Synchromesh gears up with the 2025 vintage

Photo: Alan Dickinson

One of the more unusual winery names in the Okanagan is Synchromesh Winery – but it makes sense to anyone who has driven a vehicle with a manual transmission. That includes winery owner Alan Dickinson and his father, John, who once raced cars.

It is hard to say which is more frightening: negotiating a high-speed race track or managing a vineyard when the Okanagan weather has become hard to predict. But it seems that Synchromesh’s Storm Haven Vineyard bounced back in 2025. I recently received three 2025 wines from this producer.

For some background on the winery, here is an excerpt from my 2020 Okanagan Wine Tour Guide. Alan Dickinson champions three varietals at Synchromesh. Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir anchor the red wines, while Riesling is almost an obsession with him. “I really like old Rieslings,” he says. “When you start laying Riesling down past 15 years, there is magic that happens under cork.” The magic, in fact, comes from Alan’s singular style. Synchromesh Rieslings invariably balance high residual sugar with racy acidity, recalling fine age-worthy German Rieslings. There are many top Okanagan Riesling wines but few that compare with Synchromesh.

Born in Vancouver in 1982 and trained in marketing and entrepreneurship, Alan was a founder of Vancouver Wine Vault, which stores private wine collections. When they decided to participate in the wine industry directly, Alan and his wife, Amy, searched the Okanagan for good Riesling sites for 18 months. In early 2010, they bought a 2-hectare (5-acre) piece of land that included a four-year-old block of Clone 21B Riesling. They have since replaced all the other varieties on the property with Riesling and Pinot Noir. In 2017 they purchased an adjoining 41-hectare (102-acre) block of raw land. About a third has been planted with Riesling and Cabernet Franc, while the remainder is preserved as natural habitat. The soils are lean. “The greatest German Rieslings are basically grown in slate, with no soil whatsoever and very little nutrient,” Alan says.

The block wraps around the base of 600-metre-high Peach Cliff, the most prominent geological feature at Okanagan Falls. Peach Cliff absorbs summer heat, creating updrafts that deflect rain and hail, which is why the original vineyard here is called Storm Haven. The wide diurnal temperature swing—as much as 20°C (36°F) between night and day—make this “perfect Riesling country,” Alan says. He also sources Riesling, along with Cabernet Franc and Merlot, from contract vineyards on the Naramata Bench and near Oliver. Alan made his first Riesling vintage in 2010, signalling his style by labelling the wine halbtrocken, or off-dry. Alan has not used German on the labels since, but what’s inside remains true to the style.

Here are notes on the wines.

Synchromesh La Petite Reverie Chardonnay 2025 ($26).This is Synchromesh’s first Chardonnay, made with fruit from a vineyard on the eastern shore of Skaha Lake. The vineyard belongs to the sister of Alan Dickinson, the owner of Synchromesh. The winery describes it as “a hilly property, with the Chardonnay block facing both east and west [and] with soils of heavier glacial lake deposits.” That may for the mineral backbone to this Chardonnay, which has notes of citrus and a very dry finish. 88.

Synchromesh Storm Haven Block 3 Riesling 2025 ($45). Synchromesh, which opened in 2011, is noted for its Riesling wines, most from its home vineyard near Okanagan Falls, the 107-acre Storm Haven Vineyard. This wine begins with a characteristic whiff of petrol mingled with citrus notes. The palate is rich with flavours of lemon and lime, with a hint of sweetness. The balance is superb and the finish is long. 93.

Synchromesh Cabernet Franc 2025 ($26). This is the winery’s first Cabernet Franc in three vintages, which speaks to the challenging growing conditions in the Okanagan in recent years. Some 89% of the fruit came from the Storm Haven vineyard while the rest was from the Story Orchard Farm, a Naramata Bench property Synchromesh has farmed since 2011. The wine was aged 11 moths in neutral oak barrels. The wine has aromas of dark cherries and spice, leading to flavours of black currant and blackberry. The finish is long. 90.

