Mirabel has opened its tasting room

Photo: Dawn and Doug Reimer in front of new Mirabel winery

A dinner guest who recently helped me taste a pink sparkling wine from Mirabel Vineyards sad that the wine took her back to fond memories of a summer once spent at Montpellier in the south of France.

That is in the heart of pink wine country. But it speaks well of any wine if pleasant memories come alive while drinking it.

Mirabel Vineyards launched several years ago as a virtual winery. This summer, with its brand reputation solidly established, this Kelowna winery completed an on-site winery and tasting room.

Doug and Dawn Reimer, the owners, have also hired their own winemaker: Kyle Temple, formerly assistant winemaker at Tantalus Vineyards. Previously, they had relied on various (excellent) consultants.

One immediate consequence of having an onsite winery and an in-house winemaker is that it is costing the Reimers a little less to make and sell their wines. Mirabel wine pricing has become a little more competitive.

For more background on Reimer, here is an excerpt from my recently-released Okanagan Wine Tour Guide (now in the bookstores at $25).

In 2005, Dawn and Doug Reimer moved to Kelowna in search of a site for their dream home. The property they bought overlooks a golf course and the city. But the apple trees on the slope spoiled the view for Doug until he planted Pinot Noir (and Chardonnay later). He decided to launch Mirabel Vineyards after several leading Okanagan wineries produced stunning wines from his grapes. “We were waiting to see what this terroir would really produce,” Doug says. “If it produced something we were excited about, then we want to take ownership and put our name on it.”

The Reimers are Winnipeg natives. Doug, who was born in 1955, is a member of a renowned trucking family. His father, Donald, started Reimer Express Lines in 1952 with one truck. A successor company, Reimer World Corporation, now employs 3,000 in Canada. “We have always loved wine, but that is not how I got interested in growing it,” Doug says. “When we bought the property, we had such a beautiful piece of property, but we thought we could do more than grow apples and pears. They don’t pay very much, and they don’t look that good.”

Doug has a singular focus. “We are trying to establish what will be a superior Pinot Noir in all of Canada, and knock down some doors in Oregon as well,” Doug says. “I love Oregon Pinot Noir. I have done extensive travelling in the Pinot Noir areas in Oregon. Maybe that is where our love started. We love the Burgundians as well. I did not want it to taste like Okanagan. I wanted it to taste like ‘world level,’ although people talk of sense of place.”

Here are notes on the current releases.

Mirabel Chardonnay 2018 ($28 Sold out). This is a textbook Chardonnay of great refinement and very restrained use of oak. The citrus aromas mingle with hints of vanilla. The palate delivers bright, fresh flavours of apples and peaches. 92.

Mirabel Rosé of Pinot Noir 2018 ($21 for 168 cases). Fashionably pale, the wine has aromas and flavours of strawberry and raspberry. The wine has a charming delicacy. 90.

Mirabel Blanc de Noir 2016 ($42 for 116 cases). Refreshing and crisp, the wine is festive in the glass with delicate pink hues and active bubbles. It delivers flavours of apple, raspberry and watermelon (and triggers memories of a summer in France). 92.

Mirabel Estate Pinot Noir 2017 ($32 for 150 cases). Elegant and pretty, this wine has aromas and flavours of strawberry and cherry. The texture is silken. 92.