Last Sunday marked the second annual Garagiste North wine tasting, celebrating British Columbia’s little guys of wine. Even more rewarding than sampling their wares was chatting with the folks who make the wine. They are mostly a humble lot who believe passionately in what they do but continue to strive for improvement. Below are the small production wines that stood out and the people behind them.
Symphony Vineyard
Pat George and Lamont Brooks left behind the oil and gas business eight years ago. Rather than settling into early retirement, they returned to Lamont’s family’s fruit farm on the Saanich Peninsula of Vancouver Island to make wine. They planted a small portion to grapes in 2004 and released their first commercial wine in 2011. Today they make 1,200 cases. SymphonyVineyard.com
2015 Ortega ($18)
A crossing of Muller Thurgau and Siegerrebe, Ortega is an important grape on Vancouver Island. Pungent musk melon and orange blossom lead to a dry juicy palate.
Anthony Buchanan Wines
Besides being the fulltime winemaker at Desert Hills, Anthony Buchanan also crafts wine under his eponymous label. A total whopping production of 135 cases earns him bragging rights as the smallest garagistes of the group. His focus is solely on single vineyard Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc. Regarding the latter, Anthony remarks: “Everyone does Chardonnay but Pinot Blanc is undervalued, underrated and there is a market for it.” AnthonyBuchananWines.ca
2015 Pinot Blanc ($20)
Buchanan ferments and ages a third of this in new French barrels. Nutty with subtle vanilla notes, spiced Asian pear and a lovely texture, it will be released May 1.
Seven Directions
Kristine Witkowski and Daniel Bontorin launched Seven Directions as a rosé exclusive brand. Why just pink? “Because Daniel loves rosé,” replies Kristine. The winemaker in the team, Daniel looks to the wines of Provence for inspiration. He makes three varietal rosés from single vineyards throughout the Okanagan for a total production of less than 500 cases. He is also the winemaker at Volcanic Hills. SevenDirectionsWine.ca
2015 Fruitvale Ridge Vineyard, Cabernet Franc Rosé ($17)
A mere two hours skin contact gives an appetizing pale pink colour. Light-bodied, dry, and refreshing with hints of strawberry, this is made for warm weather sipping.
Roche Wines
A North Van boy by origin, Dylan Roche studied winemaking in Burgundy, apprenticing there as well as New Zealand. Pénélope Roche was born into it at Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, and has also worked in Spain, New Zealand and Australia. Besides making 460 cases under their own label, Dylan is the winemaker at Intersection while Pénélope consults for a number of Okanagan properties. They own a tiny plot of Zweigelt and Schönburger, from which they craft their rosé. The remainder of the production is from purchased Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir grapes. RTerroir.ca
2014 Pinot Noir ($34.69)
Sourced from an organic vineyard on the Naramata Bench, this Pinot Noir is aged in barrels for 12 months, of which a judicious 20 per cent is new. Good purity, balance and elegance.
Krāzē Legz Vineyard and Winery
Gerry and Sue Thygesen squeak in just under the 2,000 case maximum to be considered BC garagistes. Their SKAHA Vineyard is in Kaleden, south of Penticton overlooking Skaha Lake and boasts fossilized sandstone soil. KrazeLegz.com
2013 SKAHA Vineyard Cabernet Franc ($25.85)
Aged for 20 months in predominantly used French oak, it offers crunchy cranberry, cherry and graphite along with firm but well-managed tannins. This is only their second release but the Thygesens are committed to learning as much as they can about Cabernet Franc. “Trying it from different regions of the world is a must for us,” states Gerry.
