Moon Curser's new owners inherited excellent wines

Photo: Left to right: Harjit, Gurjit and Sukhi Dhaliwal (Photo courtesy Moon Curser Vineyards)

While some Okanagan wineries advertise when they are for sale, it seems like the best just get it done quietly. Case in point: Moon Curser Vineyards in Osoyoos. The winery was established in 2004 by Beata and Chris Tolley. They had moved from corporate careers in Calgary, preparing themselves for winegrowing by first getting postgraduate degrees from Lincoln University, New Zealand’s premier wine school.

The winery opened in 2006 as Twisted Tree Vineyards & Winery. A few years later, the Tolleys decided there was no drama in that name and rechristened the property as Moon Curser Vineyards. The name was inspired by the legends of gold being smuggled from mines operating in the Okanagan in the 19th century to smelters in the United States. On moonlit nights, the smugglers risked being caught by border authorities, which is why they supposedly cursed at the moon.

The Tolleys followed up with story-telling labels that were often on the bizarre side but certainly stood out on wine store shelves. What really made the rebranding succeed was the quality and the originality of the wines. The Tolleys often chose to plant varietals that were exclusive, or nearly so, to their vineyards. Examples included Tannat, an old French variety at home in Uruguay; Carménère, another old French red now at home in Chile; Touriga Nacional, a Portuguese red; and Arneis, a lovely Italian white grape. The result is that Moon Curser wines have been as individual as the labels.

In 2023, Chris sold one of Moon Curser’s vineyards to Gurjit Dhaliwal, his wife Sukhi and his brother, Harjit. The brothers have been Okanagan grapegrowers since 2007 while Sukhi became a nurse. In 2023, they purchased a vineyard from Moon Curser – and discovered that Chris and Beata, both nearing 60, were ready to retire. The Dhaliwals had been thinking of opening a winery and jumped at Moon Curser, an established producer with award-winning wines.

The ownership change was announced in December 2024, in spite of a reduced production from Moon Curser’s vineyards due to the devastating freeze in January that year. Vineyards around Osoyoos Lake suffered less than vineyards elsewhere in the Okanagan. While Tannat did not survive the freeze and will not be replanted, most of the other varietals made it. "Chris and I are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished as Smugglers-in-Chief over the past 20-years and are excited to pass the torch to Sukhi, Gurjit and Harjit, who share our passion for farming and family," Beata Tolley when the ownership change was announced.

Christian Scagnetti has continued as the winemaker, assuring continuity of style. The recent releases include a number of reds from the outstanding 2022 vintage. These are among the finest Moon Curser wines I have tasted. Here are my notes.

Moon Curser Eclipse Traditional Method 2022 ($34.99 for 168 cases). This sparkling wine is a blend of 55% Roussanne and 45% Marsanne. The grapes were fermented cool in stainless steel and the wine then was 14 months en tirage before being disgorged. The wine has a golden hue and a fine mousse. Brioche and tropical fruits mingle in the aroma and on the palate. A very elegant wine. 93.

Moon Curser Broad Daylight VQA 2024 ($25.99 for 332 cases). This is a delicious blend of 69% Pinot Gris, 14% Muscat Blanc, 11% Viognier and 6% Arneis. The grapes were fermented cool in stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas of cantaloupe, kiwi, apple and apricot. There is a rich play of fruits on the palate: peach, nectarine, mingled with grapefruit. The finish persists. 93.

Moon Curser Riesling Confiscated 2024 ($25.99 for 690 cases. The fruit is from a vineyard at Lake Chelan in Washington. The grapes were transported to the Moon Curser winey in Osoyoos, where whole grapes were crushed and fermented cool in stainless steel. The wine has aromas and flavours of lemon and peach. A touch of residual sugar gives the wine a fullness on the palate. 88.

Moon Curser Roussanne Marsanne 2024 VQA ($28.99 for 201 cases). This is 69% Roussanne and 31% Marsanne. The fruit was fermented cool in stainless steel, with a portion fermented warm in barrel. A quarter of the wine was aged four months in French oak (24% new). This is a savoury and complex wine, with aromas and flavours of stone fruits. 93.

Moon Curser Confiscated Rosé 2024 ($26.99 for 473 cases). The fruit is Pinot Noir from a vineyard near Lake Chelan in Washington, with cool fermentation in stainless steel in the winery at Osoyoos. It presents with an inviting pink hue in the glass. It has aromas and flavours of strawberry and raspberry. The finish is juicy. 90.

