An Icewine that should be on your bucket list

  

Photo: Nk'Mip winemaker Randy Picton

This is the time of year for what the Australians refer to as “stickies” – ports, late harvest wines and Icewine.

I accumulated a number of samples of dessert wines that came in this year and added a few from earlier years that missed being reviewed. After making my notes, I shared all the wines with members of a winemaking club. It was a good party.

That’s what makes dessert wines so appealing: they are very good social wines. No one thinks of drinking an Icewine alone.

It is perhaps unfortunate that these wines have been classified as dessert wines. It has led consumers to think these wines can only be enjoyed with dessert, or as dessert. That creates a dilemma: by the time the dessert is served, most people have decided they won’t drink anything at all. They have to drive home; or they are watching calories. As a result, these glorious wines just gather dust.

My suggestion is to start the evening with dessert wines (with the possible exception of port). Duck liver pâté or Cambozolo cheese pair easily with late harvest wines or Icewines. Most dinner guests are bowled over by the novelty.

If you must have spirits before dinner, consider an Icewine martini. The Liquor Distribution Branch of Ontario actually has recipes available on line.

The wines reviewed here fall into several categories. Late harvest wines typically are moderately sweet. Because they are made with grapes that usually are not frozen, the winery’s yield is larger and thus the price of the wine is usually half the price of Icewine. The port-style wines also typically cost less that Icewine.

Icewine is expensive because the winery’s yield from the grapes is perhaps 20% of the volume of table wine that could be made from the same grapes. Thus, a $20 bottle of table wine becomes a $100 bottle of Icewine (except that Icewine is sold in half bottles at $50 or in 200 ml bottles at $25-$35).

Icewine is difficult to make. Picking at night when the temperature is well below zero is very demanding. Pressing frozen grapes is very hard on wine presses. Getting a healthy fermentation started is challenging because yeast struggles to survive in the sugar-saturated solutions. If fermentation is less that healthy, off-aromas and off-flavours can develop in the wine.

I mention those hurdles because I have awarded 100 points to the Riesling Icewine from Nk’Mip Cellars. Having tasted hundreds of Icewines over the last 15 years, I know perfection when I find it. Put NK’Mip winemaker Randy Picton’s Icewine on your bucket list.

If you can’t find it, there are a lot of other terrific wines, too.

Unless otherwise stated, the bottles are all 375 ml in size.

Cassini Cellars Moscato Dessert Wine NV ($24). Perhaps this is the Okanagan’s answer to white Port. With 18.6% alcohol, this is a fortified wine. Fermentation was stopped with the addition of alcohol to preserve some of the natural sugars and flavours. The wine also aged 14 months in French oak. The wine has floral and apricot aromas, leading to spicy baked apple flavours. The finish is lightly spirituous and fairly dry. I would like this wine with Gouda or aged cheddar. 90.

Clos du Soleil Saturn 2011 ($28.90 for 56 cases). This is a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Moderately sweet, it has 14.5% alcohol. It is a perfect wine with blue cheese or savoury pâté. There are hints of honey and citrus on the nose. On the palate, the wine shows vivid flavours of grapefruit and lime. The finish is a trifle spirituous but that helps add spine and definition to this delicious wine. 91.

Harper’s Trail Late Harvest Riesling 2012 ($20). The wine begins with a room-filling aroma of lime, grapefruit and Muscat raisins. This translates to delicious flavours of Muscat and nectarine, with fresh acidity to balance the residual sugar. The finish is long and refreshing. 90.

Hester Creek Late Harvest Pinot Blanc 2010 ($17.95 for 200 ml). Plump in texture, the wine is richly concentrated, with flavours of ripe pineapple and baked apple. Good acidity balances the sugar, leaving the palate refreshed. 89.

Inniskillin Okanagan Riesling Icewine 2011 ($60.10). Gold in the glass, this is a rich wine with honeyed aromas of apricots and peaches. On the palate, the wine has a concentrated texture with flavours of ripe apricot and tangerine. There is a long and lingering finish like a very fine toffee but with brisk acidity to prevent the wine from cloying. 94.

Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Riesling Icewine 2012 ($60). The wine begins with honeyed aromas of lemon and lime. It delivers flavours of key lime pie and ripe apricots, with an exquisite balance of acidity and natural sugar. The purity of the fruit is exemplary. This is very, very fine. 100.

Paradise Ranch Late Harvest Cabernet Merlot 2011 ($18.90). The wine begins with a strawberry pink/bronze hue. The fruity aroma is led by cassis. On the soft juicy palate, there are flavours of stewed strawberry and blackberry. The texture is light and silky. The finish is sweet but not jammy. The alcohol is only 11.5%; don’t expect this to taste like a fortified wine. 88.

Pentâge Cabernet Franc 2011 Appassimento Style ($35).  This is an Okanagan winery’s take on Amarone because the technique is similar. The winery dried hand-picked grapes for 58 days, concentrating juice, flavour and sugar, before pressing the fruit. The result is a dark wine with 15% alcohol. The aroma is glorious – blackberry and black currant jam. The intense flavours include black currant, lingonberry, black cherry and spice. The tannins are ripe but firm enough to give this wine a future in bottle. Since the bottle is 375 ml, remember that wine ages most quickly in small bottles. 93.

Quails’ Gate Totally Botrytis Affected Optima 2008 ($29.99). Think of this wine as the Okanagan’s very own Sauternes. Quails’ Gate is fortunate to have the right conditions in its vineyard to make such a wine almost every year. This has a lovely gold hue and opulent aromas and flavours of honeyed apricots and pears. The wine has an unctuous honeyed finish. However, the sugar – 122 grams per litre – is well balanced with 9.7 grams of acidity. The finish has an appealing note of caramel. The current 2012 vintage is in liquor stores is just as good. 90.

Quails’ Gate Fortified Vintage Foch 2011 ($22.99 for 375 cases). Made in the tradition of Port, this wine, which spent 18 months in barrels, has 18% alcohol. Dark in hue, it has aromas of spice, chocolate and cherries. On the palate, the wine is rich in texture, with flavours of black cherry and chocolate. Imagine drinking a Black Forest cake! 91.

Saxon Estate LateHarvest Gewürztraminer 2012 ($24.90). The wine begins with aromas of spice, lychee and grapefruit. On the palate, it is plump, with flavours of lychee and peaches. The acidity is soft. There is a pleasant lingering sweetness on the finish. 88.

See Ya Later Ranch 2011 Hunny Late Harvest Riesling ($25.09). The grapes were harvested at 32 brix, not far off the minimum for Icewine. As a result, this is a rich and concentrated wine, with intense aromas of Muscatel raisins. On the palate, there are layers of flavours, including raisins, figs, citrus and a touch of candy apple on the finish. The 9.3 grams (per litre) of acidity balances the 100 grams of sugar to leave the palate refreshed. 90.

Seven Stones Late Harvest Merlot 2010 ($NA). The dark hue and the 15.5% alcohol signal that this is a bold and ripe wine. Aromas of blueberry and cassis explode from the glass. The wine delivers intense and delicious flavours of blackberry and plum with a silken finish. The finish goes on and on, leaving a lingering sweetness which is very well balanced. 91.

Sonoran Estate Winery Oraniensteiner Icewine 2007 ($34.90 for 200 ml). This is Sonoran’s signature wine; no other winery as embraced the Oraniensteiner grape with such dedication. It is an obscure German varietal notable for both flavour and high acidity which suits Icewine. This wine has an appealing gold hue. It begins with intense aromas of apricots and dried fruits, which carries through to the flavours, where the dried apricot persists. The bracing acidity leaves the palate refreshed. The winery recommends this for making Icewine martinis as well as for pairing with cheeses, pâté and desserts. 90.

Stoneboat Vineyard Pinot Blanc 2008 Very Late Harvest ($NA). This would have qualified as Icewine if Stoneboat had registered to make Icewine -  because the grapes were picked and pressed at -10ºC. It begins with appealing aromas of pineapple and clover honey. There are flavours of ripe pineapple and baked apple, with a bracing acidity that gives the wine a dancing freshness on the palate. 91.

