As the southernmost, warmest and driest region in the Okanagan, Oliver and Osoyoos are known for being able to grow the heat-loving red grape varietals to make big and bold red wines.
But, delicate, fresh and crisp whites and roses are also made in Oliver and Osoyoos.
It's a testament to talented grape growers choosing cooler sites for white varietals and winemakers knowing when to pick white and rose grapes a little early to preserve fruit flavours and refreshing acidity.
Plus, winemakers craft these wines with no or little aging in oak barrels so the whites and roses are perfect spring and summer sippers.
After all, patio wines are called such for a reason -- we want our whites and roses to be lifted and served cold when we consume them on the patio, deck, boat or at a picnic.
These eight whites and rose are a beautiful cross section of what's coming out of Oliver and Osoyoos -- and most of them are new-releases from the 2022 vintage.
- vinAmite 2022 Chanson d'amour ($25) from Oliver
Translated from French, the name of this wine is 'song of love', which is an apt descriptor of this aromatic blend of Pinot Gris, Orange Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon that has aromas and flavours of apricot and orange peel with a soft minerality.
- vinAmite 2022 Pinot Gris ($24)
The winery let the gray skins of the Pinot Gris grapes soak in the juice after crushing for a while to impart some pink to the wine.
As a result, this Gris looks and drinks like a rose.
- Lakeside Cellars 2022 Rose ($22) from Osoyoos
As far as I know, this winery is the only one in the Okanagan to have Cinsault grapes -- one of the varietals used to make roses in the wine's birthplace of Provence in the south of France.
As such, Lakeside utilizes Cinsault to great effect in its rose -- a tart and juicy blush with a raspberry-and-herbs profile.
- Lakeside Cellars 2022 Orange Muscat ($22)
Perfumed and lush, but dry, this Muscat is like summer in a bottle.
- Lakeside Cellars 2022 Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc ($23)
Aromas and flavours of grapefruit and gooseberry make this wine an outstanding stand-alone sipper or match for charcuterie or barbecued chicken.
- Nostalgia 2022 Pinot Gris ($24) from Oliver
A peach-and-vanilla profile puts this Gris in a league of its own.
- Rainmaker 2020 Roussanne ($30) from Oliver
Big and complex with a nectarine and lemon cream palate.
- Inniskillin Reserve Fume Blanc 2020 ($29)
Fume Blanc is the name California winemakers gave Sauvignon Blanc that's undergone a kiss of oak aging.
The technique works wonders here, resulting in a wine with a tangerine-and-hazelnut profile.
All the wineries mentioned above are members of the Oliver Osoyoos Winery Association, which also markets itself and the wines of its members using the Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country and Uncork the Sun brands.
The association also puts on signature events like the upcoming Half Corked Marathon (May 26-28), Pig Out Festival (Sept. 15-17), Winter in Wine Country and Savour the Sun wine-pairing dinners in Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver.
Check out OliverOsoyoos.com.
Sumac Ridge reimagined
The Sumac Ridge name will live on, but parent company Arterra has closed the winery's tasting room, shop and wine making facilities in Summerland.
Sumac Ridge wines will now be made at Arterra's multi-brand production facility in Oliver.
Sumac Ridge was one of the Okanagan's first estate wineries when it was founded by Valley wine pioneer, the late Harry McWatters, in 1980.
It won multiple awards, produced BC's first Champagne-style sparkling wine (Steller's Jay), made its Gewurztraminer the biggest selling VQA wine in BC for years and made wine to supply to the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.
Arterra now owns Sumac Ridge and sees efficiencies in making the brand at its centralized facility.
Arterra is the conglomerate that also owns Okanagan wineries Nk'Mip, See Ya Later Ranch, Jackson-Triggs, Culmina, Inniskillin, Laughing Stock and Black Sage and also owns and distributes international brands such as Ruffino (Italy), Kim Crawford (New Zealand) and Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi (California).
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
