Therapy Vineyards - current releases

In the past year, several important changes have occurred at Naramata’s Therapy Vineyards.

First, a new winemaker, Steve Latchford (above), took over last November when Marcus Ansems left to run a wine importing club.

Secondly, Therapy completed a new winery about four times the size of jam-packed previous winery. This gives Therapy, which is making about 10,000 cases annually now, the capacity to grow to 15,000 cases.

Thirdly, the winery’s latest releases include a wine – its first Malbec – with a label that has nothing to do with psychoanalysis theme that Therapy explores on most of its labels. Artists were asked to submit label ideas on a winter sports theme. The winning art shows hockey players, in what may well be the first time, surprisingly, that there has ever been a hockey figure on a Canadian wine label (excluding private labels).

Therapy was launched in 2005 by an investment group led until 18 months ago by an Alberta businessman, a leading member of the Opimian Society. A nasty fallout among the investors in the summer of 2008 led to a management restructuring.

Judging from recent tastings of Therapy’s wines, whatever was happening at the front of the house caused no damage in the cellars. The wines, made by Marcus and finished by Steve, remain solid.

Steve was born in 1982 new Prince Edward County in Ontario and worked at a dairy farm before enrolling in the winemaking program at Niagara College in 2001 – before he was old enough to drink legally. Graduating in 2004, he joined the Jackson-Triggs winery in Ontario and worked in a number of the Vincor vineyards there.

He moved to the Okanagan in 2007, tasted at almost every winery from Osoyoos to Kelowna and left his résumé at every place where he liked the wine. Several wineries called him. He took a job at Lang Vineyards because he and winemaker Bernhard Schirrmeister “hit it off.”

Therapy recruited him during the 2008 vintage. “Everything was a nice fit for me here,” Steve says. Indeed, what winemaker would not want to a place with a good reputation and a new winery?

There was not a lot of room for expansion at Therapy’s compact site. The previous owners of this site, when it was the original Red Rooster Winery, simply moved to a much larger property on Naramata Road. Therapy’s owners found room for the new 7,500 square foot winery by removing a block of underperforming Merlot vines. The tasting room, while remaining in the previous building, has also been enlarged.

The winery’s barrel cellar – there currently are 450 barrels here - is dug into the hillside, a design that harnesses the earth to insulate the building. The tank cellar has high ceilings to accommodate slender tanks. And there is a top floor for a spartan set of offices. In sum, a functional winery.

The latest releases include three reds from 2008. Here are notes on those and other recently tasted Therapy wines.

Therapy 2008 Merlot ($26). Dark in colour, the wine begins with appealing aromas of plums and blackberries. It is a full-bodied wine, firm but accessible, with flavours of black cherries, blueberries, mocha chocolate. I tasted this over several days and found the wine, which has a screwcap, opened up, releasing more sweet fruit flavours as the tannins softened. 88

Therapy 2008 Pinot Noir ($26). This wine has aromas and flavours of cherries, with a juicy texture. The fruit flavours are bright but the wine is still doing that Pinot thing of going through cycles. It was generous in one September tasting but finished short in a more recent tasting. Patience. 85

Therapy 2008 Malbec ($22). The winemaking notes on Therapy’s website say that the wine was made somewhat in the style of a “Pinot Noir with a medium body.” It beats me why anyone would sacrifice body and concentration when the big Argentine Malbecs constitute the benchmark for most consumers. The bright spicy fruit flavours have charm even if this is atypical for Malbec. 86

Therapy 2008 Chardonnay ($25). This is a delicious wine with citrus flavours and a tangy finish but also with richness and a note of butterscotch produced during fermentation and barrel-aging. 88

Therapy 2008 Freudian Sip ($19). This is a rare blend of Riesling, Kerner and Pinot Gris. The wine has aromas and flavours of citrus, melons and green apples with a crisp flinty finish. 89

Therapy 2008 Pink Freud ($19). While we are close to the end of the rosé season, there might still be a few bottles of this around. The wine was made by bleeding some juice from freshly crushed red varieties and co-fermenting the juice. The result: a refreshing charmer with strawberry flavours and with a crisp, dry finish. 88

Therapy 2007 Freud’s Ego ($20). This is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. It has aromas of mint, red berries and oak. It has sweet flavours of plum and black cherry and currants, with long ripe tannins. 88

Therapy 2007 Super Ego ($37). This big, bold red, with flavours of currants, plum, chocolate and tobacco, is the red blend taken to another level. This is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and two percent each of Petit Verdot and Shiraz. This is a fleshier blend and a more complex one. 89-91

Mission Hill's wine quartet really sings

Mission Hill Family Estate’s ultra-premium family of wines is now a quartet with the release this week of Compendium, a new blend of the Bordeaux red varieties.

