2026 vintage is progressing well. Hopefully, smoke taint will be avoided. Here are notes on the wines.

Moon Curser Riesling Confiscated 2024 ($25.99 for 690 cases). The fruit is from Lake Chelan in Washington. The grapes were transported to the Moon Curser winery in Osoyoos, where whole grapes were crushed and fermented cool in stainless steel. The wine has aromas and flavours of lemon and peach. A touch of residual sugar gives the wine a fullness on the palate. 88.

Moon Curser Confiscated Rosé 2024 ($26.99 for 473 cases). The fruit is Pinot Noir from Lake Chelan, given cool fermentation in stainless steel in the winery at Osoyoos. It begins with an inviting pink hue in the glass. It has aromas and flavours of strawberry and raspberry. The finish is juicy. 9o.

Moon Curser Marsanne 2025 ($26.99 for 151 cases). This is Moon Curser’s first Marsanne on its own. The winery writes: “Christian, our winemaker, followed his heart and his palate with this vintage of Marsanne, and bottled a single varietal wine of it, a first for Moon Curser.” The grapes were fermented cool in stainless steel, and aged in tank. It is a richly-textured wine with aromas of quince and vanilla. The palate delivers flavours of quince, pear, marmalade and almond. This is an age-worthy white with a long finish. 93.

Moon Curser Roussanne Marsanne 2025 ($28.99 for 279 cases). This is a classic Rhône blend: 79% Roussanne and 21% Marsanne. The grapes were fermented cool in stainless steel tanks, with the wine aging in stainless steel. This is a full-bodied wine, rich and complex on the palate. It begins with aromas of spice and tropical fruits. That is echoed on the palate, along with baked apple and vanilla. 92.

Moon Curser Viognier 2025 ($25.99 for 421 cases). The wine was fermented cool and aged in stainless steel. In the glass, there are dramatic aromas of mango and pineapple. The luscious texture delivers a cornucopia of fruit flavours, including mango, pineapple, peach and apricot. 93.

Moon Curser Dead of Night 2022 ($46.99 for 661 cases). Moon Curser’s flagship red wine, this is a blend of 50% Tannat and 50% Syrah. This has always been a wine with power – even more so in a great vintage like 2022. Partially co-fermented in stainless steel, the wine was aged 12 months in French and Hungarian oak (35% new). Dark in colour, the wine begins with aromas of dark fruits and coffee. The palate delivers flavours of dark cherry, black currant and plum mingled with oak. This wine will benefit from decanting and will age far into the future. 94.

Moon Curser Confiscated Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 ($46.99 for 446 cases). The winery supplemented the diminished harvest of this varietal in the Okanagan with fruit from Lake Chelan. The wine was fermented in stainless steel and then aged 12 months in French oak (37% new). The wine is rich in texture. It begins with aromas of cassis, dark cherry and plum. The palate delivers flavours of dark cherry, chocolate and licorice. 92.

Moon Curser Confiscated Pinot Noir 2024 ($34.99 for 657 cases). The fruit is from a high-altitude vineyard near Lake Chelan. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged 12 months in French and American oak barrels (22% new), The wine begins with aromas of cherry and toasted oak, leading to flavours of cherry and strawberry. The tannins are long and silky. 88.

Moon Curser Border Vines 2022 ($34.99 for 1,547 cases). This is a blend of 35% Petit Verdot, 33% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. Fermented in stainless steel, the wine was aged 12 months in French oak (25% new). The wine begins with spicy aromas of cherry and licorice, leading to a rich palate with flavours of dark fruits mingled with chocolate. 92.

Moon Curser Carménère 2022 ($46.99 for 519 cases). This wine was aged 12 months in French oak (20% new). It begins with aromas of plum and cranberry mingled with notes of black pepper. The medium-bodied palate echoes the pepper, along with flavours of dark cherry. The finish persists. 94.

Moon Curser Diversion 2024 ($38.99 for 428 cases). The blend of this wine is 46% Cabernet Franc, 34% Syrah and 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, all from vineyards near Osoyoos Lake. (Lake effect moderated the 2024 freeze, allowing the vines to produce some fruit in that vintage.) The wine was aged 12 months in French oak (28% new). In the glass, there are aromas of cherry and plum with a hint of oak. The medium-bodied palate delivers flavours of black cherry, blackberry, tobacco and black olive. 91.

Moon Curser Dolcetto 2025 ($30.99 for 681 cases). This is an impressive example of a rarely seen (from the Okanagan) Italian varietal. Aromas of plum and red cherry jump from the glass leading to bold flavours of cherry, plum and pomegranate. The texture is rich and juicy. 92.

