SCOUT VINEYARD

SIMILKAMEEN, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

October, 2019: I made it breezily through airport security remembering to put my liquids in a clear plastic bag, intentionally not wearing a belt, donning laceless shoes, removing my laptop well ahead of schedule, and so forth. I cheerfully watched my fellow travellers stress sweat and frantically dump expensive toiletries down the drain. I boarded the plane in a timely fashion, finding my seat, quickly moving out of the aisle and putting my appropriately sized carry-on under the seat. I’m not particularly social on aeroplanes but admire those who have the patience to ask about grandchildren and vacation photos.
Suddenly, a man was waving at me, I removed my headphones, and prepared for the potentially taxing conversation. Fortunately, the intruder was Aaron Godard, proprietor, farmer, and winemaker at Scout Vineyard in the Similkameen Valley. He apparently recognized me from pictures on our social media and assumed I was headed to the same place he was: Montreal for the Raw Wine Festival, an annual celebration of all things natural wine.
We chatted briefly about his project, his move towards sustainable agriculture, his love of amphora fermented wines, and how they planned on releasing their first vintage in about a year. I watched as his wife Carly, one of four partners in the winery, handed out Haloween candy to the Flight Attendants. Aaron then headed back to his seat, and we flew across the country, preparing mentally for the glut of socializing and consumption we’d be subjected to over the next few days.
Not only did we run into each other at the festival, we also crossed paths on the metro and at arguably our favourite restaurant, l’Express. We had been there the night before at 3:00 am drinking old Sancerre and eating confit duck and had somehow clawed our way back for an early lunch only eight hours later - the hangovers were ferocious. We noticed Aaron and Carly peacefully enjoying their meal, so we decided it was too serendipitous not to invite them out for an afternoon beer. We all got along famously, and a lifelong friendship was formed.
February 2021: It was the coldest week the Okanagan had seen in decades, and out of an abundance of caution, we wore masks and stood outside in the snow as we caught up, shivering, eyelashes freezing solid. We finally met Murray, who, along with his wife Maggie, have been the custodians of Scout Vineyard. It is this quartet’s dedication to their land that makes the wines sing so clearly.
Their tiny winery is located near Cawston along the Crowsnest Highway. They’ve done basically everything by hand, from building their physical winery to farming their grapes. They practice regenerative agriculture to restore life to the soil. They are incredibly dedicated and insightful, constantly reading and talking with other winemakers from around the world. They aren’t afraid to experiment and understand that patience is a winemaker’s most prized virtue (okay, maybe cleanliness is actually the most prized virtue). In some cases, they have held back barrels of wine for years to allow them to properly develop - it’s a huge economic strain for a new winery, but they believe it is worth the risk.

MORE FROM THE OKANAGAN: CREEK & GULLY | DAYDREAMER | URSA MAJOR

GROWN AND MADE ON THE TRADITIONAL LANDS OF THE: NŁEʔKEPMX TMÍXʷ (NLAKA’PAMUX) | SYILX | OKANAGAN

2024 RIESLING

After losing their entire Riesling crop to winter damage, Aaron and Murray hadn't planned on purchasing fruit or juice from out of province. Tantalus' Vineyard Manager went to Picone Vineyard in Ontario to oversee the harvest, ensuring quality and ripeness for their own project. When Scout was presented with the opportunity to make some wine from that vineyard, understanding the pedigree and trusting the watchful eye of the Tantalus team, they went ahead. The grapes come from a site butted up against the escarpment, above Vineland, between two famed vineyards: Bo-Teek and St-Urban. The soils are oneida clay and clay-loam over dolomitic and argillaceous limestones. The grapes were harvested and pressed before being shipped to their winery in the Okanagan in back to back refrigerated trucks to minimize time in transit. The juice ferments and ages in neutral barrel. After sixteen months of élevage, the wine was bottled, unfined, unfiltered, and with 20ppm of SO2. 12.7% ABV

2025 ROSÉ

This wine comes from four different regions: The Similkameen, Okanagan, Fraser Valley, and Comox Valley. It is a blend of Dornfelder, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and La Crescent. The grapes were destemmed and spent between ten and fourteen days on skins with gentle pigeage before being pressed off. After six months in neutral barrels, the wine was racked and bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with 30ppm of SO2. 11.5% ABV

2025 ORANGE

This wine comes from four different regions: The Similkameen (Scout Vineyard, Riesling and Pinot Gris), Skaha (God’s Mountain, super steep, farmed by Jody, Gewurztraminer), Fraser Valley (La Crescent), and Comox Valley (Epicure). The grapes were destemmed and spent between three and twenty-one days on skins in qvevri and open top tank with gentle pigeage before being pressed off. After six months in qvevri and neutral barrels, the wine was racked and bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with 10-15ppm of SO2. 12% ABV

2025 SKIN CONTACT RIESLING

This cuvée comes from three vineyards: Scout Vineyard (regenerative farming in the Similkameen), Tim’s Vineyard (organic in the Similkameen), and God’s Mountain (uncertified organic in Okanagan Falls). The grapes were destemmed into open-top tank and qvevri for two weeks of fermentation and maceration with gentle cap management. The wine is then pressed into qvevri and neutral barrel for six months of elevage. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with 15 ppm of SO2. Only 160 cases were produced. 12.8% ABV

2022 LIGHT SYRAH

This Syrah comes from their home vineyard in the Similkameen Valley, planted on stemwinder soils. The grapes were harvested slightly earlier than their other Syrah cuvée for higher acid and a focus on red fruits. The grapes were destemmed into qvevri, where they macerated for two weeks before being pressed off into clay and neutral barrels. They used a blend of co-fermented Syrah and Riesling for topping, which further emphasized this lighter profile. After 22 months, the wine was bottled, unfined, unfiltered, and without additional SO2. Only 75 cases were produced. 12.6% ABV

2022 EXTENDED AGE SYRAH

This Syrah comes from their home vineyard in the Similkameen Valley, planted on stemwinder soils. The grapes were harvested slightly later than their other Syrah cuvée for ripeness and structure. The grapes were destemmed into qvevri, where they macerated for 10 to 14 days before being pressed off into clay. After a year ten months, the wine was racked into barrel for an additional year of ageing. They believe this helps with stability and integration of both flavours and structural components. The wine was bottled, unfined, unfiltered, and with 10 ppm of SO2. 12.8% ABV

2023 RIESLING

This Riesling comes from their home vineyard in the Similkameen, planted on stemwinder soils. The strong wind here tends to produce grapes with thicker skins. They destem the grapes before pressing directly into neutral barrels for fermentation. Typically, the wine takes nearly a year to go dry, but this vintage finished by December. After 22 months on lees the wine was racked and bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with 20 ppm of SO2. 12.7% ABV