Volcanic Hills, winner of the 2011 Best New Winery award at the Okanagan Wine Festival, has just released their latest generation of ever-popular Gewürztraminer and Syrah wines.
Volcanic Hills 2008 Syrah is sure to please the palate, having recently won a Silver Medal at the Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards. Winery proprietor Bobby Gidda says the Syrah, aged 24 months in French oak, is reminiscent of dark berry and ripe plum, butterscotch, vanilla, with a hint of laurel and spice.
The winery, overlooking Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna, produces two perennially popular Gewürztraminers and the latest 2012 releases are available in late April. The first is a ‘1’ on the sweetness scale, and the second is a ‘2’ made specifically from a single vineyard on the Gidda’s Elliott Road acreage in West Kelowna. Both “Gews” pair well with spicy food. These wines are sure to be a hit in Volcanic Hills’ new restaurant, Lazeez, which is expected to open on the May long weekend.
Lazeez, which translates to mean ‘delicious,’ will offer indoor and outdoor dining featuring East Indian cuisine. The restaurant will start with 40 seats, eventually expanding to as many as 140 seats. It is expected to be open 7 days a week for lunch service from May through to the beginning of October.
Volcanic Hills Winery is extremely well-appointed and features a selection of beautiful gifts and clothing from India, artwork from local artists, as well as a huge tasting bar. Volcanic Hills’ portfolio includes seven red wines, seven whites, one late harvest and three Icewines – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zweigelt.
May 11 is a great day to visit Volcanic Hills when they host an event during the spring Okanagan Wine Festival featuring food from their new restaurant paired with some of their finest wines.
~ Deanna Rainey