Township 7’s Interlude wines

Photo: Township 7's Mary McDermott

Okanagan and Similkameen wineries have begun to release their 2024 “replacement” red wines. There are the wines made with American (or other non-B.C.) grapes after the hard freeze in early 2024 almost wiped out vineyard production here.

Mary McDermott, the winemaker at Township 7 Vineyards & Winery, explained it well in a note accompanying the release of the winery’s so-called Interlude reds. “Following the devastating January 2024 freeze, which left many Okanagan vineyards with little or no fruit, we sourced premium grapes from trusted growers in the United States,” she writes. “Purchased in 2024, before the current trade environment, the fruit was brought to our Naramata winery, where our winemaking team crafted, aged and bottled four wines: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a Red Blend.” She adds: “Sourcing this fruit allowed us to keep our winery operating, our employees working, and our local suppliers and service partners supported during an exceptionally challenging vintage.”

Wineries needed the government to waive the mark-up usually imposed on imported wines to make it economically feasible for wineries to use imported grapes. Because the mark-up relief was not announced until late July 2024, wineries which, like Township 7, lined up “trusted growers” earlier in the season were taking a chance that favourable regulations would come eventually. When the mark-up relief was announced, it came late in the growing season and with a stupid restriction: the replacement wines had to be sold by March 31, 2025. That would have made it impossible for wineries to release properly aged red wines. Eventually, the regulators saw the light and extended the deadline for selling the replacement wines well into 2027.

I took the four Township 7 Interlude Reds for a tasting with a winemaking club of which I am a member. The response was uniformly positive, with one taster saying the quality exceeded his expectation for “replacement” wines. The replacement whites and rosé wines that I have already tasted have been good quality. I expect the same of the reds. The reason: there was a vast surplus of grapes in 2024 in Washington State and somewhat of a surplus in California. British Columbia wineries had lots of choice. Many wineries even sent their winemakers to have some supervision over the vineyards they dealt with.

“Both the 2024 freeze and the 2026 wildfires have required us to make difficult but necessary decisions,” Mary writes. She does not elaborate but is likely referring to discarding some fruit because of potential smoke taint. The wine business is not easy.

Here are notes on her 2024 reds, which clearly over-deliver.

Township 7 Interlude Red 2024 ($29.97 for 693 cases). This an unusual blend of 42% Pinot Noir, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 9% Syrah, with fruit from both Sonoma and Washington State. The varietals are fermented separately and aged 18 months in French and American oak. The wine has aromas of cherry mingled with oak. The palate delivers savoury flavours of fruits and deli meats, with long ripe tannins. The Pinot Noir in the blend is reflected in the wine’s amiable texture and finish. 90.

Township 7 Interlude Merlot 2024 ($33.97 for 491 cases). The fruit is from the Double D Vineyard at Orondo, Washington. The grapes were fermented in two large wooden foudres and then aged 18 months in French (80%) and American oak. None of the barrels were new. This is a muscular Merlot with big aromas of blackberry and black cherry echoed on the luscious palate. 92.

Township 7 Interlude Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 ($35.97 for 593 cases). The fruit is from the Double D Vineyard at Orondo, Washington. The grapes were fermented in both stainless steel and wood foudres. The wine was aged 18 months in French (75%) and American oak; none of the barrels were new. This is an elegant, full-bodied wine with aromas of cassis and dark cherry leading to flavours of dark fruits and a hint of chocolate. The long tannins give the wine good length. 93.

Township 7 Interlude Syrah 2024 ($44.97 for 643 cases). The fruit, 100% Syrah, was half from a Sonoma vineyard and half from the Double D in Washington. The lots were fermented separately in stainless steel (a small portion was fermented in foudres). The wine was aged 18 months in French (77%) and American oak, none of it new. This is a bold wine that struts from the glass. Deli meat aromas and flavours are mingled with blueberry, blackberry and a hint of pepper. It is rich and satisfying on the palate. 94.

