Anthony Gismondi: More places to visit on a wine tour of the South Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys
This spring, we concluded our whirlwind visits to the South Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, both renowned for numerous wineries. Today, we begin in the Similkameen with Mike Dowell, owner of Liber Estates, and his new winemaker/vineyard manager, Gustav Allander, née Foxtrot. There, we sampled two electric white wines: Liber Estates 2025 Sauvignon Blanc Organic and 2025 Sémillon. You can taste them at Liber’s new tasting room on Hwy 97, just north of Hwy 3, in Osoyoos.
Another Similkameen warrior is Charlie Baessler, managing partner at Corcelettes Estate Winery. Charlie has been busy replanting a large part of the family property since the freeze, but remains upbeat about the future of Corcelettes and the burgeoning Similkameen Valley. A short conversation with Baessler will convince you that the Similkameen is on the cusp of becoming a major name in North American wine. You will find Corcelettes on the stony Upper Bench area in Keremeos.
Back in the Okanagan, winemaker Leandro Nosal is knocking it out of the park at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards on Oliver’s Golden Mile Bench. The latest releases from the talented Argentine, the 2023 Reserve Chardonnay and the 2019 Sparkling Blanc de Blanc, are must-tastes. Another must is attending this year’s Sunset Concert Series, beginning June 20 with Antonio Larosa, July 18 with The Matinee, and Aug. 15 with Dear Rouge. The venue is the outdoor amphitheatre, where every seat is a good one. Did we mention Tinhorn is Canada’s First Carbon Neutral Winery?
Across the valley on the Black Sage Bench, we met with Michael Bartier, general manager and co-owner of Bartier Bros. Bartier is all smiles of late, having successfully reconstructed parts of his damaged vineyard and come out the other side of the freeze bigger and stronger. We tasted two sleek, pure releases: A 2025 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2025 rosé. The tiny, perfect Bartier winery is an oasis of calm on Black Sage Road, with a welcoming tasting room, a sunny patio and a courtyard complete with a bocce court where you can sip and toss the afternoon away.
Nearby, also on the Golden Mile, we caught up with Jesse Harndon, general manager of Rust Winery, perhaps the Okanagan’s best hidden secret. Harndon offered up two new releases to taste, including a delicious new “Alsace” blend, the 2025 White Crush and the 2025 Rust Cabernet Franc, one of the best expressions we have tasted in B.C. Rust has some fabulous new artist-inspired labels to check out and a Summer Events series featuring live music and hot eats. Updated info is online.
Less than a kilometre south, Ryan McKibbon, head winemaker at Black Hills Estate Winery, took me through the new release of his 2025 Black Hills Rosé, a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre, an impressive coral-coloured wine with boatloads of strawberry and raspberry fruit flavours. You can while away the hours and taste much more at the Vineyard Kitchen, the Black Hills hospitality centre, a few hundred metres south on Black Sage Road, just south of the winery.
Roger Gillespie, director of operations at Hester Creek Winery, was all smiles as we discussed his newest label, the 2022 Undici. It is a rare blend of 61 per cent Sangiovese, 19 per cent Merlot, 16 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 per cent Petit Verdot, 1 per cent Malbec, echoing Tuscany’s Bolgheri reds. Big savoury, round fruit is its calling card. Gillespie says the winery is ready for a busy season of special events, including numerous estate lunches and dinners, live music on the patio, and a planned harvest festival. You can try many of the wines at the on-site Terrafina Restaurant, open daily for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.
We wrapped our tour at Adega on 45th Estate Winery, on the east side of the Osoyoos Bench. Adega is honouring its original owners and the broader Portuguese community that helped shape the modern region through what it calls Portuguese light hospitality, a sharing culture rooted in warm welcomes and traditional foods. New offerings include a wine-forward cocktail program and a build-your-own charcuterie plate that features local products alongside Portuguese-inspired fare.
That’s it for now, but know we have only scratched the surface of what awaits in B.C. wine country this summer and fall. Be curious; a winery is waiting for your next experience.
Weekend wine picks
Blue Grouse Estate Siegerrebe 2024, Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
$29.99 | 88/100
UPC: 696852117340
The Siegerrebe grape sits outside the mainstream varieties in B.C., but it plays to Vancouver Island’s strengths of aromatic lift, moderate alcohol, and easy charm. At Blue Grouse, the Siegerrebe is sourced from BG Ranch in the Cowichan Valley. It is fermented and aged in neutral French oak barrels, with some lees stirring to build body and mouth feel. Its strength lies in the opening: A mix of fragrant citrus, spicy lychee, and dried apricot. The palate is dry, vibrant, and expressive, showing lemon, lychee, and slightly bitter citrus rind in the finish. Try something hyper-local and different.
Dirty Laundry Unoaked Chardonnay 2025, Washington, United States
$20.99 | 88/100
UPC: 696852210454
Melon and white flowers draw you into this fun “unoaked” Chardonnay, fermented in stainless steel. Winemaker Mason Spink keeps it fresh by avoiding oak and concentrating on the mineral and flinty edges to add some complexity. On the plate, melon and Golden Delicious apple flavours rule. A summer white, the wine pairs well with lightly grilled fish, poached prawns, and summer salads, or with a sharper cheese to complement this refreshing, session-friendly wine perfectly.
