Wayne Gretzky scores with wine

Photo: Wayne Gretzy winemaker Sydney Valentino

In 2008 Wayne Gretzky, the Canadian hockey star, went into a celebrity winemaking venture with a Niagara winery. When the project struggled, it was taken over in 2011 by Andrew Peller Ltd. It has since become a major success there and now includes both a winery and a distillery.

As soon as the success seemed apparent, Peller launched the Wayne Gretzky Okanagan label with a 2011 vintage red and 2012 vintage white. Gretzky is one of four major brands made at the Peller-owned  Calona winery in downtown Kelowna. In style and in price point, the Gretzky wines occupy a position between the premium Sandhill wines and two value labels, Conviction and Peller.

“The whole idea with the Wayne Gretzky brand is that you could drink it at a hockey game,” says Sydney Valentino, who took over in 2019 as the winemaker for Wayne Gretzky Okanagan. “I don’t sit and watch hockey, but hockey is in my DNA, being Canadian. Everybody around me is into hockey. It just runs through your blood as a Canadian. It is such a cool brand to be part of.”

She is the third winemaker to make the Gretzky Okanagan brand. Born in Winnipeg, she grew up in Kelowna. She majored in chemistry and mathematics at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, graduating in 2010 and intending to be a science teacher. She did teach for a year. “I was not motivated and it did not appeal to me,” she says now. She worked briefly in a wine shop. Finding that winemaking did appeal, she joined the team at Calona Vineyards. Her university degree provided a solid technical foundation which she augmented by taking winemaking courses and mentoring with Howard Soon, the legendary winemaker then working there.  

The Peller group launched the Conviction label in 2015 to replace the Calona label. Sydney became the lead winemaker for Conviction until she was promoted to Gretzky. While the wines are made in the same cellar, the Gretzky wines are generally made from selected premium fruit. The Gretzky reserve tier, is called Signature. In style, the wines express varietal fruit and not much oak. The exception are two wines partially aged in whisky barrels. A recent trend in winemaking, the whisky barrel-aged fraction adds complexity to the finished wines.

Here are notes on the current portfolio from Wayne Gretzky Okanagan.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Chardonnay 2018 ($14.99). Fermented in stainless steel, this is a wine with aromas and flavours of apple, pear and citrus. The finish is crisp with lingering fruit. 90.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Pinot Grigio 2018 ($14.99).  The wine has appealing aromas and flavours of apples, pears and stone fruit. On the palate, the wine is crisp and refreshing, with a lingering fruity finish. 91.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Merlot 2017 ($16.99). The wine begins with aromas of cherry. On the medium-bodied palate, there are flavours of cherry and raspberry mingled with cassis and hints of chocolate. 88.

Wayne Gretzky Estates The Great Red 2018 ($16.99). The wine is a blend of Merlot, Malbec and Syrah. It begins with aromas of plum and fig mingled with earthy and gamey notes. On the palate, there are flavours of cherry and plum with deli meat and spice. 90.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Cabernet Franc Syrah 2018 ($16.99). The wine begins with ripe raspberry aromas, leading to flavours of blackberry, with a hint of chocolate and tobacco on the lingering finish. 90.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Signature Series Chardonnay 2017 ($23.99). The wine begins with aromas of citrus mingled with buttery oak. The palate is rich with flavours of citrus and butterscotch, with a hint of oak. 90.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Signature Series Riesling 2016 ($22.99). The wine begins with classic petrol aromas mingled with grapefruit rind. It is rich on the palate, with flavours of lemon and lime mingled with hints of petrol. The finish is persistent. 92.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Signature Series Cabernet Merlot 2016 ($24.99). This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, aged 14 months in American and French oak barrels. Dark in colour, the wine begins with aromas of black cherry. On the palate, the red fruit flavours are supported by notes of oak, tobacco and spice. 91.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Signature Series Pinot Noir 2017 ($24.99). Delicate in colour, the wine begins with aromas of cherries, which are echoed on the palate. The wine is light in body and the flavours are also delicate. 88.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Signature Series Shiraz 2016 ($24.99). Dark in colour, the wine begins with aromas of black cherry and plum mingled with white pepper. The palate delivers flavours of fig and pepper mingled with notes of deli meats. The texture is firm but rounds with decanting. 90.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Whisky Oak Aged Chardonnay 2018 ($17.99). This was fermented 52% in stainless steel and 48% in oak barrels. While 90% of the barrels are new and one-year-old French oak, 10% are whisky barrels. The wine begins with aromas of ripe apple, ripe pineapple and vanilla. On the palate, there are flavours of ripe apples and ripe peaches, with a touch of vanilla and spice on the finish. 91.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Whisky Oak Aged Cask Red 2018 ($18.99). This is a blend of 47% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Franc. Some 63% was aged in barrel of which 15% were whisky barrels, 30% was French oak and 55% was American oak. The remainder was aged in stainless steel. Dark in colour, the wine begins with a rich and jammy aroma of black cherry. On the palate, the cherry and plum flavours mingle with black pepper and the toasty notes of the whisky barrels. 91.