Painted Rock's excellent wines

Photo: Painted Rock's John Skinner

In previous reviews of wines from Painted Rock Estate winery, I have recounted that I had advised the winery to plant a block of Syrah, which happens to be my favourite red varietal. I don’t recall being so presumptuous as to give planting advice to John Skinner, the winery owner, but I have always liked Painted Rock’s Syrah. The winery managed to plant the rest of its Skaha Lake Bench vineyard without any advice from me, as if I was needed. The winery had hired Alain Sutre, a famous Bordeaux consultant who advised a number of the best wineries in the Okanagan. He also participated in blending the wines, most notably the flagship wine, Red Icon. I profiled the wine in my 2017 book, Icon: Flagship Wines from British Columbia’s Best Wineries. Here is an excerpt from that chapter.

“I will tell you how Alain found me,” says John. “Alain heard about me from the nursery in Bordeaux. I had contacted the nursery directly because I wanted to get very specific clones. A year later, Alain showed up at the vineyard one day when we had just planted. He introduced himself and said, ‘I love what you have planted here, but no one in the Okanagan knows how to blend these clones.’ That was the beginning of the journey.”

John needed such expertise to fully realize his wine-growing ambitions. Born in 1958, he had been a successful Vancouver investment adviser. His growing passion for wine triggered a decision to retire from the investment business at 50 and take up wine-growing. In 2004, after a careful study of potential vineyard sites, he bought a 24-hectare (60-acre) former apricot orchard near the Skaha climbing bluffs. The site was shaped to produce an ideal southwestern vineyard exposure that he began planting in 2005.

He had a clear vision for his wines. “This journey is not about making a Bordeaux blend,” he told Alain. “This is about making an Okanagan wine with clones I sourced from Bordeaux.” Alain, he discovered, was on the same page. The consultant has had a hand in making Okanagan wines at other distinguished producers including Osoyoos Larose and, latterly, Culmina Family Estate Winery.

To date, Alain has blended every vintage of Red Icon. The blending decisions reflect the strengths of the Painted Rock vineyard in any given vintage. “Our 2012 Red Icon is kind of an inverted Bordeaux blend because it leads with 31% Malbec,” John says. “It’s Okanagan.” The blends vary from year to year and are somewhat unorthodox, with higher percentages of both Malbec and Petit Verdot. In most Okanagan red Meritages, Petit Verdot is a minor portion of the blend, bringing a touch of spice. Not so at Painted Rock. “I have never tasted a Petit Verdot like this,” Alain once said, advocating that the variety play a significant role in the blend.

The varietals all have roles to play. The Cabernets provide structure; Merlot fleshes out the mid-palate; Malbec brings bright flavour notes. “Petit Verdot,” John says, “is the attack and the finish.” While the components move around from vintage to vintage, Red Icon is united in style year after year by its harmony, as John discovered when tasting a vertical of the first five vintages. “Those five wines, all different blends, were all quite similar because they were complete wines,” he explains.

Here are notes on recent releases, including a very fine 2023 Red Icon.

Painted Rock Chardonnay 2025 ($44.99). This is a complex blend from four micro-harvests picked over two weeks. Some 83% of the wine was aged for six months in French oak (33% new) while 17% was aged in stainless steel. In the glass, the wine delivers aromas of peach and apricot. The palate is rich with flavours of pear, apple, tangerine and vanilla. The finish is long. 92.

Painted Rock Malbec 2023 ($59.99 for 190 cases). The winery grows just 1.15 acres of Malbec and most of the fruit is dedicated to the Red Icon blend. For some vintages, however, the winery releases a small lot Malbec. This wine was aged 18 months in oak (30% new). The wine has aromas and intense flavours of dark fruits mingled with spice. 93.

