Wild Goose Vineyards had a vintage in 2024

Photo: Burrowing Owl president Chris Wyse

Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery pioneered what is today the Okanagan Falls sub-appellation when the late Adolf Kruger began developing the area’s first vineyard there in 1984.

Six years later, Wild Goose was one of the first of the farmgate wineries, operating for a number of years from a modest farm house and an equally modest production facility. The wines, especially the white wines, became enormously, and deservedly, popular. The revenues enabled the winery to expand into much larger facilities with a good-sized tasting room and a dining patio.

A few years after Adolf’s death in 2016, the family, for estate and tax reasons, sold the winery to a Vancouver development company. That deal fell through when the developer did not have the money. Wild Goose resorted to a bankruptcy court action in 2021. The successful bidder was Burrowing Owl Vineyards. “We are really attracted to their whites,” Burrowing Owl president Chris Wyse told me at the time. “That is partly what attracted us, having that strong white portfolio and maybe developing it some more.” The brand complements Burrowing Owl’s portfolio, which is dominated by red wines.

The January 2024 freeze hit the Okanagan Falls vineyards. While the Wild Goose vineyards produced no significant fruit, the vines appear to have survived and should produce a harvest in 2025, assuming a normal winter. There was a 2024 vintage at Wild Goose, however. Burrowing Owl spokesman Stephen Neumann explains: “As Wild Goose Winery has often relied on purchased fruit, it was decided that we would bring in juice from Washington and Oregon to continue production of wines under the Wild Goose Winery and Calliope Wines brands, and more importantly to keep our wonderful production staff employed and busy.”

Here are notes on current and recent Wild Goose releases.

Wild Goose Frisch! 2023 ($27 for a four-pack of 250 ml cans). This is an easy-drinking carbonated sparkling wine made with 67% Sauvignon Blanc and 33% Gewürztraminer. It is crisp and dry, lacking both in aroma and flavour. 86.

Wild Goose Riesling 2022 ($20.99). The mature (36-year-old) Riesling vines enable Wild Goose to make a full-flavoured wine with classic notes of citrus and petrol mingled hints of stone fruit on the palate. with This wine was fermented and aged six months in stainless steel. 90.

Wild Goose Riesling 2023 ($20.99). This wine was fermented and aged seven months in stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas of citrus and apple leading to flavours of lime and orchard fruits. The specifications say the wine is off-dry but I found it crisper and drier than the traditional Wild Goose style. 88.

Wild Goose Gewürztraminer 2023 ($19.99). This wine was fermented and aged six months in stainless steel. Aromas of lychee and ginger jump from the glass. The luscious palate delivers a medley of orchard fruits and a persistent finish. 91.

Wild Goose Pinot Gris 2023 ($22.99). The majority of the fruit for this wine came from a vineyard in Kaleden. Sixteen percent of the juice was fermented and aged in barrel for four months to add complexity when blended to the stainless-steel fermented portion. The wine begins with aromas of pear and apple. On the palate, those fruits mingle with notes of nectarine. 90.

Wild Goose Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($21.99). This wine was fermented and aged seven months in stainless steel. The wine begins with herbal aromas leading to flavours of green apple and lime. 88.

Wild Goose Pinot Noir 2021 ($29.99). The grapes were fermented tank and then aged 10 months in French oak barrels (36% new). This is a bright and cheerful wine, beginning with aromas of cherry, raspberry and strawberry. The silky palate’s flavours echoed the aromas along with spice on the finish. 90.

Wild Goose Pinot Noir 2022 ($29.99). This wine, which was aged nine months in French oak, is another bright and fresh Pinot Noir but with more concentration and depth. Aromas and flavours of cherry and strawberry are mingled with fruit cake, a hint of oak and a note of forest floor. The finish is long. 91.

Wild Goose Late Harvest Gewürztraminer 2021 ($23.99 for 375 ml). This is the winery’s second vintage of a dessert wine made by leaving the grapes on the wine late into the harvest. The grapes were picked very ripe and fermented in stainless steel with fermentation stopped at 10% alcohol. The wine is beautifully balanced. Spicy in aroma, it delivers flavours of poached pears and peaches with a lingering sweetness on the finish. Pair this with some good blue cheese, like Cambozola. 90.