Stoneboat Vineyard Verglas 2007 ($54.90 for 2011 vintage, the current one). This is Icewine; Stoneboat uses a proprietary name for it. The grapes in this blend, Oraniensteiner and Pinot Blanc, were picked January 22, 2008, at -15ºC, yielding a juice with 56 brix. The grapes had also been touched with botrytis which is unusual in Icewine, but hardly undesirable. The wine begins with aromas of honey and tobacco, classic with a botrytized wine. On the palate, the wine is rich with a complex array of flavours ranging from strawberry to pepper, encompassing caramel and ripe pineapple. The superb balance leaves the palate clean and refreshed. 95.

Tinhorn Creek Kerner Icewine 2012 ($57.99 for 90 cases). Lightly gold in colour, the wine begins with baked raisin aromas. There are flavours of caramel and baked apples, with a nutty note on the finish. 88.

Van Westen Vicicle 2012 Viognier Icewine ($24.90 for 200 ml). The wine begins with aromas of citrus and apple, leading to honeyed flavours of apple, lemon and pineapple. The crisp acidity gives the wine a clean, fresh finish, with lively citrus notes that linger. 91.

Whistler Icewine Sauvignon Blanc 2011 ($28.90 for 200 ml.) The winery claims this is the first Sauvignon Blanc Icewine in Canada. It begins with a dramatic aroma of ripe pineapple with a generous squeeze of lime. The flavours are simply stunning – layer upon layer of tropical fruit with a finish that calls for a stop watch. It is still on the palate minutes later. The balance is exceptional. This wine was a double gold winner this spring at the All-Canadian Wine Championships. 93.

Kim Crawford acclaims vintage of a lifetime

Just as New Zealand’s Kim Crawford Winery proclaims its 2013 Sauvignon Blanc as its best ever vintage, Jancis Robinson has rained on the Sauvignon Blanc parade.

In a late October article in the Financial Times, she wrote: “Although there was a time when other non-European countries were deeply envious of New Zealand’s having an emblematic grape … this is decidedly out of fashion. Diversity is in …”

Her comment was triggered by attending a New Zealand wine tasting in London hosted by three top New Zealand wineries. They brought a total of 50 wines and not one was Sauvignon Blanc. They were showing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling.

A few days after that article, I found myself sharing a glass of wine (Red Rooster Pinot Blanc!) at Vancouver International Airport with Mark Rattray, a New Zealand winemaker on his way back home after working the vintage for Skimmerhorn Winery in Creston.

As an aside, he is one of two New Zealand winemakers working for Creston wineries. Dan Barker makes the wine for Baillie-Grohman. Both have been doing this for several years, taking advantage of the fact that vintage in the northern hemisphere corresponds to the off-season for winemaking down under.

I mentioned the Jancis Robinson comment to Mark. He replied that Sauvignon Blanc may be out of fashion in Britain but markets in the United States and China still can’t get enough of it.

Jancis was not dissing Sauvignon Blanc. She was just pointing out that 85% of the New Zealand wine sold in Britain is Sauvignon Blanc and suggesting, perhaps, that New Zealand has too many eggs in one basket.

I would agree that New Zealand has very exciting Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. While Pinot Noir’s fashion has been rising for almost a decade, I wonder whether consumers have overcome the “anything but Chardonnay” syndrome.

New Zealand has had Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in the Marlborough region (top of the south island) for at least 40 years. The Kim Crawford winery, which was founded in 1996, has its Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in Marlborough.

Anthony Walkenhorst, Kim Crawford’s chief winemaker, says: “We only got serious about growing Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough 30 to 40 years ago, so that’s as far back as we can go in comparing vintages. The 2013 vintage will easily be among the best … or the best of the past 20 to 30 years.”

The 2013 vintage in Marlborough benefited from exceptional grape growing weather, with warm days, cool nights and with rain when required but none at harvest. In fact, it was the driest season in Marlborough in 70 years. The result: healthy grapes full of flavour.

Now the British may choose to miss out on a vintage of a lifetime. We don’t have to. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2013 is among the 31 New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs listed in British Columbia.

