Serendipity Wines certainly lives up to its name. Located overlooking the beautiful rambling hills that surround the Naramata Bench, the winery, though young, is gaining a great deal of notice from critics and the press.
From the generous greeting I received from owner, Judy Kingston, to the subtle delicacy of their Pinot Noir 2013, it’s not hard to figure out why this is. From the very beginning Kingston has been dedicated to quality, a cause her daughter Katie O’Kell clearly shares.
O’Kell, the winery’s assistant winemaker is the face of the next generation. A recent graduate of the celebrated UC Davis winemaking program in California, where she scored 100% on her final exam, she’s a superstar in the making, and definitely worth keeping an eye on. Already her influence can be felt at the winery. She’s just created her first sparkling wine: Sparkling Truth. And word around town is that it’s very good. At a recent wine event a wine judge was overheard saying, it was one the best bubbles she’d tasted to come out of BC.
Sparkling Truth will debut in September with the opening of the new wine shop, which was designed especially to give visitors the feeling of being amongst the vineyards. There will also be a licensed patio, complete with pergola, as well as different levels of wine tastings: standard, private and VIP. These tastings will allow wine lovers the opportunity to have educated conversations with the winemaker in an intimate setting. In addition there will be special visits to the barrel room for testing. The underground room is a big favourite with regulars, who love the atmosphere and adore the Hobbit house-inspired doors. The magic of possibility is in the air at Serendipity Wines, visit and discover why. www.serendipitywinery.com
~ Lesley Buxton