Jabber The Winemaker The Blend Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile
$21.97 | 90/100
UPC: 850038330002
We’ve known Kim Crawford for decades, but the man who put New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the world map has long since moved on. When he and his wife sold the winery to Constellation Brands, they also sold the rights to his name. Known as Jabber to friends, Crawford may be making his best Sauvignon yet under his Chilean label. Drawing on granitic soils, red clay, black chalk, hillside sites, and three Casablanca microclimates, he crafts a consistently bright, citrus-driven Sauvignon with a tight mineral edge, a hint of reduction, and less biting acidity. Think Chilean Sancerre with a touch more ripeness. Ready for any shellfish and priced to steal.
Le Cinciole Rosato Organic 2025, Tuscany, Italy
$31 | 90/100
UPC: 8032755100423
This is grown-up Tuscan rosato, not a carefree summer sipper. Made from high-altitude, organically grown Sangiovese in Panzano’s Conca d’Oro, it’s pale copper-pink with aromas of wild strawberry, sour cherry, dried herbs, and faint mineral notes. Brisk, bone-dry, and savoury, with lively acidity, it has a refreshing wet-stone finish. Think Provençal in tone but Italian in attitude, with structure over sweetness, only at Nook restaurants.
Black Hills Nota Bene Hiatus Collection Merlot – Cabernet Sauvignon – Cabernet Franc 2024, Oregon, United States
$70 | 91/100
UPC: 058976503483
The 2024 Nota Bene marks a break in continuity for this iconic B.C. red. Severe winter damage in 2023 and 2024 accelerated replanting in the Black Hills’ vineyards along Black Sage Road near Oliver, forcing winemaker Ryan McKibbon to create the Hiatus Collection by sourcing fruit from The Rocks District AVA on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. The cross-border blend is a 43/34/23 mix of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in a completely different style. It has a certain elegance and leanness you don’t get in the Okanagan version. It’s a very drinkable, classy red blend with more plum and cherry, and a subtle savoury/umami component to add complexity. The finish is dry, with a bit of acidity ushering through the mineral ending. It lacks a bit of the heft of the B.C. version, but it has a bit more polish. Drink through 2029.
Calendar items
• The Naramata Bench has long had a French feel, from its easy summer pace to its instinct for lingering over a glass. This summer, the French on the Bench Collectif — Bistro Lapin Perdu at the Naramata Inn, JoieFarm Winery, La Petite Abeille Cider, and Roche Wines — embraces that spirit with Naramata en Bleu, Blanc & Rouge 2026, an afternoon garden party celebrating all things French on the Bench. It takes place June 28, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Bistro Lapin Perdu (3625 1 St., Naramata). The dress code is bleu, blanc et rouge, and guests are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket or lawn chair. Tickets are available on Eventbrite , with only a limited number of walk-ins on June 28.
• Patrick Schmitt of DB Drinks Business reports that Spain’s oldest Tempranillo vines in D.O. Toro are under threat, not from climate change, but from government subsidies encouraging landowners to install solar panels instead of growing grapes. The appellation covers 5,500 hectares, with some vines as old as 200 years, yet 2,000 hectares around the village of Toro have been lost to solar development in just five years. In a perfect year, grape sales might return €700 per hectare, compared with solar leases paying €2,000 per hectare for 20 years. Many owners are elderly and no longer live in the region, making the shift to solar an increasingly easy choice.
B.C. wine of the week
Laughing Stock Vineyards Market Bubble Brut Pinot Noir – Chardonnay – Meunier 2021, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
$40 | 90/100
UPC: 063657045596
Market Bubble’s debut earned a gold medal at the 2025 National Wine Awards of Canada, and round two is equally impressive. A blend of 58 per cent Pinot Noir and 42 per cent Chardonnay, the wine projects freshness and clarity, with ripe red apple, strawberry, lemon zest, and hazelnut. After 36 months on lees, toasty autolysis adds depth and complexity, contributing to a soft, creamy mousse. There is fine restraint here, as it finishes in a Brut style with a modest 4 g/L dosage. B.C. sparkling wine is growing in stature and quality year by year.
Value Wine of the Week
Zuccardi Serie A Malbec 2023, Valle de Uco, Tunuyán, Central Region, Mendoza, Argentina
$19.99 | 91/100
UPC: 7791728021301
When you taste a Zuccardi Malbec, it’s easy to wonder what, with a few exceptions, the rest of the country is doing. We loved this at $24.99, but it’s marked down to $19.99 all June. Expect a juicy, elegant red with a transparency that pulls you into the glass. The bright acidity and round, mouth-filling black savoury fruit are perfectly balanced. The layered flavours, flecked with nuances of spice and florals, enrich the final taste. Fire up the barbecue and grill a favourite beef cut, and don’t exclude hamburgers; backup the truck.
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Source: vancouversun.com