At $40 a bottle, this is the wine to buy if your budget does not stretch to the $70 asked for Oculus, the winery’s signature red.

Compendium is one of three wines in what Mission Hill calls its Legacy Series. The others, first released last year, are Quatrain, a red built around Syrah, and Perpetua, an elegant Chardonnay.

And there are more high-end wines to come. Last month I tasted a very impressive tank sample of a 2008 dry Riesling. The working title of this unreleased wine is Fritz Riesling because Fritz Hasselbach, the proprietor of German’s Weingut Gunderloch, has been involved since 2006 as a consultant and blender on Mission Hill’s Rieslings.

A veteran of 30 vintages in Germany, Gunderloch is a leader in the Riesling Renaissance and a worthwhile addition to the Mission Hill brains trust. The so-called Fritz Riesling will take its place at the front rank of Canadian Rieslings – a tangy, concentrated and savoury wine. I scored the sample 90-92.

While Mission Hill winemaking team, led by John Simes, is superb, it never hurts to tap the skills and the ideas of a few outsiders. That became evident a few years ago when Michel Rolland, the French super-consultant, became involved in the production of Oculus. He doesn’t make the wine, of course. On his advice, Mission Hill added a number of sophisticated pieces of wine-making equipment. He also comes around to help Mission Hill’s team put together the blend for Oculus.

Mission Hill began making Oculus in the 1997 vintage. The last four vintages of Oculus have seen the wine move to a higher level. It may have been the influence of Rolland coupled with the impact of maturing vineyards. This wine aspires to a First Growth of the Okanagan.

This month’s releases include Oculus 2006, Quatrain 2006, Compendium 2006 and Perpetua 2007. Here are my notes on those wines:

Oculus 2006 ($70). This is a blend of 51% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. The wines were fermented, and got extended maceration, in the French oak fermenters that Mission Hill installed several years ago, apparently at Rolland’s suggestion. The wines then were aged 14 ½ months on French oak barrels. The finished wine aged a year in bottle before being released. The result is a classic Bordeaux-style red that belongs in the cellars of collectors. At this stage, the structure of the wine is still tight and concentrated, with firm, ripe tannins framing the favours of red currants, plums and dark chocolate. 94

(I tasted that wine side by side with the Oculus 2005, which I have rated 92-94. The extra year of bottle age has enabled the wine to develop a more generous texture, with flavours of black currants, black cherries, cedar and tobacco. There is no rush to drink either of these wines. They promise to be drinking well for at least 10 years.)

Compendium 2006 ($40). This blend is 52% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. This wine was fermented and aged in small French oak barrels. It is structured deliberately to be more approachable in its youth than Oculus – in other words, the wine to drink while waiting for Oculus to age. It is a very appealing wine, juicy on the palate with flavours of blueberries and raspberries with an undertone of spice. The tannins are still firm enough to give this wine five to 10 years, even if it is drinking well now, if decanted. 89-91.

Quatrain 2006 ($45). This is a blend of 41% Syrah, 32% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented and aged in small French oak barrels for 15 months (only 45% of the barrels were new). Dark in colour, this is a full-bodied, satisfying red with spicy flavours of black cherry, blackberry, prunes and chocolate. The big ripe tannins and the chewy texture give this wine a long finish. 90.

Perpetua Chardonnay 2007 ($35). No doubt it is a coincidence that this wine, now in its second vintage, shares the name of a Christian saint in Carthage whose father imprisoned her when she would not renounce her faith. That has nothing to do with the wine, although tasting this wine should convert those who have renounced Chardonnay in recent years.

The winemaker stayed away from malolactic fermentation in order to keep the fruit flavours fresh and lively. This wine begins with clean, delicate aromas of citrus, pineapple and tropical fruit, carrying through to the palate with citrus flavours and with a fine mineral structure. Extended lees aging added to the fullness of the wine on the palate. This elegant wine is drinking well now but has the potential to development further complexity and richness over the next two or three years. 92

This is a fine quartet.

