Da Silva celebrates its Portuguese heritage.

Photo: Twylla and Richard da Silva (photo courtesy of the winery)

Richard da Silva was perhaps too clever by half, as the cliché goes, when he and Twylla, his wife, launched a wine brand in 2006 and called it Misconduct. The idea was to bring attention to the wines with shadowy gangster-era stories about the winery and its origins. I even bought into the fiction in one of my tour guides. Here is an excerpt:

As Richard da Silva tells the story, the partners behind this winery are members of a “clandestine syndicate” called The Uncrushables. His and his wife, Twylla Field, are the partners the public sees. The others are friends and members of the da Silva family, farmers and grape growers in the Okanagan since arriving from Portugal in 1956. Keeping the names of partners confidential is mostly about marketing the 1920s image of gangsters, hot jazz and good times that Misconduct uses to differentiate itself from other wineries. Some of the labels recall Prohibition-era gangsters. “The St. Valentine’s Massacre Rosé is a play on the story behind the St. Valentine’s Day massacre,” Richard says. In 1929 gunmen associated with Al Capone shot seven men associated with a rival. “The wine is the bleed from seven of our varietals, representing the seven guys that Al Capone whacked.” Richard was born in 1971, growing up on a farm. “The reason the winery is called Misconduct Winery is that in my early twenties, I was a nightmare to society,” Richard admits. “I was one those guys who was a rebel.”

Even Richard finally objected to the gangster guff in my books, even though he was the source. I wish he had told me more about the rich history of his family. That made it into my last Tour Guide in 2020. When it became evident that the gangster guff was out of step with the quality wines he was making, he took the winery back to his family’s genuine Portuguese roots. After setting itself up in a sprawling heritage house on Upper Bench Road near Penticton, the winery has rebranded as Da Silva Vineyards & Winery and attached Portuguese terms to its three tiers of wine: Tradicional, Vinhedo and Legado. Tradicional’s meaning is obvious. The well-priced volume wines in this range have traditional Portuguese names, like Vinho Branco (white wine), Vinho Tinto (red) and Cor de Rosa (rosé). Vinhedo is Portuguese for vineyard. Legado means legend.

Richard comes from a family of immigrants with farming and wine-growing history dating back several centuries in Portugal. As the winery says on its website, the family arrived in the Okanagan in 1955 “with only a suitcase in hand.” “From our humble beginnings in Canada, our family’s hard work and farming expertise gave us the opportunity to buy our first family orchard on the Naramata Bench in 1959,” the narrative continues. “With over 65 years of farming in the South Okanagan, we intrinsically understand the many unique and diverse aspects of our land. Our time working the land allowed us to understand its nuances – what makes it truly special – and this knowledge is reflected in how we craft our wine.” He pays close attention to terroir, taking fruit from as many as nine vineyards in the South Okanagan, including two near Penticton that he and Twylla farm. The latitude and longitude of the vineyards is detailed on the bottles.

These are well-made wines. Richard was among the vintners at last fall’s Swirl Around BC tasting in Vancouver and he will be at the Vancouver International Wine Festival at the end of February. I visited his table in the fall and I hope to get to him again in February. Meanwhile, here are notes on the seven wines Richard poured last fall. Five are from the mid-tier Vinhedo series and two represent the premium Legado series. Almost all of these will also be poured at the International Festival as well, including the ultra-premium Legado Nobreza. If you don’t get to the festival, consider visiting the winery some time this year. And make a reservation to dine at The Kitchen, the independently run restaurant here.

Da Silva Chenin Blanc 2022 ($35.99 for 344 cases). The fruit is from the winery’s Hidden Hollow Vineyard where Richard and Twylla are the growers. The wine, which was fermented and aged in stainless steel, is crisp, has aromas and flavours of lemon and apple. 90.

b>Da Silva Chardonnay 2022 ($33.99 for 286 cases). This wine was made with fruit from two Penticton-area vineyards. The wine was fermented in stainless steel and aged six weeks on the lees in new French oak. The wine begins with aromas of vanilla and spice. It is crisp, with flavours of apple and pear. 91.

Da Silva Pinot Noir 2021 ($44.99 for 350 cases). The fruit is from two Penticton area vineyards. The wine was fermented in open-top fermenters and aged 24 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels. The wine appeals with aromas and flavours of bright fruit, notably cherry and cranberry. 90.

Da Silva Legado Series Pinot Noir 2020 ($69.99 for 131 cases). The fruit is from what Richard and Twylla call “our prized Blenheim Hill” vineyard near Penticton as well as from grower-owned Lazy Dog Vineyard, also near Penticton. The wine was fermented in open-top fermenters and aged 20 months in French and American oak barrels. It is a more muscular wine than the 2021 Pinot Noir, which comes from the same vineyards. It has aromas and flavours of dark cherry mingled with spice and notes of forest floor. 92.

Da Silva Cabernet Franc 2019 ($44.99 for 154 cases). The winery also has a 2020 Cabernet Franc in its portfolio. Both are made with fruit from a grower vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench. This wine was fermented in open top fermenters and aged 24 months in American (60%) and French (40%) barrels. The wine has aromas and flavours of blackberry, black currant, vanilla and spice. 90.

Da Silva Cabernet Sauvignon 2020($47.99 for 174 cases). The fruit for this wine is from a grower vineyard near Oliver. The wine was fermented in open-top fermenters and aged 20 months in French and American oak barrels (50% each). It is a big wine with aromas of cassis and flavours of plum, dark cherry and black currant. 91.

Da Silva Legado Series Nobreza 2019 ($104.99 for 179 cases). This is a blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. The wine was aged 26 months in French and American oak barrels. Nobreza is Portuguese for noble. The winery says this wine is the best wine that they made in that excellent vintage. The fruit is from four different vineyards, two near Penticton and two near Oliver. The wine was aged 26 months in French and American oak. Rich and full on the palate, this age-worthy wine has aromas and flavours of dark fruit. The finish is very long. 94.