Moon Curser Syrah 2022 ($34.99 for 883 cases). The grapes were fermented in stainless steel and aged 24 months in French and Hungarian oak (28% new). The winery released an impressive 2022 Syrah last year with just 12 months of barrel age. Clearly, a portion of that vintage was held back for longer aging. The wine is more polished, with aromas of dark cherry, fig and spice. On the palate, dark fruits mingled with blueberry, spice and a hint of pepper 92.

Moon Curser Contraband Syrah 2024 ($46.99 for 118 cases). This wine was made with Okanagan fruit. The grapes were fermented warm in stainless steel. The wine was aged 24 months in French oak (40% new), as well as Hungarian and neutral barrels. In the glass, the wine is dark with powerful aromas of stewed plum, fig and dark cherry. There is also the varietal’s classic hint of pepper. There is lots of pepper on the palate along with flavours of dark fruits. 91.

Moon Curser Touriga Nacional 2022 ($46.99 for 393 cases). This is a Portuguese varietal. In the Okanagan, Moon Curser is believed to be the only producer. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel and the wine was aged 12 months in French oak (25% new). Dark in colour, the wine has intriguing aromas of cherry and plum mingled with blueberry and tobacco. All that is echoed on the savoury palate, along with notes of black olive and a suggestion of pepper. The finish is long. 94.

Township 7 sparkles in 2026

The members of Township 7 Vineyards wine club must surely look forward to new releases from the winery because winemaker Mary McDermott has such sure hand at the job. She makes both top flight tables wines and some of British Columbia’s best sparkling wines. The four wines released this summer, including two traditional method sparkling wines, prove that.

Township 7 made its first sparkling wine in 2001 and called it Seven Stars. When Mike Raffan bought the wine in 2005, he wanted to produce more sparkling wine but, for some reason, the winery did not get around to it until Mary became the winemaker. “We hired Mary in 2014,” Mike told me in an interview in 2021. “She had the experience, the knowledge and mostly the passion about sparkling wines. That was part of our first interview. It was not primarily why she was hired but, as it turns out, we were able to start the [sparkling wine] project in 2015.”

By that time, Mike had sold the winery but remained to manage it. The new owner has given full support to Mary, as she polished and expanded the portfolio. New cooperage was added to the cellar; premium vineyards were purchased in the South Okanagan and replanted, where required, after the 2024 freeze. And Township 7’s original vineyard at Langley in the Fraser Valley was dedicated – at Mary’s suggestion - to growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay just for sparkling wine. Seven Stars has become a separate brand with a lower case spelling and a family of wines with celestial names. The two in the current release are Aurora, named for the Roman Goddess of Dawn, and Rigel, named for one of the brightest stars in the night sky. The seven stars family also includes Vega, Polaris. Equinox and Sirius.

In the same 2021 interview, Mary spoke of her passion for sparkling wine. “When I was taking my WSET courses and working as a sommelier, I loved sparkling,” she said. “And then when I started full time in wineries, I worked at Cave Springs Cellars. They had a small sparkling program there and I got my hands dirty, because I worked fulltime in the cellars then. I moved from Cave Springs to Trius [a major Niagara wine producer] and took over the Trius program, which is much larger. It kept going from there. I always really enjoyed sparkling wine.”

Here are notes on the current releases.

Township 7 Provenance Series Rosé 2025 ($28.97 for 730 cases). This is a blend 41% Syrah, 38% Rotberger, 11.5% Pinot Noir, 7% Pinot Gris and 2.5% Pinot Meunier, all from the Naramata Bench. The fruit had just enough skin contact to develop a delicate pink hue to the wine. A cool, month-long ferment in stainless steel preserved the lively fruit flavours. The wine begins with aromas of strawberry and cherries, which are echoed on the palate. The finish is dry and refreshing. 90.

Township 7 Benchmark Series Viognier 2025 ($30.97 for 731 cases). The fruit is from vineyards in Osoyoos and Oliver. The wine was fermented primarily in stainless steel with 24% aged in neutral oak to add texture and complexity. This is a vibrant wine with aromas and flavours of tangerine, peach and apricot. The fruit flavours are mouth-filling and the texture gives the wine a long finish. 92.

seven stars Rigel 2023 ($34.97 for 634 cases). This is 100% Riesling, with fruit from the Fool’s Gold Vineyard at Oliver. A traditional method sparkling wine, it was aged 12 months en tirage before being disgorged, finished with a proprietary dosage and bottled. There are aromas of lime and apple with a hint of petrol. The crisp palate delivers citrus flavours and a lively display of bubbles. 90.

seven stars Aurora 2022 ($49.97 for 1,296 bottles). Think of this wine as a premium Champagne at half price! It is 100% Pinot Noir from Okanagan Falls. The wine was aged en tirage for 30 months, with a small addition of proprietary dosage at bottling. This is an elegant and refined sparkling wine, with a hint of brioche and apple in both the aroma and the flavour. The lively mousse accentuates the crispness and the refreshing finish. 94.

