Touring Wineries in the Okanagan Part 3 of 3 - Similkameen Valley and Okanagan Falls

Welcome to bottle2glass a blog about what I love...... Wine

Welcome to part 3 of 3. In Part 1 I shared the three wine areas we discovered. Part 2, I let you know about some of the wines I tasted from Naramata Bench and in Part 3 I will focus on Similkameen Valley and Okanagan Falls wine's.

Similkameen Valley

The Similkameen Valley is about a 35 minute drive from Naramata. The drive to the Similkameen Valley has some amazing terrain and scenery. This area is made up of farm land, fruit farms and wineries. The area when we visited was dry, hot and almost desert like.

Similkameen Valley Winery

Orofino Vineyard

This was a winery I discovered one day visiting a BC VQA store. They just received a shipment of Pinot Gris of which I had to buy. The Pinot Gris is the one reason they were the first on the list of the Similkameen wineries. The wine was so good I had to check out more.

Orofino Moscato Frizzante 2012

Glad I stopped in at the winery. You will not be able to find this Frizzante in your local BCLS or speciality wine store. The aroma of this wine had all the characteristics of Moscato - ripe peaches, citrus and a slight floral note; Palate - juicy peach, citrus (orange) with delicate bubbles and a light body. A wine to have with friends on the patio or enjoy before dinner.

Clos du Soleil Winery
This winery is known as a "artisan winery" producing some very good small lot wines. So you need to be quick to find the popular ones. You may be able to find some of their wines at Everything Wine or in a BC VQA store.

Clos du Soleil Rose´
How could we not pass up an award winning Rosé.  Made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This Rosé had aromas of sweet raspberry, and a hint of cranberry; Palate - cherry, strawberry, and some citrus with a little sweetness on the finish. Here is another Rose´ I wish purchased more than one.

Seven Stones 

This winery is on the way out of Cawston on your way to Osoyoos. "Seven Stones comes from the legend of the seven individual rock formations throughout the Similkameen Valley known as the Seven Stones" - Seven Stones Winery. There are some picnic tables on the grounds where you can enjoy your picnic lunch,  plus enjoy the view of the winery and surrounding hills.  Makesure you put this winery on your list of places to stop. If you do stop in ask about the wine cave wish I knew about it before I went. Looks like another visit will need to be planned.

Speaking Rock Cabernet Sauvignon  2009

Another award winner! This wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that was aged in new French oak barrels for 17 months. The aroma of this wine instantly brought back my wife's memory of her grandfather smoking his pipe. It also had aromas of chocolate and some coffee; Palate - blackberry, coffee and coco with firm tannins and a long finish. Unfortunately they are out of this wine at the winery. 

Some Wines of Similkameen Valley

Okanagan Falls

This wine area is located at the south end of Skaha Lake. Most of the wineries are on the North side of the road. The one question I kept asking is where are the falls? Only to find out that the falls are no longer around, only a series of rapids now exist. The falls were not the reason for our visit! The wineries were what we were there to discover. I must say discover we did!  Click on this link Okanagan Falls Wineries  to get a map.

Stags Hollow 
This winery had a beautiful view of the hills that surround it. It was well worth the drive to discover this  winery. 

Stag's Hollow Renaissance Merlot 2010
This wine was wonderful, when we tasted this wine it had smoke, coffee and cherry aroma; the palate similar to the aroma with mocha, earth, and cherry with great tannins and a long finish to enjoy. They may carry Stag's Hollow Hertiage Block at your local BCLS. If you do find a wine from this winery give it a try. All the wines we tried were very good.

Noble Ridge
I was very impressed with this winery; when we drove up the driveway we were surrounded by vines and rolling hills. The next item that impressed me was the offering of a cheese plate (for a charge) to enjoy on the patio just outside the tasting room with a glass of wine of course.   I also had the chance to meet one of the owners who was behind the counter helping out her team.

Noble Ridge Pinot Noir 2010
A great Pinot Noir from the Okanagan with aromas of cherry and vanilla; Palate - black currant, earth, vanilla with great tannins and a long finish. This wine is going to drink even better in a few years. Glad I purchased more than one bottle. 