Cellared in Canada controversy blows up

The latest controversy over so-called Cellared in Canada wines seems to be heading toward a resolution that is in the interest of proponents of genuine Canadian wines.

Tine will tell, given the wine industry’s long history of importing either fresh grapes or finished bulk wines. Let me provide some perspective.

The recent controversy was triggered this summer by British wine writer Jancis Robinson, one of the world’s most influential wine writers. She was in the Okanagan for the first time in several years, tasted a selection of top British Columbia wines and was hosted at dinner by Vincor Canada, a leading bottler both of quality Canadian wines and cellared in Canada wines.

In subsequent columns on her website and in The Financial Times, Robinson scolded the Canadian wine industry, not for the first time, for its Cellared in Canada wines.

“I know I keep going on about this … but I think it is doing a disservice to real Canadian wine and its reputation abroad to continue this misleading practice,” she wrote. She argued that the big Canadian wineries “mislead” consumers by releasing wines made largely or entirely with blends of imported wines – and not making this clear on the labels.

Her criticism was picked up by other media, including The Vancouver Sun in a scathing September 18 article suggesting consumers were being “deceived” by the Cellared in Canada wines. The Sun followed that up with several more articles while the CBC aired the issue nationally.

Yesterday, the presidents of Vincor and Andrew Peller Ltd. met with the editorial board of The Sun and promised to resolve the issue with much more transparent labels.

“There has never been any intention on any part of our companies to mislead consumers,” John Peller told The Sun. “We will take immediate steps to rectify and clarify the confusion because there never has been any intention on our parts to deceive.” Vincor president Eric Morham was quoted saying much the same thing.

So Jancis Robinson has prevailed? We’ll see.

Wine moves across borders all the time, ending up in international blends. Sometimes the labels are transparent, sometimes not. Austrian wine, for example, was blended anonymously into German wine prior to the 1985 Austrian wine scandal. Last year, I tasted some wretched international blends at a big German winery.

The Canadian industry has a long history of importing grapes, concentrates or wine. In the 1920s, Ontario wineries imported grapes from New York because they were short of home-grown grapes.

When winery expansion began in British Columbia after the war, a shortage of grapes led the government to sanction the use of imported grapes, provided that the wineries supported vineyard development here. André’s Wines, as Peller was then known, opened in 1961 with wines made from California fruit; at the same time, André’s planted the first vineyard in the Similkameen Valley.

In the 1970s, regional development grants fostered substantial wineries in Quebec even though there were no vineyards at all. Some of those wineries imported Italian grapes while others imported concentrates. The wines were shocklingly mediocre and most of those wineries failed.

Canadian wineries in the 1970s faced the daunting challenge of making the European-style wines (that consumers here were demanding) with grapes that either were ill-suited for European wines or were not grown well enough to make good wines at all. In both Ontario and BC, the grape marketing boards could force wineries to buy nearly all the grapes, however poor they were.

To survive, the wineries did two things:

1. They imported California or Washington grapes or bulk wines from the United States or elsewhere, releasing wines (sometimes blended with domestic wines) that better suited the changing consumer palate.

2. They created families of pseudo-labels to associate the domestic wines with the image and style of Europe. The labels pictured above are typical. Such labels were the complete antithesis of transparency. However, some were so successful – like Calona’s Schloss Laderheim – that they still sell. The pseudo-label wines undoubtedly kept Canadian wineries in business.

Unlike today, Canadian wine could get no respect. In 1983, when I was completing a booked called The World of Canadian Wine, I chanced to meet Hugh Johnson in Vancouver. He was then the most influential British wine writer. I offered him a look at the galleys of the book and he was not remotely interested. I can’t say that I blamed him.

Canadian wines began to turn the corner in the late 1980s. Mediocre grape varieties were pulled out; vineyards were replanted with quality French vines. And the Vintners’ Quality Alliance program was launched in Ontario and BC. The VQA wines must be made with grapes grown in Canada.

In the past decade, thanks to far better grape growing and winemaking, the VQA have achieved world class quality. For the first time in history, Canadian wines are taken seriously.

So why are big wineries still importing bulk wines to make Cellared in Canada wines? Two reasons:

1. Generally, they can’t produce VQA wines cheaply enough to meet the consumer demand for $7-$8 wines. Bulk wines from, say, the vast vineyards of Argentina, are cheap and good enough.