Moon Curser Heist Rosé 2023 ($26.99 for 360 cases). This is a blend of 54% Syrah, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. The grapes, which were co-fermented, had just two hours of skin contact – just enough to give the wine a dark hue. The wine has aromas and flavours of red plum and strawberry, with a mouth-filling texture. 90.

Moon Curser Malbec 2022 ($38.99 for 1,074 cases). This wine was fermented warm in stainless steel, with gentle pump-overs three time a day. Then it was aged 12 months in French oak (27% new). It begins with aromas of blueberry, dark cherry and even a hint of licorice. On the palate, there are flavours of cherry, plum and pepper. 92

Moon Curser Dead of Night 2022 ($46.99 for 661 cases). Moon Curser’s flagship red wine, this is a blend of 50% Tannat and 50% Syrah. This has always been a wine with power – even more so in a great vintage like 2022. Partially co-fermented in stainless steel, the wine was aged 12 months in French and Hungarian oak (35% new). Dark in colour, the wine begins with aromas of dark fruits and coffee. The palate delivers flavours of dark cherry, black currant and plum mingled with oak. This wine will benefit from decanting and will age far into the future. 94.

Moon Curser Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 ($46.99 for 466 cases). After a warm fermentation in stainless steel, the wine was aged 24 months in French oak (32% new). Dark in colour and full-bodied, the wine begins with aromas of dark fruits, black licorice and cigar box. The palate delivers flavours of black currant, plum, dark cherry and chocolate. The long ripe tannins signal that this wine will age well. 94.

Moon Curser Border Vines 2022 ($34.99 for 1,547 cases). This is a blend of 35% Petit Verdot, 33% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. Fermented in stainless steel, the wine was aged 12 months in French oak (25% new). The wine begins with spicy aromas of cherry and licorice, leading to a rich palate with flavours of dark fruits mingled with chocolate. 92.

Moon Curser Carménère 2022($46.99 for 519 cases). This wine was aged 12 months in French oak (20% new). It begins with aromas of plum and cranberry mingled with notes of black pepper. The medium-bodied palate echoes the pepper, along with flavours of dark cherry. The finish persists. 94.

Moon Curser Tempranillo 2022 ($38.99 for 710 cases). This is a Spanish red varietal. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel and aged 12 months in American oak (21% new). The wine begins with aromas of raspberry and blueberry. It has a fleshy texture with flavours of plum, cherry and fig. The finish is long. 93.

Moon Curser Syrah 2022 ($34.99 for 1,461 cases). The grapes were fermented in stainless steel and aged 12 months in French and Hungarian oak (20% new). Bold and satisfying, the wine begins with aromas of dark fruits mingled with a hint of pepper. On the palate, the wine delivers flavours of dark cherry, blackberry and plum mingled with hints of tobacco and pepper. 92.

Moon Curser Touriga Nacional 2022 ($46.99 for 393 cases). This is a Portuguese varietal. In the Okanagan, Moon Curser is believed to be the only producer. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel and the wine was aged 12 months in French oak (25% new). Dark in colour, the wine has intriguing aromas of cherry and plum mingled with blueberry and tobacco. All that is echoed on the savoury palate, along with notes of black olive and a suggestion of pepper. The finish is long. 94.

Moon Curser Contraband Syrah 2021 – The Hill ($46.99 for 242 cases). This wine was aged 24 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels (35% new). The wine is dark, with aromas blueberry, blackberry and licorice. The palate is rich and deep, with flavours of black cherry, plum, spice and mocha, leading to a persistent finish. 93.

Hillside's remarkable 2024 Pinot Gris partners with a new Bordeaux blend

Photo: Winemaker Kathy Malone

Two new releases from Hillside Winery include a new red blend from a great vintage; and a surprise: a rare 2024 wine made with Okanagan grapes.

