TIME refreshes its branding and begins expansion

Photo: TIME owners Ron and Shelley Mayert (Chris Stenberg photo).

The new owners of Penticton’s TIME Winery have begun a significant expansion as well as rebranding. Last year, TIME, which was founded by the late Harry McWatters, was acquired by Ron and Shelley Mayert, a Fraser Valley business couple. Ron, a co-founder of Petcurean Pet Nutrition, was born in Summerland. The opportunity to buy the winery returned him to his Okanagan roots. The rebranding of TIME begins by changing the name to TIME Family of Wines and offering three distinct tiers of wine. Evolve Cellars continues as the value brand, with refreshed labels and two new wines – a white blend called Spontaneity and a red blend called Momento. The wines at the heart of the TIME portfolio now are released under the Chronos label. Chronos is the name of a Greek god associated with time, among many other things. There currently are six wines under the Chronos label. The most colorfully named wine is a red blend called Ouroboros. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines Ouroboros as “a circular symbol that depicts a snake or dragon devouring its own tail and that is used especially to represent the eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth.” The McWatters Collection tier has been retained for the ultra-premium wines, representing the legacy of Harry McWatters.

Christa-Lee McWatters, the general manager at TIME, says the winery retained the Dossier Creative, a highly regarded Vancouver design house, to do the rebranding and label redesign. The 15,000-square-foot winery occupies a building that once served as a four-screen movie theatre in downtown Penticton. The Mayerts plan a major expansion of the facility that will include a roof-top patio, two private meeting and dining rooms, an epicurean restaurant, a second-floor tasting room with an expanded market area adjacent to the ground-floor tasting bar.

TIME will also open a satellite wine shop in the new District Wine Village beside Highway 97 north of Oliver. There, the winery joins 15 other producers with tasting rooms and wine shops. Christa-Lee also indicated that the winery is also looking for vineyard property. Currently, TIME operates as a commercial winery, relying on purchases grapes at a time when there is a shortage of grapes in the Okanagan.

Here are notes on three new releases from TIME.

Evolve Spontaneity 2020 ($21.99 for 275 cases). This is a blend of 50% Pinot Gris, 30% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Ortega. The wine begins with aromas of lime and peach. On the palate, there are flavours of peach, apricot and apple, with bright acidity give the wine a fresh, tangy lift on the finish. It is a delicious wine. 90.

Chronos Rosé 2020 ($24.99 for 450 cases). This is 100% Syrah. Limiting skin contact to five hours has produced an appealing rose petal hue. The wine begins with jammy and fruity aromas, leading to flavours of strawberry and watermelon with a hint of red licorice and a dry finish. 91.

McWatters Collection White Meritage 2020 ($29.99 for 440 cases). This is a blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc and 45% Sémillon, with half of the Sémillon fermented in oak barrels. The wine begins with citrus aromas mingled with herbal notes. On the palate, the wine delivers flavours of herbs, guava and tangerine. The texture is lush but the finish is dry and persistent. 92.