Painted Rock Cabernet Franc 2023 ($54.99). The winery has a 2.15-acre block of Cabernet Franc. The fruit was broken into small batches; each was given four days of the skins and 21 days of fermentation on the skins, with twice-daily punch-overs. The batches were all aged 18 months in oak (30% new) before being blended. The wine begins with aromas of dark cherry and blackberry mingled with spice. The well-textured and full palate delivers flavours of blackberry and plum mingled with hints of chocolate and tobacco. 93.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2023 ($79.99). This is a blend of 55% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Malbec. The lots were all broken into small batches for skin contact (four days), fermentation (21 days on the skins with twice daily pump-overs) and aged 18 months in French oak (30% new). The best barrels were chosen for this elegantly polished blend. It begins with aromas of dark cherry, chocolate, coffee and spice, all echoed on the palate. The long, ripe tannins support flavours that are exceptionally well-balanced and persistent. 95.

Terravista releases Canada’s first Mencía

Photo" Terravists's Dallas and Eric Thor

Terravista Vineyards, a winery on the Naramata Bench, has released an exceptional red wine made with the Spanish varietal, Mencía. This is Canada’s first Mencía.

Terravista has a history with Spanish varietals The winery’s original owners, Bob and Senka Tennant, who opened the winery in 2011, planted two whites, Albariño and Verdejo. When they decided to retire, they sold the winery to Dallas and Eric Thor, an ambitious young couple who quickly invested in additional vineyards after purchasing Terravista in 2019.

Dallas explains that “in the pursuit of growing and farming the majority, if not all, of our own grapes, Eric met and established a long-term lease with the owners of Naramata Outlook Vineyard below Naramata Road. When assessing what we wanted to plant there, of course we chose our core unique varieties, Albariño and Verdejo, in addition to a little block of Marsanne.” She continues: “Eric and I felt strongly that we should add a Spanish red to the portfolio. In 2020 we had some fun tasting through Spanish red varieties, and we became very excited about the extensive range and fresh profile of Mencía, and the potential of growing it at this site and in cool climate conditions. We rolled the dice and planted four acres in clay/silt loam soils.”

“This Mencía block,” Dallas says, “has endured climatic extremes since 2021. It was planted during the heat dome and then survived the 2022 and the 2024 freeze conditions. There was no fruit in 2024, and some damage to the vines in the first few years of growth. Despite the growing challenges, we saw incredible quality and ripening conditions during the 2025 vintage.” The vineyard itself has been a challenge. Dallas writes: “The site itself is very compact and has presented some growing challenges. Eric and the vineyard team have been diligently deep ripping the vineyard, doing post-harvest supplemental irrigation, planting root vegetables to break up the soil, as well as doing some foliar nutrition to help with canopy.” As a result, this pioneering Canadian planting of Mencía is a good bet to inspire other growers to consider Spanish varietals.

The just-released 2025 wine, Dallas writes in an email, “is just the ‘beginning of an answer’ of how Mencía is expressing itself on this clay bluff at Naramata Outlook Vineyard. We are not asking, is this Spanish enough? but what is the Naramata expression of this unique Spanish red grape, highlighting bright red fruits and signature acidity. This block is also certified organic and we farm it with our small team.”

Jancis Robinson and colleagues, in their authoritative 2012 book, Wine Grapes, describe Mencía as an “increasingly appreciated aromatic variety found in both Spain and Portugal.” They speculate that “it is plausible that Mencía was brought to Dão [in Portugal] by pilgrims on their way back from Santago de Compostela.” The Robinson book says there were 22,375 acres (9,055 hectares) of Mencía in Spain in 2008. There is a third that acreage in Portugal. It is a versatile varietal producing table wines range from rosé to dense, full-bodied reds.

Terravista winemaker Nadine Kinvig has made a similar range of wine from the Terravista planting. “We have produced three wines from this site,” the winery writes. “A rosé in the spring from an early 2025 pick; the 2023 which is wine club only with only 45 cases in a savoury and structured style; and now our 2025 Mencía made intentionally to highlight the more floral, herbal and red fruits side of the variety.” The winery’s tasting notes also add that this is a chillable red. I concur with that but I would be careful not to overchill the wine. Here are notes on the wines.

