Township 7 is thankful for its sparkling wine portfolio

Photo: Township 7's Mary McDermott with sparkling wines

After winemaker Mary McDermott joined Township 7 Vineyards & Winery in 2014, she inaugurated a major sparkling wine program that now accounts for six wines in the portfolio’s seven stars label. She started the program because she likes making sparkling wines and she is very good at it. “When I was taking my WSET courses and working as a sommelier, I loved sparkling,” she told me in an interview several years ago. “It is one of my favourites. And then when I started full time in wineries, I worked at Cave Springs Cellars [in Ontario]. They had a small sparkling program there and I got my hands dirty, because I worked fulltime in the cellars then. I moved from Cave Springs to Trius and took over the Trius program, which is much larger. It kept going from there.

“I always really enjoyed sparkling wine. The process is quite different than making other wines. There is a lot more patience required. You have to be aware of all the things that are happening with the ferments … how the grapes are coming in, how they are grown. It takes a little more attention to detail when you are making it. It was challenging for me and I like that. That’s where all that comes from. And I like drinking it.”

She could not have anticipated the damage to vineyards caused by freezes in the last two winters, which reduced the winery’s vintage of table wines in 2023 and have come close to eliminating the 2024 vintage. “Thankfully, the sparkling program will keep us going,” she says. The currently available sparking wines are from vintages for 2016 through 2021, with wines from several vintages still maturing in the bottle. In a tough year, it is almost like money in the bank.

The 2023 vintage of table wines at Township 7, while reduced in volume, was good, Mary says. “The 2023 whites and rosé look very good, even better than expected,” she told me recently. “For the reds we just completed our blending session, and some of the reds were very good. The Cabernet Sauvignon from Blue Terrace Vineyard and the small amount of Syrah that we received from Fool's Gold Vineyard were excellent. Merlot also seemed to have done well. Overall, the quality was good.”

Then comes the bad news. “For the 2024 vintage we are anticipating little to no fruit,” Mary says. “Some vineyards have had good growth on certain varieties, in particular Gewürztraminer in Naramata and Cabernet Sauvignon in Osoyoos. Our Naramata vineyard looks alive. There are a few vines in the Chardonnay block that look to be coming late but, overall, not many are dead.” She continues: “The Blue Terrace vineyard in Oliver is another story though. The Sauvignon Blanc has come through well but the Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon have much more damage. I will be assessing replanting shortly.”

Here are notes on recent releases.

Township 7 Provenance Series Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($24.97 for 383 cases). Most of the juice was fermented cool in stainless steel tanks; while two barrels were fermented in French oak. The wine has aromas and flavours of lime and grapefruit. Bright acidity gives it a tangy finish. 90.

Township 7 Provenance Series Pinot Gris 2023 ($24.97 for 219 cases). The fruit for this wine is from the winery’s Naramata Bench vineyard. Most of the juice was fermented cool in stainless steel at 14◦C to preserve the freshness of the fruit aromas and flavours. A moderate volume was fermented in two barrels to add texture and complexity to this cerebral wine. It has aromas and flavours of pear and stone fruits, with a spine of minerality. 90.

Township 7 Provenance Series Rosé 2023 ($27.97 for 463 cases). The blend is 68% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The wine had a slow, cold ferment in stainless steel. The wine presents with a lovely deep rose petal hue. It has aromas of apple, strawberries and watermelon. The palate is crisp and fresh, with flavours of strawberry, watermelon and pink grapefruit. 90.

seven stars Aurora 2020 ($57.97 for 990 bottles). This is 100% Pinot Noir from an Okanagan Falls vineyard. The wine was produced in the classic Champagne method and was left en tirage for 30 months. On disgorging, the winery added a small amount of its proprietary dosage to add complexity. This is an elegant wine. The active mousse delivers aromas and flavours of citrus and apple with a hint of brioche. 93.