Now that was a Kitchen Party!

Yesterday we were privileged to be in attendance at the SOWA, or South Okanagan Wine Association 1st annual Kitchen Party. I was pleased to see some familiar faces, and to make some new friends as well.

The organizers of this event had a clever idea, dub this wine tasting as a “kitchen party” (it’s a kitschy idea, doncha think?) and host it at Midland Appliance in East Vancouver. For someone like me who dreams about owning a new set of kitchen appliances, this was a fantastic fit.

When we arrived we made our way right to the back of the showroom. Here was the Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery table, which provided us with a good start to the event. GB do whites especially well, especially the German varietals (Reislings, Ehrenfelser). Their fruit forward 2006 Reisling was a real stand out.

We stepped over to Burrowing Owl‘s table from there. BO are the gold standard for winemaking and presentation in the South Okanagan. Their winery features a large tasting bar and a very fine restaurant. Burrowing Owl were the first to put BC winemaking on the map in the late 1990s by winning several international awards for their Chardonnay. Featured today was a gorgeous 2006 Reserve Chardonnay, a Shiraz and their Cabernet-Sauvignon.

Silver Sage Winery was next up. Their wines always have a distinct nose and flavour, possibly to the sage that blossoms around their vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. Their Riesling brimmed with a crisp apple taste and ripe pear. I chatted here with Tim Ellison, the snappy-dressed Vancouver wine agent, and President of the BC Wine Appreciation Society. He recommended that when we join BCWAS to come to their AGM dinner.

Our longtime friend David Sanders was there as representative of the elegant Riedel wine glass company. It is surprising what a difference the shape of the bowl makes to the wines. I still love the New World Chardonnay glass, which just brings so much more to the wine than the typical narrow bowl of the Old World style glass. I also spoke to the always affable Sid Cross, BC’s esteemed wine critic.

Mike and I stopped in at Inniskillin Okanagan‘s table, where we met the head of their tasting room back in the Golden Mile. We raved about Inniskillin’s hospitable counter presence, as they truly set the standard for how to run a wine tasting operation.

The surprise treat for us was to meet Okanagan Inniskillin’s talented (and humble) winemaker, Sandor Mayer. Sandor told us his story of how he arrived in BC during the early nineties from Hungary. Looking to work in the wine business in any way, he began by picking grapes in the Okanagan, then planting the very vines he harvests today. This is his sixteenth year at Inniskillin Okanagan (the winery was purchased by Ontario-based Vincor in the late 90s).

To say that Sandor has had an impact on BC’s wine economy is an understatement. Inniskillin Okanagan produces some of the best wines in Canada. The reds (Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabs are their specialties) are consistently excellent, and always on our recommended list. Meeting Sandor was for us a real highlight of the event.

From there we went to the Jackson Triggs, and were delighted to talk to Sarah from JT’s tasting room in Oliver. Sarah was a semi-retired citizen of Oliver married to a school teacher, until she took up the challenge of staffing and operating Jackson-Triggs Okanagan wine tasting room in 2006. JT is a big company in Canada, that is still building its reputation in BC. Having someone with Sarah’s personable touch running the show is an ace up their sleeve.

The 2-hour tasting was running out soon so we quickly moved on to an assortment of other tables. First up we had a very nice chat with Shaun Everest of Tinhorn Creek Winery. Tinhorn is among BC’s best privately-owned wineries, and a must-see stop in the South Okanagan. Shaun poured Tinhorn’s latest Pinot Gris (this varietal is a highlight for Tinhorn), and then he gave us a taste of their reserve label Oldfield Merlot, named after the winery’s founders Kenn and Sandra Oldfield (Kenn was scooting around doing his own tastings in the room).

To say that Mike and I were blown away by this Merlot is putting it mildly. We’ll have to buy a few bottles and review it in more detail soon.

A few whirlwind stops after this…Nk’Mip Cellars‘ table gave us a chance to meet the delightful Donna Faigaux, the winery’s tasting room manager.

We made a quick stop at Black Hills table, where met for the first time Daenna Van Mulligan, BC’s famous Wine Diva. Good to meet you, Daenna, and we hope to chat further with you at the Playhouse Wine Festival.

Finally, just as we were being pushed out the door for the evening crowd, we introduced ourselves to a brand new South Okanagan winery, Stoneboat Vineyards, based just outside of Oliver. We missed them during last year’s Southern Exposure trip in June as they didn’t open until August last year. Proprietors Julie and Lanny Martiniuk received us warmly. They were looking forward to their new adventure as Okanagan winemakers and as a wine destination, which they hope to turn over to one of their three sons someday.

We look forward to visiting Stoneboat’s tasting room on a return trip to the South Okanagan this summer.