Blue Mountain Winery
Another beautiful drive to another great winery. Driving up to the winery you see mountains in the distance. On the drive to the winery I made a quick stop for my wife to get out and take photos. At one point she mentioned that the mountains in the background should be on their label. Well to our pleasant surprise Blue Mountain has changed their label to reflect this beautiful view. Well I must say great minds think a like. (The photo below is the old label)

Blue Mountain Chardonnay 2010
Glad we went to this winery when we did. They had very limited supply of wines since they sell out very quickly. This Chardonnay had aroma's of citrus, lemon, vanilla; Palate - citrus, butter with a crisp juicy finish. I will be purchasing this one again if I can find it.

Meyer Family Vineyard
This was a great recommendation from the owners of Benchmark Bed and Breakfast. Glad we made the stop. The host made it a fun tasting by matching the wine with different items. Chardonnay with Truffle oil popcorn anyone! After our tasting we sat on their deck with a glass of 2011 Micro Cuviee Chardonnay and enjoyed the scenery and each others company.

Meyer's Chardonnay 2012
A nice wine with great aromas of citrus, pineapple, and some floral. On the palate it had the same tropical fruit, vanilla and a fresh finish.

Reimer Vineyard Pinot Noir  2011
Here is another great wine from Meyers Vineyard. Aroma - Cherry, earth and vanilla; Palate - red fruit, oak, spice and a nice long finish. A wine that I will hold for a little longer to let it develop in the bottle.


Painted Rock
This winery is a hidden gem in the sense it was a little tricky to find. Keep an eye out for the signs and makesure you stop in.  The tasting room for now is temporary until the new one is build. Which is located up the hill. I had a chance to have a look at it and I must say I cannot wait to visit again next year.

Painted Rock Syrah
I am glad I picked up this gem of a wine. One to hold for 2 - 3 years and let the wine develop a little further. Aroma - dark fruit, fresh cracked black pepper, and a hint of leather; Palate - earth, fig and tobacco with firm tannins and a nice long finish. This one you may be able to pick up a BC Liquor Store. This wine has a higher price point but it is worth the extra dollars.

If you are interested in the wines or wineries listed in Part 2 and 3. There are a few ways to try the wine or winery - (1) Join one of the winery wine clubs. But before you do that makesure you enjoy the wine (2) Look for them at a VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) Store (3) Check out the speciality wine stores that are located around BC Liberty Wine Merchants, Marquis Wine Cellars, and also Everything Wines
and (4) Tour wine regions in BC and enjoy the wines of this province!

Looking forward to hearing back from you on the wines I mentioned or any wines you have tried.
In case you missed the link to the photos of our wine country tour click on link. Photos of Naramata, Similkameen and OK Falls


Ciao for now!

Touring Wineries in the Okanagan Part 2 of 3 - Naramata

Welcome to bottle2glass a blog about what I love...... Wine

Hope you enjoyed Part 1.  In Part 2 I will talk more about the wines of Naramata that tasted. Let me say I purchased a lot bottles in a very short week.

Naramata has many great wineries and choosing them was difficult. My plan was to stay with the small  boutique wineries plus wines you will not typically find in the BCLS. We plan to return to rediscover the ones we visited and visit some that we missed.

A view of a Naramata Vineyard

Here is a list of some of the wineries and the wines that we discovered.

Black Widow Winery - This winery is small and family run. The production is just over 1500 cases. They grow 5 different varieties on there 7.25 acres. This winery is a must visit when in the Naramata.

Black Widow Winery - Syrah Rose´ 2012 
Remembering the day's of Baby Duck is probably your first thought of Rose´. Well let me tell you this wine is far from those days! I believe Rose´ is making a come back. This Rose´ from Black Widow was wonderful. We should have purchased more than we did.  Aroma - bright strawberry and raspberry. Palate - same as the aroma fresh field strawberry, just picked raspberries with a slight hint of sweetness.  If interested in purchasing you will need to contact winery. But be quick before they are all gone.