If it was a vintage of the lifetime for Kim Crawford, it stands to reason that most of the 2013s will also be very good. In going through the LDB’s list, I see that many of the Sauvignon Blancs still are from 2011 and 2012. A number of them currently are being sold at a slight discount, including an earlier vintage of Kim Crawford. It is $17.99 until the end of the year. I wonder if the discounts are an effort to move older vintages before the fabulous 2013s get here.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is the only 2013 I have tasted. It lives up to its billing. Here is my note.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2013 ($19.99). This is a classically dramatic Sauvignon Blanc, with aromas of lime, grapefruit, guava, herbs and fresh green grass exploding from the glass. The herbal and lime flavours carry over to the tangy and refreshing palate. The mineral backbone and the fresh acidity give the wine a laser-sharp focus. The zesty finish is long and lingering. 92

Class of 2013: Kismet Estate Winery

 Photo: Suhki (l) and Balwinder Dhaliwal

On the winery’s website, the Dhaliwal brothers, who own this winery, explain that “the name Kismet is derived from the Punjabi word 'destiny'. We consider ourselves lucky to be able to consider Canada our home that provided us with endless possibilities. This has been a long time dream of our family to share our labour of love and hard work directly with customers.”

The Dhaliwal brothers had farming in the blood before coming to the Okanagan. “When I was 14 years old, I was driving a tractor on a farm,” says Sukhwinder (Sukhi for short). “We came from the farming area in India, the Punjab.” He came to the Okanagan, where he had relatives, in 1989 at the age of 20. His brother, Balwinder, born in 1974, joined him in 1993. Both have worked in, and managed, vineyards ever since for major producers including Mission Hill and Vincor.

They bought their first property in 1996 and planted grapes the following year. “After that, we never stopped,” says Balwinder (who sometimes goes by the name of Bill). Now, they operate about 130 acres of vineyards in the South Okanagan and sell grapes or manage vineyards for well-known wineries such as Laughing Stock Vineyards and Black Hills.

It speaks well of the brothers that Laughing Stock once lauded them on that winery’s website with these comments:
“Sukhi and his brother, Balwinder (Bill) moved to BC over 20 years ago and have grown their own vineyard management business to look after over 100 acres in the South Okanagan. We are thrilled to have them as the custodians of our 15 acre Osoyoos property, the Perfect Hedge Vineyard, for the past 5 years. The Dhaliwals attention to detail in the vineyard, and their ability to 'read the leaves' to make irrigation decisions is second to none.”

Growing grapes obviously introduced the brothers to wine. “We didn’t drink wine when we were in India,” Suhki says. “As soon as we started dealing with those wineries, we starting getting some free wine.”

In time, that led them to open their own winery as well. Suhki explains why: “The first thing is that we grow good quality fruit; and we think if we make our own wine, we can make very good quality wine. We have all the varieties. Secondly, I think we can make a little bit more money. And the third thing is that we really would like to have our own winery. That’s our hobby.”

It is a pretty serious hobby that is designed to grow to making 5,000 cases a year, with a processing facility amid the vines and a wine shop beside the highway. The consulting winemakers have the benefit, as Suhki says, of many varieties, including rare blocks of Grenache and Mourvedre.

The winery began selling its first wines in late summer. A tasting room, located just off Highway 97, is expected to open in 2014.

Here are notes on the wines.

Kismet Viognier Viognier 2012 ($18). This wine begins with aromas of citrus, pineapple and apricot. The palate is a rich bowl of fruit flavours, including apricot, apple and mango. The texture is full with a define spine of minerality. 91.

Kismet Saféd 2012 ($17). To forestall the question, Saféd means clear. This white blend is 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sémillon and 12% Orange Muscat. This makes for a somewhat exotic wine, with aromas of spice and orange peel and with spice and citrus flavours on the palate. The finish is crisp and dry. 88.

Kismet Mantra 2011 ($20.99). This is 49% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc and 17% Petit Verdot. The wine begins with aromas of vanilla and black cherry. On the palate, there are flavours of cassis, black cherry, vanilla and mocha with an elegant hint of cedar on the finish. The wine is structured to age for several more years before it reaches its peak. 88-90.

