#FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions – Poplar Grove Winery

One of the great things we have in BC is great wine. Great wine makes a great holiday gift. If you’re looking for a gift for the hard to buy for, family, friends, your boss then look no further.

Poplar Grove Syrah is a tried and true quality wine that would make the perfect give for an important someone on your gift giving list.

Awards

Pacific Rim Wine Competition – Gold; International Wine Spirit Competition – Silver; Okanagan Life BC Wine Awards – Bronze; San Francisco International Wine Competition – Bronze; Decanter World Wine Awards – Bronze; LA International Wine Competition – Bronze

Poplar Grove Syrah

 

Tasting Notes

Rich boysenberry purple splashes in the glass. Aromas of blueberry and licorice tempt your senses with elements of vanilla and violets. Blackberries and tobacco develop on the palate while sage and petrol roll into soft round tannins on the finish. This distinctive Syrah is an exquisite accompaniment to robust meat dishes.

Vineyard Notes

93% Syrah, 3% Viognier

Production Notes

2014 was a stellar year for grape growth in the Okanagan Valley. Due to the warm winter and early spring temperature, we welcomed a very early bud burst that was recorded three weeks ahead of the normal average. In May, we saw rapid growth in the vineyards that did not let up until early August. This ample growing season gave the vineyard crews plenty of time to keep the vines trimmed and thinned to let enough sun and air reach the ripening clusters. Within a three week time frame, all of the estate vines showed great fruit-set and veraison. This short veraison window ensured even ripening of the fruit-set which resulted in the fruit reaching perfect balance in sugar, acid and phenolic composition leading to spectacular flavours. Once fruit selection finished and the vineyard nets were put up, the Poplar Grove crew waited three weeks before ramping up for harvest. In summary, 2014 was warm, lengthy and balanced with a mighty fine finish at the end.

Winemaker Notes

The Syrah grapes were hand picked and sorted in our Haynes Creek Vineyard in south-eastern Osoyoos. After destemming, the berries were hand sorted again to ensure that only perfect fruit was included in the ferment. The grapes were crushed and combined with a small amount of viognier skins (3%) to add aromatics and texture to the wine. The must was cold soaked for four days allowing partial wild yeast fermentation to occur before the wine was inoculated with cultured yeasts. During fermentation, we pumped over twice per day to ensure even fermentation and gentle tannin extraction. Malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel over the winter and finished in late December. 30% of the 2014 Syrah was kept in new French oak barrels, while the remaining 70% was kept in one and two year old French oak barrels for 15 months. This wine was further developed in bottle for 18 months in the cellar prior to release.

Other Notes

The Syrah 2014 will develop for well over a decade. Ready to drink upon release. Drink 2017 – 2028.

Winery Tasting Room Hours:

Open Daily:

10AM – 5PM (until May 1st 2019)

Last tasting 4:45PM, wine sales until 5PM

Year-round unless otherwise posted.

The Vanilla Pod Restaurant is closed on Mondays until Spring 2019

 

Before you go: Do your homework and a bit of research about the wineries you wish to visit. Check the winery website to find out their months, days and hours that their Tasting Room is open. Know if you need to book your tasting in advance of your visit. Many wineries are now so busy there may be times that they are unable to accommodate you. It will be a much better visit if you have a confirmed appointment. Be on time. Expect to pay for your tasting, some, but not all wineries refund all or a portion of the fee if you purchase wine. Plan ahead for a designated driver or use the services of a wine tour company. Limit the number of wineries you visit in a day. A more leisurely timeline will increase your enjoyment. For the best overall experience, I like to limit my daily visits to three, maximum two wineries if a winery lunch is on the agenda.

Tasting, winemaker, production notes, bottle shot and feature image courtesy of Poplar Grove. I received a complimentary bottle of wine to facilitate this article.