Sperling has wine for the cool kids

Photo: Winemaker Ann Sperling

The internet tells me that “all the cool kids” are drinking pét-nap wines. Pet Nat, as it appears on the label of a recent release from Sperling Vineyards of Kelowna, is short for “pétillant naturel” – French for naturally sparkling wines. The French also call it méthode ancestral because it is a much older, and simpler, way of making sparkling wine than Champagne. Put simply, such a wine is bottled when it has still not quite finished primary formation. The fermentation completed in the bottle creates more bubbles, which are trapped under the closure. That is not all that is trapped. The remaining light fermentation lees are also still in the bottle. The cool kids are presented not just playful bubbles but haze and often a layer of yeast cells that settles in the bottom of the bottle – and can be stirred up if the bottle is shaken. I can’t imagine putting a bottle of cloudy wine on my table, let alone on any of the restaurants the cool kids frequent. But then, I am not cool.

Having said that, the wine is quite drinkable, refreshing on a hot day. It would pair well with a charcuterie plate. The fact is that Ann Sperling, the winemaker and one of the owners at Sperling Vineyards, is one of Canada’s most seasoned winemakers. Even when she makes a weird wine like Pet Nat, it correctly made. The winery also makes a sparkling pink Pet Nat. Here are notes on Sperling’s current wines.

Sperling Pinot Old Vine Blanc 2021 ($23). Crisp and dry, this is a textbook Pinot Blanc. It begins with aromas of apples. On the palate, the apple flavours mingle with hints of stone fruits. The wine has a fine skein of minerality to give it a generous texture and a long finish. 90.

Sperling Amber Pinot Gris 2021 ($32). A skin contact Pinot Gris, this is a wine with originality. Slightly hazy, it has an orange hue, with aromas and flavours of orange peel and pink apples. 90.

Sperling Heritage Pinot Noir Rosé 2021 ($22). This wine is 90% Pinot Noir, with estate-grown grapes from a 2008 planting. The remainder of the blend is Old Vine Pinot Blanc. A four-hour soak on the skins produced a comparatively dark hue. The Pinot Blanc lifts the aromas. The ripe strawberry and plum flavours have an almost jammy intensity. 88.

Sperling Organic Vision Pinot Noir Rosé 2021 ($25). This wine presents with an appealing pink salmon hue. The aroma jumps from the glass – ripe strawberries mingled with rhubarb. That is echoed in the flavours. The texture is full and the finish lingers. 92.

Sperling Old Vines Riesling 2016 ($35). The grapes are from vines of clone 21-B Riesling planted in 1978. This very sophisticated wine begins with the aromas of petrol quite typical as the varietal ages. The rich texture delivers flavours of lemon zest mingled with petrol. There is still a touch of fresh acidity. A wine for the Riesling connoisseur. 93.

Sperling Speritz Pet Nat NV</ ($30). Hazy in the bottle and in the glass, the wine presents a light display of bubbles and light citrus aromas. It is crisply dry, with notes of citrus and apple and hint of spice. 90.

Sovereign Opal has established itself

The remarkably refined 2021 Sandhill Sovereign Opal calls for a more detailed look at the only white wine grape varietal developed successfully in the Okanagan. Today, 12 acres of Sovereign Opal are grown by the Casorso family, one of Kelowna’s pioneering grape-growing families.The photo is of August Casorso in the Calona winery with a glass of Sovereign Opal.

The first vintage was made in 1987 at Calona Vineyards by Elias Phiniotis (who still has a bottle of that vintage). The varietal remained in the Calona portfolio until 2020 when Sandy Leier, then the Sandhill winemaker, elevated Sovereign Opal into the Sandhill portfolio. In the process, she produced a drier and more sophisticated table wine. Over the years, the varietal has reminded me of Torrontés, the signature white varietal of Argentina. That wine runs the gamut from mediocre to expressive. Ross Wise, the winemaker at Black Hills Winery, wrote in his master of wine examination that Torrontés was one of two varietals he would banish from the earth. There have been times when I felt the same of Sovereign Opal – until I tasted the 2021 from Sandhill. I can recommend this wine without reservation.