Meyer Family Vineyards and Mayhem Winery change owners

Photo: Janice Stevens and JAK Meyer /photo credit Noelle Starzynski

Northlight Wine Collective, a new entity in the Canadian wine industry, has just acquired Meyer Family Vineyards and its sister winery, Mayhem Wines, both based in Okanagan Falls. The transaction was announced on LinkedIn by José S. Salgado, the Mexican-born principal and founder of Northlight, currently based in Oakville, Ontario. Purchase price has not been disclosed.

The transaction was also announced by the founders of Meyer and Mayhem in emails to their wine clubs. “What began as a dream,” JAK Meyer and his wife, Janice Stevens, wrote, “has grown into a remarkable community.” The reference is to the loyal wine club members. “As many of you know, succession has long been part of our family's conversation,” JAK and Janice continued. “Our daughters have chosen different paths, and we've always known there would come a day to consider what came next for the winery. Yet we never imagined how meaningful it would be to find the right partner to carry it forward.” That partner is Northlight.

“From our very first conversations with José Salgado, we felt something that was important to us” they continued. “José grew up around hospitality and winemaking before building a career at some of North America's most respected wine companies, deepening his understanding of what makes great wineries endure. He understands that Meyer Family Vineyards has been built patiently, over many years, through people, vineyards, relationships and trust, and he shares our belief that what makes this winery special should never be lost.”

A lawyer by profession, Salgado started his career as a law clerk in 2010 with a firm in Mexico City. His biography is detailed on his LinkedIn profile. He then founded or managed several restaurants there. Between 2016 and 2018, he acquired a masters in business management from the Tuck School of Business in Dartmouth, New Hampshire.He then spent almost two years at the Duckhorn Wine Company in California as a senior financial analyst, moving to Fetzer Vineyards in 2020 as a business development manager.

He came to Canada to join Andrew Peller Ltd. in Ontario in 2022 as a direct-to-consumer marketing executive. He left there in September, 2024, to set up Northlight. It appears that Meyer and Mayhem are its first Canadian winery acquisitions.

Meyer began when JAK, a former investment dealer who is now 68, planted a four-acre Chardonnay vineyard on the Naramata Bench in 1994. Little more than a hobby winery, it enabled JAK to get his feet wet in the wine industry. He even considered having Robert Mackenzie, the Okanagan’s leading winery architect, design a winery before looking elsewhere to expand the business. Late in 2008, JAK purchased a 5.9-hectare (14½-acre) Okanagan Falls vineyard for about $2 million. It had been the Stone Mountain winery and was bankrupt. It was renamed Meyer Family Winery. JAK and Janice replanted more than half of the vineyard with Pinot Noir, establishing the winery’s direction. JAK also purchased a small Pinot Noir vineyard in Kaleden in 2018.

“Stone Mountain was on an existing vineyard with a processing facility,” JAK told me in a 2008 interview. “They made wine in 2005 and 2006.” There were 23,000 litres in the inventory (some in bottle) when JAK bought the winery out of bankruptcy. “I was quite happy not to get the wine,” JAK told me. “I want to start fresh.” The wine was likely sold on the bulk market. To make wine in the plain-jane processing facility (no shades of Robert Mackenzie here), JAK hired Chris Carson, an Edmonton-born winemaker with training and extensive experience in New Zealand. “I was pretty lucky,” JAK once told me about that recruitment. Lucky or smart, the result is that Meyer Family has acquired many accolades for its Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, which are among the finest made in the Okanagan.

One of the unique traditions at Meyer has been the annual release of a “tribute” Chardonnay. The first was released as a tribute to Kenny McLean, a Canadian rodeo legend who came from Okanagan Falls. Over the years, an eclectic group have been honoured by having their names associated with one of the winery’s best Chardonnays, including Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer in British Columbia.

Northlight is also buying Mayhem Wines, which was opened in 2018 by JAK’s sister, Terry, and her partner, Andrew Stone. Mayhem shares the Meyer production facility and has in independent tasting room at Meyer’s Okanagan Falls location. Mayhem also has a vineyard on Anarchist Mountain overlocking Osoyoos, its own winemaker and a portfolio that does not conflict with Meyer.

The Northlight Wine Collective is the second investment group to announce an acquisition in the Canadian wine industry this summer. In mid-July, Fairfax Financial Holdings announced a $579 million takeover of Andrew Peller Ltd., which has wineries both in British Columbia and Ontario. This deal is expected to be finalized later this year.