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Vasanti's new winemaker plans to change the style

Photo: The Sidhu family at a Vasanti vineyard

In Punjabi, Vasanti means spring or new beginnings. The name of this South Okanagan winery was inspired by the history of Harb Sidhu, the head of the family, who left India in 1980 to farm orchard fruit and then to grow grapes in the Okanagan. He and his three sons sold grapes to other wineries for years before beginning to bottle wines under the Vasanti label in 2021. Gordie Sidhu, the oldest son and a financial planner, is the vineyard manager, having equipped himself with a certificate in viticulture from Okanagan College. Vik Sidhu, the youngest son, who has a biology degree, works with the winemaker.

The director of operations is Davinder Sidhu, an optometrist who also has a biochemistry degree from UBC Okanagan and who has published papers on his wine research. The winery’s initial vintages were made with the assistance of Jason Parkes, one of the Okanagan’s leading consulting winemakers. In the spring of 2005, Petar Djuric, who had been at French Door Winery, joined Vasanti as winemaker. A master sommelier, he had a long career in restaurants before coming to the Okanagan in 2021. He has a certificate in viticulture from Okanagan College and honed his experience with a season making wine in Chile.

The arrival of a new winemaker also has led to a decision to change cooperage. “Vasani was built on new American oak and French oak,” the winery writes. “It is an assertive cooperage [which can] dominate the exact site character we are trying to show. We are moving to French and other European oak and cutting the proportion of new barrels. The reasoning: if the goal is a wine true to a vintage and its fruit, the barrel should be a frame rather than a flavour. … The vineyard [should] be the loudest thing in the glass.” The first wines to reflect the new direction in winemaking and cellaring are being made in the 2026 vintage. It would be interesting to lay in a few wines that are currently being released – and they are well made wines – and compare them with the 2026 wines when those are released. My only comment: if it is oot broken, do not hurry to fix it.

Here are notes on the wines.

Vasanti Paradise Bubbles 2025< ($26.99 for 322 cases). This is made with Pinot Gris. The wine was fermented cool to retain the aromatics. Forced carbonization gave the wine its sparkle. The wine is crisp with notes of citrus on the palate. 88.

Vasanti Sauvignon Blanc 2025 ($24.99 for 185 cases). The fruit for this wine is from Vasanti’s Paradise Vineyard near Osoyoos. It was fermented cool and matured in stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas of lime and lemon leading to flavours of lime and gooseberry. The wine is crisp and dry, reminiscent of Sancerre. 90.

Vasanti Pinot Gris 2025 ($24.99 for 339 cases). The fruit for this wine is also from the Paradise Vineyard. It was fermented cool, left on the lees for two weeks, with regular battonage and was matured in stainless steel. The wine has aromas and flavours of apple, pear and citrus. It is crisp and dry on the finish. 89.

Vasanti Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2025 ($24.99 for 535 cases). The fruit is from the winery’s Granite Lake vineyard near Osoyoos. There is eight per cent Cabernet Franc in the blend. The fruit was pressed with minimal skin contact which produced an appealing salmon pink hue. The wine has aromas and flavours of strawberry and watermelon, with cherry notes as well. The finish is crisp and fresh. 91.

Vasanti Meritage 2023 ($29.00 for 924 cases). The blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc and 18% Merlot, all from Osoyoos vineyards. The wine was aged in a mixture of French, American and Hungarian oak barrels. It begins with aromas of spice, cassis and dark cherry, leading to flavours of black currant mingled with chocolate. The wine benefits from being decanted. 93.

Vasanti Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 ($44.99 for 408 cases). This fruit for this wine is from two Osoyoos vineyards, in a hot season that produced a big and bold red. The wine was aged 28 months in a mixture of French, American and Hungarian oak barrels. The wine, which benefits from decanting, has aromas and flavours of dark fruits mingled with spice. The finish is long. 93.