D'Angelo Estate Winery - This winery was just off the Kettle Valley Trail with fantastic views of the lake. A family owned winery with some great wines. The owner was very passionate about what he does. This comes through in the wine that we tasted.

Setta Coppa Unfiltered 2007
This wine was made in the "Bordeaux" style from 5 varieties. I purchased this wine for the aroma and palate. Aroma - black fruit, spice and caramel; Palate - very similar to the aroma with black fruit, very earthy and a hint of caramel with a long finish. Can be purchased from the Winery

Hillside Winery and Bistro - This Winery is just off the Kettle Valley Trail. A fantastic place to stop for a leisurely lunch and sample some of their great wines. (They also serve dinner)

2012 Muscat Ottonel
We arrived at the winery just in time as they discovered a few extra cases of this previously sold out wine. SO naturally I picked up a couple of bottles. I am now thinking I should have bought more. Aroma - citrus, floral with a hint of nutmeg spice; Palate - citrus, spice and minerality with a nice finish. This wine was made for summer!

2009 Old Vines Gamay Noir
This is one of those wines you want to share over dinner with friends and fresh caught Barbecued Salmon. Aroma - Red berries and pepper; Palate - red berries, earthiness and with a very nice finish.

La Frenz Winery
Glad we picked this winery, besides all the awards they received the wine is wonderful.  Here are some of the awards they received this year;  All Canadian Wine Championships: 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon - Double Gold and Best Cabernet over $25; 2011 Reserve Chardonnay - Gold; 2011 Reserve Pinot Noir - Gold. These are only a few of the awards, check out the link to their winery and see the bigger list.

2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
Rockyfeller VYD
This is a classic Cabernet Sauvignon with aromas of mocha, coffee, and earthiness. Palate -  dark chocolate, dark fruit and a nice long finish. If you see this one out there pick it up and give it a try. 

Nichol Vineyard - This winery is located just down the road from Benchmark Bed and Breakfast. If you like to discover an up and coming winery this is the one to add to your list.

Syrah 2010 
When we tried the Syrah we were told the terrior of Nichol Vineyard is great for Syrah. When you taste this wine you will find out why. They started planting this variety (Syrah) in 1989. Now talk about "Gnarly vines". Aroma - big dark fruit, with some dark chocolate; Palate - dark fruit, dark chocolate with smooth tannins. This is a wine I can either enjoy now or wait a few years. You may be able to find this wine at a speciality wine store. If you do find it give it a try!

Ruby Blues - This is a fun winery which is located across the street from Red Rooster. We discovered that the owner of this winery use to own Red Rooster.

Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon
This wine was a pleasure to drink! It was a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. Wish I bought more of it. Aroma - Black fruit, Tobacco, and earth; On the Palate same as aroma with black fruit, tobacco, great tannins and a long finish. This wine is available only through their web site. 

Poplar Grove Winery
When you first drive up to the winery you will think this is not a boutique winery! They have invested a lot of dollars into making it what it is today. We had a great dinner at the "Vanilla Pod" located inside the tasting room. The restaurant serves great food with a great selection of local wines. What a fantastic dinner experience, especially when we got to chat with the vineyard managers.

Poplar Grove CSM
This wine is only offered at the winery or through their wine club. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot (CSM). Aroma - black currant, vanilla and black pepper; Palate - Blackberry, Coco with strong tannins, and a nice long finish. Need to join their wine club to get this wine or visit the winery.

Poplar Grove - Legacy 2007
This wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine spent 21 months in French oak barrels. Aroma - Cedar, leather, spice and cocoa; Palate - Coffee, black cherry and dark chocolate with a great finish. 

Some wines of Naramata - Nichol, D'Angelo Estate Winery, Black Widow Winery, La Frenz Winery,  Poplar Grove, Marichel  Vineyard and Hillsdie Estate

You may find some of the wineries in the BC Liquor Store but not necessarily the wine I have mentioned above. Your best bet to find one of the wines above is a BC VQA Store they carry a good selection of both BC wines and BC wineries. So give BC wines a try and enjoy.

If you have a winery that you have visited or a BC Wine you have enjoyed please let me know by sending me a comment.

Ciao for now!