Kismet Malbec Syrah 2011 ($19.99). This is a 50/50 blend of two red varietals that do well in the South Okanagan. The Syrah brings a touch of pepper to the aroma and to the finish which complements the black cherry and vanilla aromas and flavours. This again is structured to develop to its peak over the next several years. 88-90.

Kismet Estate Winery

9580 Road 20

Oliver BC V0H 1T0

T 250.408.9800

W www.kismetestatewinery.com

Blue Mountain's refined bubbles

Photo: Blue Mountain winemaker Matt Mavety 

Just in time for the festive season, Blue Mountain Vineyards and Cellars has released three vintage-dated sparkling wines in addition to its old standby, the Non-Vintage Brut.

These are excellent wines, as are the four table wines released at the time.

In the tradition of Champagne, the vintage sparkling wines have rested in bottle on the yeast lees for three to seven years before being disgorged. It is remarkable that the prices are so reasonable, considering how long these wines have tied up Blue Mountain’s capital.

Compare that to some  vintage Champagnes. Bollinger La Grande Année 2004 is $150. Krug Vintage 2000 is $276. Roederer Rosé Brut 2007 is $87. Blue Mountain is leaving money on the table. Who says that B.C. wines are too expensive?

The table wines included three whites. I learned something about them from taking my time and tasting them over two days: these wines improve with decanting. The techniques employed by Blue Mountain winemaker Matt Mavety give the whites texture and structure so that they can be cellared for three to seven years.

Most whites are 40% fermented in barrels (older barrels) and aged on the lees for perhaps six months.  Then the barrel fermented wines are blended with the tank fermented wines and bottled in the spring after vintage. The tight texture of young wines means that they need a bit of time to open. I wonder how many other fine whites benefit from being decanted?

Here are notes on the wines.

Blue Mountain Brut NV ($23.90). This elegant but inexpensive bubbly has New Year’s Eve written all over it. The wine, with fine, persistent bubbles, is crisp on entry and on the finish but with a creamy mid-palate. There is a hint of bready aromas and flavours of fresh apples and citrus. The finish is refreshing. 90.

Blue Mountain 2005 Reserve Brut R.D. ($39.90). This wine spent seven years on the yeast lees before being disgorged in March 2013. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Gris. The prolonged sur-lies aging promotes a fine mousse with delicate bready aromas. The winery’s own notes speak of strawberry on the nose and palate. I found the finish crisp and even austere. Yet this is a fine, complex wine that more than holds its own against Champagne. 91.

Blue Mountain 2006 Blanc de Blancs R.D. ($39.90). This is 100% Chardonnay. The wine was aged sur-lie for six years before being disgorged in March 2013. This is a very refined wine, with bready aromas and citrus and apple flavours. The crisp finish, with an acidity that is still bracing, gives this wine a brilliantly focussed personality. 92.

 Blue Mountain 2009 Brut Rosé ($32.90). Made with 84% Pinot Noir and 16% Chardonnay, this wine has a lovely blush hue. The aroma suggests strawberries and apples and this carries through to the creamy palate. The finish is crisp and clean. This wine is so delicious that you probably want to buy it by the magnum. A bottle is not enough. 94.

 Blue Mountain Pinot Blanc 2012 ($17.90). The wine has aromas of peaches and apples. On the rich palate, there are flavours of apples and stone fruit. The flavours and aromas were clearly more generous on the second day. It was this wine that got me thinking that Blue Mountain whites, which are good to begin with, benefit from decanting. 90.

Blue Mountain Pinot Gris 2012 ($20.90). This wine begins with the complex aroma of lees, pears and citrus fruits. On the rich palate, there are flavours of pears and apples with a lightly spicy finish. 91.

Blue Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2012 ($18.90). Think of Sancerres, not New Zealand. The wine begins with herbal and citrus aromas. On the palate, there are flavours of grapefruit and grapefruit rind. The finish is spicy and dry, almost austere until the wine has a chance to open up. 88-90.

