We faced harvest this year with no idea of what we might find. The “heat dome” in mid-June brought record temperatures at a highly unusual time for wine-growing regions. As this period is typically when we see “bloom” – flowering of these self-pollinating vines – I expected to see anomalies in both time of ripening…
Continue reading Hindsight 2021: How was Hillside’s Harvest?
The holiday season is upon us, and one of our favorite things about this time of year is spending quality time with our family and friends while sharing fabulous wine and delicious food. With the return of Christmas parties and in person events, the holiday hustle can quickly turn stressful if you aren’t prepared! Fear…
Continue reading Hillside Holiday Wine & Food Pairings
Part 1 of 3: How Different Oak Barrels Affect the Flavour and Structure of the Wine. Oak tanks and barrels have been used in winemaking for millennia, initially as a useful storage vessel. With the advent of stainless steel, wooden tanks were used less as stainless is much easier to maintain and keep sanitary. Almost…
Continue reading Why We Use Oak in Winemaking: Part 1
Part 3 of 3: How the Naramata Bench officially became a Sub-Appellation. So here we are. You have the background on the Naramata Bench and the BC system of sub-Geographic-Indicators, now it’s time to explore how they came together. The Naramata Bench wineries were the first in BC to join and pool their marketing efforts…
Continue reading All about the Naramata Bench Terroir: Part 3 of 3
Our July 2020 blog post gave an overview of what happens in the vineyard through the summer and how critical good vineyard management is. “The quality of the fruit and the health of the vines are ensured through good canopy management. The canopy is made up of all the green growth which arises from the…
Continue reading Summer in the Vineyard 2022