Another gorgeous morning in the Okanagan has brought me to Summerhill Winery in East Kelowna. I am meeting Ezra Cipes, managing director and son of Stephen Cipes; the visionary, who with his passion and dedication created BC’s first organic and only Bio-dynamic winery.
As we become more curious about “our terroir”, our sense of place in BC, we embrace this identity of our “own backyard” with excitement and pride. This is the same pride that drives Summerhill Pyramid Winery.
I was treated to a small but special sampling of Summerhill’s organic and bio-dynamic wines. For those not familiar with Bio-dynamic farming, it’s a method the goes beyond organic, viewing the farm as a whole and complete ecosystem, using special herbal preparations for pest control and wild yeasts for the winemaking. Although this may sound unconventional, it is being explored more as the wine world moves towards sustainable practices. Domaine de la Romanée Conti, from Burgundy, and Maison Chapoutier from the Rhone have been using these practices for many years, both of which are considered to be producing some of the finest wines in the world.
2015 Summerhill Vineyard Gruner Veltliner
This is the first vintage for Summerhill, grapes grown on the property surrounding the winery. When I asked Ezra why Gruner?, he replied “ my brother Gabe had done a tasting with Rys Pender MW and loved it, so we planted 1/8th of an acre” The resulting wine is delicious; aromatic, with lemon, herbal and mineral notes, nice complexity with a long juicy peppery finish.
2015 Summerhill Vineyard Chardonnay
The grapes are one of the “Champagne” clones and were left to hang a bit longer giving the resulting wine more depth of flavour and complexity. Fermented in 25% Canadian grown oak, yes, Canadian, which is the same species as it’s American counterpart but has a tighter grain, more akin to French oak.
Toasty, buttery, rich, full-body and creamy,with gorgeous orchard fruit flavours giving way to a mellow yet elegant finish. The bio-dynamic practice of the longer ferment provides some lovely character and complexity.
2015 Summerhill Vineyard Riesling
21B clone from old vines; this wine has residual sugar but it’s balanced by the spine tingling acidity, with youthful aromas of white peach, citrus, wet stones and apple. Flavours of ripe apple, apricot with full mouthfeel with a long lingering finish, this is perfect with spicy foods.
2102 Pinot Noir
A blend of multiple vineyards, aged 24 months and only 12% alcohol, this is a fantastic everyday wine at only $24. With aromas of cranberry, cherry and cracked earth, it’s bright, light bodied, yet refined with fine grained tannins, flavourful notes of cherry, cranberry, leather and forest floor.
2102 Organic “OM” Meritage Blend
56% Cab Franc, 30% Cab Sauvignon, 12% Merlot & 2 % Malbec
Developing aromas of black fruits and herbs, medium bodied with smooth tannins, black plum, strawberry, leather and tobacco flavours with long lingering finish.
2011 Spadefoot Toad Syrah
Hailing from Ron Firmans’ Spadefoot Toad Vineyard in Oliver -they breed these little toads to help with their natural pest control – this Syrah has spent 36 months in barrel. One can taste the cool climate in this wine, with flavours of blueberry, black pepper, hints of vanilla and cigar box, this wine has had minimal intervention, letting the terroir speak for itself, giving depth and complexity to create a lovely wine.
We do not often think of organic when it comes to our wines, let alone bio-dynamic, but with wineries like Summerhill leading the way with their multi-award winning wines it makes it easier for consumers to find a wine we can be sure will delight our palate and help ensure the sustainability of our region for future generations.