2. The profits from the Cellared in Canada wines support the investment that the large commercial wineries have made in developing the vineyards and the wineries needed to make high-quality VQA wines.

The irony is this: where mediocre Canadian wines once were clinging to the coat tails of bottled-in-Canada imports, today the inexpensive Cellared in Canada wines are hanging on to the coat tails of high-quality authentic Canadian wines.

You see that in liquor stores where both wines are sold in the “Canadian” section. There are wines labelled Jackson-Triggs or Peller Estates in both the VQA aisles and the non-VQA aisles. Mission Hill has discontinued Caves Chauvignon or Schloss Weinberg but has created such labels as Sonora Ranch and Wild Horse Canyon for its Cellared in Canada offerings.

Many consumers (even some liquor store employees) don’t know the difference.

I would suggest many consumers don’t care either. They continue to buy Toscano Bianco, Hochtaler, Schloss Laderheim and Domaine D’Or, and no doubt enjoy the products. The fact is that the big wineries cannot afford to walk away from Cellared in Canada wines, however much those of us in the wine writing community would prefer a pure focus on Grown in Canada wines.

Now the big wineries have promised to put more information on labels about the origin of the wines and get rid of the lookalike labels that have been less than honest. That is a positive step forward. Thank you, Jancis Robinson.

Vertical tasting at Burrowing Owl Winery

How well do British Columbia wines age?

That is one of the questions most frequently asked of those of us who taste BC wines often. But for the most part, we are tasting newly released wines rather than wines that have had long-term cellaring – and not always wines from a leading producer.

Recently, however, the owners of Burrowing Owl Estate Winery – Jim and Midge Wyse and their son Chris (photo, opening wines) – invited me to a tasting of all the Chardonnays and all the Syrahs that winery has made. The results were instructive.

The tasting also included winemaker Scott Stefishen. Born in North Vancouver in 1979, he earned his winemaking degree in Australia and did several vintages in the Margaret River before returning to Canada last year. He worked with Road 13 winemaker Michael Bartier for the 2008 crush.

When he was still in Australia, which has had serious forest fires near vineyards in recent years, Scott did a study of smoke taint in wines. That expertise was reflected during the Burrowing Owl tasting.

Burrowing Owl made its first wines in 1997 and has been at the forefront of quality producers every since. A Vancouver wine agent (who represents other Okanagan wineries) says enviously that Burrowing Owl operates “under a halo” in terms of its reputation with consumers.

The reputation was built on a combination of good grape growing and good winemaking. The winemaker from the beginning through the 2004 vintage was consultant Bill Dyer, a talented and experienced California vintner. Steve Wyse, who was his cellar hand and assistant, took over when Bill left.

Steve left after the 2006 vintage (he is now launching his own Black Sheep Winery at Osoyoos). Australian-trained Jeff Del Nin did the next two vintages before leaving to join Church & State. Scott joined Burrowing Owl earlier this summer.

Even with all of those winemaker changes, the guiding style at Burrowing Owl is that established by Bill Dyer. The white wines are elegant and the oak never gets in the way of the fruit. The reds are big and ripe, reflecting the way that vineyard matures the grapes.

If anything, Burrowing Owl reds in the future might even be more ripe. On a small block of Cabernet Franc, the winery is testing the use of a white fabric strung along the base of the vines to reflect more sunlight into the north side of the rows. See the above photograph.

Here are notes and reflections from the vertical tasting.

Chardonnay 1997: Gold in colour with aromas and flavours of crème brulé. The acidity has softened, leaving the wine flat. The wine is well past its prime.

Chardonnay 1998: Gold. A hot vintage wine still being held together by its alcohol and minerals. The aroma recalls creamed corn. Drink it up now.

Chardonnay 1999: Gold. Cool vintage wine with enough acidity to give an austere finish to its citrus and mineral flavours. Drink now.

Chardonnay 2000: Gold. There is a core of lively, sweet fruit (tangerines, ripe pineapples). Drink within a year.

Chardonnay 2001: Light gold. Toast and citrus aromas. Bright citrus flavours. Still nicely alive but best within a year.

Chardonnay 2002: Light gold. Toasty aroma (from the barrels). Rich texture, with attractive citrus flavours. Drink within two years.

Chardonnay 2003: Dark gold. Seriously maderized and tasting like a dry sherry. This was the first year that synthetic stoppers were used rather than cork.

