Clay and concrete vessels are two more historical materials that have been used to ferment grape must into wine. But both have been having a comeback in the last few years. I have two wines from Okanagan Crush Pad. The Haywire Pinot Noir 2020 is fermented in concrete and stainless steel vessels, and Narrative Syrah Viognier 2018 is fermented in clay amphora. Both of vegan-friendly wines.
Did you know that Syrah, a red grape, and Viognier, a white grape, are sometimes co-fermented? The Viognier deepens the colour of the Syrah and sometimes brings a touch of floral to the resulting wine. There is no oak barrel treatment, so you should be getting the full expression of the fruit from the grapes. Let me tell you about these two wines.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Okanagan Crush Pad Haywire Pinot Noir 2020 (Not yet released.)
Appearance: A lighter clear garnet colour, about 80% translucent.
Nose: Lighter aromas of red fruit and smoke, with a hint of floral, and candied red cherries with swirling. Not much change with decanting other than the candied red cherry aroma is stronger.
Palate: Dry, lighter body, lean mouthfeel, with bracing acidity and tart red fruits, along with raspberries and red cherries and a touch of smokiness. Candied red cherries with swirling. The wine becomes less tart, softer and rounder with decanting, plus the flavours are a little lighter. Still has the same flavour profile.
Finish: Medium length, finishing dry with tart red fruit, raspberries, and red cherries at the very end. More acidity than tannins on the finish. Not as tart flavours on the finish.
The decanted version is more elegant. You get softer, less tart fruits flavours and a rounder mouthfeel.
Rating: 
A lighter, clear garnet colour. Light aromas of red fruit, smoke, and a touch of floral, plus candied red cherries with air. Dry, soft and round mouthfeel with decanting. Red fruits, raspberries and candied red cherry flavours. A hint of smoke. Medium length finishing dry with raspberry and red cherry flavours. More acidity than tannins on the finish.
Okanagan Crush Pad Narrative Syrah Viognier 2018 (BC $26.99)
Appearance: Deep, dull garnet colour. Almost opaque to the rim.
Nose: Deep, medium intensity aromas, of meat, blackberries, black plums, and with air, blueberries. I also picked up some dustiness. The aromas were a bit lighter with decanting, and maybe no black plums.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body, semi-round. Smooth, but not quite mouth-filling. Blueberries, plums and some tart red fruits, with hints of bandaid and meatiness in the background. Cherries mid-palate to the finish. A bit rounder, with a plusher mouthfeel; more mouth-filling with decanting. No tart red fruit flavours till the finish. More dark fruit and blackberry flavours and less blueberries.
Finish: A medium-plus length, with light tannins, tart red fruit and blueberry flavours. Not as much tart fruit flavours on the finish. More black fruit and blueberries.
I prefer the decanted version. The aromas are a little lighter, but the wine has a rounder, smoother mouthfeel and less tart fruit flavours.
Rating: 
– Almost opaque dull garnet colour in the glass. Medium-plus body, round, with blueberries, plums and some tart red fruits flavours with some meatiness. Light tannins.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase the Narrative Syrah Viognier 2018 at the Okanagan Crush Pad website. The Pinot Noir, when it is released, should be available at this URL. Note, that the URL does not yet work. Everything Wine and Save On Foods indicate that they carry the Haywire Pinot Noir, but it is likely not the 2020 vintage yet.
