New experience of tasting

As wine consumers develop a stronger interest in the cycle of wine – from vineyard, to fermentation, to glass – there is a growing desire to learn more about:

• why a certain wine has certain characteristics,
• why some flavours are expected
• how to choose the right dish to pair with a bottle.

More and more tasting rooms are including experiences as part of their visitor portfolios. Guests can often book in advance, for a small fee, and meander through vineyards, learn about grape growing, take sensory classes to help identify aromas, or sit down for structured pairings.

Wine shops offer these, too. They help to educate the consumer with:

• vertical tastings (different vintages of the same wine)
• horizontal tastings (a few bottles from the same vintage, but different wineries)
• varietal tastings (the same grape, but a mix of vintages, producers, regions, or styles).

With the opening of the new Great Estates Okanagan Wine Experience Centre in Penticton, you’ll soon be able to take part in a wide variety of these options.

The space, on the ground floor of the new building of the Penticton Lakeside Resort and Conference Centre, is divided into three areas.

The first is a lengthy tasting bar opposite a wall of wine and a map of the terroir areas of the South Okanagan for the typical walk-in tasting.

Further down the tasting room area is a smaller space with raised tables for small seated tastings, with wines served in varietal specific glasses (champagne flutes for local sparkling wine, for example) and small food pairings.

Beyond that is a long table that can accommodate groups of around 10, for lengthier educational sessions and small bites, with a nod to how food changes the flavours in wine.

Plans include guest winemakers, seminars, and even a concierge service.

Head in for one of the tasting experiences, and then, if you wish to take a tour to one of the estates – Inniskillin and Jackson Triggs near Oliver, Nk’Mip Cellars in Osoyoos, See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls, or Sumac Ridge in Summerland – arrangements can be made.

With the recent announcement by Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery in West Kelowna of a large expansion and added hospitality, the creation of these centres is a sign of the evolution of the Okanagan’s wine industry, and recognition that wine aficionados from beginner to wine collector, want to learn.

Dropping by tasting rooms will always be a top activity in B.C. wine country, but as more interesting and educational choices appear at wineries and wine shops, the more memorable the Okanagan wine region will become, especially for those experiencing it for the first time.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.