Hester Creek refreshes its wine labels

Photograph: Hester Creek general manager Mark Sheridan

Hester Creek Estate Winery is rolling out new labels and separating its wines more clearly into tiers of price and quality. “It has been eight, nine years, even more, since we have done a package refresh,” Hester Creek general manager Mark Sheridan says.

The label update has been two years in the making, including the time it took Hester Creek to decide who would handle the redesign. “We wanted to find somebody we felt was a fit,” Mark says. “We settled on a company from Portland, Oregon, called Fine Design Group Inc. One of the owners, Ken Fine, has his own vineyard and his own wine label. Not only does he understand design; he also understands the wine industry.” Fine Design has many notable clients in the United States but Hester Creek is the company’s first Canadian client.

Fans of Hester Creek wines will find the label change is subtle and even understated. “We are not trying to totally change our look,” Mark says. “It has to reflect who we are. We are a humble, modest but confident company and we want the labels to reflect that.” The labels maintain a family resemblance. “We did not want to go from one end of the spectrum to another with our labels,” Mark explains. “We wanted some commonality, particularly with the Foundation series because it is in multiple channels and has to be recognizable to our customer who has already built a loyalty to Hester Creek. The name Hester Creek is in a font and a label position similar to previous packaging.”

The popularly-priced Foundation Series wines include Character Red, Character White, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris; rosé; Select Vineyards Cabernet Merlot and Select Vineyards Merlot. “What we are trying to represent in that label is what makes Hester Creek unique: our old vines and our historic estate,” Mark says. The vineyard was established in 1968 by Joe Busnardo and, at the time, was the single largest vineyard in the south Okanagan dedicated entirely to vinifera grapes. The old vines give Hester Creek a significant advantage when it comes to make to quality wines. “We are fortunate to have this 53-year-old vineyard at our disposal,” says Mark Hopley, the senior winemaker (below) “For a winemaker, it is the best tool in the world.”

“We tried to focus on that in the label with the slogan Our Roots Run Deep,” Mark Sheridan says. “They run deep in the community. They run deep in our site, in our old vines, in our history.” The next tier is called the Source Collection. It includes Hester Creek’s Old Vines Merlot, Old Vines Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay, Trebbiano, the first release of Old Vines Pinot Blanc and the second release of Old Vine Brut, a traditional method sparkling wine.

The Storied Series is the successor to the tier that Hester Creek formerly called Terra Unica wines. Mark Sheridan explains: “Each wine tells a story, whether it reflects viticulture technique, or something unique from a winemaking perspective. We have five wines in this series: a Sémillon, a Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon … and Joe’s Block, the so-called Italian Merlot. It is from those old vines. And we also have a Pinot Bianco.” The Viognier, as an example, is made with grapes from a vineyard, the Stone’s Throw Vineyard on Black Sage Bench, operated by the Fournier family, long-time growers for Hester Creek. Details on the label identify the vineyard, show the vines and even gives the vineyard’s elevation above sea level. “These wines are available in our wine shop and to our wine club,” Mark Sheridan says of the Storied Series. “Every label is unique. Rich Tuscan colours coming through with the commonality of the name that ties in the small lot wines in the series.”

Top of the range are two iconic reds in the Origin tier: The Garland, a Cabernet Sauvignon-anchored blend named for Curt Garland, the owner of the winery; and The Judge, a Merlot-anchored blend the winery has made every year since 2007. The packaging for the new release is what Mark Sheridan calls minimalistic. “We felt that less is more with this package,” he says. “You don’t need to overstate it. The Judge is a brand in itself now. That is why we made it front and centre on the label.” Even with these icons, the new packaging was not used as an excuse to raise the prices. “I always use the expression that I want to shear the sheep; I don’t want to skin it,” says Mark Sheridan. “I want that consumer to come back again and again.”

Here are notes on one wine from each tier.

Hester Creek Ti Amo 2020 ($19.99 for 1,000 cases). This Prosecco-style wine is a blend of Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Sémillon. “The goal on this was for make a fruit-forward wine, not bone dry,” winemaker Mark Hopley says. “We whole-cluster pressed; picked early; and did long ferments in stainless steel.” The wine begins with floral and spicy aromas, leading to flavours of citrus and ripe pear. The bubbles give it a creamy texture. 89.

Hester Creek Old Vine Brut 2018 ($34.99 for 300 cases). This is a traditional method sparkling wine made with Pinot Blanc and aged 24 months on the lees. Mark Hopley says: “We decided to use Pinot Blanc, for several reasons. It is not a fruit bomb. It has that structure. And it is from Block Four, with 53-year-old vines.” The wine has aromas and flavours of brioche, citrus and green apple. This is an elegant and refreshing wine, the rival of a fine grower Champagne. 93.

Hester Creek Viognier 2020 ($19.99 for 330 cases). While cluster pressing and a long, slow ferment yielded a wine delivering bright fruit. It has aromas and flavours of stone fruit and honeysuckle. 92.

Hester Creek The Judge 2018 ($43.99 for 1,500 cases). This is 37% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Franc and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged 24 months on barrels (75% French oak, 25% American). The wine is harmonious and elegantly polished, beginning with appealing aromas of spice, vanilla and black cherry. The texture is concentrated, with flavours of black cherry and mocha. The finish is persistent. 95.