RIGOUR & WHIMSY
PAST WINES
2021 BIFROST (ORANGE WINE)
This year’s take on amber wine features Riesling (55%) and Gewurztraminer (45%). The grapes were destemmed and co-fermented in stainless steel for a month. The wine is then pressed off into older oak for a six-month élevage. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 221 cases were produced. 12.6% ABV, 3.8pH, 5.66 g/l TA, 0.75 g/l VA
MULTIVERSE
This wine Is a multi-vintage blend of co-fermented Syrah and Viognier (80%) and co-fermented Roussanne and Marsanne (20%). The former was fermented as whole clusters for a month before pressing off, while the latter was destemmed and fermented/macerated on skins in stainless steel for four months. The bottle features a label by Aaron K. Metz. Two hundred thirty-four cases were produced. 12.2% ABV, 5.6 g/L TA, pH 3.82, 22 ppm SO2
2021 LICORICE DADDY (CABERNET FRANC)
This wine comes from young vines at Sekhon Family Vineyards in Osoyoos. Cabernet Franc was destemmed into open-top bins for three weeks before being pressed off into used puncheons and barriques. After a five-month élevage the wine was racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 74 cases were produced. The label art was made by their three-year-old son, Stratis. 12.1% ABV, 3.79pH, 5.48 g/l TA, 0.8 g/l VA
2021 CELERY DIVERSION (SAUV BLANC)
This wine was a last-minute addition to the roster – Costa and Jody were only given a few hours’ notice that they had secured some fruit and it was on its way. Sauvignon Blanc from Oliver was destemmed and fermented on skins in open top bins for two weeks before being pressed off into neutral barrel. After seven months, the wine is racked and bottled. Only 111 cases were produced. The label art was done by Hillary Schell from Vancouver. 10.7% ABV, 3.76pH, 5.4 g/l TA, 0.87 g/l VA
2021 BITE OF THE DRAGON (RIESLING)
This wine comes from the steepest section of God’s Mountain Vineyard, facing west over Skaha Lake just north of Okanagan Falls. The dangerously graded plot was backbreakingly tended by the Costa, Jody, and a legion of dedicated and masochistic part-timers. Their only non-organic treatment was for leafhoppers, a particularly malicious pest last year. The grapes were whole cluster pressed into stainless steel after a mid-October harvest. After realizing their nitrogen levels were dangerously low for a healthy ferment, they opted to add diammonium phosphate (placing this wine outside our definition of ‘natural wine’) and a few buckets of already fermenting must from another cuvée to get things kickstarted. The wine was then moved to older barrels for a short élevage. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 139 cases were made, and they’ve unfortunately lost the lease at this site, so we’ll likely never see this cuvée again. 13.3% ABV, 3.19 pH, 8.325 g/l TA, 2.35 g/l RS, 0.77 g/l VA
2020 INTO THE DARKEST WOOD (SYRAH)
2019 MARSANNE ROUSSANNE
The grapes for this wine come exclusively from Webster Vineyard, a site farmed without pesticides and herbicides in Osoyoos. Roussanne (80%) and Marsanne (20%) are destemmed and fermented on skins as whole berries for four months in stainless steel tank. The wine is then pressed off into barrel for fourteen months. The final wine is racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulphur (24ppm). Two hundred forty-five cases were made. Powell River resident Annie Robinson did their label art. 3.68pH, 4.69g/l TA, 11.4% ABV
2021 SIR RICHARD PIQUETTE
The fruit came from God’s Mountain, a steeply sloped vineyard just south of Penticton that Costa and Jody farmed themselves this season. Its proximity to Skaha Lake and its west exposure make it a truly impressive site. This wine is made by macerating freshly pressed Riesling skins in water where it fermented for eight days. After daily pigeage, the wine was pressed off. To balance the volatile acidity, they added lactose (an unfermentable sugar that adds body) and Celestial Cherry White Tea (a blend of tea and tisanes) from ChaiBaba in Kelowna. They canned the wine with a small amount of honey from local apiary Okanagan Wildbush for can conditioning. The results are a low abv, off-dry, slightly sparkling, wine adjacent thirst-quencher. 7.6% ABV, 6.79 g/L RS, 2.18 g/L VA, pH 4.15
2019 GAMAY NOIR
This wine is the ultimate example of serendipity. Costa and Jody have always wanted to work with Gamay Noir; at the very tail end of harvest, one of their growers informed them he was short on their Pinot Blanc allocation. They asked if he had any Gamay Noir to make up the difference (almost joking I’m sure) and it turns out he did. Whole-clusters underwent semi carbonic maceration for four weeks receiving occasional foot crushing. They then pressed off into neutral puncheon and barrique for five months. 547 cases were made. Their label art was done by Powell River resident Annie Robinson. 3.28pH, 7.5g/l TA, 0.86g/l VA, 10% ABV
2019 HYPERDRIVE
This wine is made from Pinot Blanc (70%) grown in West-Kelowna and Viognier (30%) grown in Osoyoos. The grapes were destemmed and fermented / macerated on skins as whole berries for two months in stainless steel. The wine is then pressed off into old barrels for four months of élevage. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulphur (18ppm). 549 cases were made. Their label art was done by Kelowna resident Nicole Young. 3.56pH, 5.55g/l TA, 0.88g/l VA, 10% ABV.