Blue Mountain Gamay Noir 2012 ($20.90). The wine begins with a cherry hue and aromas of cherries. On the rich, ripe palate, there are flavours of cherry and strawberry with a touch of spicy mocha on the finish. 90.

Naramata neighbors: Figaro and Portfolio

Photo: Laughing Stock's David Enns

By coincidence, two wines came across my desk from Naramata Bench wineries that are almost neighbours.

Laughing Stock Vineyards is right on Naramata Road while Terravista Vineyards is a few kilometres up hill. If I were throwing a dinner to show off two classy Naramata wines, I would certainly recommend Terravista’s Figaro with the fish course and Laughing Stock’s Portfolio with the meat course.

Other than being focused on quality, these two wineries have quite different approaches. Laughing Stock, which opened in 2005, has a portfolio of eight or ten wines. The flagship is Portfolio, a Bordeaux blend made every year since 2003, the winery’s inaugural vintage.

Laughing Stock is a comparatively large winery among its Naramata Bench colleagues, making perhaps 6,000 cases a year. Owners David and Cynthia Enns are not planning to grow much larger. David’s focus, as a winemaker, is to build more complexity into his wines than is there already.

To that end, he has added to his fermentation tool kit three concrete eggs and, as of this vintage, two 500-litre clay amphorae. The latter, made in Italy, are the first in any Okanagan winery. They are being used in the production of rosé and a Viognier/Marsanne/Roussanne blend.

Terravista’s Figaro is a Roussanne/Viognier/Marsanne blend. The Roussanne portion of Figaro is fermented in French oak 500 litre puncheons and the Marsanne (with a small portion of Viognier) in older French 225 litre barrels (5+ yr old). The remainder of Viognier in Figaro is fermented in stainless steel fermenters.

The wine does remain sur lie for the winter.  Bottling is not until late May.

Terravista is a 1,700-case capacity winery that was opened in 2011 by Senka and Bob Tennant. Previously, they were one of the two couples who opened Black Hills Estate Winery in 2001 and then sold it in 2007.

When the Tennants decided to return to the wine industry, it was with quite a different model that either Black Hills or Laughing Stock. Terravista makes just two white wines. Figaro is made from purchased grapes and a wine called Fandango is made from two Spanish varieties grown at Terravista – Albariño and Verdejo. Fandago was released earlier this year to critical acclaim.

Together, these wineries are among the most interesting on the Naramata Bench. Here are notes on the wines.

Terravista Figaro 2012 ($23.90). The wine begins with aromas of pear and apricot, leading to flavours of apple and pineapple. The finish is dry and crisp, with a fine spine of minerality. 90.

Laughing Stock Portfolio 2011 ($42). This is a blend of 42% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine spent a total of 19 months in French oak (45% new). The accounts for the svelte and polished texture of a wine that is bright and elegant. There is an abundance of red fruit in the aroma, with flavours of black currant, cherry and chocolate. The finish is long. While this wine is already drinking well (if you decant it), it should continue to improve in bottle for at least 10 years. 92.

Harper's Trail: the first winery in Kamloops

Photo: Harper's Trail proprietors Vicki and Ed Collett

There is an organization of financial executives that has invited me for several years to choose the wines for their final dinner of the season, and to speak about the wines.

The wines are always from British Columbia, that being a region in which I fancy I have some knowledge.

This year, I stayed with British Columbia while throwing my audience a curve by choosing wines from Harper’s Trail Estate Winery in Kamloops.

After the group got over its surprise … “A winery in Kamloops?” … the comments on the wines were all positive. I expected that, having tasted the Harper’s Trail wines previously.

Harper’s Trail is the first winery in Kamloops. It opened its tasting room this summer, a few months earlier than Privato Vineyard and Winery, the city’s second winery. The latest list of licensed wineries includes a third Kamloops winery called Sagewood. Next spring, Monte Creek Ranch Winery will be the community’s fourth winery. That is enough for a good day of wine touring.

The Harper’s Trail wines are well distributed in restaurants and private wine stores. You can find a list on the winery’s website.

