With all the seriousness in the world happening, it is nice to be able to step away for a few minutes to enjoy life. I have two bottles of wine from Blasted Church Vineyards in the Okanagan from their Renaissance series, their best sellers, that are easy to sip and help you relax a bit. One is a white blend and the other a red blend, both with several grape varieties to make each blend. Congratulations are in order to the winery, which is celebrating its 20th year in business.
Now, let me tell you about these wines.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Blasted Church Vineyards Hatfield’s Fuse MMXIX
A blend of 21% Viognier, 14% Chardonnay Musque, 10% Semillon, 9% Optima, 8% Chardonnay, 8% Pinot Gris, 7% Gewurztraminer, 7% Pinot Blanc, 7% Orange Muscat, 6% Ehrenfelser, and 6% Riesling. The grapes come from their estate vineyard in Okanagan Falls, plus fruit from Oliver and Osoyoos. The grapes are fermented individually before being blended. They recommend pairing this wine with halibut, roasted chicken, or a creamy pasta dish.
Appearance: Bright medium-plus intensity lemon colour.
Nose: Oranges and lemons primarily, with lesser amounts of spearmint and bramble leaf, and stone fruits with some swirling in the glass. Same intensity of aromas with decanting, but with less orange.
Palate: Slightly off-dry, with a thicker, viscous mouthfeel, and an acidic prickle backbone up front that doesn’t overpower, but fades gradually to the mid-palate. A mix of pears, floral, apple blossom, and touches of apricot, peach, and lychee flavours. Light pepperiness. The wine becomes smoother, softer and has a lighter body with decanting and the acidity is a bit lighter as well.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with stone fruits and pepperiness and some grape stem. Plus a touch of orange and lychee flavours. Same length and finish with decanting. You can add some apple peel flavour to the finish.
Rating: 
with decanting. Medium-plus lemon colour. Medium-plus intensity aromas of oranges and lemon, with lesser amounts of spearmint and bramble leaf. With decanting the orange aroma is lessened. Slightly-offdry, medium body, soft and smooth. Medium acidic prickle, which also lessens with decanting. A mix of stone fruit and floral flavours. Medium-plus length with stone fruits, and touches of orange, grape stem, pepperiness and lychee flavours.
Blasted Church Vineyards Big Bang Theory MMXX
A blend of Merlot 47%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, Syrah 12%, Petit Verdot 9%, Cabernet Franc 6%, Pinot Noir 5%, and
Refosco 1%. From the winery, “…The fruit comes from our estate vineyard on the Skaha Bench plus fruit from vineyards in Oliver, Osoyoos, and a touch from the Similkameen. Each lot of fruit is vinified separately. After fermentation, each lot was put to barrel, primarily neutral oak, for malolactic fermentation and aging for a minimum of 6 months before being assembled to create the final blend. Over the course of our blending trials, we decided to
include a portion of 2019 Petit Verdot that had been in barrel for 14 months to add complexity while also
helping to drive the richness and structure of the wine…” They recommend pairing this wine with almost anything from the grill; Sausages or burgers. Also pizza.
Did you notice on the label, the setting is at a hockey arena and that there is a hockey puck in the air?
Appearance: Almost opaque ruby colour.
Nose: Lighter aromas of juicy berries and plums, purple fruit, and a hint of oak. You also get a touch of meatiness with air. A more meaty nose with decanting.
Palate: Off-dry, lean, not quite round or mouth-filling, but silky. Medium acidity and lighter fine-grained tannins. Purple fruit, ripe raspberries, a touch of cocoa and vanilla to start, and you can add blackberries, black cherries, and iodine with air. The wine becomes softer, more round and mouth-filling with decanting. Ripe berries, blackberries, raspberries and black cherry flavours, and a note of minerality. No iodine and less bitterness.
Finish: Medium length, finishing off-dry with tannins firming up a bit. Juicy berries, light cocoa and some bitterness. A more juicy berry finish with decanting, along with some pepperiness and less bitterness. The tannins are also softer.
Rating: with decanting. Almost opaque ruby in the glass. Lighter aromas of juicy berries, purple fruit and plums, with a hint of oak and meatiness. The meatiness aroma is stronger with decanting. Round, mouth-filling and silky. Ripe purple fruit, raspberries, blackberries, and black cherry fruit flavours along with a touch of vanilla and cocoa. Medium length finishing with juicy berries and a touch of cocoa and pepperiness. Slightly firmer tannins on the finish.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these wines through the Blasted Church Vineyard’s website, at BC Liquor Stores and at Everything Wine. Other wine shops may carry it, but you need to ask.
