Grow the best quality fruit possible, pick at optimum physiological ripeness, ferment cool, and intervene with nature only when necessary…simple, elegant. Simple, elegant, yes, but easy? Definitely not. What does "intervention" really mean when it comes to winemaking? CLICK HERE to hear from our winemaker Kathy Malone.
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. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
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 range from very broad—latitude/longitude, west-facing vs south-facing, frost-free days etc, to very specific-soil type, prevailing wind direction, even cultural considerations. READ MORE HERE.
- by Kathy Malone
When I was considering the move to Hillside from Mission Hill, I thought these people were insane, planting Malbec this far north in the valley. I knew how hard it was to ripen Bordeaux varieties, even as far south as Osoyoos. But I tasted the wines and was impressed. . . confused, but impressed. Spending the summer of 2009 on the bench, I got a sense of how we were able to achieve this level of ripeness. Read on: THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.