If Harper’s Trail is unfamiliar, here is the profile I have written for the next edition of John Schreiner’s Okanagan Wine Tour Guide. It will be published next spring.

Harper’s Trail Estate Winery                         Opened 2012

2720 Shuswap Road,

Kamloops BC  V2H 1S9

T 250.573.5855

W www.harperstrail.com

When to visit: Mid-May to mid-June 11 am – 7 pm Friday through Sunday; daily 11 am – 6 pm (to 7 pm Friday through Sunday) from late June to September 1; daily 11 am – 5 pm September 2 to mid-October.

What makes this vineyard special is same thing that has enabled Lafarge to operate a cement plant nearby since 1970: the underlying limestone in the area, which is quarried for cement but also benefits grape growing. Ed Collett, who owns Harper’s Trail with his wife, Vicki, points to the cliff above the south-sloping vineyards. “That whole side hill is lime rock,” he says.

This property on the north side of the Thompson River is about 16 kilometres (10 miles) east of Kamloops. Formerly, it grew hay and grazed cattle in what is quintessential British Columbia range country. The winery is named for Thaddeus Harper, the 19th-century American-born rancher who once owned the vast 15,569-hectare (38,472-acre) Gang Ranch, one of the first farms to use sturdy gang ploughs. Ed bought his modest slice of ranch country in 2007 after he had conceived the idea of developing a winery. He acquired a taste for wine during travels to Chile on business for the mining equipment company he has run since in 1987.

The desire for a winery emerged during Okanagan wine tours. Ed remembers relaxing at a bed and breakfast overlooking a vineyard and remarking: “I’ve got to get myself one of these.” He began planting vines in 2008. He currently has 11.7 hectares (29 acres) of vines and has plans for more in stages as he and vineyard manager John Dranchuk determine what varieties will succeed. “You have to take baby steps,” Ed notes. “We are further north [than most vineyards] but obviously, it is not a deterrent for us.” The cold winters led to the removal of Merlot while a 2008 planting of Cabernet Franc succeeded so well that more was planted in 2012, followed with 2.4 hectares (six acres) of Pinot Noir and Gamay in 2013. Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay also are succeeding. Wind machines combat early autumn frost. Ginseng shade-cloth on the vineyard’s borders breaks the valley’s constant winds. Propane cannons deter the birds. “All of this is new to the Thompson,” the vineyard manager says. “This was the first vineyard with wind machines and bird bangers.”

The first several vintages, which included three different Rieslings, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, a white blend, a rosé and a Cabernet Franc, were made for Harper’s Trail at Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland.  A tasting room opened at the vineyard in the summer of 2013. The temporary winemaking facility used for that vintage is being replaced in 2014 by a new winery. There are future plans for a restaurant and for walking trails on the property.

Here are notes on the wines, all made from grapes grown on the estate vineyard.

Harper’s Trail Pioneer Block Dry Riesling 2012 ($20 for 450 cases). The winery describes this dry wine with 10.8% alcohol as being made in the “Rheingau style.” It begins with appealing aromas of lime and apple, delivering flavours of lime, lemon, and orange peel. It has a fine mineral backbone that contributes to a good texture. 91.

Harper’s Trail Silver Mane Block Riesling 2012 ($20 for 513 cases). This is made in the style of a Mosel Riesling, with only 8.5% alcohol but with 25 grams of residual sugar – three times as much as the Dry Riesling. The aromas were not as developed as those of the Dry Riesling but the flavours and the full texture telegraph the potential of this wine with a few more months of aging. The tangy acidity is well balanced by the sweetness on the palate. 89.

Harper’s Trail Pinot Gris 2012 ($18 for 319 cases). The wine has a slightly coppery hue, the result of giving the wine some skin contact to enhance colour and flavour. It has aromas of apples and pears with appealing fruit flavours and with a crisp, dry finish. 90.

Harper’s Trail Chardonnay 2012 ($22 for 392 cases). The wine begins with aromas of peach and citrus. On the palate, subtle oak frames the flavours of peach and citrus and the hint of cloves. The finish is bright and refreshing. 90.

