Along the Black Sage Bench outside Oliver sits a small family-operated vineyard and winery that makes wines with a twist – an Oliver Twist, that is. In a part of the Okanagan Valley known for some of the most concentrated and complex fruit flavours, Oliver Twist Estate Winery produces high quality wines that have unique and unexpected flavours. Winemaker Denice Hagerman makes wines that work in any season, and fall offers the opportunity to pair flavours of all kinds with the bounty of harvest food.
New releases for fall include the 2011 Patio Passion, a white Merlot. This wine is the stuff Indian summers are made of – the flavours of strawberry and rhubarb letting us reminisce over hot days while the background spice element works well with rich flavours like grilled meats and cheeses.
Another intriguing wine from Denice and her team is the 2011 Rosado Splash, their signature dessert wine created from Syrah blended with a splash of Viognier. This wine has multiple layers of flavour with rich cherries and other red fruits, pralines, and an exotic tropical touch reminiscent of hibiscus. It can be enjoyed any time from the start of the evening (think martinis!) to the end (let your imagination go wild).
The perfect wine to take us from fall into winter is a Syrah, and the 2010 Oliver Twist Syrah is like a symphony of flavours and aromas, from black cherries to vanilla toffee to black pepper. It would be the wine I'd have in front of the fire, perhaps with a lovely pot-au-feu roast, or even just with good company.
The tasting room at Oliver Twist is open daily through December 31 from 10 am till 5:30 pm. Enjoy local art as well; local Oliver Potter, Peggy Maxemuik, shows exclusively at Oliver Twist Estate Winery.
>Enjoy local art as well; local Oliver Potter, Peggy Maxemuik, shows exclusively at Oliver Twist Estate Winery.
~ Kristin Peturson-Laprise