If you are searching for a BC wine that is vegan-friendly, made using organically-grown grapes, and fermented with indigenous yeasts in neutral vessels like stainless steel, amphora, and concrete, then you should try Okanagan’s Haywire Winery‘s wines. I have two white wines to tell you about today from Haywire. Their Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, are both 2022 vintage, made by winemakers Matt Dumayne and Kat D’Costa. 2022 was a cool season with a delayed Spring, but a beautiful Autumn allowed grapes in the Valley to reach full ripeness.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Haywire Winery King Family Vineyard Pinot Gris 2022 (BC $28.99)
From the winery, “The wine is 100% Pinot Gris from King Family Vineyards on the Naramata Bench. The batch was whole cluster pressed into concrete tanks for fermentation with natural yeast and ageing on lees.”
Appearance: A clear bright, medium-minus intensity straw colour in the glass.
Nose: It has medium-intensity aromas of ripe sweet stone fruit, tropical fruit, pears, and a hint of oranges. No change to the aromas after decanting.
Palate: This wine is dry with a lighter mouthfeel. Lean with medium-plus acidity. The acidity leaves a prickle in your mouth. Stone fruits, citrus pith and stony minerality with pepperiness toward the finish. The wine opens up a bit with a bigger mouthfeel after swirling. The wine bumps up to medium body with decanting and you get sweeter stone fruit flavours.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with tart fruit, pears, stoniness, and pith. Peppery at the very end. A sweeter fruit finish and a touch of honey after decanting.
I tasted this wine over three days. The wine shows best upon opening and the next day and then loses the fruit on the third day, so drink soon after opening.
Rating: 
– 
This Pinot Gris has medium-intensity aromas of ripe sweet stone fruit, tropical fruit, pears, and a hint of oranges. A dry wine with a lighter mouthfeel, but higher acidity. Stone fruits, citrus pith and stony minerality with pepperiness toward the finish. Medium-plus length.
Haywire Winery Okanagan Valley Chardonnay 2022 (BC $29.99)
From the winery, “100% Chardonnay was whole bunch pressed and fermented naturally in stainless steel tanks before malolactic fermentation and further ageing on lees in concrete and oak foudre.” They recommend to pair with oysters or a rich halibut in a white wine cream sauce.
Appearance: A bright, clear, medium-plus intensity lemon plus gold colour.
Nose: Light aromas of apples, pears and a touch of oak. With decanting you get butterscotch and pineapple aromas, but still light in intensity.
Palate: Dry with a medium body, is lean and smooth, but has an acidic prickle. Apples, light stone fruits, stony, and some pith on the palate. You get a thicker mouthfeel with some bitterness after decanting. Still restrained apple flavour and pith, but you can add light pineapple and oak. This wine has nice texture.
Finish: A medium to medium-plus length finishing with apples on the palate, and touches of pepperiness and some bitterness. The wine has less pepperiness after decanting.
Not a heavy wine. The acidity and prickle keep this wine fresh. I prefer this wine decanted.
Rating: – with decanting. This Chardonnay with decanting has a light-intensity mix of apples, pears, pineapple, butterscotch and oak aromas. It is dry with a medium body and is lean and smooth. There is an acidic prickle on the palate. Restrained flavours of apple, pineapple, pith and oak with decanting. Medium to medium-plus length.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these wines through the Haywire Winery website. The Pinot Gris is available at select Everything Wine stores. These wines may be available at other private wine shops, but you will need to ask.
