Winemaker's CUT joins District Wine Village

Photo: Michal Mosny of Winemakers's CUT

In a move that should give Winemaker’s CUT Winery the profile it deserves, owners Michal and Martina Mosny are opening a tasting room in District Wine Village north of Oliver. There, they join about 15 other producers, large and small, that have space in this appealing tasting venue just beside the highway. It is a location that wine tourists can hardly miss. The winery, which has been marketing its small production since 2018, makes its wine on a vineyard location south of Oliver, also beside the highway. Plans for a tasting there were delayed by the pandemic. Now, the Wine Village offers the winery more visibility. For more background, here is an excerpt from The Okanagan Wine Tour Guide.

Classical music in winery is the signature of a Michal Mosny winery. “In all the wineries I have ever worked in, there is classical music in the vineyards and classical music in the cellars,” he said as speakers were being installed here in 2019. “That’s a must.” In Slovakia, where he was born in 1982, he and Martina, his wife, had a small winery (about 500 cases a year) near the village where Beethoven is said to have written “Für Elise.”

Michal and Martina immigrated in 2011, frustrated with the obstacles to assembling vineyards in Slovakia and also wanting to travel. Martina chanced to see a television documentary about Nk’Mip Cellars. That led to them to the Okanagan, where Michal set up a vineyard-management company. He spent five years as the winemaker and vineyard manager at Lunessence Winery & Vineyard near Summerland while developing Winemaker’s CUT, based on the Deadman Lake Vineyard. He had met the vineyard’s owner, Colin Stevens, in 2013 while buying grapes for one of Michal’s winery clients. The Stevens family had originally grown tree fruits since the 1920s on this property beside the highway midway between Oliver and Osoyoos. About 3.2 hectares (8 acres) of vines—Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc—were planted between 2000 and 2005. The Stevens family had considered developing a winery but never did. Michal discovered that the vineyard, rich in organic matter and minerals, produced wines of exceptional flavour. With the 2015 vintage, he began making wines for his Winemaker’s CUT label. He leased the vineyard and, after leaving Lunessence in 2019, turned a small fruit-packing house into a winery. “I am a proud garagiste winery,” Michal said after making 800 cases in 2018 and doubling production the next year.

Here are notes on current releases.

Winemaker’s Cut Bohemian Cuvée Blanc 2019 ($28 for 300 cases). This is 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sémillon aged six months in Slovakian oak. The wine begins with aromas of guava, melon and honey. On the palate, the wine delivers flavours of pineapple, guava, green apple with a subtle hint of vanilla. Bright acidity gives the wine a fresh, tangy finish. 91.

Winemaker’s Cut Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($24 for 450 cases). Zesty and refreshing, this wine begins with aromas of lime and grapefruit. These are echoed on the palate mingled with herbaceous and grassy notes. 91.

Winemaker’s Cut Rosé 2020 ($24 for 600 cases). This is 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Syrah. The wine presents in the glass with delicate rose hue. The restrained aroma leads to flavours of strawberry and watermelon. 90.

Winemaker’s Cut Syrah 2019 ($32 for 500 cases). The fruit for this wine is from a vineyard planted in 2005, which means the vines are just hitting their stride. The wine begins with classic spice, pepper and dark fruit aromas, which are echoed on the palate, along with dark cherry flavours. 91.

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