Covert Farms

In 1959 George Covert was tired of the fast-paced life in California, and after a weekend trip to the Okanagan Valley, he promptly purchased a property just north of Oliver, BC. George and his wife, Winnifred, along with their two sons, Calvin and Michael, moved to Canada to start their new life and Covert Farms.

In addition to a cattle farm in Osoyoos, the Coverts had orchards and vineyards, and grew tomatoes, onions, potatoes, corn and alfalfa. The vineyards at Covert Farms consisted mainly of hybrid grape varietals, and from 1960 to 1989 they had one of the largest vineyards in the Okanagan.

In 1985, with the ‘great grape pull-out‘ looming on the horizon, Michael Covert decided to replace most of their vineyards with a high-density planting of Gala apples, eventually establishing Covert Farms as one of the leading apples growers in the Okanagan.

As the years passed, Covert Farms was handed from generation-to-generation. In 2005 Michael Covert’s son, Gene, and his wife, Shelly, took over stewardship of the farm.

Gene has a degree in physical geography and Shelly has a bachelor of education and a diploma from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. In 2006 they planted a new vineyard with vinifera grape varietals instead of hybrids. The grapes planted included Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Roussanne.

Gene and Shelly also transitioned Covert Farms to organic farming and in 2010 they received organic status. They are committed to organic farming because they feel this is the best way to improve the environment for the future. In addition to organic farming they practice regenerative agriculture.

Regenerative agriculture has many faucets. At Covert Farms they focus on limiting soil disturbance by machinery in order to reduce soil erosion, which can adversely affect soil quality. Another way to prevent soil erosion is to plant cover crops. Cover crops planted between the vines help to retain moisture and enhance nutrients in the soil. In addition to this, cover crops compete with weeds and help to control certain pests. Cover crops also feed the animals that graze in the vineyard. Integrating livestock amongst the vines introduces manure and trampled plant matter, which increases the carbon content in soil, enhancing plant growth. This decrease the need for fertilizer and increases water retention.

Regenerative agricultural practices are helping Gene and Shelly achieve their goal of dry farming (farming without irrigation) by 2024. In addition to operating the winery, this busy couple run a farm’s market which sells their produce to the public.

Covert Farms is currently closed until April, but to celebrate the impending arrival of spring, they are offering $25 off orders of $125 or more, and $50 off orders greater than $250. Simply apply promo code SPRING125 or SPRING250 at checkout.

2017 Amicitia $26.79

Amicitia (pronounced A-mich-A-Tia) is latin for friendship. The 2017 vintage is a blend of 35% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot and 2% Syrah. The grapes were hand harvested and underwent open top fermentation for 25 days with hand punch downs. This wine was aged for 14 months in both French and American oak.

After three hours in the decanter the 2017 Amicitia has aromas of dried blackcurrant, black plum and vanilla with underlying notes of green bell pepper, black pepper and liquorice. This is a dry, medium+ bodied wine with medium+ acidity and medium tannins. The palate offers smokey, dried black currant, juicy black plum, sour cherry pie filling and liquorice with a medium finish.

2018 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon $55.49

These vines were cropped low at 1.75 tons per acre. The grapes were hand harvested and underwent open top fermentation for 26 days with hand punch downs. This wine was aged for 20 months in French oak.

After five hours in the decanter there are aromas of blackcurrant, ripe blackberry, cherry, dark chocolate, vanilla and leather. This is a dry, medium+ bodied wine with high acidity and tannins. The palate offers blackcurrants, Italian prune plums, sour cherries, dried herbs, a hint of smoke and savory salinity with a lingering finish.

Both of these wines paired well with a steak dinner. I seasoned this beautiful ribeye and these hasselback potatoes with Winecrush Malbec & Herb Sea Salt, which contains sea salt infused with Winecrush, thyme, rosemary and chili flakes. You may recall that Winecrush powder is produced using grape pomace and lees from the wine making process, which are turned into a food flavour enhancer. The tannins in Winecrush make salt taste saltier, so you can actually use about 30% less than regular table salt. It’s perfect for meat, roasted vegetables, popcorn and even rimming a glass for a special cocktail.

References

Schreiner, J. (May 13, 2015). Covert Farms Releases Grand Reserves. Retrieved from: http://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2015/05/covert-farms-releases-grand-reserves.html

Schroeder, B. (July 26, 2019). Regenerative Agriculture and Livestock. Retrieved from: https://www.aglaw.us/schroeder-ag-law-blog/2019/7/26/regenerative-agriculture-and-livestock

“Why Regenerative Agriculture?” https://regenerationinternational.org/why-regenerative-agriculture/