Sperling's Natural Amber and friends

Photo: winemaker Ann Sperling

If natural orange wines gain traction with consumers, some of the credit is due to Ann Sperling, one of the proprietors and the senior winemaker at Kelowna’s Sperling Vineyards.

The winery’s latest releases include what Sperling chooses to call “Natural Amber.” It is a perfectly good synonym for orange wine and perhaps even a better description of the colour of the wine.

Making this edgy wine involved taking a few risks. With more than 30 years experience making wine, Ann long ago lost any reluctance to push the limits. Sperling wines are always interesting.

The grape chosen for this wine was Pinot Gris, a variety often favoured for orange wine because there is a little colour in the skins of mature fruit. It is also the most widely planted white grape in British Columbia. There is plenty of fruit available if the winemaker wants to explore styles beyond the conventional crisp white wine we are all familiar with.

To make the Amber wine, Sperling fermented whole clusters – stems and all – with wild yeast. The wine also completed malolactic fermentation naturally, fermenting to complete dryness.

“And then,” the winery adds in its technical notes, “what if you press and settle rather than fine or filter – and leave the natural structural elements of the grape intact, and not ameliorate with additives such as sulphites?”

This leads to a somewhat philosophical riff on the wine.

“The result is a whole expression of Pinot Gris vines that have adapted themselves over 20 years to our site. It is not an expression of the vessel, but a savory expression of the complete grape. It may be an umami expression through the grape, but there is no denying this wine loves food.”

Orange wines are not everyone’s cup of tea (in fact, the flavours usually remind me a bit of steeped tea) but you will never know if you don’t try a glass or two. Sperling Natural Amber is a good place to start.

Here are notes on that wine and other current releases. Note the use of the term, organic. The vineyard has been certified organic since 2017.

Sperling Organic Market White 2018 ($19 for 768 cases). This is a blend of 45% Bacchus, 45% Pinot Blanc and 10% Riesling. Some of the previous vintages of this showed residual sweetness. This is nicely balanced to dryness. There are aromas and flavours of apple, melon and spice. 90.

Sperling Organic Pinot Gris 2018 ($21 for 768 cases). The wine begins with appealing fruity aromas of pear and stone fruit with an intriguing hint of anise. All that is echoed on the palate. The finish is crisp and fresh. 90.

Sperling Organic Natural Amber 2018 ($30 for 350 cases). This is an unfiltered wine. Left deliberately a little hazy. Orange in hue, the wine has aromas and flavours of orange rind, with a hit of spicy orange on the palate. On the savoury finish, there is the note of tobacco often found in orange wines. 90.

Sperling Organic Vision Chardonnay 2017 ($32 for 380 cases). This is an elegant wine, beginning with aromas of citrus with a touch of butter, which is mirrored on the palate. The wine was fermented with indigenous yeast in 500-litre puncheons. Selected barrels were blended and aged on the lees for 10 to 12 months. The oak flavours are barely perceptible, with the subtle fruit flavours left to be the star. 91.

Sperling Old Vines Foch Reserve 2017 ($32 for 322 cases). Blessed with vines planted in the 1960s, Sperling has chosen to championing one of the few hybrid varieties that survived the 1988 pullout. The wine has aromas and flavours of dark fruits mingled with toasty notes. The rustic character of this dry red is a good reflection of Maréchal Foch. 90.

Sperling Organic Pinot Noir 2017 ($35 for 364 cases). This is a fresh, lively Pinot Noir, with aromas and flavours of cherry and strawberry. Light in body, it has a touch of spice on the finish. 89.