Dreams don’t come true; dreams are made true.
This quote is printed on each cork from Little Engine Wines, and I think about these words frequently. More often than not, things don’t just fall into place; reaching goals requires hard work and sacrifice.
The proprietors of Little Engine Wines, Nicole and Steven French, are no strangers to hard work. They met while at the University of Western Ontario. After graduation they moved to Calgary. Two careers, two children and twenty years later they found themselves purchasing an orchard in Naramata.
Nicole and Steven purchased the orchard in 2011 and built their home on the property. The following year they removed the fruit trees and planted Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Having decided to launch their own winery, Nicole and Steven purchased two additional properties on the Naramata Bench.
Little Engine Wines produced their first two vintages in 2014 and 2015 at another winery. In 2016, work on their own facility was complete and they were ready to open their doors to the public.
Winemaker, Scott Robinson, has been with Little Engine Wines since almost the beginning. Scott was born in New Westminster, BC. He has a degree in Kinesiology but eventually followed his growing passion for wine, earning a masters in Oenology with Distinction from the University of Adelaide.
Late last year, Little Engine Wines broke ground on a new project. They are currently building a brand new cellar along with a gravity designed crush pad. The new facility will include an outdoor, covered tasting area which is slated to be ready for visitors this summer.
Little Engine Wines also recently launched a new publication, which they call The Grape & the Gourmet. The inaugural issue features Chef Scott Downey from The Butternut Tree restaurant in Edmonton, Alberta. The article shares Chef Downey’s celebration of Canadian cuisine along with his recipe for beef Wellington. I couldn’t resist trying this delicious recipe, which paired perfectly with the 2016 Gold Pinot Noir from Little Engine Wines.
2016 Little Engine Gold Pinot Noir
($55 at time of purchase)
This wine was made from estate grown fruit, where crops were kept low, at about two tons per acre. The grapes were hand harvested, sorted and destemmed prior to fermentation. Half the wine was aged in puncheons, while the other half was aged in barrels, both made from French oak (57% new).
After four hours in the decanter there are aromas of pine forrest, strawberry, cherry, prune and sweet spice. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with medium+ acidity and medium- tannins. The juicy palate offers strawberry, cherry, black plum, cranberry, liquorice, prune and sweet spice with a lingering finish.
Little Engine Wines
851 Naramata Road
Penticton, BC V2A 8V1
References
Schreiner, J. (July 6, 2018) Little Engine Shoots for the Moon. Retrieved from: http://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2018/07/little-engine-shoots-for-moon.html
Schreiner, J. (December 18, 2019) Little Engine No-Compromise Wines. Retrieved from: http://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2019/12/little-engines-no-compromise-wines.html