Hillside winemaker Kathy Malone elaborates on the surprise in the frost-blighted year that destroyed about 95% of the vintage in the Okanagan (and Similkameen) in 2024. “I was shocked when I went to check the Dickinson vineyard [on the Naramata Bench] last September and found there was enough fruit to harvest.” That was not all. “I also found what looked like the entire starling population of the Okanagan,” she writes. “I immediately offered to replace the 18-year-old bird netting to protect what could be the only wine made in 2024. … In 2024, we received only a tiny amount of Muscat Ottonel - which went into our white port-style wine, Soirée en Blanc -and enough Pinot Gris to make one barrel’s worth, 22 cases to be exact.” The wine, which is outstanding, will be released in late September at Hillside’s wine club pick-up event. The Montage, a new red blend for Hillside, is made with grapes sourced from five or six vineyards – all on the Naramata Bench. Hillside has worked exclusively with Naramata grapes almost since Kathy became the winemaker.

I asked Kathy what the outlook is for the 2025 vintage, one in which good growing weather is helping vines recover from frost events in the previous two vintages. “The vineyards on the Naramata Bench look awesome,” she says. “Many will have full recovery. I’m using the ‘your guess is as good as mine’ yield estimation method so we’ll see. Along with some extra contracts we have picked up, I’m expecting a normal harvest.” Here are notes on the two wines.

Hillside Dickinson Vineyard Pinot Gris 2024 ($50 for 22 cases). This will be released in late September. The grapes were given two hours of skin contact before being pressed. The wine was fermented in a third-fill Tokay oak barrel and aged there, with frequent lees stirring, for six months. The wine has fresh aromas and flavours of apple, pear and citrus. If only the bird netting had been deployed earlier! This would be an outstanding Pinot Gris in any vintage. 93.

Hillside Montage 2022 ($55 for 250 cases). A new wine in the Hillside portfolio, it is a blend of 76% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Hillside describes this wine as “a collaboration” with Tightrope Winery because most of the Merlot was sourced there. The wine was aged 24 months in French oak (10% new). A wine that will benefit from decanting, it begins with aromas of spicy dark fruits including cherry and black currant. These are echoed in the palate. The long ripe tannins give the wine a long and elegant finish. 92.

At Blasted Church, Hell Froze Over in 2024 but not Horse Heaven Hills

Photo: Blasted Church winemaker Evan Saunders

Evan Saunders, the winemaker at Blasted Church Vineyards, was one of the first – if not the first – Okanagan winemaker to begin lining up Washington State grapes after the January 2024 freeze wiped out the Okanagan’s grape crop for that vintage. I vividly recall a conversation with Evan at the Vancouver International Wine Festival at the end of February, 2024. I asked him how bad the freeze damage was, not realizing that 95% of the crop had been destroyed, and what the wineries were going to do. He replied wineries would need to import grapes – and Washington had a big surplus available.

“I was the first one down there I believe,” Evan recounted to me recently. “I didn't see a way that we would have fruit from the Okanagan to work with, and I wanted to be sure that we had access to everything that we needed for our production.” He would have been out of luck if he had depended on Blasted Church’s own vineyards in 2024. The entire crop totalled 904 kg, enough to make a 60-case blend, which was released under the label, Hell Froze Over. It is sold out.

“As it turns out, there was a lot of great fruit available from all across Washington,” Evan discovered when he went there in search of grapes. “I spoke to a number of growers and visited some other sites, but after my first interaction with the guys at Andrews Family Vineyards, I knew that they were our people.” “Andrews Family had 1300 acres planted when I got down there in February,” Evan continues. “They ripped out about 300 acres, I believe it was old vines Chardonnay, in the spring to be replanted with Chardonnay. They ripped out an additional 300 acres in the fall, so at this point I think they are down to 700 acres with some replanting decisions yet to be made.”

He found the owners “an amazing team who are very dedicated to their site, incredibly talented, and overall are a great group to spend time with!” The vineyard manager even let Evan stay at his home. “It was a relief having such a responsive talented group of people down there overseeing everything. I was able to get down fairly frequently, probably 10 or 12 times over the course of the growing season and through harvest,” Evan says. “Having direct communication with them when I wasn't there was invaluable for my peace of mind. Looking back at it now, it was a great experience. We made a lot of new friends and got to experience working with fruit from the Horse Heaven Hills. Hopefully we won't have to repeat that any time soon, but it is good to know that we have friends nearby that would be able to help us again.”

In the 2025 vintage, the Blasted Church vineyards are looking surprisingly good. “We won't have a huge harvest from our property,” Evan says. “We undertook some replanting and a lot of re-trunking which has lowered yields this year, but will serve us very well moving forward. Our grower vineyards are in great shape and I expect we will have a 60% to 75% production from 2025.” On Wednesday, August 27, Blasted Church began its 2025 harvest from its own vineyard, bringing in Chardonnay for sparkling wine.

