Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/688647
86 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2016 The morning of our second day started on the eastern edge of Okanagan Lake south, in a clearly defined (yet still unofficial) sub-region called Naramata Bench. There, we met with Bench 1775 Winery's Val Tait, one of B.C.'s most esteemed grower/wine - makers. Or as Tait puts it: "I am a viticulturist first and winemaker second—my priority is to capture character in vineyards, not screw it up in a winery." The Okanagan Valley, Tait explained, is a "glacial lake" carved out by periodic cata - strophic flooding occurring 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. "Here on Naramata Bench we plant on the original uplifted earth's crust in a mixture of silt, rock, gravel and sand deposits, contributing to the minerality, acidity and everything that's beautiful about Okanagan." Tait also talked about their con - densed growing season: "It may not seem like cold winters and hot summers add up to ideal conditions; but remember, we are at a higher latitude, which gives us very long hours of ripening during the day. The lake also has a great moderating effect, which is why you often see German varieties grow - ing right next to Bordeaux, Burgundian or Rhône grapes, often successfully." Indeed, Okanagan Valley producers grow miner- ally Chardonnay, plush Merlot and edgy Zweigelt in the same sites as dry Riesling or Riesling Icewine—not to mention beautiful, natural Icewines made from Chardonnay, Merlot or Zweigelt! The Sauvignon Blanc cultivated by Tait at the water's edge on Naramata Bench is craftily picked as many as four different times, at Brix levels ranging from a greener 21° to more tropical 24°. Lower sugars, says Tait, "give gooseberry, grapefruit and wild, sauvage qualities to Sauvignon Blanc," and small additions of Sémillon add "roundness and further nuances, like orange peel." Like other Naramata Bench producers, Tait also farms extensively further south in Osoyoos. Tait elaborates: "With Syrah, for instance, we can get linear, beautiful red fruit and peppery spice in Naramata, whereas in Osoyoos the grapes' response mechanism to much brighter light and often painfully hot climate is to develop thicker skins, resulting in Syrahs with lower acids but denser tannins and jammier black fruit . . . heavier yet still lavish, complex expressions of the varietal." Skaha Bluffs, located on the eastern edge of Skaha Lake (south of Okanagan Lake), was the site of our next stop: Painted Rock Estate Winery, founded by John and Trish Skinner in 2004. If the sommeliers were impressed by Okanagan Lake settings, they were bowled over by Painted Rock's. Says Chef Mertz: "Who can forget the beauty and tranquility of a place like Painted Rock? It has that specialness that translates directly into the wines—especially their uniquely styled Cabernet Franc and Syrah, as well as their Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and fantastic red Bordeaux blend. Even their Bordeaux blend dry rosé seems to jump out of the glass with cranberry, raspberry and citrus notes, and perfect acid - ity that went great with my salmon lunch." According to Skinner : "We were advised to specialize in Bordeaux varieties by our CAMP [ ] [ ] DAY 2 Naramata Bench, Skaha Bluffs, Golden Mile Bench and Black Sage Bench The Bench 1775 estate vineyard in Naramata Bench. Bench 1775 winemaker- viticulturist Val Tait in the Sauvignon Blanc block. Painted Rock Estate owner-grower John Skinner leads a tasting of the winery's red. Painted Rock Estate Syrah.