Quails’ Gate's Distinction Collection

Photo: Detail of label shows pattern inspired by quail eggs

When Quails’ Gate Estate Winery began releasing its Distinction Collection wines last year, the labels highlighted the individuality of the wines by replicating the speckled pattern on a quail’s egg. It is said that each egg, like fingerprints, has a unique speckled pattern. There is logic to this. When the Stewart family opened this winery in 1989, they named it after quails that are so abundant in the Okanagan that it is not unusual to flush a covey of birds while strolling through a vineyard. According to an academic paper published in 1965, the California quail was introduced to the Okanagan in 1912 as a game bird. The quails thrived and, by the time the winery opened, it surely was the most ubiquitous wild bird in the Okanagan. Like the pattern on each quail egg, the wines in the Distinction Series are meant to stand apart from the rest of the Quails’ Gate portfolio.

“Anything that is special and unique we want to capture,” says Jeff Del Nin, the chief winemaker at Quails’ Gate. The individuality of each wine might reflect the vineyard block where the grapes are grown; or the fermentation techniques; or any other quality that sets the wine apart. “Anything that we would consider innovative or exploring – that is what we are looking for in the Distinction Collection,” Jeff says.

Case in point is the 2020 Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris. Quails’ Gate had eliminated Pinot Gris from its portfolio, largely because the winery needed all of its Pinot Gris for its hugely popular Chasselas-Pinot Gris-Pinot Blanc blend. But when the winery’s restaurant asked for a Pinot Gris, the winery decided to make one from the nearby Three Wolves Vineyard, owned by Claude Drought, a long-time Quails’ Gate grower. The distinctive flavours produced from his terroir are enhanced by the winemaking. “We definitely think we are onto something with this vineyard,” Jeff says.

A veteran winemaker, Jeff is assisted at Quails’ Gate by associate winemaker Kailee Frasch (left). A native of the Okanagan Valley, she has a winemaking degree from Brock University in Ontario. She joined Quails’ Gate in 2016 as a harvest assistant and has earned a series of promotions since.

Jeff (right), who was born in 1971 in Thunder Bay, took a Queen’s University master’s degree in chemistry to Australia in 1996, for a series of jobs in the plastics industry. One of them involved developing plastic corks which brought him into close contact with Australian wineries. “I realized because I spent so much time in wineries, talking to winemakers, that maybe I could do this for a living,” Jeff told me once. He got a postgraduate winemaking degree from the University of Adelaide and then returned to Canada to make wine. He started at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery in 2006; moved to Church & State Wines and more recently to Road 13 Vineyards. He joined Quails’ Gate in 2021.

There are six wines in the current Distinction Collection, all released in small lots and available at the winery and to the winery’s wine club. Here are notes on the wines.

Quails’ Gate Clone 220 Chenin Blanc 2021 ($39.99). “It is our preferred Chenin Blanc clone,” Jeff says. It is grown in the estate vineyard, with vines planted in themed-1990s. The wine is fermented in concrete eggs and in new 500-litre oak puncheons. The objective is a wine with rich texture and a spine of minerality without sacrificing the variety’s bright acidity. This wine has aromas and flavours of pineapple and citrus. The finish is persistent. 93.

Quails’ Gate Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris 2021 ($29.99). This wine delivers aromas and flavours of pear, honeydew and nectarine. 92.

Quails’ Gate Orchard Block Gewürztraminer 2021 ($27.99). The Orchard Block refers to a former peach and cherry orchard that was converted to vineyard in 1989. The wine was fermented in stainless steel at low temperatures. The resulting Alsace-style wine begins with aromas of ginger and lychee that jump from the glass. Slightly off-dry but with bright, balancing acidity, the wine is expressively fruity on the palate. 92.

Quails’ Gate Clone 49 Riesling 2021 ($34.99). This is an Alsace clone of Riesling grown in the East Kelowna vineyard owned by Ryan Fipke. The aromas are floral, with hints of citrus and pear, leading to intense flavours of lime. Bracing acidity balances the residual sugar. The finish is persistent. 93.

Quails’ Gate Lucy’s Block Rosé 2021 ($29.99). The name of this elegant rosé honours a Stewart family forebear. The 2021 vintage is 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Pinot Meunier. The wine begins with a delicate, appealing rose petal hue created by just two hours of skin contact. There are aromas of strawberry and watermelon leading to a medley of fruit on the palate. 92. Going forward, there is a rising role for Pinot Meunier in the Quails’ Gate portfolio. “We like Pinot Meunier as a rosé component and we are planting a lot more of it,” Jeff says. “Originally, we had it for our sparkling program – we are starting to make traditional method sparkling wine – but we have liked the effect in rosé so much that we are planting a lot more. Every year, we have been planting a block of Pinot Meunier in southeast Kelowna. Hopefully, one day we can get Lucy’s Block to 100% Meunier.”

Quails’ Gate Queue 2020 ($54.00). This is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 26% Syrah. Remarkably, all three of these varieties grow in the Quails’ Gate vineyard on the Boucherie slope. The varietals were fermented separately and aged for 18 months in French oak (40% new) before being blended. The long, ripe tannins give the wine a seamless texture. The wine is bold and rich, with aromas and flavours of plum, dark cherry and vanilla. 93.