Roslyne Buchanan
With the patience of farmers, Da Silva Vineyards and Winery has followed a slow and steady path. Their inaugural 2012 Black Label Merlot represents an important milestone and is an homage to Da Silva’s history.
The journey began in 1955 when, with only a suitcase in hand, the Da Silva family immigrated to the Okanagan Valley from Portugal. They eventually leveraged their farming skills to purchase a Naramata Bench orchard in 1959. As the Okanagan Valley evolved, so did the family’s experience farming fruits, including grapes. The result is a profound understanding of growing sites and their nuances across the region.
The transition to add winemaking to the Da Silva portfolio started humbly with garagiste wine before Misconduct Wine Co. was established. From the beginning, the Da Silva vision was to create “wines of place” to reflect the grapes’ terroir. Richard and Twylla Da Silva were pragmatic in honing their skills and enriching their craft of winemaking.
With the success of Misconduct Wine Co., the Da Silvas were finally ready to put their family name up front as Da Silva Vineyards and Winery. Even now, their deep farming roots are apparent, as the vineyards come first. Whether premium or value-priced, each wine has a story.
Limited Edition
Top of the tier, at $125 per bottle, the 2012 Black Label Merlot is a limited-edition production of 1,176 bottles numbered by hand. Fruit was sourced from Blenheim Hill Vineyard on the Naramata Bench and Lazy Dog Vineyard on Penticton’s West Bench.
Before bottling, the wine was aged for 26 months in two French and two American oak barrels. In blind tastings, experts identified it as old-world style with gentler, cerebral nuances, refined and ready to drink or age.
The Kitchen at Da Silva
Plan to dine at The Kitchen at Da Silva while on the prestigious Naramata Bench. Proprietor and chef Abul Adame applies the same thoughtfulness to his cuisine as the Da Silvas do to winemaking. For hours and details, see dasilvavineyards.com.