Sovereign Opal was one of several grapes bred at the Summerland Research Station by a scientist called Lyall Denby. Technically known as Summerland Selection 166, this variety was developed at the Research Station and provided to growers for trial in 1976. A grape with a dusty pink skin when mature, it is a cross of Golden Muscat and Maréchal Foch. Calona, the only producer, began releasing a varietal Sovereign Opal with the 1987 vintage. The wine has a fresh floral Muscat character and is best when young. Summerland's grape program in the early 1970s generated a number of new varieties with the common Sovereign prefix: Sovereign Gold, Sovereign Tiara, Sovereign Noir, Sovereign Royale and Sovereign Sceptre. Only Opal made it to the consumer as a wine varietal. A table grape called Sovereign Coronation also emerged from this program and is grown widely. This varietal has too much labrusca taste to make it suitable for wine. I had a brief biographical note on Denby in The British Columbia Wine Companion, my 1996 book long out of print.

Here is an except. Denby, Lyall: Director of pomology and grape research at the Summerland Research Station from 1971 until he retired in 1983, the Regina-born Denby joined the scientific staff at Summerland in 1950 after completing a master's degree in agriculture at the University of British Columbia. He was already an authority on ornamental plants, having gained experience working at a Vancouver nursery. At Summerland he gravitated toward vegetables and later toward tree fruits and grapes. He took over the grape program, with emphasis on developing winter-hardy varieties that had been launched by Dr. D.V. Fisher, who had moved on to become Summerland's director. Like many of his professional peers, Denby had reservations about the viability of vinifera grapes. Consequently, Summerland sought to breed varieties with vinifera flavor characters but with the vigor and hardiness of hybrids. The only wine grape from this work that became a commercial variety was the muscat-flavored Sovereign Opal, produced only by Calona as a varietal. Denby said later that other promising varieties were under development when he was diverted from that research to work on the so-called Becker Project, which focused on German vinifera. "I was forced into it," Denby said. "I would have preferred to put much of my own time into the next two generations of crosses. We had some good stuff coming on; Opal was only one example." With a small Canadian delegation, Denby toured the Soviet Union in 1973 and arranged to bring back from a research station in Yalta a number of Russian varieties. These included Matsvani and Rkatsetelli which were grown at Inkameep and which Brights turned into interesting varietals in small lots before the winery's accountants decided sales were too small to continue. The Russian varieties now are largely uprooted from Okanagan vineyards.

Elias Phiniotis, who has had a lengthy career as a British Columbia winemaker, was in the cellar at Calona when the first Sovereign Opal grapes arrived. Here is an except on him from the same book. “Phiniotis was born into a winemaking and grapegrowing family on Cyprus. On a scholarship, he earned a master's degree in chemical engineering (specializing in food chemistry) from the University of Technical Sciences in Budapest, following that with a doctorate in the technology of food chemistry from Budapest's Research Institute of Viticulture and Enology. After three years at a Cypriot winery, he came to Canada in 1976 and spent two years as the technical director of Wine-Art, a retail chain of stores dedicated to home winemaking, before becoming the winemaker at Ben Ginter's winery near Westbank. Finding the winery excessively dependent on sweet red and fortified wines, Phiniotis expanded the product line to include several successful whites. At the same time, he helped two new estate wineries -- Chateau Jonn de Trepanier and Vinitera -- to produce their initial vintages of varietals. He moved to Casabello in 1980 and then to Calona in 1981. In the mid-1980s when it became evident that more vinifera would have to be planted in the Okanagan, Phiniotis was an early advocate of cabernet franc, now one of the most promising red varieties being grown in the valley. Since 1989, Phiniotis has been a consulting winemaker for several emerging wineries, including Quails' Gate and Domaine de Chaberton. In 1993 he also established a company called Pannonia Cooperage to import barrels made of Hungarian-grown acacia wood, a less expensive alternative to oak.”