Harper’s Trail Field Blend White 2012 ($17 for 347 cases). A light and refreshing white, this is a blend of Riesling and Chardonnay. It has aromas and flavours of apples and lime with a crisp mineral backbone. 89.

Harper’s Trail Cabernet Franc 2012 ($25 for 138 cases). The wine begins with aromas of blackberries and black cherry and delivers mouth-filling berry flavours. The texture is juicy, thanks to the ripe tannins, and the wine drinks easily. 90.

Not reviewed are the Gewürztraminer 2012 ($18 for 136 cases) and the Rosé 2012 ($17 for 93 cases), probably because they are sold out.

Not yet reviewed is the Late Harvest Riesling 2012 ($20 for 445 cases of half bottles). I am saving this and other dessert wines for a blog that will be posted early in the holiday season.

A record year for BC Icewine

 Photo: The Icewine harvest at Summerhill Pyramid Winery

Here’s hoping that consumers still have a taste for something sweet: British Columbia’s winemakers are likely to produce about 300,000 litres of Icewine this, or double the 2012 production.

Some 29 producers have registered to turn 1,000 tons of grapes into Icewine this year. The harvest began November 20-21, the third earliest Icewine harvest in British Columbia. The earliest harvests were November 3, 2003 and November 19, 2011.

One winery, Little Straw Vineyards in West Kelowna, was able to pick some grapes early on the morning of November 20, stopping when the temperature rose during the day, and finishing that night.

Several consecutive days of frigid weather in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys have given producers a generous window for the harvest.

The jump in production this year is due primarily to the fact that the necessary harvest conditions occurred early, when a lot of fruit was still hanging on the vine and when the berries were plump and healthy.

“To make superb Icewine, the first thing you need is perfect grapes,” says Ezra Cipes, the chief executive at Summerhill Pyramid Winery. “We had a growing season that produced perfect grapes [and] we had temperatures that froze our grapes on the vine to produce this delicious nectar.”

The difference between an early Icewine harvest and a late one is major. In the 2012 vintage, 142,800 litres of Icewine were produced from a harvest of 476 tons by 27 producers. In that vintage, a little Icewine was picked on January 1, 2012 and most was picked between January 11 and January 15.

Derek Kontkanen, one of the winemakers at Jackson-Triggs, estimates that vines can lose as much as 25% of their fruit in each additional month that the Icewine harvest is delayed. The berries are eaten by birds and bears, or knocked from the vines by wind. They also lose weight by shrivelling on the vine; and there is always a risk of rot if winter turns wet.

The regulations for making Icewine are quite specific. Grapes for Icewine must be frozen to at least -8ºC before being picked and they must be crushed at that temperature as well.

That is the minimum. Most winemakers prefer the grapes to be frozen to between -10ºC and -12ºC.  The colder temperatures freeze more of the water fraction in the grapes and the juice squeezed from the press is sweeter. At -12ºC, Jackson-Triggs and Inniskillin Okanagan were getting juice that measured 45 brix – effectively 45% sugar.

The freezing not only concentrates the sugar; it also concentrates acidity and flavours. In the best Icewines, the piquant acidity balances the sweetness so that the flavours are clean and appealing.

Few winemakers want the temperatures to be much colder. If the brix reading gets above 50, it is difficult to get a healthy ferment because the high sugar content kills the yeast cells.

The volumes of Icewine produced each vintage vary greatly, usually depending on weather conditions. However, the small production in 2009 probably had more to do with industry pessimism about the demand for expensive wines after the 2008 recession. The following table is provided by the BC Wine Institute.

Year	Tons left for Icewine	Estimated litres
2013	1,000	300,000
2012	476	142,800
2011	670	201,000
2010	520	156,000
2009	232	69,600
2008	420	126,000

In 2001, I wrote the world’s first book on Icewine, called Icewine: The Complete Story. Now out of print, it shows up used on Amazon. I also produced a 12,000-woes monograph for the International Wine and Food Society which is the basic primer on Icewine. The text remains on my computer and I would be happy to send it to anyone who requests it. Email me at goodgrog@shaw.ca.

The photo below is of Riesling grapes for Jackson-Triggs Icewine.