Fort Berens promotes winemaker with the release of 2025 wines

Photo: Winemaker Seth Jex in the Fort Berens cellar (credit Brad Kesselman)

With the release of 2025 white wines (and a rosé), Fort Berens Estate Winery also announces that Seth Jex has moved up to head winemaker from assistant. He takes over from Alex Nel who has returned to his native South Africa.

Seth, who spent the previous five years as the assistant winemaker, is a 2019 graduate of Brock University, where he earned a certificate in Enology and Viticulture to complement a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the university of Northern British Columbia. He has made wine in 11 harvests, both in New Zealand and South Africa as well as Ontario, Washington State and in British Columbia. He joined Fort Berens in 2019.

In the frost-devastated 2024 vintage, Fort Berens (like many B.C. wineries) sourced grapes in Washington State. Seth was sent to Washington that spring to meet growers and select vineyards. He returned in the fall as the onsite winemaker, creating the Here & There collection of wines that were finished at the Lillooet winery. His Here & There Chardonnay 2024 was a top-scoring Chardonnay among the replacement wines that B.C. wineries made. A versatile talent, Seth has worked with the winery’s farm manager to enable Fort Berens to be certified for sustainable winegrowing. He has also served as assistant tasting room manager. As well, he is the founder in 2021 of Lillooet Cider Co., which makes small batch ciders with Lillooet-grown fruit.

In the 2025 vintage, production recovered at the two estate vineyards at the Lillooet winery and at many of the Okanagan vineyards also supply Fort Berens. “Our estate vineyards were in great shape going into the 2025 season,” writes Heleen Pannekoek, the chief executive at Fort Berens. “Our vineyard remained very happy and healthy and we ended up with 90% of a normal harvest of healthy grapes. … We believe this vintage is one of our best vintages, exceeding our outstanding 2022 vintage. Our 2025 whites and rosé have great aromatics, more body and great longevity.” Here are notes on the wines, which were made jointly by Seth and Alex.

Fort Berens Pinot Gris 2025 ($23.99 for 1,500 cases). The winery sourced grapes from vineyards in Lillooet, Lytton and Oliver. The crushed grapes had four hours of skin contact and were fermented at 11 degrees and with dry ice to minimize oxygen contact. The wine was aged four months on the lees. It begins with aromas of citrus, apple and quince leading to flavours of pears and stone fruits. 91.

Fort Berens Riesling 2025 ($23.99 for 1,900 cases). The fruit for this wine is from the winery’s estate vineyards at Lillooet. The crushed grapes were given 12 hours of skin contact and were then fermented cold in stainless steel. Ferment was stopped, leaving just enough residual sugar to balance the acidity and give the wine a rich note on the palate. Aromas of lemon and lime lead to a fruit salad of flavours, including lime, apple and apricot. The finish is crisp and refreshing. 92.

Fort Berens Chardonnay 2025 ($24.99 for 1,000 cases). Half of the fruit was from the estate vineyards; the rest from vineyards at Summerland and Savona. Some 30% of the grapes were whole-cluster pressed and then fermented with natural yeast in French oak barrels, and aged there for four months. The other 70% were destemmed, crushed and cold-fermented in stainless steel and left on the lees four months. The two lots were blended and bottled. The wine is lightly oaked, with aromas and flavours of apple and peach. 91.

Fort Berens Small Lot Grüner Veltliner 2025 ($25.99 for 433 cases). Made with estate-grown fruit, this is one of the best examples ever of this Austrian varietal that I have tasted from a B.C. winery. Some of the credit, winemaker Seth Jex says, is a new yeast strain the winery was able to secure for the 2025 vintage. “That has made all the difference,” he says. The grapes are from one of the estate vineyards at Lillooet. Some 70% of the crushed fruit was allowed four hours of skin contact while the remainder was whole-clustered pressed. Fermentation was long and cool in stainless steel and with minimal oxygen contact. The wine has a terrific aromatic beginning with aromas of lime and kiwi fruit and flavours of green apple. The finish is crisp. 93.

Fort Berens Rosé 2025 ($23.99 for 1,400 cases). This wine is made with four estate-grown reds (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon), all given about 12 hours of skin contact to extract the rose petal hue. This is a dry and somewhat austere rosé with aromas of strawberry, raspberry and pomegranate which are echoed on the palate along with a touch of cranberry and watermelon. 89.

Fort Berens Late Harvest Riesling 2025 ($20.99 for 395 cases of 375 ml bottles). The winemakers took advantage of the abundance of the Riesling crop to make this wine, which is not produced every year. The wine is made from estate-grown Riesling that was allowed to hang late in the season until there was with some raisining of the fruit. The wine begins with aromas of honey, raisins and tangerines. The palate is rich with flavours of baked apple, raisins, honey and lime. The exquisite balance gives the wine delicate sweetness and a long finish. 93.