Gray Monk, the original Scenic Sip winery, is one of BC’s best known. The west facing slopes along Camp Road provide good air drainage and capture the sunlight reflected from the lake below. Situated at approximately 50° north latitude, the vines need to capture whatever warmth they can. Gray Monk pays homage to their location with their entry level Latitude 50 wines.
George and Trudy Heiss established Gray Monk Vineyard in 1972 after they moved to the Okanagan from Edmonton. They were among the first to open a small estate winery in BC. One of the first grape varieties they planted was Pinot Gris, or Grauar Monch, as it is known in Austria and Hungary and translates to Gray Monk; thus their name. The winery opened ten years later, in 1982.
Their son George Jr. went to study wine making in Germany right after graduating from high school. He then spent the next four years working in wineries and taking further courses. By 1984, he was responsible for the harvest at Gray Monk. His brothers, Robert and Steven are also involved with the running and operating of the winery.
In the mid 1970’s, the Heiss family was instrumental in launching the Becker Project which saw Helmut Becker, a director at the Geisenheim vine research centre in Germany, travel to the Okanagan to advise on which varietals could suitably be grown there. The result of these trials, which lasted for nearly a decade, was the availability of so many of the grapes we now enjoy in BC, such as Bacchus, Gewürztraminer, Kerner Pinot Auxerois, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.
Gray Monk offers a line up of over twenty-five wines from sparkling to an after dinner port-style wine. For many years, they held the title of Best Selling BC VQA winery and if you have ever tasted their signature Pinot Gris, you’ll know why. Gray Monk owns over 75 acres of grapes, almost three times the Okanagan average.
Since 1982, the winery has undergone three expansions and now includes the Grapevine Restaurant. The restaurant has a stunning panoramic view of the lake and the mountains to the west. Executive chefs, Willi Franz and Rene Haudenschild are in charge of operations at the Grapevine, which features lunch and dinner menus. They use local and seasonal foods wherever possible and each dish on the menu is paired with a suggested Gray Monk wine. Two examples from their dinner menu include – seared wild salmon fillet and lemongrass butter rice pilaf with seasonal vegetables. The recommended wine is their Odyssey White Meritage, while their Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon is the suggested accompaniment to the braised beef short rib and medium rare tenderloin with seasonal potato, vegetables and tarragon butter.
The day I visited, Virginia was working in the tasting room. She was very friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about the wines she pours. Among the wines I tasted that day, six stood out for me. The first was Gray Monk’s 2011 Meritage, which is a white Bordeaux style wine made from 89% Sauvignon Blanc and 11% Semillon. It was stored in stainless steel and 40 % was finished in new French oak for 3 months. It had well-integrated oak and fruit. This is a versatile food wine. Next was a Pinot Blanc from 2012, which had flavours and aromas of pear, pear and melon. The fruit was quite intense and lingered on the finish.
Their 2011 Riesling was a triple winner at the WineAlign 2013 World Wine Awards, picking up top honors in Top Scoring Riesling, Top Canadian Wine and Best Wine in the $15 – $25 category. It is a typical Germanic style Riesling, in that it only has 11.2% alcohol, which makes it a lovely luncheon wine. It has citrus, apple, mineral and peeled mango aromas. Clean and refreshing on the palate, it is a perfect accompaniment to chicken dishes, fish, seafood and any spicy Asian cuisine.
Gray Monk is the only BC winery to grow Rotberger, which they make into a rosé. The 2012 is pale salmon in colour, and has a red berry nose with floral overtones. It finishes dry with lingering fruit. This is a festive wine, good with turkey or ham.
One of the newer wines in Gray Monk’s portfolio is a wine called Reflection, a blend of Muscat Canelli and Orange Muscat grapes, which come from Kaleden, near Penticton. This wine is delicious and packed with flavour. It’s not a dessert wine, but it does have a residual sugar level that makes it similar to a late harvest wine, or about a 5 or 6 according to BC LDB scales.
The final wine in the tasting was another relative newcomer to Gray Monk. Odyssey III is a ruby port style wine, made from merlot with Gamay Noir alcohol to fortify it to 19.8% alcohol; the perfect after dinner wine. Serve with almonds and walnuts, fresh fruit – kiwis, raspberries, strawberries, or blue cheese. I was happy to see that they still had some Pinot Gris and Siegerrebe available in the tasting shop so I made sure to pick some up before leaving. Be sure to give all these wines a try if you’ve never tasted them.
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