Have you ever tried any wines from Kalala Organic Estate Winery? It is one of my favourite, and still fairly unknown, organic wineries located in West Kelowna. They try to show people that you can produce very good wines from organic grapes, at a reasonable price. One of their labels is called “Dostana”, which means “friendship,” and is a small batch, single-vineyard wine. I was given a bottle of Dostana Gewurztraminer 2012 from the winery last year in addition to a fantastic Riesling they gave to me for my BC Riesling Review.
Gewurztraminer, a spicy grape with German origins, is quite distinctive in it’s flavours and aromas, but I had a great surprise when I tried this bottle of Gewurztraminer from Kalala. What makes this wine very different for me, is that the wine is lightly oaked. I can probably count on one finger how many oaked Gewurztraminers I have tried in my past. The wine’s aromas and flavours seemed to change minute by minute since I opened it and poured it into my glass. It is a very exciting and interesting wine. Here is my review.
Kalala Organic Estate Winery Dostana Gewurztraminer 2012 ($22) – Medium bright lemon in colour. Exotic vanilla, lychee and sweet spices aromas as soon as you open it. Then you get hints of orange and grapefruit, followed by baby powder, oak, and peach later on. No need to decant this wine. I did try the wine after extended decanting, and the aromas moved more to citrus and oak. I much prefer the just opened aromas. The wine is dry, round and soft, fuller bodied and quite intense flavours; Flavours starting with pears, lychee and grapefruit, followed by some leafiness, and a hint of vanilla in the background. With a few minutes of air, you also get some peach flavour up front as well. It has a medium length, with mouth watering acidity, some sourness, and definitely some pepperiness. Again, give this wine some air, and you also get some Mandarin orange on the finish. Extended decanting added some Red Delicious apples and baby powder flavours to the palate. A really complex, yet fun, and interesting wine. Pair this wine maybe with a grilled ham steak or a mildly spiced chicken curry.
I rate this wine between 4 – 4.5 stars out of 5.
You may have to search hard for this wine at private wine shops, as it is sold out at the winery. If you find the 2013 vintage, give it a try. I haven’t tried it yet, but Kalala has not yet disappointed me with their quality.
