Written by Lesley Buxton
High above Penticton, on the Naramata Bench overlooking Okanagan Lake, sits Red Rooster Winery, renowned for its award-winning wines, flair and down-home charm. Visitors here are guaranteed to be continually delighted.
First of all, there’s the location. This winery boasts some of the best views in the area. One can see all the way down the lake to Peachland.
Location isn’t this winery’s only asset. This is a place where details are important. It’s evident in the little touches around the winery — the rooster weather vane on the signs, the wine barrels overflowing with flowers, the unique metal mermaid sculpture looking out over the vineyard.
These vineyards are exceptionally significant to the winery as they belong to the winery’s Adopt-a-Row members. This signature program allows wine enthusiasts the opportunity to buy a row at the estate and learn through hands-on experience how to grow the grapes. Members prune in the spring, tuck in the summer and pick in the autumn. As a reward, they can attend three members-only gatherings with the winery’s award-winning winemaker. On top of that, they are given first access to limited production Malbec – only 215 cases are produced.
Red Rooster is Expecting
The Red Rooster family is expanding to include chickens. A completely enclosed, state-of-the-art, insulated and heated coop is being built in preparation for their arrival. The plan is to buy a mixture of heritage laying hens, some Rhode Islands and, of course, a gorgeous red rooster, all looked after by a full-time caregiver. The goal is to have visitors trade scraps for eggs.
Smuggler’s Smoke House
Sadly, another summer will soon end, and Red Rooster will be saying good-bye to Shayna and Josh Shulman and their talented staff for the season. Smuggler’s Smoke House has been tremendously popular with patrons. According to feedback, their barbecue was a huge hit. People also appreciated the vegetarian options and that all but two of the meals were gluten-free. The Smoke House will definitely be back next spring. In the meantime, barbecue lovers are encouraged to visit them at their Main Street location in Penticton where they’ll have all their favourites: beef brisket, pulled-pork, chicken and pork ribs.
The Big News
Red Rooster is excited to announce a special new release: its very first sparkling vintage. This is a limited-edition Blanc de Blanc created with 100 per cent Chardonnay grapes grown at Covert Farm Family Estate in Oliver.
This is a touchstone achievement for the wine-making team, which feels this latest vintage showcases their skills beautifully.
Burke Ganton, Red Rooster’s VIP and key accounts representative says, “We are thrilled to join the growing number of BC wineries dedicated to creating exceptional sparkling wines.”
This represents an important chapter in Red Rooster’s history and a dynamic step towards the future of their craft. This project is the culmination of two years of work. It’s a kids-waiting-for-Christmas atmosphere around the project. The staff is excited and can’t wait for its release.
Due to the small batch production of this wine, members of both Red Rooster’s wine clubs,The Whole Flock and The Rare Bird, will be given priority. Never fear, the winery recently extended its wine club membership across Canada and memberships are always available.
The Wine Clubs
The Whole Flock was designed especially for those who don’t like to be pigeon-holed into deciding which wine they like best. Members have the chance to enjoy hand-picked wines from both the Rare Bird Series and Classic Wine Series. After all, everyone knows half the fun of drinking wine is discovering different varietals and vintages. Major advantages include receiving six bottles: three varietals and two of each wine specially selected by their winemaker.
Members of The Rare Bird club enjoy exclusive access to Rare Bird Series wines which can only be found at the winery. They receive six bottles of three varietals, two each of exceptional Rare Bird Series Wines, specifically selected by their winemaker.
Visit Red Rooster’s tasting room soon and try select wines from their limited-edition Rare Bird Series. The folks in the tasting room love to share their knowledge, so if you love to learn, look no further. Visit their website for more information, redroosterwinery.com