This weekend, the 14th Annual Okanagan Spring Wine Festival kicks off, and because of the past success of the festival, this year it has expanded to a ten-day festival. Offering a tantalizing experience for anyone who loves fabulous wine accompanied by fine cuisine, what better way is there to announce the grape growing season than to hold a Festival during bud break. Traditional, this is also when the new wine vintages are released and this year it is the 2007 whites slowly arriving with the much-anticipated reds from the 2006 soon to follow.

While the 2005 vintage was quite small in terms of tons of grapes harvested with just over 14,000 tons grapes, the quality of the grapes were excellent due to smaller berries hence greater concentration of flavours. However, the 2006 vintage rebounded with a superb harvest, with over 20,000 tons of grapes harvested. This is an almost 50% increase and an almost 12 million litres of wine. “The quality and the quantity of the 2006 crop were fantastic,” says George Heiss, proprietor Gray Monk Estate Winery in the northern Okanagan. “I’ve been doing this since 1972 and I consider 2006 to be one of the better years. With our whites, the flavours are much more pronounced than both the ‘04 and ‘05 vintages,” Heiss added.

Nirmal Gidda, proprietor of the family owned Mount Boucherie Estate Winery, says, “The harvest has been A1. The sugar levels are high, the Ph and acid levels are where we want them, and the quality of the grapes is exceptional.”

Senka Tennant, winemaker for Black Hills Winery on the Black Sage Bench in the Southern Okanagan, added, “My personal view was this vintage was a red year. The late grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc really benefited from the 2006 growing season.” Tennant added, “My feeling was 2006 was the best Cabernet year we’ve ever had.”

The highlight of the festival is the Consumer Tasting at the Laurel Packinghouse where you can explore some of these wines that are being produced throughout the valley. With over 35 wineries present and over 150 wines to sample, this is a great event for those trying wines for the first time as well as those who want to expand their wine knowledge. A word of caution, though. If you are thinking of attending any events during the ten days, buy your tickets early. Tastings and winemaker dinner events tend to sell-out rather quickly. Check out their website at www.owfs.com for a list of events and dinners.

While the arrival of the 2006 reds and 2007 whites is just around the corner, there is still good quantities of the ‘05 reds and ‘06 whites on store shelves. These wines have had a whole year in the bottle to fully develop the complex aromas and flavours that newly released wines have difficulty showing because of their young age. Now is the time to reap the rewards of that extra year in the bottle.

Voted as being the “Best Sparkling Wine of the Year” in Canada at the 2007 All Canadian Wine Championships, the Summerhill Cipes Brut NV ($22.90) is Riesling-based, which makes for a decidedly more interesting drop of wine. There’s loads of fresh green apple here with peach, pear, apricot, citrus and a hint of toast with a refreshing sprinkling of effervescence and a balance of natural acidity on the crisp finish. Tart, dry and crisp with toasty, nutty, floral, baked apple and candied citrus peel flavours and a long mouth-watering finish.

One of the tastiest and best value Pinot Noirs around is the 2006 Prospect Winery ‘Rock Wren’ Pinot Noir ($16.90). A typical Pinot Noir in every sense of the word with its silky smooth texture, rich black cherry/strawberry fruit, and creamy vanilla with hints of toast, dill and spice. Super-soft acidity and firm tannins on the finish will allow this wine to develop over the next 3 months, just perfect for summer entertaining.

The top Riesling in Canada award at the 2007 Canadian Wine Championships went to the 2006 Wild Goose Riesling ($19.90). Literally bursting with buckets of juicy tropical and orchard fruit, look for fresh aromas of ripe grapefruit, pineapple, white peach, red apple, and lime with hints of apricot, nectarine and honey. The super-zesty acidity is almost spritzy with its cleansing, mouth-watering vibrancy. A fantastic example of great BC Riesling. There is very little of this left at the retail level so grab yours while you can.

The 2006 Desert Hills Gamay ($21.90) is not your average Gamay. The gang at Desert Hills on the Black Sage Road have taken this grape to the next level, producing a lush, concentrated wine, with intense aromas of ripe black cherry, black raspberry, cassis, vanilla, cedar, sweet licorice with clove and black pepper spice. The texture on the palate is soft, round and supple with spicy clove, roasted meat, black cherry with coffee and chocolate flavours. One of the best Gamays in the valley.

Sourced from the spectacular Sandhill Family Estate vineyard in the southern Okanagan, the 2006 Sandhill Chardonnay ($21.90) is loaded with rich aromas of buttery Fuji apple, pear, pineapple, with spicy white pepper and a lush creamy palate. The texture is rich and creamy with lots of tropical and orchard fruit flavours with spicy white pepper, nutmeg, vanilla and honey. This is a rich style of Chardonnay, more in keeping with a Meursault. The finish is crisp and clean with an almost Chablis-like minerality to it.

One of the new winery’s to pop up on the radar is Quinta Ferreira. Their 2005 Syrah ($38.90) displays great colour, with rich blackberry, raspberry fruit, and smoke, and licorice and menthol aromas. The smooth acidity, firm tannins and long delicious flavour compliment the soft juicy black fruit flavour. This has had a full year to develop in the bottle and is showing immense complexity because of that. A tiny production of 500 cases means this will not be around much longer so grab your while you can.

The 2006 Desert Hills Pinot Gris ($23.90) is an amazing wine. Loaded with rich pineapple, grapefruit, mango, Fuji apple and citrus fruit aromas and flavours with hints of orange marmalade, butterscotch, creamy vanilla-scented oak. The palate is round and full-bodied with plenty of lush tropical and orchard fruit flavours with crisp acidity and a long juicy, mouth-watering finish. Absolutely one of the best Pinot Gris’ in BC.

In Vino Veritas
Jim Martin