The current releases from Blasted Church include a number of Washington wines whose quality will not disappoint Blasted Church customers; in fact, will probably surprise them. Here are my notes.

Blasted Church Swear to God Chardonnay 2023 ($30 for 150 cases). This wine was made with grapes from an estate vineyard planted in 1995. The fruit was whole cluster pressed and the juice was racked into French oak barrels (33% new) for fermentation and spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wine stayed in oak for 10 months. The wine begins with appealing aromas of apple and citrus mingled with sweet oak notes. The palate is rich with flavours of lemon, apple and honey and a subtle note of oak. This is a textbook example of how to oak Chardonnay without overwhelming the fruit. 93.

Blasted Church Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($28 for 570 cases). This wine was made with Andrews Family fruit grown in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The grapes were crushed and allowed a three-hour cold soak before the juice was transferred to the Okanagan winery in a temperature-controlled truck. A portion of the juice was fermented in neutral oak barrels while the rest was fermented in stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas of lime and lemon, leading to flavours of grapefruit. 91.

Blasted Church Pinot Gris 2024 ($24 for 2,012 cases). The fruit is from the Andrews Family Vineyards. Blasted Church chose to work with this grower in part because of the similarity of the soils to the Blasted Church vineyards on the Skaha Bench. This wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine begins with appealing aromas of nectarine and tangerine. The rich palate delivers flavours of apple, pear and citrus, with a long finish. 92.

Blasted Church Hatfield’s Fuse 2024 ($22 for 3,305 cases). Made with fruit from the Andrews Family Vineyard, this wine is a blend of 41% Pinot Gris, 39% Riesling and 20% Viognier. While the blend seems unorthodox, the winemaker had selected the three varietals quite purposely. The wine begins with aromas of lemon and peach, leading to flavours of orange mingled with peach, with a long finish. 91.

Blasted Church Grenache Rosé 2024 ($26 for 414 cases). The fruit is from the Andrews Family Vineyard. The two-hour cold soak imparted a delicate but appealing rose petal hue. The juice, transported to the Okanagan in a temperature truck, was fermented in neutral French oak, aging there for six months, plus one more month in stainless steel. It is a wine with great finesse, with aromas and flavours of strawberry and peach. 92.

Blasted Church Hell Froze Over 2024 ($N/A for 60 cases). This wine represents the entire 2024 harvest – 904 kg of grapes – from the Shaha Bluff vineyard after the January, 2024, freeze eliminated almost all of the crop. This wine is a blend of 47% Viognier, 14% Blaufränkisch, 11% Gewürztraminer, 11% Pinot Gris, 9% Sauvignon Blanc and 8% Riesling. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed and fermented in stainless steel and neutral French oak. The colour is pale gold. The wine was aromas and flavours of orchard fruits, with a long, dry finish. 92.

Blasted Church Viognier 2024 ($28 for 502 cases). There is 15% Marsanne in this blend. Some 64% of Viognier in the wine is from Washington State. The rest of the Viognier and the Marsanne are from the Red Brick Vineyard at Osoyoos. Some of the wine was fermented in stainless steel but the majority was fermented in barrel to give a rich texture to the wine. It begins with aromas of apricots and vanilla. The palate delivers honeyed flavours of apricots and peaches. The finish is persistent. 92.

Blasted Church Big Bang Theory 2024 ($26 for 2,610 cases). This wine is 60% Merlot, 24% Syrah and 16% Malbec, all from the Andrews Family Vineyard. The grapes were transported by temperature-controlled truck to the Blasted Church cellar for a seven-day cold soak. Maceration on skins during fermentation was 18 to 21 days. The wine was aged a total of six months in barrel. The wine is dark in colour, with aromas of plum and dark cherry that are echoed on the palate. The text is rich with soft, chewy tannins. I would recommend giving this wine more bottle age (a year or two) to tame the youthful exuberance. 92.

Blasted Church Cabernet Franc 2022 ($34 for 455 cases). This wine was made with grapes from two Osoyoos vineyards. The grapes were allowed a five-day cold soak before fermentation and 24 days on the skins during fermentation, along with daily pump-overs. The wine went into French oak (15% new), spending a total of 20 months in barrel before bottling. The wine has aromas and flavours of blackberry, dark cherry and spice. The texture is generous and the finish is long. 93.

