I think most people would agree that deciding to sell your home is a big decision. Now, in addition to selling your home, imagine quitting an established career, going back to school in a foreign country, moving to a completely different city and buying a farm. This is essentially what Chris and Beata Tolley did, although not necessarily in that order.
I am captivated by individuals who take on this type of adventure. I am sure that it is an extremely difficult decision, one that you would grapple with for some time, and I marvel at what it was that made them finally take the plunge.
Chris and Beata tell me via email that “many small winery owners in BC have other careers in their past, and [we] suspect they were all driven by their love of wine and the desire to create something that brings people together and is a unique expression of place and time – that was certainly all true for [us]. Living in a spot as beautiful as the Okanagan doesn’t hurt either!”
Chris and Beata Tolley are originally from Calgary. Chris was a software engineer and his wife, Beata, was a chartered accountant before they decided to spend a year at Lincoln University in New Zealand studying viticulture and oenology. When they returned from New Zealand they purchased a cherry orchard in Osoyoos. The cherry trees were old and gnarly, so they named their new winery, which opened in 2004, Twisted Tree. As for the cherry trees, unfortunately they had to be removed in 2005 for the planting of the new vineyard.
In 2011 Twisted Tree was rebranded as Moon Curser because the name ‘Twisted Tree’ was being confused with other wineries in the Okanagan with similar sounding names. By renaming their winery ‘Moon Curser’ the Tolley’s paid homage to the colourful past of the South Okanagan. In the late 1800’s this region saw an influx of gold miners and these miners would take their gold to smelters across the border in the United States. If they crossed the border legally they would be forced to pay taxes to the Canadian Government, so instead they would smuggle their gold across in the dead of night. On a clear evening though, when the moon was full and bright, the smugglers would curse the moon as it would render them visible to the customs agents if they tried to cross illegally.
The Moon Curser labels were designed by New York artist Andrea Dezsö. Each wine has a unique and intricate scene depicting smugglers (foxes) and customs agents (owls), as well as native flora and fauna, including ponderosa pine trees, bats and snakes.
Currently, Moon Curser produces around 6000 cases per year and owns and manages approximately 40 acres of vineyard; some of this acreage has only recently been planted and therefore is currently non-producing. Many of the varietals used at Moon Curser are not common in the Okanagan. Varietals include Carmenère, Marsanne, Rousanne, Tempranillo and Tannat – somewhat “offbeat varietals” that winemaker, Chris Tolley, garnered a soft spot for during his time at Lincoln University. Chris has experimented with some other novel grape varietals including Corvina, which is used to make Amarone, but proved not to be suitable for the Osoyoos East Bench. Chris continues his experiments and is currently working with a small block of Nebbiolo, the grape used to make Barolo. The Nebbiolo vines at Moon Curser are reportedly producing good fruit, but it’s only a small amount, not even enough to fill a barrel, therefore it is too soon to tell whether it will be a successful winemaking grape for the region.
In the 1980’s Agriculture Canada produced an Atlas of Suitable Grape Growing Locations in the Okanagan and the Similkameen Valleys. The atlas grouped the agricultural lands into five classes, with Class I being the most suitable for grape growing due to its number of heat units, longest frost-free season, highest solar radiation and desirable soil characteristics. Moon Curser grows their grapes on Class I Vineyard Sites. Grapes are hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard prior to being sorted again before destemming and pumping through to the fermenters. There is no crushing involved with any of the red grape varietals. All of the red wines spend approximately the same amount of time in oak: about 14-16 months. The type and age of barrel will vary, tailoring the oak characteristics to complement each varietal.
2016 Carmenère $39.99
13.8% Alcohol // TA 6.0 g/L // RS 2.6 g/L // pH 3.77
Carmenère is one of the six varietals which can be used in red Bordeaux. Carmenère was almost completely eradicated from Bordeaux in the mid 1800’s by a Phylloxera (aphid) outbreak and as a result it is currently seldom used in wines from the region. In the 1850’s cuttings of Carmenère, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux were brought to Chile where they flourished. The majority of the Carmenère vines in Chile were however mistaken for Merlot until 1994 when a researcher identified that it was in fact Bordeaux Carmenère.
The 2016 Moon Curser Carmenère has a fairly pronounced nose with aromas of cherry, raspberry jam, blackberry, pencil shavings and vanilla, along with hints of clove and black pepper. This wine is medium+ in body, it has high acidity and the medium tannins are soft. The palate is prickly at first, then it becomes juicy, leading to concentrated, fruit flavours. The palate offers black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, clove, vanilla, and black pepper, with a long finish. Two days after opening this wine, it shows no signs of fading, in fact, the palate becomes even more silky and cohesive.
