Over the weekend I had the opportunity to taste two wines from one of the oldest wineries in British Columbia, Gray Monk Estate Winery.
Gray Monk was founded by George and Trudy Heiss. George was born in Austria, while Trudy was born in Germany. Both hairdressers by trade, the two met at a hairdressing competition in Edmonton, Alberta. It was here that George and Trudy built a life together and started a family.
In 1968, Trudy’s parents moved to the Okanagan, where they had a small vineyard overlooking Okanagan Lake. Several years later, when a nearby orchard was put up for sale, George and Trudy decided to pack-up their family and trade in their scissors for farming.
While things were getting established George and Trudy styled hair by day and farmed at night and on the weekends. The orchard was removed and replaced with French hybrid vines, which would produce specific grape varieties that a commercial winery had agreed to purchase.
George and Trudy were not happy with the quality of the wines being made, so in 1976 they decided to plant vinifera varietals instead. The rootstock was purchased from Alsace, France and they planted Pinot Auxerrois, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. In fact, the Heiss’s were the first to plant Pinot Gris in Canada and now it is the most widely planted white grape variety in BC.
In Austria, Pinot Gris is called Grauar Mönch, which translates to Gray Monk. Thus George and Trudy decided to name their winery after Pinot Gris whilst giving a nod to George’s Austrian roots.
Gray Monk Estate Winery officially opened its doors in 1982 and quickly became a family affair. George and Trudy’s son, George Jr, was sent to study enology and viticulture at Geisenheim University in Germany. In 1984, after four years of studying abroad, George Jr. returned to the Okanagan and assumed his new role as winemaker.
In 2017, in addition to purchasing both Black Hills Estate Winery and Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, it was announced that Andrew Peller Limited had also purchased Gray Monk Estate Winery. Andrew Peller has expressed that they intend to build upon what the Heiss family has built, continuing to produce award-winning wines of quality and value.
I think it’s a great indication that the current winemaker, Jen Oishi, has been with the winery for over ten years. Jen was born and raised in the Okanagan. Prior to joining the team in 2011 as a laboratory technician, she completed a microbiology degree at the University of British Columbia. As a laboratory technician, Jen worked alongside Roger Wong, Grey Monk’s previous winemaker. Jen was eventually promoted to assistant winemaker in 2015 and winemaker in 2020.
2019 Odyssey Rosé Brut $27.99
This sparkling Rosé is made using the Traditional Method and it is a blend of 36% Gamay Noir, 33% Pinot Noir and 31% Pinot Meunier. The base wine underwent second fermentation in the bottle and was aged sur lie for 12 months. After being disgorged, this wine was topped with dosage.
On the nose there are aromas of dried apricot, orange and grapefruit pith, baked apple with a touch of baking spice and biscuit notes. This sparkling wine is dry with a fine, foamy mousse and high acidity. The palate offers juicy, bright red berries, tangerine rind, pink grapefruit pith and blood oranges on the medium finish.
The 2019 Odyssey Rosé Brut was lovely with brunch and would also pair well with sushi.
2020 Pinot Noir $24.99
The grapes for this wine were sourced from the North and Central Okanagan. This Pinot Noir spent ten months in 2 and 3 year old French oak barrels and underwent full malolactic fermentation.
The nose offers aromas of cherry, strawberry jam, toast and vanilla. This is a dry wine and the body, tannins and acidity all sit between medium and medium+. The palate comes in juicy and finishes dry. There are notes of cherry, red currant, pomegranate (pith and seeds), an undertone of bitter blackcurrant and hints of smoke and mocha with a medium finish.
The 2020 Pinot Noir paired well with pizza night.
References
Schreiner, J. The Wineries of British Columbia. North Vancouver, BC: Whitecap, 2004.