Our new food and wine columnist shares the bottles you need on your spring table.
For this article, my marching orders were to recommend three wines. In my world that’s like picking your favourite child. But here we go!
After a good night’s sleep, I decided to pick a selection from a quirky spot opened in 2015 in West Kelowna called The Hatch, one of my favourites and named Canada’s ninth best winery at the 2016 National WineAlign Awards, which celebrate the best in Canadian winemaking. Here, musician and grape magician Jason Parkes has assembled a fabulous team of young, eclectic wine entrepreneurs—including Jesse Harnden who served as Mission Hill’s head sommelier for many years—who are making their mark on the wine scene with an array of inventive wines featuring the best grapes from the Okanagan (and beyond).
The Hatch makes a Hobo Series (i.e. grapes that wander all over the world looking for a home) and I’m a big fan of the fine Hobo Series Gamay ($25). Someone has taken the time to grow this fruit in just the right spot and this Gamay shines. With tastes of dark fruit, smoke and currants, this bottle covers off all the food choices.
If it’s turkey for you this Easter please consider trying a rosé. It’s the first choice in our house and it has never disappointed. The Hatch has several (like the Brut Rosé collaboration with Pamela Anderson called Contempt, $35) but also consider other Okanagan winemakers Unsworth, Haywire, Road 13 and CC Jentsch.
The Hatch also carries bottles from neighbouring vineyard and winery, Black Swift in West Kelowna. If you’re looking for a big red to go with roasts, stews and steaks I highly recommend Black Swift Vineyards Long Road Syrah ($50) which is flat-out a great bottle of wine. You’ve got pepper going in and pepper coming out and a funky nose that settles down after some minutes. Dark fruit, currant, chocolate and raspberry … Wow.
Are you thinking of roast chicken, turkey or duck? (Okay, this is a fourth but I’m allowed, right?) Fondle a bottle of Black Swift Vineyard 2014 Oak Street Vineyard Chardonnay ($40). Almost impossible to describe the journey, this brilliant Chard takes the taster on. Yes, there's spice, peach and apples in the mouth with a hint of smoke on the seriously complicated nose but the over-all effect is to stand up and cheer! If this is where B.C. Chardonnays are headed, I’m fully IN.
Cheers!
All Hatch wines available at thehatchwines.com
The Hatch, 3225 Boucherie Road, Kelowna. 778-755-6013.
