Now what is happening in the vineyard?(are we there yet???!!!) The vines right now are in a lag phase when they soak up sunlight and slowly create the precursor substances that will contribute to ripening. Not much change is evident until veraison occurs. This is when the berry starts to change colour, soften and sweeten,…
Continue reading Preparing the Vineyard for Harvest
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?
Winemaker, Winemaker Blend me a Wine… “Start with Merlot, make it taste fine, we want it to win awards when tasted blind, tell me what will Mosaic be?” What goes into blending a wine like Mosaic? “…for Mama add Cab Franc and Malbec, for Papa–Cabernet Sauvignon” Vineyard skill, careful barrel selection and cellar craftsmanship come…
Continue reading All About Mosaic
Of course I don’t hate Icewine!!! It truly is nectar of the gods, with its rich aromas, concentrated flavours and unctuous texture. It’s the intense ICEWINE-ness of icewine I hate. For decades whenever a non-Canadian was told we had a wine industry in Canada, icewine was evoked, along with images of harvesting in the dead…
Continue reading Why I Hate Icewine….
The Naramata Bench wineries were the first in BC to join and pool their marketing efforts through a regional association when the Naramata Bench Wineries Association formed in 2003 as a marketing organization promoting awareness of Naramata Bench wineries throughout BC and Alberta. This vibrant group became well known for “taking it on the road”…
Continue reading Best of the Bench—has sub-GI designation made a difference?
As we prepare for our favourite time of year—grape harvest, affectionately referred to as “crush” not for what it does to the crew and winemaker, but what we do to the grapes—we plan and strategize our use of fermentation vessels for each block of grapes. Because red and white wines are made very differently, we…
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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
Smoke and heat. Everyone wants to know how/if/how badly/how long they may affect the grapes and wine. The answer? So do we! Heat domes and wildfires in grape growing areas are new enough phenomena that we are learning so much year by year. The good news for us on the Naramata Bench is that we…
Continue reading The Elephants in the Vineyard: Smoke & Heat
Part 2 of 3: What is a Sub-GI and Why Does it Matter? An appellation or geographic indicator (GI) is a means of delineating “terroir” geographically. Terroir refers to the set of conditions that contribute to the character of the fruit, and therefore the wine, such that it stands apart from its neighbors. These conditions…
Continue reading All about the Naramata Bench Terroir: Part 2 of 3
Be kind, be calm, be safe, make wine… As we try to be patient, waiting for the grapes to ripen to perfection, we have been racking some of the 2019 red wines from barrels and blending. Pinot Noir, Gamay, Syrah and some of the Merlot need to be out of barrel and bottled to make…
Continue reading Preparing the Cellar for Harvest
Hot time summer in the cellar… …haha not at Hillside! Our 60-foot tower acts as a ventilation shaft, channeling warm air out of the cellar, while the rock walls built into the Hillside (see what we did there?!) insulate the room. Along with our super-efficient tank cooling jackets this keeps the cellar air temperature generally…
Continue reading Summer in the Cellar