In 1989, Elias Phiniotis generously sent two bottles of Sovereign Opal to Denby, who responded in March with an enthusiastic letter. It came to light recently when Phiniotis provided a copy to my wine writing colleague Bob Bell, who has a website, Wines of Canada. In turn, the letter was shared with me. It says a lot about the attitude toward vinifera grape varieties that formerly persisted at the research station.

“The first bottle was served at a special event held shortly after I received it,” Denby wrote. “It was a luncheon meal, involving more talking than eating, as often is the case. The wine was an absolute sensation, and many thanks for sending the samples to me.” He continued: “I do hope Sov. Opal came through this 88/89 winter. I suspect few of the true viniferas will, but we shall see. Also, I hope some of your specialty wines, including Sov. Opal and Chancellor (of which I have nearly a case reserved for special occasions) will survive this present chaos despite the efforts of the vinifera ‘purists’."

Chancellor was a red French hybrid, one of the better hybrid winemaking grapes. Like most of the hybrids, it was removed during the 1988 vine pull-out – no doubt the chaos referred to by Denby. In fairness to him, his scepticism about vinifera grapes was well founded. There were plenty of hard winters in the Okanagan during the years that Denby was active in Summerland. Production setbacks were not usual just as vineyards were being developed for a young wine industry. For example, the grape harvest in 1965 was a mere 185 tons, down from 2,870 tons the year before. The harvest in 1969 was 1,714 tons, down from 6,162 tons the year before. The harvest was 10,437 tons in 1979, down from 18,404 tons the year before. Whether that was due to severe winters or overcropping, which was routine, growers and scientists alike were deterred from planting vinifera. Hence, the breeding of the Sovereign series of grapes. Who knows what would have happened if that line had been pursued longer?

Vinifera vines have succeeded because the winters generally are not as hard as they once were but, more importantly, growers learned not to overcrop the vines. Overcropping delays ripening of the fruit and leaves vines vulnerable to damage from early frost.

Sandy Leier moves to Laughing Stock

Photo: Winemaker Sandy Leier (credit Mackenzie Dempsey)

One of this summer’s more intriguing winemaker moves in the Okanagan was the recent announcement that Sandy Leier, the winemaker at Sandhill Wines since 2018, has joined Laughing Stock Vineyards. She succeeds Dave Carson, who retired after a 40-year career with Arterra Wines Canada and its predecessor wineries. Arterra took over Naramata-based Laughing Stock in 2017. She is supported at Laughing Stock by assistant winemaker Kaitlyn Berendt and cellar hand Cohen Park. “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the team at Laughing Stock Vineyards,” Sandy said in the announcement. “Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to travel for work to many regions, and Naramata is second to none. I look forward to working with the viticulture and winemaking teams to consistently craft the premium, terroir-driven wines that Laughing Stock has become known for.”

Born in Vancouver and raised in the Okanagan, Sandy joined Calona Vineyards in 2006 after earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at UBC Okanagan. She mentored with Howard Soon, the legendary chief winemaker at Sandhill Wines and Calona. Sandy became the lead winemaker for Calona Vineyards and Wayne Gretzky Okanagan Wines between 2006 and 2016. Her wines have received a number of awards, among them the Lieutenant Governor’s award in 2013 for the 2011 Calona Vineyards Artist Series Pinot Noir, Gold at the Syrah du Monde for the 2014 Wayne Gretzky Signature Shiraz and Gold/Best in Class at All Canadian Wine Championships for the 2016 Wayne Gretzky Signature Riesling.

