Sitting majestically on the Golden Mile Bench in Oliver, Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery and vineyards were built with a dream and vision for the future. One of the industry’s oldest wineries, the success of this family operation has always been quality and consistency.
For consistency from vintage to vintage, the Gehringer Brothers’ white blend called Desert Sun is one of Walter’s most truly crafted products and shows his real talent at blending. Beginning production in the early 1990’s, Desert Sun has attracted a loyal following that seeks that same consistency each year. “We actually start blending this first, as soon as all of the whites are finished,” says Walter. He then has the full spectrum of ‘colours’ from each of the grape varieties at his disposal to craft each vintage of Desert Sun every year. The 2016 is off-dry and bursting with the flavours and aromas of passion fruit, pears, star fruit, and dried mangos. It finishes long and is cleanly refreshing, making it one of the summer’s most ideal white wines.
Released late in the summer, the 2016 Merlot is rich, featuring the flavours of plums, blackberries, black cherries and cocoa, with vanilla notes. It offers extremely smooth, ripe tannins, a gentle mouthfeel, and a very long and pleasant finish. “2016 as a year was really good,” says Walter. The longer than normal length of the growing season that year easily allowed the grapes to reach full maturity. Even still, the balance between sugars and acids was secondary to the taste of the fruit. “I’m looking for the taste of the grapes, above all,” explains Walter. “More so for Merlot than other varieties.”