Nk'Mip Cellars: wines to be reconciled with

Nk'Mip Winemaker Justin Hall

If there is a poster child for effective reconciliation with indigenous peoples, it surely is Nk’Mip Cellars, the Osoyoos winery operated by the Osoyoos Indian Band in a joint venture with Arterra Wines.

Nk’Mip Cellars, which anchors a resort and condominium complex, opened in 2002. The entrepreneurial Osoyoos Indian Band was already running several successful business ventures (and has added more since). Initially, the band had applied for a casino license as the anchor for the resort. When they did not get it, they concluded that a winery would do just as well. The band has a long background in winegrowing. They own Inkameep Vineyards at Oliver, one of the earliest blocks (circa 1968) of vinifera grapes in the south Okanagan. In 1980 they allowed the TG Bright & Co. winery to lease a winery building nearby. This has become the massive Jackson Triggs winery, now owned by Arterra. It has provided many long-term jobs for band members. Vincor International, a predecessor company to Arterra, also leased almost 1,000 acres of prime vineyard land from the band in the 1990s. This is the key to the ability of Arterra’s wineries to make substantial volumes of good wine every year.

When the band decided to develop its own winery, they shrewdly engaged Vincor as a partner. Vincor brought invaluable technical and marketing expertise, all of which has contributed to the success of Nk’Mip Cellars. Jackson Triggs winemakers made Nk’Mip’s first vintage. Nk’Mip then hired Randy Picton, a winemaker at CedarCreek Estate Winery, and he was the winemaker from 2002 until he retired two years ago. While not a member of the band, he was dedicated to the band’s vision for this winery. “We’re not limited by the quantity of grapes, as far as production goes,” Randy told me in a 2018 interview. “We are more limited by the size of this facility. We are 18,000 to 20,000 cases, max, in this facility. I will fight until I am out of the industry to ensure that all of the wines that are produced at Nk’Mip are made at Nk’Mip. It has always been important to me from the beginning to make the wines here. I have been pushed to do it other ways but I have dug my heels in, saying this is Nk’Mip – we’re different. We’re a joint venture with Arterra but we are an Osoyoos Indian Band winery and we are making them in an Osoyoos Indian Band facility and that is what we want to continue to do.”

Randy’s commitment to the band’s vision mentoring Justin Hall, a band member who has become a fine winemaker. Randy also mentored Aaron Crey, an indigenous person from the Fraser Valley, as a cellar hand. Aaron is now the winemaker at Apricus Cellars, a winery headed by Sam Baptiste, the manager of Inkameep Vineyards.

“Randy Picton was a mentor and a father figure,” Justin Hall told me this summer. “We grew up here together … 18 years.” According to the biography on Nk’Mip’s website, Justin joined Nk’Mip Cellars after graduating from high school. “He thought he wanted to be a mechanic, but after only a few days on the job as a cellar hand, working along side former Senior Winemaker, Randy Picton, he was hooked. Justin completed his certificate in the Winery Assistant and Viticulture program at Okanagan University College, and then went to Australia and New Zealand where he first worked the crush at Goundrey Winery and then completed a post-graduate diploma in Enology and Viticulture from New Zealand’s Lincoln University. Justin returned to Nk’Mip Cellars in 2009 and has grown from Assistant Winemaker to leading the team as Estate Winemaker today.”

With his perennial broad smile, Justin exudes enthusiasm for what he does. “You never met a guy who loved cleaning a tank more than me,” he told me. “I don’t care if it is the worst part of the process or the best. When you love something, you love it from beginning to end, even if it is scraping grape skins off the ground, cleaning dirty hoses. It is about a career in creating something … not just a wine but all the wines. Loving the winery; having passion for it.”

Nk’Mip’s premium wines are released as Qwam Qwmt (pronounced kw-em kw-empt), which means ‘achieving excellence’. This estate wine is produced in very limited quantities and is deemed worthy of this distinctive title. The winery website includes an impressive list of gold and silver medals these wines have won over the past decade. Here are notes on current releases.