Chardonnay 2004: Fairly dark in colour. The wine is in the early stages of turning itself into sherry. These wines show how unsatisfactory synthetic stoppers can be for wines when aged more than two or three years.

Chardonnay 2005: Synthetic stopper but the wine is still drinking well, with rich flavours of citrus and toast and with slightly more prominent oak. But for the stopper, this could be aged further.

Chardonnay 2006: The wine is fresh and lively. Age it another year.

Chardonnay 2007: Back to a cork closure for this classically elegant Chardonnay, showing good minerality, lively citrus flavours and good length. Drink this over the next five years.

Syrah 2000: The debut vintage. Even though made with fruit from young vines, it is in excellent shape, with aromas of fruit, spice and liquorice, flavours of spicy plum and mocha, and a soft, chewy texture. Based on this wine, one would think that Burrowing Owl reds have at least 10 years of pleasurable life.

Syrah 2001: Another generous red, with aromas and flavours of spiced plum, black cherries and liquorice.

Syrah 2002: Dark in colour and firm in texture for Syrah (a good portent for aging), this shows earthy flavours of prunes, coffee and black chocolate.

Syrah 2003: This was the year of the forest fires in the Okanagan. Winemaker Scott Stefishen picked up a hint of wood smoke (“medicinal” he said) in the aroma of this wine. The rest of us described it as elevated pepper aromas. It is a big ripe wine, with liquorice, coffee and prune flavours again. The minimal smoke note has never been an issue with this wine, which has won serious awards.

Syrah 2004: This vintage stands out as the leanest of Burrowing Owl Syrahs. Perhaps the synthetic closure is causing mischief again. Drink it up.

Syrah 2005: This is drinking very well now, with generous flavours of black cherry, spice and chocolate. A very harmonious wine. Given the closure, enjoy this superb wine over the next year.

Syrah 2006: Classic peppery Syrah aroma; the wine has sweet berry aromas and flavours. Firm and full-bodied, it deserves aging. Happily, the winery returned to a cork closure.

Syrah 2007: This is as satisfying a Syrah as any in this line-up – bold and meaty, with aromas of pepper and deli meats and flavours of plum and chocolate. Take your time.

New releases from CedarCreek to include a stunning Malbec

Now beginning his ninth vintage as winemaker at CedarCreek Estate Winery, Tom DiBello has established himself as one of the best Canadian winemaker imports from California.

He is a graduate of the University of California at Davis. He started his winemaking career with Warren Winiarski's legendary Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in the Napa Valley. Then he headed off to make wine in Australia, Arizona and Washington before settling down, or so it seems, with CedarCreek in the Okanagan in 2000.

One of Tom's strengths is his excellent attention to detail. Ross Fitzpatrick, the former senator who owns CedarCreek, once told me that Tom is "a worrier" about his wines - a positive thing in winemaking where nasty surprises happen when a cellar is not managed carefully.


The detail-oriented winemaking at CedarCreek expresses itself in wines of superb quality, right across the winery's portfolio.


The current releases include the 2008 Proprietor's White, selling for only $12.90. This is the wine for fans of the overpriced Conundrum from California. Like that wine, this is a complex blend: 40% Chardonnay, 18% Pinot Gris, 13% Riesling, 12% Gewurztraminer, 11% Pinot Blanc and 6% Ehrenfelser. It is a juicy, aromatic blend tasting of pears and citrus with a hint of sweetness on the finish. A bargain! 87 points.
The winery has released 3,313 cases.

Another bargain is the Pinot Blanc 2008 ($14.90), a crisp, tangy white with flavours of green apples, notes of yeast from the lees and a firm backbone of minerals. 88


The winery has also released 3,644 cases of its Pinot Gris 2008 ($17.90). Tom takes this varietal to the next level by fermenting a quarter of it in French oak and aging it there for four months. The oak is so well integrated with the wine that it merely expresses itself with hints of spice and toastiness. The floral aromas and flavours of pears, peaches and guava make this a satisfying wine with a lingering finish. 90


Pinot Noir is one of the signature wines at CedarCreek, which has released 1,840 cases of this estate-grown Pinot Noir 2007 ($26.90). My tasting companion called this wine "yummy" and I had to agree. Nice and dark in colour, it has aromas of toast and cherries and raspberries, leading to flavours of cherries, raspberries, with a note of spice on the finish. The silky tannins give this that juicy finish that elicited the "yummy" comment. 88-90


Recently, I also tasted some of the other new or recent releases with Tom, including wines from CedarCreek's Platinum (or Reserve) tier. These are more expensive because they are made fruit from low-yield vines and because they are aged in the most costly new French oak barrels in Tom's cellar.