Throughout her career, Leier has traveled to wine regions in Australia, France, Chile and Argentina to study winemaking and viticultural processes and explore winemaking styles. Sandy is currently completing the Viticulture Certificate Program at Washington State University. Sandy had succeeded Howard Soon in 2018, shortly after he retired at Sandhill. Where Howard made single vineyard wines only, she extended the portfolio to include “terroir driven” wines with fruit from several of the vineyards that supply Sandhill. In the 2020 vintage, she moved the Sovereign Opal varietal from the Calona portfolio to Sandhill. The varietal has a special heritage in the Okanagan. A cross between Golden Muscat and Maréchal Foch, it was developed at the Summerland research station. It was first planted in 1981 by John Casorso, a member of one of the Okanagan’s oldest grape-growing families. Today, the Casorso family are growing 12 ½ acres of Sovereign Opal.

Sandhill pioneered the concept of single vineyard wines before that was emphasized by other wineries. Today, with the creation of sub-geographic indications, there is wide-scale attention to terroir and how it is reflected in wines. While Sandy has moved on, a number of Sandhill wines currently in the market testify why Arterra recruited her. Here are notes on the wines.

b>Sandhill Pinot Gris 2121 ($20.99 for 6,694 cases). This wine was made with grapes from the King Family, long-time Sandhill growers on the Naramata Bench, and Hidden Terrace Vineyard, the Andrew Peller vineyard at Covert Farm. The wine was fermented cool and aged five months in stainless steel. It is a crisp and refreshing Pinot Gris with aromas of pear and melon. On the palate, there is a medley of fruit flavours, with a hint of anise on the finish. 91.

Sandhill Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($20.99 for 1,599 cases). Made from a blend of grapes from Hidden Terrace and the Sandhill Vineyard, this is a classically zesty Sauvignon Blanc, with aromas and flavours of lime and lemon mingled with herbal notes. The vibrant flavours reflect the care taken to make this wine in a very hot year. The grapes were picked early in the morning, when the fruit was cool, and about a week earlier than normal. 92. />

Quails’ Gate's Distinction Collection

Photo: Detail of label shows pattern inspired by quail eggs

When Quails’ Gate Estate Winery began releasing its Distinction Collection wines last year, the labels highlighted the individuality of the wines by replicating the speckled pattern on a quail’s egg. It is said that each egg, like fingerprints, has a unique speckled pattern. There is logic to this. When the Stewart family opened this winery in 1989, they named it after quails that are so abundant in the Okanagan that it is not unusual to flush a covey of birds while strolling through a vineyard. According to an academic paper published in 1965, the California quail was introduced to the Okanagan in 1912 as a game bird. The quails thrived and, by the time the winery opened, it surely was the most ubiquitous wild bird in the Okanagan. Like the pattern on each quail egg, the wines in the Distinction Series are meant to stand apart from the rest of the Quails’ Gate portfolio.

“Anything that is special and unique we want to capture,” says Jeff Del Nin, the chief winemaker at Quails’ Gate. The individuality of each wine might reflect the vineyard block where the grapes are grown; or the fermentation techniques; or any other quality that sets the wine apart. “Anything that we would consider innovative or exploring – that is what we are looking for in the Distinction Collection,” Jeff says.

Case in point is the 2020 Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris. Quails’ Gate had eliminated Pinot Gris from its portfolio, largely because the winery needed all of its Pinot Gris for its hugely popular Chasselas-Pinot Gris-Pinot Blanc blend. But when the winery’s restaurant asked for a Pinot Gris, the winery decided to make one from the nearby Three Wolves Vineyard, owned by Claude Drought, a long-time Quails’ Gate grower. The distinctive flavours produced from his terroir are enhanced by the winemaking. “We definitely think we are onto something with this vineyard,” Jeff says.

A veteran winemaker, Jeff is assisted at Quails’ Gate by associate winemaker Kailee Frasch (left). A native of the Okanagan Valley, she has a winemaking degree from Brock University in Ontario. She joined Quails’ Gate in 2016 as a harvest assistant and has earned a series of promotions since.