Nk’Mip Pinot Blanc 2022 ($25.99 for 4,000 cases). Grapes for this wine are sourced from three different vineyards, so that the winemaker can build texture and complexity into the wine. This aromatic wine has aromas and flavours of green melon and pineapple. 90.

Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Riesling 2020 ($32.99). The winemaker ferments Riesling in three lots, one bone dry and the other two with varying degrees of residual sugar. This gives Justin blending options. This is a well-balanced Riesling with aromas and flavours of citrus mingled with a hint of petrol. The dry finish makes this a good food wine. 91.

Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2020 ($35.99). The fruit was whole-cluster pressed and the juice was fermented in French oak (38% new). Malolactic fermentation was completed during the 10 months in which the wine aged in barrel. The oak is subtly integrated with the fruit of this rich wine. There are flavours and aromas of mandarin orange mingled with notes of butter and vanilla. 92.

Nk’Mip Chardonnay 2021 ($26.99). This wine was fermented in French oak but was then aged 10 months in stainless steel (60%) and barrel (40%). There are flavours and aromas of orchard fruits including peach and apple. This is for those who prefer a fruit-driven Chardonnay. 92.

Nk’Mip Rosé 2022 ($25.99). This is 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Pinot Noir, both crushed specifically for rosé. The colour is appealing and not too pale. “This wine is my favourite rosé that I have ever made, in the style I am looking for,” Justin says. The wine has aromas and flavours of watermelon and raspberry, and a crisp, refreshing finish. 91.

Nk’Mip Mer’r’iym White Meritage 2021 ($35.99). This is 67% Sauvignon Blanc and 33% Sémillon. The former spent 12 hours on the skins before the juice was fermented with yeast specific for the varietal. The Sémillon was fermented and aged four months in new French oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of lime and gooseberry which is echoed on palate. The finish is dry and persistent. 93.

Nk’Mip Talon 2020 ($33.99). This is a blend of 40% Syrah, 23% Malbec, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Pinot Noir, vinified separately and aged 18 months in French and American oak. The wine begins with aromas of cassis, raspberry and red licorice, which are echoed on the palate along with notes of dark cherry and chocolate. The finish is long. 92.

Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Pinot Noir 2020 ($39.99). The grapes were harvested from block G-South (clone 115), G-North (clone 115) and P2 (clones 667 and 777), all located at Inkameep Vineyards in Oliver, BC. Each parcel was fermented separately for a period of 7 - 10 days and then gently pressed into French oak barrels (25% new), aging in oak for 10 months. Silky and elegant on the palate, the wine has aromas and flavours cherry and spice. 92.

Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Merlot 2019 ($37.99). This wine was aged 18 months in French oak barrels. Concentrated in texture and flavour, it has aromas of plum and cassis. On the palate, there are flavours of dark fruits mingled with chocolate. 93.

Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 ($40.99). The grapes are from the estate vineyard, one of the warmest sites in the South Okanagan. The crushed grapes were fermented 12 days on the skins before being pressed into French oak barrels, where the wine aged 18 months. This is a powerful wine, beginning with aromas of cassis. On the palate, there are big, ripe flavours of black currant, blackberry, dark cherry and spice, with a very long finish. 95.

Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Syrah 2020 ($42.99). This meaty Syrah is also made with grapes from the estate vineyard. There are aromas and flavours of plum, fig and pepper. The long ripe tannins give the wine a generous texture and a long, herbal finish. 94.

Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Riesling Icewine 2020 ($72.99 for 375 ml). The grapes for this wine were picked February 10, 2021 at -11°C. Fermentation was stopped when the alcohol was just below 9%. The wine has 215 grams of residual sugar, wonderfully balanced with 12 grams of acidity. The wine has intense aromas and flavours of ripe pineapple, orchard fruits and honey. 93.