Did you know that at this time last year Moon Curser Vineyards was sold to new owners?
You may recall that Chris and Beata Tolley opened a winery in 2004. The land they purchased was an old orchard and the winery was named Twisted Tree after the old, gnarly cherry trees that used to grow on the property. In 2011 Twisted Tree was rebranded Moon Curser Vineyards. The new name was a nod to the colourful past of the South Okanagan. In the late 1800’s this region saw an influx of gold miners that 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 they smuggled their gold across in the dead of night. On clear evenings though, when the moon was full and bright, the smugglers cursed the moon as it would reveal them to the authorities.
Since 2004, Moon Curser Vineyards has made the list of Top 10 Small Wineries in Canada as well as the Top 25 Wineries in Canada and they have won countless awards and accolades for their wines. After more than twenty years shaping Moon Curser’s success, plus Chris’ career as a software engineer and Beata’s career as a chartered accountant, the Tolley’s were looking forward to a well-earned retirement, but who to sell their winery to?
In 2023, the Tolley’s sold one of their vineyards to Gurjit Dhaliwal, his wife Sukhi and brother Harjit. Brothers Gurjit and Harjit are no strangers to farming, in fact, they have been growing grapes in the Okanagan since 2007. Getting to know the Dhaliwal’s through this sale, the Tolley’s recognized that they all shared the same passion for family and farming. With the Dhaliwal’s enthusiasm and interest in buying a winery and the Tolley’s desire to place their successful winery into capable hands, the growing relationship seemed to be kismet.
The sale was completed in December 2024, but Chris and Beata have stayed on to work with the Dhaliwals, helping them to get to know the inner workings of the winery and ensuring a seamless transition. The core winery team including General Manager, Crystal Cloverdale, and Winemaker, Christian Scagnetti, remain in place.
This marks an exciting new chapter for Moon Curser Vineyards. I look forward to seeing and tasting what the future of Moon Curser has to hold. Their wines are always a pleasure to experience and if you are looking for some special holiday wines, these three reds should definitely be on your list.
2022 Syrah $34.99
Made from 100% Syrah harvested from the Bartsch Vineyard on the Osoyoos East Bench. The grapes were handpicked and sorted twice before destemming and pumping through to the fermenters without crushing. The fermentation was warm, approximately 25 degrees celsius, carried out in variable capacity 5,000 L stainless steel fermenters with gentle pumpovers three times daily. This wine underwent malolactic fermentation in tank. It was aged for 12 months in several different 225 L barriques from the François Frères and Alain Fouquet cooperages. 20% of the oak was new Hungarian and French while the remainder were neutral barrels. This wine is filtered but not fined.
On the nose there are aromas of cured meat crusted with black pepper, black plums dipped in dark chocolate, black cherry, lavender, black liquorice and vanilla. This wine is dry, medium+ in body, with medium acidity and tannins. The palate offers notes of cured meat, white pepper, black plum, black cherry, cocoa, vanilla and clove with a medium+ finish.
Although this is a very approachable Syrah right now, the winery recommends that it can be aged through to 2031.
2022 Dead of Night $46.99
Dead of Night is composed of 50% Tannat and 50% Syrah; these two grapes are partially co-fermented. If you are not familiar with Tannat, it is a robust, tannic grape that originates from France but is now an eminent grape in Uruguay. Moon Curser Vineyards was the first winery in BC to plant Tannat in 2005 at its Home Vineyard in Osoyoos.
Grapes were harvested from the Home Vineyard, Moon Curser Vineyard, Bartsch Vineyard and Kelliher Vineyard, all located on the Osoyoos East Bench. The winemaking process for the Dead of Night was the same as the process for the 2022 Syrah with the exception of the oak treatment. The same cooperages were used, but the 225 L barriques were 35% Hungarian and French oak, with the remainder neutral barrels.
Aromas of black plum, blackcurrant, cured meat, cardamom and black liquorice. This is a dry, full bodied wine with medium acidity and high tannins. The palate offers notes of black plum, blackcurrant, smoked meat, lifted pomegranate and cardamom with a medium+ finish.
This wine can go the distance, easily aging until 2034.
2022 Border Vines $34.99
The 2022 Border Vines is composed of 35% Petit Verdot, 33% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. The grapes were sourced from Moon Curser Vineyard, Fernandes Vineyard and Kelliher Vineyard on the Osoyoos East Bench, as well as Border Vineyard in Osoyoos West.
Grapes were handpicked and sorted twice before destemming and pumping through to the fermenters without any crushing. Fermentation was warmer for Border Vines, the temperature ranging from 25 to 30 degrees celsius. Malolactic fermentation took place in tank. The wine was aged for 12 months in 225 L barriques from three different cooperages, François Frères, Demptos and TN Coopers. 25% of the barriques were new French oak and the remainder were neutral barrels. This wine was filtered but not fined.
Aromas of black plum, black cherry, lilac and black liquorice. This is a dry, full bodied wine with medium+ acidity and tannins. The palate offers great intensity with notes of ripe black cherry, black plum, blackberry, mocha and nutmeg with a medium+ finish.
Another wine for the cellar – Moon Curser recommends it can be comfortably aged until 2034.
References
www.mooncurser.com
Schreiner, J. (October 11, 2025). On the Vine: Award-winning Moon Curser Vineyards Changes Hands. Retrieved from: https://vancouversun.com/westcoast-homes-and-design/award-winning-moon-cursor-vineyards-changes-hands