We all question what we are doing in life, with jobs, family, etc. This also happens with winemakers and their wines as well. We have the result of questioning this new wine, a red Bordeaux blend, Q&A 2020 from Michal Mosny from Winemaker’s CUT together with wine radio host Terry David Mulligan and actor Jason Priestley. I had many questions about this new wine by this triumvirate so I contacted Michal Mosny from Winemaker’s CUT for an interview. My interview follows my wine tasting notes. Enjoy.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Winemaker’s CUT Q&A 2020 (BC $50 from the winery)
A blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. Quails Wayside Vineyard and Chahal Vineyard, both around Oliver. 50% neutral oak, 20% second-fill French oak, 16% new Slovakian oak, and 14% new French oak for 11 months.
Appearance: Deep, dull garnet colour.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity aromas of red fruits, toast, blackberries, raspberries, and plus along with a touch of sweet spice and floral. No change to the aromas with decanting, other than to add a hint of chocolate.
Palate: Dry with medium-plus body and flavor intensity. Very smooth, silky, round, plush mouthfeel. Light fine-grained tannins and lower acidity. Red fruit, raspberries, and red cherries on the palate, with a touch of capsicum, floral and toast. Plum towards the finish. More tart fruit flavours with decanting. Red cherries and candied red cherries are more prominent. Add some toastiness and chocolate flavours.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with candied red cherries, red fruits, raspberries and a touch of floral and oak. Lightly drying and a bit puckering. Some pepperiness on the finish after decanting. Firmer tannins and less red fruit flavours.
A still very young wine. Maybe open in 1-2 years, but you can age this wine, I think, for 8 years. At the moment, if you drink it, decanting or not has no major differences, so enjoy it as you wish.
Rating: 
Almost opaque garnet colour. Medium-minus aromas of red fruits, blackberries, toast, plums, and a touch of sweet spices and floral. Dry, medium-minus body with a silky smooth, round mouthfeel. Red fruit, red cherries, plums, and touches of toast, capsicum and floral. Light fine-grained tannins and lighter acidity. Medium-plus length.
Where Can I Buy This Wine?
You can buy this wine directly through the Winemaker’s CUT Q&A web page.
My Interview with Michal Mosny from Winemaker’s CUT
1. Whose idea was it to make this wine? This is 2020, so it happened during the COVID lockdown.
Michal: The idea started during COVID. I signed new vineyards but not thinking of what to do with the wines. Quails Wayside Vineyard is a new vineyard and Chahal Vineyard I have over 9 years. Chahal makes very good Petit Verdot and Merlot. This vintage made a stunning wine. I met Terry at a VQA spring release and Terry mentioned to Jason about the TV wine show Jason made that inspired me to move to Canada.
2. What do each of the 3 team members bring to this wine?
It started as a virtual winery. They tasted the final blend together. Jason has experience running a premium brand at Black Hills.(e.g. Nota Bene wine). Terry, our media person, brings the word out in Canada and abroad. We can’t produce as much wine as Italy but we can bring premium wines to compete with other premium brands.
3. Why choose a red Bordeaux blend?
In my opinion, red Bordeaux blends are the signature for the south Okanagan. We can also change the blend yearly.
4. Do you plan on making this wine every year? Or make a different blend under the Q&A label?
We are planning to do this every year. The final wine comes from the finest barrels only. We are planning to produce a white blend using Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier grapes.
5. How was the wine made? Was the wine aged with music playing like for Winemaker’s CUT wines?
I used the same methods as I use for Winemaker’s CUT wines, including playing classical music. The Merlot and Petit Verdot underwent a spontaneous ferment. Organic yeast was used for the Cabernet Sauvignon. 71-120 days ferment on skin. 100% malolactic fermentation then into barrels. 11 months in oak only. I don’t want to overpower the wine with oak. Some neutral oak was used. I stopped the oak barrel aging when the oak was getting more prominent.
6. Why did you call this wine Q&A? Who came up with the name?
They had so many questions so they called it Q&A.
The Press Release
To fill out your knowledge about this new wine, I have included their press release below.
OLIVER, BC – November 29, 2022 – Jason Priestley, former Black Hills Estate Winery co-owner, Hollywood actor and director with starring roles including Beverly Hills, 90210, and Private Eyes, has partnered with friend and media broadcaster Terry David Mulligan and winemaker Michal Mosny in the creation of Q&A. This is a premium project that focuses on a single red wine sourced from some of the top vineyards in the Okanagan Valley.
British Columbia-born actor/director Jason Priestley turned his passion for wine into a serious commitment when he joined the ownership group of Black Hills Estate Winery in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley in October 2007. Priestley was part of a team that grew Black Hills into one of the South Okanagan’s leading wineries, anchored by its flagship Nota Bene red blend. The winery was sold to Andrew Peller Limited in 2017.
“After the sale, I continued to search for exceptional terroir capable of producing a peerless Bordeaux-style blend. Throughout this journey, I merged paths with Terry and then Michal. Together, we questioned what we already know, over and over again,” said Priestley. “After looking everywhere, all roads lead to one answer and the answer is once again in the Okanagan. This time, the difference is in the details, with a focus on elegance and finesse.”
“I heard about Canadian wine for the first time from Terry and Jason’s international television show, Hollywood and Vines TV, and it quickly became my passion,” shared Mosny. “They are the reason why I decided to move here with my wife in 2012 and make wines in the Okanagan Valley.” Slovakian-Canadian Mosny is the proprietor of Winemaker’s CUT, an acclaimed winery based in the District Wine Village in Oliver, BC…
Media broadcaster and wine radio host Terry David Mulligan completes the Q&A trio. Former host and producer at CBC TV and MuchMusic, currently TDM hosts Mulligan Stew (@ckuaradio) and Tasting Room Radio. As well he co-hosted Hollywood and Vines TV with Priestley – television and radio shows that have anchored him as one of Canada’s leading wine broadcasters…