Jeff (right), who was born in 1971 in Thunder Bay, took a Queen’s University master’s degree in chemistry to Australia in 1996, for a series of jobs in the plastics industry. One of them involved developing plastic corks which brought him into close contact with Australian wineries. “I realized because I spent so much time in wineries, talking to winemakers, that maybe I could do this for a living,” Jeff told me once. He got a postgraduate winemaking degree from the University of Adelaide and then returned to Canada to make wine. He started at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery in 2006; moved to Church & State Wines and more recently to Road 13 Vineyards. He joined Quails’ Gate in 2021.

There are six wines in the current Distinction Collection, all released in small lots and available at the winery and to the winery’s wine club. Here are notes on the wines.

Quails’ Gate Clone 220 Chenin Blanc 2021 ($39.99). “It is our preferred Chenin Blanc clone,” Jeff says. It is grown in the estate vineyard, with vines planted in themed-1990s. The wine is fermented in concrete eggs and in new 500-litre oak puncheons. The objective is a wine with rich texture and a spine of minerality without sacrificing the variety’s bright acidity. This wine has aromas and flavours of pineapple and citrus. The finish is persistent. 93.

Quails’ Gate Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris 2021 ($29.99). This wine delivers aromas and flavours of pear, honeydew and nectarine. 92.

Quails’ Gate Orchard Block Gewürztraminer 2021 ($27.99). The Orchard Block refers to a former peach and cherry orchard that was converted to vineyard in 1989. The wine was fermented in stainless steel at low temperatures. The resulting Alsace-style wine begins with aromas of ginger and lychee that jump from the glass. Slightly off-dry but with bright, balancing acidity, the wine is expressively fruity on the palate. 92.

Quails’ Gate Clone 49 Riesling 2021 ($34.99). This is an Alsace clone of Riesling grown in the East Kelowna vineyard owned by Ryan Fipke. The aromas are floral, with hints of citrus and pear, leading to intense flavours of lime. Bracing acidity balances the residual sugar. The finish is persistent. 93.

Quails’ Gate Lucy’s Block Rosé 2021 ($29.99). The name of this elegant rosé honours a Stewart family forebear. The 2021 vintage is 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Pinot Meunier. The wine begins with a delicate, appealing rose petal hue created by just two hours of skin contact. There are aromas of strawberry and watermelon leading to a medley of fruit on the palate. 92. Going forward, there is a rising role for Pinot Meunier in the Quails’ Gate portfolio. “We like Pinot Meunier as a rosé component and we are planting a lot more of it,” Jeff says. “Originally, we had it for our sparkling program – we are starting to make traditional method sparkling wine – but we have liked the effect in rosé so much that we are planting a lot more. Every year, we have been planting a block of Pinot Meunier in southeast Kelowna. Hopefully, one day we can get Lucy’s Block to 100% Meunier.”

Quails’ Gate Queue 2020 ($54.00). This is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 26% Syrah. Remarkably, all three of these varieties grow in the Quails’ Gate vineyard on the Boucherie slope. The varietals were fermented separately and aged for 18 months in French oak (40% new) before being blended. The long, ripe tannins give the wine a seamless texture. The wine is bold and rich, with aromas and flavours of plum, dark cherry and vanilla. 93.

Clos du Soleil releases some 2021s and its flagship Signature

Photo: Clos du Soleil's Michael Clark

One of the strongest producers in the Similkameen Valley is Clos du Soleil Winery. The release of four 2021 wines and the flagship red from 2019 illustrate the winery’s capabilities. Here is an excerpt from the Okanagan Wine Tour Guide, my 2020 book with Luke Whittall.

