Throughout this spring and summer, Church & State Wines will be preparing for its 10th anniversary.
Started as a Vancouver Island property by owner Kim Pullen, Church & State Wines began with vineyards on the Saanich Peninsula but quickly grew in 2005 to the southern Okanagan Valley with the purchase of Rattlesnake Vineyard. Since then Church & State has acquired two more Okanagan vineyards that give name to its award-winning wines — Coyote Bowl and Bella.
Today, the Okanagan winery focuses on still table wines, while the Victoria location produces sparkling and island-grown varietals.
Both wineries will be open for tastings daily starting May 1st from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. You’ll be able to taste the highly rated Coyote Bowl Syrah as well as never before seen wines from the 2010, 2011 and 2012 vintages. This will include the 2010 Coyote Bowl Petit Verdot Malbec as well as the recently announced, 2011 Coyote Bowl Malbec. According to Jeff Del Nin, Church & State’s winemaker, the 2011 Malbec is the best wine to ever leave the winery’s cellar. With only 150 cases produced for 2011, you better get your hands on a bottle quick!
The year’s festivities don’t end there. To celebrate its first decade, Church & State will be hosting a party at its Coyote Bowl tasting bar on October 10th, 2014. The event will feature vertical tastings (taste different vintages of the same varietal) of two of the winery’s most popular wines, the Quintessential red blend and the Coyote Bowl Syrah. New releases of both wines will also be unveiled. The night will feature live entertainment and paired plates by the winery’s executive chef, Desiree Perrin.
Church & State will also be releasing a special 10th anniversary sparkling wine from its Island Estate Vineyard, which has been on lees for 15 years.
Tickets for the “Quintessential Release Party” are $60 and can be purchased at www.thewinefestivals.com.
If you’ve never tasted Church & State wines before, or they are some of your favourites, you’ll want to take advantage of the winery’s promotion on its newly re-launched website. When you order any six bottles of the Coyote Bowl Series wines at retail price, you can buy six bottles of the Church & State series for only $10 per bottle. You can order online at store.churchandstatewines.com or by email through sales@churchandstatewines.com
www.churchandstatewines.com
~ Laura Lushington