Quails' Gate extends the Plume label

Photo: Jeff Del Nin, Quails' Gate senior winemaker

Quails’ Gate Estate Winery created the Plume label in 2009 for two wines, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, that it was making in Napa and subsequently in Sonoma, exclusively for sale in Canada. Quails’ Gate has always reserved the Quails’ Gate label just for wines made only with Okanagan grapes. In 2021 and again in 2022, when Quails’ Gate was able to buy Cabernet Sauvignon from the storied Blind Creek Vineyard in the Similkameen Valley, the resulting wines were released under the Plume label.

The severe cold events in December 2022 and January 2024 devastated production from the Quails’ Gate vineyards, forcing the winery (and many of its peers) to turn to vineyards in Washington and Oregon for grapes. The handy Plume label has been pressed into service for the resulting wines.

“We knew that the 2024 vintage had to be different from any harvest we’ve experienced before,” writes Jeff Del Nin, the senior winemaker at Quails’ Gate. “In March 2024, I reached out to some of my oldest and closest friends in the wine business who work in Washington, Oregon and California. I got in my truck and drove thousands of kilometers to visit vineyard after vineyard.” He continues: “We were searching for standout vineyards that produce exceptional wines. … Unless I could taste wines made from each vineyard, we wouldn’t agree to purchase the grapes. We had to be certain that the wines were going to be premium expressions of their Pacific Northwest terroir.”

Once he had chosen the vineyards, Jeff spent 51 days in Oregon and Washington during harvest. “I needed to see the grapes through to the finish line. I made all the picking decisions on the ground before the fruit could be sent to our cellar. It was exciting and nerve-wracking. Now, having tasted the wines we made, it was all worth it.” The object was to make wines up to the standard of the excellent Distinction Series under the Quails’ Gate brand. After tasting both those wines and the recently released Plume wine, I would say that Jeff and his team succeeded brilliantly.

“This year, a lot of fruit is coming back [in the Okanagan vineyards], a little more than we expected,” Jeff said recently. “But we are going to have to have some American fruit again this year.” The normal production from the Quails’ Gate vineyards has been around 1,200 tons of grapes. Last year’s production was a mere 75 tons, which is why the winery had to look to American vineyards. The rebounding 2025 harvest from Quails’ Gate’s Okanagan sources is projected to yield about 425 tons. While that is an improvement, it is not enough to handle the demand for Quails’ Gate wines.

“Hopefully, this will be the last year when we have to source anything from the United States,” Jeff says. The recent Plume releases, available at the winery and to the Quails’ Gate wine club, are white, rosé and Pinot Noir, along with a 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Blind Creek Vineyard. I anticipate more big reds since Jeff also obtained Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Washinton State. “If we had not gone to the United States and had no wine to sell, our company would go down,” Jeff says. Here are notes on the Plume wines.

Plume Pinot Gris 2024 ($32). This Pinot Gris was sourced from the Westmount Vineyard near Monmouth, Oregon. The growing conditions here are cool and the resulting wine shows bright acidity alone with aromas and flavours of pear and citrus. The finish is crisp. 90.

Plume Chenin Blanc 2024 ($35). This Chenin Blanc was sourced from vineyards of south-central Washington, from 40-year-old vines planted in 1980 and 1981 in the Horse Heaven Hills, situated in the heart of the Columbia Valley. The wine has aromas and flavours of pineapple and cantaloupe; the texture is generous and the finish lingers. 91.

Plume Rosé of Pinot Noir 2024 ($29.99). This Rosé of Pinot Noir is made with fruit from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The wine presents with a delicate pink hue. It has aromas and flavours of strawberry and raspberry. 90.

Plume Pinot Noir 2023 ($48). This Pinot Noir is in co-operation with Oregon’s Archery Summit Winery, a leading producer in the Willamette Valley. This is a very pretty wine, with aromas of cherry and raspberry that are echoed on the silky palate. 92.

Plume Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 ($52). This Cabernet Sauvignon, from an outstanding vintage, was grown in the renowned Blind Creek vineyard in the Similkameen Valley. Dark in the glass and full-bodied, it has aromas of cassis and dark cherry. The palate delivers flavours of black currant mingled with dark cherry and hint of mint. 94.