Virginia and John Weber are excited about the new offering this summer from Orofino. The inaugural vintage of their sparkling Moscato Frizzante was released this summer and they hope it will become a regular part of their lineup from now on.
"It's sort of a replacement for the Late Harvest Muscat," says Virginia referring to a half-bottle late harvest released in previous vintages. "We're excited about it. We've been planning this for a while." Fruit for this Moscato comes from Orofino's own 23-year-old Muscat vines (the source for the late harvests) as well as Muscat planted 3 years ago at the neighbouring Hendsbee vineyard, which also supplies grapes for other Orofino wines. Even at 15 grams of residual sugar, the resulting sparkling wine is exactly as Virginia described it: "Fresh and crisp." At $25 for a beautifully screen-printed bottle, it is affordable too.
Also clocking in at $25 is Orofino's newest release of the Red Bridge Merlot made exclusively from grapes grown by Chris Scott in his fabulous Oak Knoll vineyard. It was aged in French and American oak barrels for 16 months and then bottle unfined and unfiltered. For the first time this year, it will also be available in a magnum.
The Annual 1.6 Mile dinner will be held on July 28th this summer and will again be featuring Joy Road Catering. This unique locavore event sells out quickly so be sure to book early.
Visitors to Orofino's Cawston winery will be delighted to learn that the wine shop will be open from 10-5 daily throughout the summer and will again be featuring a wide selection of gourmet food products to accompany their portfolio of wines.
More information is at www.orofinovineyards.com. Follow their blog at orofinovineyards.blogspot.ca.
~ Luke Whittall