2019 ORIENTEERING IN THE UNDERWORLD
This wine comes from an east-facing site just south of Oliver in the Okanagan Valley. The Syrah was picked on the morning of October 7th. Whole clusters were fermented in open-top bin, aided by lees from their Pinot Blanc sparkling wine. After a week of carbonic maceration, they performed gentle pigeage. They added a small amount of Viognier skins to add extra structure and aromatic complexity. Four weeks from the pick, the wine was pressed off into a puncheon and a barrique for élevage. Only 96 cases were produced. 12.9% ABV, 5.8 g/L TA, pH 3.66, 21 ppm SO2
2018 FLUX CAPACITOR
This wine was created on the fly, made with intuition instead of design. It is a blend of Pinot Blanc (60%), Roussanne (25%), Muscat (10%), and a tiny bit of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Grüner Veltliner. The grapes were all destemmed and fermented on skins in stainless steel tank. Whole berries were preserved for a small amount of intracellular fermentation. After two months on skins, the wine is pressed off into neutral puncheons for seven months of ageing. 3.6pH, 6.67g/l TA, 11% ABV
2018 GAMAY NOIR
This wine is the ultimate example of serendipity. Costa and Jody have always wanted to work with Gamay Noir; at the very tail end of harvest, one of their growers informed them he was short on their Pinot Blanc allocation. They asked if he had any Gamay Noir to make up the difference (almost joking I’m sure) and it turns out he did. They took their two tons of Gamay and fermented it whole-cluster for three weeks, increasing punch-downs as fermentation progressed. They then pressed off into neutral puncheon and barrique for eight months. 3.35pH, 7.25g/l TA, 10% ABV
2018 Pet-nat
This wine is made from Marsanne (5%) and Roussanne (95%) grown in the Southern Okanagan near Oliver. The site is an amphitheatre, collecting sunshine year round resulting in perfectly ripe grapes even in challenging vintages. The grapes were wild fermented in tank until the wine was nearly dry. It then finished fermentation in bottle, ageing for nearly a year on lees before release. The wine is disgorged. 10.5% ABV
2018 MARSANNE ROUSSANNE
The grapes for this wine come exclusively from Webster Vineyard, a site farmed without pesticides and herbicides in Osoyoos. Roussanne (90%) and Marsanne (10%) are destemmed and fermented on skins as whole berries for four months in stainless steel tank. The wine is then pressed off into barrel for fifteen months. The final wine is racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulphur (19ppm). 208 cases were made. Their label art was done by Powell River resident Annie Robinson. 3.75pH, 6.38g/l TA, 1.2g/l VA, 11.7% ABV
2017 PINOT BLANC
This wine is made from grapes grown just North of Oliver in the Okanagan Valley. This organic vineyard is planted at high elevations which exacerbates the diurnal temperature swing resulting in fresher grapes. The dry climate eliminates the need for harmful sprays. The grapes were harvested by hand and fermented as whole berries for five months, extracting a lot of flavour from the skins but not oxidizing. The wine was then pressed off into brand new and neutral barrel for an additional 18 months before being bottled with minimal sulphur. 3.87pH, 5.7g/l TA, 12% ABV
