Category: Naramata

There is a constant growth in the number of new wineries in BC. One winery that I started to hear about this year is 1 Mill Road Winery, located on the Naramata Bench. They recently reached out to me for an interview. I was delighted to speak with Ben Bryant, co-owner and winemaker for 1 Mill Road. Below is my…

Top Drop Vancouver 2022 was on May 10 and 11.  Part of the event was a large tasting room, with 40 wineries presenting a selection of their wines.  There was also to my great happiness, cider as well, which I will get to later in this article.  Top Drop Canada puts on this event yearly (except during the COVID shutdown),…

This is likely the most unique wine made in BC; Mayhem Wines Fortified Gewurztraminer 2018.  Gewurztraminer is generally a grape that typically offers lychee, citrus, sweet spices and more; overall a very flavourful grape.  Mayhem Wines took their grapes and fermented them down to 19 brix before being fortified with 93% alcohol. This wine was then put to barrel and…

Canned wines in BC seem to be the next big thing. I see many either on BC winery websites or other vendor sites. This week I tried my 2nd and 3rd BC canned wines. The Mayhem Wines Rosé 2020 and Pinot Gris 2020. They come in 250 ml cans. As it was a sunny day when I tried these two…

I have two organically farmed Pinot Gris from Roche Wines, both coming from their Kozier Organic Vineyard located north of their winery on the Naramata Bench. Their 2018 Tradition Pinot Gris comes under cork with a heavier glass bottle, while their 2020 Texture Pinot Gris has a lighter bottle and is under screwcap. I spoke with Dylan Roche about the…

Here I have two bigger red wines from Hillside Winery, located on the Naramata Bench. One is their Heritage Series Cabernet Franc 2017, while the other wine is their Merlot Malbec 2018. The former is under cork while the latter is screwcap. These are two good indications of whether these wines are ready to drink now or can benefit from…

BC has a favourable climate for aromatic white grapes, such as Gewurztraminer and Viognier. I received a sample of Hillside Winery‘s Heritage Series wines to review, with two of them being from these aromatic varieties.  Their Heritage series wines are meant to showcase the nuanced flavours and elegant styles of the Naramata Bench. I see a label refresh for the…

Are you getting low on your BC wine supply at home?  I think most BC wineries are offering online shopping and delivery of their wines to you.  I was reminded of this by the Naramata Bench Wineries Association.  There is everything you may want here; big bold reds, delicate Pinot Noir, aromatic whites, and cheese! Yes, one winery here also…