What’s Happening this Fall at Mission Hill – Sommelier-Guided Experiences

With glass in hand we entered the Culinary Theatre where the Culinary Workshops take place now through December. There are several options for the Dynamics of Food & Wine series where the professional Culinary team prepare dishes that guests will later enjoy paired with Mission Hill wines. Read our feature on the Culinary Workshops here. Tickets are limited and sell out quickly.

Bolwijn explained a bit about the special program that Mission Hill has that benefits them and the participants equally. Partially providing good team members to ensure consistency in staffing throughout the year and especially to hold on to good staff during the low season. Working anywhere in BC Wine Country can be challenging when it comes to consistent and reliable work situations and placement. It is equally difficult for wineries; both large and small, restaurants and other businesses that cater to visitors who come to experience wine tourism during the high and shoulder season and then these same businesses have to rely strictly on locals doing the off season.

The program at Mission Hill, which started three years ago, has already doubled in size. The focus is on hiring people and giving them the opportunity to move on to the next step. It sounds similar to a paid internship and benefits both the winery and the young people who are invited to take part. The HR department of the winery, located in Toronto, helps with the recruitment of satisfactory applicants. Candidates will have completed a university degree (in any field; for example business); have completed WSET 2 or higher, or be close to completion to qualify. The successful candidates receive extensive training, including testing. They participate in activites within the scope of the winery and culinary areas. One of the goals is personal development of young talent.  Each year there is a new group of potential talent who will get to do a “shadow” day to learn and explore their options. Visits are made to the University of Guelph to promote the program. On completion of the program the candidates move on to other areas in the world of culinary and wine hospitality. Most, but not all, will continue in an active role such as working in the kitchen of a good restaurant or in a capacity at a winery, but a handful will move on to administrative opportunities in the industry.

The kitchen of the Culinary Theatre is also partly a test kitchen for new dishes in the Terrace Restaurant. Supplying accompaniments to the wines in the Members Lounges and the Tasting Rooms. Supplying in-house made charcuteries; sausages, salamis, cold cuts and vinegars.

We also chatted about some interesting and ongoing advances of the winery and their viticulture program. The winery is using chickens and falcons to help control pests. Growing buckwheat to attract wasps, these parasitic wasp are to counter other insects. They have an organic viticulture teacher and are trying different methods of planting and use of machinery. Production is expanding as far north as the 50th parallel with the addition in vineyards in Lake Country.

Next it was down to the cellars where the aromas of the barrel room makes you want to stop and breathe deeply. Just slow your pace and enjoy the atmosphere. Under the Bell Tower scents of clean damp earth and wet stone plus a litte raw, fresh cut wood. Later the aroma of crisp apples.

We now were given the opportunity to taste a 2018 Cabernet Franc from the barrel. It is interesting as later we tasted a Cabernet Franc of a different vintage as a comparison. Predominately French oak.

Next we are moving on to the Estate Room, a Wine Club members lounge, to relax and taste more wines and experience Old World History and New World Hospitality courtesy of Bram Bolwijn.

We began with the another splash of the Mission Hill Simes Vineyard Riesling from the Terrioir Collection.

2018 Simes Vineyard Riesling

The Riesling was dry, smooth and lemony, with nice aroas of citrus. Fruity and tangy. This is a special Wine Club and from the winery offering with just 30 cases made. Winemaker Ben Bryant. The location is dedicated to, now retired, former winemaker John Simes.

Tasting Notes

2017 PROSPECTUS

With scents of cinnamon and cheese, minerals and wet stone. Later aromas of cherries, plum and dark fruit, more stone. As it sits more scent of stone shows itself. Swirl and the taste of plum and fresh fruit. Bolwijm suggests that because the wine should be kept quite cool to decant briefly before enjoying.

The wine becomes more flavourful with an ever so slight alcohol forward scent. The wine is a bit lighter with very light tannins with a musky aroma. Tart and puckery. It has a medium colour that seems like it is darker than the lighter body suggests.

Winemaker Ben Bryant. 20 barrels made and exclusively at the winery or wine club.

The Pinot was excellent. Nutty, peppery, spicey aromas, cardboard scent, later tobacco, plum pudding and hard candy. Slightly sweetish, light, young but delicious and fruity.

EXPERIENCES & TOURS

Explore Mission Hill Family Estate throughout the year with our immersive Winery Experiences and Tours.

Our exclusive Sommelier-Guided Experiences begin with a glass in-hand and offer an intimate first-hand understanding of our winemaking philosophy, property, and history at Mission Hill Family Estate, and the factors that make Okanagan wine country so unique and special.