One of the pending releases is the Cabernet Merlot 2007 ($18.90). This is another yummy red, a full-bodied blend that is largely Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit flavours are lively, with spicy red berry characters. 88

The Merlot 2007 (also about $19 on release) is a dark, generous wine with aromas and flavours of blueberry and blackberry and with a satisfying, juicy texture. 89

Soon to be released is the Estate Syrah 2007 ($34.90), a classic expression of the variety - peppery fruits in the aroma, gamey flavours of deli meats modified with black cherry, iodine and spice notes. The wine is full without being heavy. 89

The Platinum offerings include a Platinum Reserve Malbec 2007, the winery's first. Not yet released, this is well worth waiting for. It is one of the best Malbecs I have tasted in British Columbia (or in Argentina). The wine begins with an aroma of spice, violets and lavendar that explodes from the glass. On the palate, there are flavours of black cherry, spicy dark plum and chocolate. The wine is rich and generous in texture with a satisfying finish that never seems to end. 95

Other Platinum wines included:

Platinum Reserve Chardonnay 2007 ($29.90). This elegant wine begins with a biscuity aroma, along with citrus notes. The flavours include citrus, with a buttery note reflecting treatment in the cellar. 89-90

Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 ($39.90). No wine at CedarCreek shows more attention to detail than this elegant wine. It is made with four clones of Pinot Noir from two different vineyards where production per vine is managed with great discipline. The wine - 1,372 cases of it - spent 15 months in French oak. Tom uses barrels from five different coopers to achieve added complexity. The end result is a lovely wine with notes of cherry and raspberry and with the classic silky texture. 92

Platinum Reserve Merlot 2006 ($39.90). This wine has been in the market, and winning awards (including the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence), for nine months. It is plump and rich in texture, with spicy berry aromas and with flavours of black currants and blackberries; there are chocolate and vanilla notes as well. 92

Platinum Reserve Meritage 2006 ($44.90). The winery released 1,246 cases of this wine in January. In this economy, it is still likely to be readily available. In your cellar, it has years of development ahead of it. The wine is a blend of 43% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in French oak (70% new). The wine is bold and complex, with aromas of spiced berries and coffee and flavours of black currants, plums, chocolate and vanilla. 92

New releases from Nichol Vineyard

Ross Hackworth (above) had been drinking the wines from Nichol Vineyard & Estate Winery for a number of years before he bought the winery four years ago from founders Alex and Kathleen Nichol.

“I knew that the wines he [Alex] had made for years fit my sensibilities, because the wines were always soft, always approachable, always food-friendly,” Ross told me last year. “That’s what I like in wine.”

The most recent releases from Nichol indicate that Ross has not deviated from the fundamental Nichol style although, arguably, the wines have an added degree of refinement. As well, Ross has dropped some of the niche wines that Alex used to make while adding a quite interesting Gewurztraminer to the portfolio.

The Nichols opened the winery in 1993 after converting a former Naramata orchard into a vineyard. They planted the first Syrah in the Okanagan. The legendary Syrahs that Alex made undoubtedly inspired others to plant what has become one of the Okanagan's important red varieties.

By coincidence, Ross grew up on a Naramata orchard that his parents bought in 1973. As the Nichols were planting their vineyard, Ross, who was trained for business, began a sales executive in Vancouver with a major pulp and paper company. He liked the career but eventually tired to travelling two to three weeks each month.

In 1999, Ross spent weekends helping a friend restore the heritage hotel in Naramata. In the process, he reconnected with his roots and bought a home in Naramata. He had just begun looking for his own vineyard when he learned that the Nichols were getting ready to retire. The purchase agreement provided for Alex to mentor Ross for a vintage or two. Ross was an apt student, for the quality of Nichol wines has not missed a beat.

The one visible change at Nichol under the new owner was a major expansion of the winery in 2007. Frugal and tight for funds, Alex laboured in cramped quarters to make between 700 cases and 1,200 cases each year. Ross is targetting an annual production of 3,500 but he built a winery big enough to make 10,000 cases a year. The reason? He figured out that it is easier to make good wine if the working space is efficient and comfortable.

