Summerland Wineries
While visiting Summerland last weekend we had a chance to visit a few wineries we had not been to before. Our favorite this time around was Dirty Laundry. The views are terrific and we loved the picnic idea where they sell you cheese, meat, bread and wine and you sit on a shady terrace with a great view and live music! We did the free tasting of 7 wines – three white, three red and a blush and purchased 2 of our favourites.
Dirty Laundry Winery
Hush 2011
- Blackcurrant and raspberries with hints of passionfruit
- 32% Merlot, 29% Pinot Noir, 25% Cab Franc, 7% Pinot Blanc & some “hush hush”
- Pairs best with bold Malaysian foods, Asian fusion cuisine & East Indian dishes.
Dangerous Liaisons 2013
- Aromas of blackberry & cherry, with a hint of spice. Soft tannins, balanced acidity and a touch of sweetness
- 55% Malbec, 45% Merlot
- Pairs best with BBQ steak but don’t be afraid to try spicy Mexican,Cajun, or Indian cuisine
Okanagan Crush Pad
We also had a chance to visit Okanagan Crush Pad which makes Haywire and Bartier Scholefield as well as wines for other labels. The facility is only open to the public seasonally, and is designed as a co-working space for winemakers to work side by side to share ideas and to collaborate. We did a tasting of 6 wines – two white, there red and a blush. The space reminded us of Church and State – modern with lots of cement. They even use egg-shaped concrete tanks for some of the fermentation process. Again we purchased 2 of our favorites.
Haywire Switchback Pinot Gris 2012
- The grapes were harvested and then processed in five separate lots, to create layered intensity in the wine. The wine is fermented in concrete tanks, and takes on minerality balanced with fruit.
- 100% Pinot Gris (Clone 52)
Haywire Pink Bub 2012
- The grapes for this sparkling are grown in a cool mountain vineyard near Oliver. The wine is made by pressing whole clusters, then fermented cool and the secondary bottle-fermented. Red is added to give Pink Bub its lively colour.
- 51% Pinot Noir and 49% Chardonnay
For our first trip to the Summerland area we were happy we stopped at three wineries and wished we had time for more. We did make a side trip up to our absolute favourite Mount Boucherie and came out with 3 cases made up of our our fav’s Gamay Noir and Zweilget.
We, Jeff & Tara Ciecko of CK Golf Solutions write two blogs, one is our 19th Hole Blog where we share personal experiences and the other a Biz Blog where we comment on business best practices and give golf industry related opinions. We have owned and operated CK Golf Solutions for 7 years and provide marketing, social media and business services to the golf and other industries. We DO NOT get paid for ANY of the blogs on our website. These are the places we visit and the things we do because we want to. When we say that we like or dislike something or have a good or bad experience this is our opinion and the truth as we see it. If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact us anytime.
Thanks for the tip to revisit Dirty Laundry. We have not been there our last two trips, but will go again. It’s too bad you didn’t get to 8th Generation which is just off the highway. They make some of our favourite wines.