When I am on vacation, if there is a winery nearby, I will usually drop by. In this case, 40 Knots Winery is in Comox, just 30 minutes away from Campbell River, so I popped in to say hi to Brenda Hetman-Craig, Owner of 40 Knots, and to sample some of her wines on their patio. This was my first visit to the winery and have been looking forward to visiting, but COVID and life have other priorities.
The winery follows sustainable agriculture and biodynamic methods. The winery is quite nice. In the tasting room, you select your flight of wines and are given them all in a hanging wine glass rack. It is a unique way to serve a flight of wines. Take the rack outside and pick one of the tables to sit and sample.
Here are a few of my favourite wines from the flight I picked. These tasting notes are initial impressions and not as detailed as my notes from home. But I enjoyed being outside in the sunshine with the vines nearby.
My Selection of Wines from 40 Knots Winery
40 Knots Winery Apparition Cider – Well, this is not grape wine, but is something new from 40 Knots and it is quite tasty. The apples come from an orchard on Quadra Island. This cider has a medium lemon colour. Light sweet traditional apple cider aromas plus a touch of lemon. Medium body. Creamy small then biting bubbles that fade mid-palate. Medium length. Dry and round with a traditional cider flavour along with apple skin and crisp apples. 
40 Knots Winery Sieg 2021 – made from the Siegerrebe grape. Pale lemon. Medium-plus intensity aromas of floral, sweet spices, and herbaceousness. A bit off-dry. Sweet spices and roses on the palate, plus tinges of herbal and green fruit.
40 Knots Winery Pinot Gris 2021 – Deeper lemon colour in the glass. Deep aromas of ripe stone fruit and tropical fruit plus toast. Medium plus body, round with medium plus acidity. Ripe and roasted stone fruit plus tropical fruit flavours. Smooth. No acidic prickle but tart flavours. 
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40 Knots Winery Rosé 2020 – Lighter copper colour. Very light red fruit nose. Dry, light body, soft and round mouthfeel. Crisp red apples and light red fruit flavours. Medium acidity. Delicate.
40 Knots Winery L’Orange 2019 – made from the white Schönberger grape. From the winery, “Schonberger whole berry, no crush, gentle punch downs in Amphora, terracotta from Florence, Italy. On skins for 3 months. No malolactic ferment. No additions and S02 levels below 20mg/l. No acid added, natural PH. Native fermentation, no yeast added. No finning, no filter, minimal effective sulphites.”
In case you did not guess, this is what we call an “Orange” wine. This wine has a deep clear copper colour. Rich sweet nose with oranges and sweet spices. Dry, medium plus body with a thicker mouthfeel to start but lightens up on the mid-palate. Tannins kick in the mid-palate. Oranges, apple skin and sweet spices on the palate. Dry tannic finish. Medium length. A complex wine. Geek-worthy.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these wines through their website. The winery also has a store finder for retail locations in BC and Alberta.