Gewurztraminer joined the portfolio after he contracted grapes from a neighbouring vineyard that happened to have that variety. Lovers of this wine will welcome this addition to the Nichol selection.

Here are notes on current releases.

Gewurztraminer 2008 ($17). This intense, focused wine is a Riesling lover's Gewurz, emphasizing fruit, not spice. It begins with appealing aromas of citrus, lychee and rose petals. On the palate, there are flavours of grapefruit with a backbone of minerals and tangy acidity. The finish is dry and lingering. 90

Cabernet Franc 2006 ($27). Something about this vivacious red, its exotic personality perhaps, reminded me of some great Carmens I have heard. The wine begins with aromas of red berries, vanilla and chocolate. On the palate, there is a vivid core of cherry and mocha flavours. The tannins are ripe but firm enough to give this wine good life in the cellar. 88

Pinot Noir 2006 ($27). At three years of age, this wine is still evolving towards its peak. The colour is a fine dark ruby. It has aromas of cherries and raspberry, leading to flavours of raspberry and spice, subtly supported by oak. The wine also shows that Burgundian earthiness so prized in Burgundy Pinot Noirs. Firm when first poured, this wine develops the classic silken texture of Pinot Noir with time in the decanter. 89

Syrah 2006 ($30). Satisfyingly robust, this dark-hued wine announces itself boldly with gamey aromas of plum and deli spices. On the palate, there are flavours of plum, blackberry and pepper. As the ripe tannins soften in the glass, the wine reveals a plush core of plum and black cherry flavours that almost explode on the palate. The finish is long, very long. 90

Similkameen Wineries host a coming-out party

The wineries in the Similkameen Valley have begun to make a strong and credible effort to define a terroir-based personality, setting their wines apart from those of the much larger Okanagan Valley.

Currently, there are 12 wineries in the Similkameen, eight of which are members of the recently-formed Similkameen Wineries Association. Many of those wineries are only a few years old, one reason why the Similkameen remains a wine-touring footnote.

The Similkameen Wineries Association’s efforts are critical in raising the region’s profile so that the Similkameen, like the Naramata Bench, achieves a front-of-mind position among wine tourists and consumers.

Are Similkameen wines different? The winemakers there, like George Hanson, the co-owner of Seven Stones Winery, think so. He is pictured above with a jar of dirt from his vineyard, illustrating just how complex the soils of the Similkameen are. The layer of white in the middle of his sample appears to be the calcium which accounts for the exceptional quality of his Pinot Noir grapes.

The Similkameen has the same problem as the Lodi grape-growing region has in California. Most of the Lodi’s grapes, notably its old-vines Zinfandel, find their way into wines made in Napa or Sonoma. Until recently, Lodi was one of the most unheralded vineyard regions in California. The producers there are working hard on establishing a profile of their own.

The Similkameen Valley has about 600 acres of vineyard. The Okanagan has more than 10 times that acreage and more than 100 wineries.

Many of those wineries buy Similkameen grapes. Two of the largest vineyard owners in the Similkameen are Peller Estates and Mt. Boucherie. It is rare to see a Similkameen-designated wine from either producer. The grapes are blended with fruit from the Okanagan. That means that the resulting wines will have the Wine of British Columbia appellation.

There is nothing wrong with blending grapes from several appellations, as the delicious wines from Peller and Mt. Boucherie demonstrate. Indeed, several of the Similkameen wineries also buy Okanagan grapes as they wait for their own young plantings to mature.

John Weber of Orofino Vineyards, for example, has gradually been establishing enough sources of grapes in the Similkameen for his needs. He also has been buying some Okanagan grapes for at least one of his reds. In an early vintage, that wine had the Okanagan appellation on it. That led to so many questions from consumers in his tasting room that he now used the broader British Columbia appellation for the wine.

Similkameen wines should be different because the growing conditions in this valley differ from those of the Okanagan. Perhaps the most singular feature of the Similkameen is the wind that rises each afternoon and is often quite strong by evening, blowing from north to south. This is a big reason why the vineyards and orchards are so disease-free that close to half of all farms are organic.

Vineyards are planted both of the benches along the east and north sides of the valley and on the valley floor. The sun-baked benchlands produce big reds while the valley floors support both red and white varieties.

The Similkameen Wineries Association hosted a recent trade tasting in Vancouver and is sponsoring a big consumer tasting at The Grist Mill near Keremeos on the afternoon of Sunday, September 12.

