Red Duos

What it is
A barrel-aged blend of 65% Merlot, 25% Pinot Noir and 15% Zweigelt.

Where it was grown
Merlot from Arrowleaf Estate in Lake Country
Pinot Noir from Wendell Vineyards, Lake Country
Zweigelt from Ritchie Farm in Lake Country

When it was grown
The 2019 vintage saw a welcome return to weather consistent with the long-term average. Clear skies alternated with rainy periods that proved tricky during harvest, but ultimately produced wines with finesse and great aromatics. The red wines produced during this year generally have an elegant balance of fruit, acidity and tannin.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested at ideal ripeness in mid to late October. After a 10-day fermentation and maceration period, then wine was pressed, racked and moved to 225 lL oak barrels for 12 months. The barrel program consisted of equal parts French, American and Eastern European oak (25% new). After barrel aging and blending, the wine was given a light filtration before bottling.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 1.6 g/l
Acidity 5.4 g/l
Alcohol 13.9%
Cases Made 868

What it is
A barrel-aged blend of Merlot (84%), Zweigelt (8%) and Pinot Noir (8%).

Where it was grown
Merlot from Arrowleaf Estate in Lake Country
Zweigelt from Ritchie Farm in Lake Country
Pinot Noir from Beaumont in West Kelowna

When it was grown
The 2018 vintage started off with a mild winter and plenty of snow. The spring was cool and bud break in the vineyard was later than average. The large snowpack left a lot of groundwater in the soil and the vines grew fast with little or no irrigation until summer. July was very hot and the heatwave would have continued in August but high atmospheric smoke from forest fires provided a cooling effect that slowed the ripening of the grapes. The cooler temperatures stuck around in September; further delaying ripening and allowing the grapes plenty of time to develop flavour. The skies cleared in October for an ideal grape harvest.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested in mid to late October and were fermented with a 10-14 day maceration time before being pressed, racked and moved to 225l oak barrels for 12 months. The barrel program consisted of 75% American oak and 25% Eastern European oak (10% new). After barrel aging, the wine was given a coarse filtration before bottling.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 1.5 g/l
Acidity 5.6 g/l
Alcohol 13.9%
Cases Made 1350

Background
Pronounced 'ts-vi-gelt', this grape variety was created by crossing the Austrian grapes Blaufränkisch and St.Laurent. We initially planted two acres in 1999 and, together with Ritchie Farm, have since expanded the plantings to six acres. It is one of a few varieties that can produce excellent red wines in a cool climate and we are one of a few BC wineries producing a varietal wine from it.

Where it was grown
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
2020 was a year of ups and downs in the vineyard. An unusually warm stretch of winter weather started the year off in a pleasant way until an arctic cold front moved in and damaged a lot of the fruitful buds on the vines. This resulted in a 40% reduction in overall yield. The silver lining, of course, is that with reduced yield generally comes exceptional quality. It turned out that the vines needed a light load this vintage as the summer and fall were cooler than normal causing the fruit to ripen late. All in all, 2020 is a stellar but scarce vintage.

How it was made
Harvested on October 27 at the very end of the growing season, the grapes were crushed and fermented for 15 days with regular pump-overs. Malolactic fermentation softened the acidity and the wine was aged in French and Eastern European oak barrels (17% new) for one year. The wine was lightly filtered and bottled in the spring of 2022.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 1.7 g/l
Acidity 5.4 g/l
Alcohol 13.0%
Cases Made 498

What it is
Pronounced 'ts-vi-gelt', this grape variety was created by crossing the Austrian grapes Blaufränkisch and St.Laurent. We initially planted two acres in 1999 and, together with Ritchie Farm, have since expanded the plantings to six acres. It is one of a few varieties that can produce excellent red wines in a cool climate and we are one of a few BC wineries producing a varietal wine from it.

Where it was grown
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
The 2019 vintage was a welcome return to cooler weather that was more in line with the long-term average. The forest fires that caused widespread smoke in the previous three vintages did not happen in 2019; instead we got clear skies for most of the summer and early fall. An extended rainy period proved tricky during harvest but the wines turned out to have good balance, finesse and aromatics.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested at 23 brix on October 17 as the fall weather was starting to get very cool. Crushed into one tank and fermented warm, the juice and skins received regular pump-overs to gently extract as much colour as possible. The wine finished malo-lactic fermentation in tank and was transferred to Eastern European oak barrels (15% new) where it remained for 12 months. The wine was then gently racked from the barrels and was bottled without fining or filtration.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 2.0 g/l
Acidity 5.6 g/l
Alcohol 13.3%
Cases Made 866

Where it was grown
Wendell Orchards, Lake Country, Okanagan ValleyRitchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
2020 was a year of ups and downs in the vineyard. An unusually warm stretch of winter weather started the year off in a pleasant way until an arctic cold front moved in and damaged a lot of the fruitful buds on the vines. This resulted in a 40% reduction in overall yield. The silver lining, of course, is that with reduced yield generally comes exceptional quality. It turned out that the vines needed a light load this vintage as the summer and fall were cooler than normal causing the fruit to ripen late. All in all, 2020 is a stellar but scarce vintage.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested in mid-October and the fermentation took place in multiple batches, some were inoculated with yeast and others were left to go wild. The wine went into French oak barrels (10% new) for malo-lactic fermentation and 9 months of lees aging before blending and bottling in late summer.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 1.5 g/l
Acidity 5.3 g/l
Alcohol 13.0%
Cases Made 638

Where it was grown
Wendell Orchards, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
The 2019 vintage was a welcome return to cooler weather that was more in line with the long-term average. The forest fires that caused widespread smoke in the previous three vintages did not happen in 2019; instead we got clear skies for most of the summer and early fall. An extended rainy period proved tricky during harvest but the wines turned out to have good balance, finesse and aromatics.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested in mid-October and the fermentation took place in multiple batches, some were inoculated with yeast and others were left to go wild. The wine went into French oak barrels (10% new) for malo-lactic fermentation and aging. It was racked in late spring to remove most of the lees and returned to barrels until it was bottled in late summer.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 1.7 g/l
Acidity 5.0 g/l
Alcohol 13.0%
Cases Made 1865