Michael Clark, the winemaker and managing director at Clos du Soleil, is a self-described worrier. “I consider it a strength,” he says, chuckling. He worries about getting the details right to make the best wine possible. However, the Bordeaux-inspired wines at Clos are so well done that he actually has nothing to worry about. The winery was launched in 2008 by four business couples led by Spencer Massie, a former naval officer who had developed a good palate both in his ship’s mess and during various shore assignments near wine regions. Michael, who was born in Ontario in 1972, joined the partnership in 2012 following a wine passion nurtured since his youth. “I read Champagne Is for Breakfast when I was probably 10 years old,” he says, referring to George Bain’s classic Canadian wine book published in 1972. “I don’t know other children who loved to read wine books.”

Initially he pursued a career as an investment banker, latterly in Switzerland where he began formal studies in winemaking in 2010 and where he worked at Swiss and Bordeaux wineries. On returning to Canada, he completed the rigorous University of California enology program online while identifying Clos du Soleil as the winery where he could make his mark in British Columbia. “Winemaking is such a blend of science and art,” he says. “That is what draws most people to it, including myself.” Clos du Soleil is focused on red and white wines from Bordeaux varieties. The initial 4-hectare (10-acre) vineyard was planted in 2007. In 2017 and 2018, the winery acquired neighbouring parcels. The property Les Collines (because of its hilly terrain) was planted with 2.2 hectares (5½ acres) of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. The 4-hectare (10-acre) La Côte property had 2.9 hectares (7¼ acres) of mature vines, notably Malbec, and a cherry orchard since replaced with Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

In the winery, which is well equipped with concrete and stainless steel fermenters, Michael ferments largely with indigenous yeasts. His winemaking style is minimalist. “My philosophy is that our best wines demonstrate their quality in ways other than bigness or heaviness,” he says. “A great wine has elegance and complexity, not huge, chewy fruit or aggressive tannins. To me, delicacy matters.”

Here are notes on the wines.

Clos du Soleil Fumé Blanc 2021 ($23.90 for 745 cases). This is 61% Sauvignon Blanc, 39% Sémillon, with fruit from both the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. The wines were fermented slowly, at cool temperatures, in both stainless steel and oak puncheons. All lots aged four months on lees before blending and bottling. The wine begins with aromas of grapefruit and lime. The palate delivers more grapefruit and lime, along with notes of guava. There are herbal notes on the lingering finish. 91.

Clos du Soleil Winemaker’s Series Pinot Gris 2021 ($23.90 for 715 cases). The fruit is from the winery’s Whispered Secret Vineyard in the Similkameen. The wine had a long, col fermentation in a combination of stainless steel tanks and barrels, as well a French oak puncheons. The wine was aged on the lees for three months. Aromas of citrus and pear are echoed on the palate. The texture is fleshy but there is enough acidity to lead to a crisp, tangy finish. 91.

Clos du Soleil Winemaker’s Series Pinot Blanc 2021 ($24.90 for 410 cases). The fruit is from the winery’s Middle Bench Vineyard in the Similkameen. The wine was fermented cool in stainless steel, preserving the appealing aromas and flavours. The wine begins with aromas of apple and nectarine. The palate is a fruit salad of flavour – apple, stone fruit – leading to a fresh, dry finish. 92.

Clos du Soleil Rosé 2021 ($26.90 for 404 cases). This wine is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Malbec, with grapes grown just for this wine. The lightly crushed grapes were soaked on the skins for four hours under dry ice, extracting a pale salmon hue. The varieties were fermented together in stainless steel and remained on the lees for four months. The wine is delightfully fruity, with aromas and flavours of watermelon, raspberry and rhubarb. The flavours remain on the palate for a very long time. This is one of the finest British Columbia rosé wines from the 2121 vintage. 93.

Clos du Soleil Signature 2019 ($54.90 for 453 cases). This is 42% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The wine is a selection of the best barrels after 16 months aging in French oak. This is an age-worthy wine but, for immediate consumption, decanting is recommended. The wine begins with aromas of blackberry, black currant, dark cherry and chocolate. On the palate, there are flavours of black cherry, cassis, chocolate, tobacco and vanilla. 94.