When Sal D’Angelo sold his Ontario winery this year, he finally had time to focus on expanding his D’Angelo Estate Winery on the Naramata Bench. He wants to plant red Montepulciano and white Trebbiano grapes, two varietals grown in his birthplace of Abruzzo, Italy and plans are in the works for a new building.
But that’s in the future.
This summer he’s offering visitors some new releases including a 2013 Tempranillo, which is a Spanish varietal, seldom grown in British Columbia. D’Angelo has the largest block of Tempranillo grapes on the Bench. The new release has spent 24 months in oak and a further year bottle aging. It was awarded a silver medal at The 2016 Best of BC Wine Awards.
Dolce Vita, a silver medal winner in the Fortified Wine category combines a Port-style wine with icewine. For the brandy portion, Sal takes Tempranillo grapes to Maple Leaf Spirits (just up the road from his winery in Naramata) for distilling. The grapes he leaves on the vine over winter then go into his product – but he’ll never divulge the secret of how or when that happens. That’s the magic of the winemaker.
A brand new blend for D’Angelo’s is the 2013 Merlot Malbec, which was awarded a bronze medal this spring. They have just released 90 cases and Sal says, “It’s delicious.”
Although their Pinot Noir has already sold out, Sal has a surprise for his customers this summer – a 10-year-old cellar release Pinot.
Finally, don’t miss the Naramata Bench Tailgate party at D’Angelo’s. Tickets are on sale now.
www.dangelowinery.com