2016 Tempranillo $30.99
14.4% Alcohol // TA 7.2 g/L // RS 3.1 g/L // pH 3.66
Tempranillo is an important grape in the Spanish wine region of Rioja where it is often blended with Garnacha. Tempranillo is not very common in the Okanagan and Moon Curser was the first winery to offer Tempranillo as a table wine.
The 2016 Tempranillo won silver at the 2018 Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada. After three hours in the decanter, this wine has aromas of black cherry, vanilla, blackberry and cedar with hints of black pepper, tomatoes on the vine and juniper. This wine is medium+ in body, with high acidity and tannins. The palate offers intense black cherry flavours, blackberry, clove and raspberries. There are also hints of black pepper and leather, with a savoury minerality leading to a lingering finish.
2016 Syrah $25.99
14.8% Alcohol // TA 6.8 g/L // RS 3.1 g/L // pH 3.73
It seems that year-after-year the Moon Curser Syrah earns numerous accolades and the 2016 vintage is shaping-up to be no exception. This Syrah earned a bronze medal at the Wine Align National Awards of Canada and it is now sold out at the winery (although you can still find it at some private wine stores while supplies last).
On the nose I find aromas of fresh blackberries, blackberry jam, pepper, violet and cured sausage. The body is medium+ while the acidity and tannins are both moderate. The palate offers flavours of black cherries, blackberry jelly on toast and dried blackcurrants with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon on the lingering finish.
2016 Malbec $30.99
14.8% Alcohol // TA 6.6 g/L // RS 2.6 g/L // pH 3.74
The 2016 Malbec presents with a deep purple hue. After an unintentional four hours in the decanter this wine offers aromas of black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, caramel and dried blackcurrants. This is a full-bodied wine with high, mouth-watering acidity and moderate, velvety tannins. On the warming palate I find ripe black cherries, large, sweet blueberries and baked, wild blueberries with a moderate finish.
2016 Border Vines $25.99
14.7% Alcohol // TA 6.3 g/L // RS 2.7 g/L // pH 3.76
This wine is a blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 20% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Carménère.
The 2016 Border Vines offers aromas of black cherry, blackcurrants, blackberry and even hints of blueberry, vanilla and almond. The body is medium+, the acidity is high and the tannins are moderate, soft and velvety. The palate has a silky mouth-feel with concentrated fruit flavours of black cherry, blackberries, vanilla and hints of spice, with a moderate finish.
2016 Petit Verdot $30.99
14.7% Alcohol // TA 7.2 g/L // RS 2.9 g/L // pH 3.64
I found this wine fascinating. Petit Verdot is another one of the Bordeaux grape varietals. It is ideal for blending as it contributes colour, floral notes and tannin. It is often used to “stiffen the mid palate of Cabernet Sauvignon”[1] and Bordeaux blends. When expressed as a single varietal, one can really experience the depth of colour, the expressive floral notes, and how the tannins from this grape really do sit on the mid palate.
After three hours in the decanter this wine offers aromas of violet, lilac, blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, vanilla and even a gravel-like minerality. The body is medium+, the tannins are high and the acidity is medium+. The palate has tart and crunchy blackberries and raspberries, sour cherries and bramble with a moderate finish.
Moon Curser Vinyards
3628 Highway 3 East
Osoyoos, BC
VOH 1V6
Footnotes
[1] Petit Verdot. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit_Verdot
Sources
www.mooncurser.com
Klassen, M. (June 18, 2012). Moon Curser gets Decanter’s Nod for Best Canadian Red. Retrieved from https://bcwinelover.com/2012/06/moon-curser-gets-decanters-nod-for-best-canadian-red/
Schreiner, J. (June 12, 2012). Contentious Labels for Interesting Wine. Retrieved from http://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2012/06/moon-curser-contentious-labels-for.html
Schreiner, J. (April 26, 2011). Moon Curser Vineyards Debuts. Retrieved from https://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2011/04/moon-curser-vineyards-debuts.html
Schreiner, J. (September 6, 2010). It’s September and Twisted Tree is Almost Sold Out. Retrieved from https://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2010/09/only-september-and-twisted-tree-is.html
Schreiner, J. (July 21, 2009). Current Releases from Twisted Tree. Retrieved from https://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2009/07/current-releases-from-twisted-tree.html
Schreiner, J. (April 19, 2009). Wineries to Discover: Twisted Tree. Retrieved from https://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2009/04/wineries-to-discover-twisted-tree.html
Smith, C. (March 31, 2016). Moon Curser Vineyards uses Unconventional Grapes. Retrieved from https://www.straight.com/food/667261/moon-curser-vineyards-uses-unconventional-grapes
Wine Folly. (February 2, 2016). Guide to Petit Verdot Red Wine. Retrieved from https://winefolly.com/review/guide-to-petit-verdot-red-wine/