Gehringer Brothers Winery on the Golden Mile in Oliver continues to uphold their pedigree of award-winning winery with recent awards from the Indy International Wine Competition. Many medals were won at this competition, but most notably, the Ehrenfelser brought home a Double Gold Medal for the historic BC winery. This wine is pleasantly bright gold in the glass with a nose full of lemon zest, fresh limes and honey. The palate is crisp and firm with notes of Meyer lemon and pink grapefruit. The finish is long and expresses honey and ripe melon notes. The Ehrenfelser is a varietal that only a handful of wineries in the province work with, and it is unique in that it is one of the few whites that display a tannin structure. This allows the wine to achieve a fuller mouthfeel, especially on the finish.
The Desert Sun White Blend also brought home a Silver Medal from the Indy International. It is interesting to note that this extremely reasonably priced white blend is so well regarded. At $13.99 per bottle, it presents a wonderful bargain. In the glass it displays a pale gold colour with a nose full of pear, honeydew melon and floral notes. The palate is crisp and firm with elements of pear, white grapefruit and jasmine. The finish is pretty and bright with more jasmine, honey and lemon notes. Gehringer Brothers has long been known for their aromatic whites, but this year it is interesting to note that their 2013 Private Reserve Pinot Noir and their 2013 Dry Rock Cabernet Merlot won Silver Medals. Their solid record of awards and accolades, along with their long history in the British Columbia wine industry and their extraordinarily reasonable pricing makes them a cornerstone winery on the Okanagan wine scene.
~ Courtney Fossett