From the Vancouver tasting, here are some recommendations, beginning with six quite good Chardonnays, a white variety that might be a signature variety for the Similkameen.

Cerelia Vineyards & Estate Winery Chardonnay MMVIII ($18.90). An unoaked Chardonnay, this wine is crisply refreshing with notes of citrus. 88

Cerelia is a winery at Cawston that opened in late July. Cerelia apparently is what the Romans called their harvest festival, which explains the Roman numerals on the label.

Crowsnest Vineyards Chardonnay 2008 Stahltank Family Reserve ($17.90). From the second-oldest winery in the Similkameen, this is another unoaked Chardonnay: stahltank is German for steel tank (the owners of the winery are from Germany). The wine shows appealing tropical fruit flavours and aromas, finishing with what seems to be a sweet note – but from the intensity of the fruit, not from unfermented sugars. 86

Eau Vivre Winery & Vineyards Chardonnay 2007 ($18). – from another winery just about to open its tasting room – is a barrel-fermented Chardonnay with flavours of pear and apple. 86

Orofino Vineyards Chardonnay 2008 ($24.90). This wine was 30% barrel-fermented in new oak, 70% in stainless steel, achieving a complex balance between the fruit and the subtle oak. The wine has a lovely core of tropical fruit flavours with a long finish of spice and citrus and with bright acidity. 90

Robin Ridge Winery Chardonnay 2007 ($18.90). From a winery that opened just last year, this is a full-bodied Chardonnay with buttery flavours of citrus and pineapple. 88

Seven Stones Winery Chardonnay 2008 ($24.99). This winery, which opened in 2007, still sells half of its grapes to Okanagan wineries. They are lucky: George Hanson is a superb grower and it shows in the quality of Seven Stones wines. This wine is a complex Macon-style Chardonnay, with tangy flavours of citrus and tropical fruits. The Macon echo comes from the earthy minerality of the wine. This wine deserves to aged a few years. 90

Here are notes on other excellent Similkameen Pinot Noirs.

Eau Vivre Pinot Noir 2007 ($19). This is a pretty, feminine Pinot Noir, delightful for its cherry and strawberry aromas and flavours and for its silken texture. 88

Orofino Pinot Noir 2007 ($31.90). Aged 16 months on French oak, this wine still has a firm structure framing the flavours of spice, cherries and strawberries. A complex wine, it should be cellared another year as it evolves toward a glorious peak. 88 +

Robin Ridge Pinot Noir 2007 ($21.90). Another pretty wine with a juicy texture, this is perhaps the one to drink while you wait on the Orofino. The wine tastes of raspberry and cherry, with spice on the finish. 88

And others well worth seeking out.

Cerelia Pinot Gris MMVIII ($17.90). A juicy, mouth-filling white with flavours of ripe pears, backed up with mineral notes and refreshing acidity. 88

Crowsnest Pinot Gris 2008 ($17.90). This is Crowsnest’s first Pinot Gris. It is crisp and clean, with flavours of pears and citrus and with a dry finish. 88

Eau Vivre Cabernet Franc 2007 ($22). This wine’s vibrant fruit – red currants and cherries – is neatly framed with oak and flavours of chocolate. 88

Orofino Riesling 2008 ($17.90). Easily the Similkameen’s best Riesling, this is serious example of this variety, with a core of concentrated sweet fruit, with a hint of petrol on the nose, with a good mineral backbone and lively acidity. It has long, dry finish. 89

Orofino Beleza 2007 ($33.90). Orofino’s flagship red, this is a blend of 70% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The wine aged 16 months in barrel, 80% of which were new, which is reflected by the notes of oak in the aroma. On the palate, there are long, ripe tannins, with flavours of cassis, plum and coffee. 90

Seven Stones Meritage 2006 ($31.99). This is 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine has mint and cassis aromas and flavours, along with red currant, chocolate and coffee. The tannins are a touch dry on the finish. 89

Two of the wineries in the Similkameen valley make fruit wines. Forbidden Fruit Pomme Desirée Iced Apple ($28.90 for a half bottle) is the fruit wine industry’s answer to icewine. This spicy wine is well-balanced, with a clean, refreshing and lingering finish. 90.

A similar dessert wine is Rustic Roots Iced Orin ($27.90 for a half bottle), a delicious and well-balanced sweet wine made from organically-grown Orin apples. 90.