National White Wine Day is celebrated August 4th, so if you need another excuse to open your favourite bottle of white wine, this is it! With a seemingly endless number of white grape varieties there truly is something for everyone, from Albariño to Zalema.
I am celebrating National White Wine Day with a couple of great picks from the Okanagan Crush Pad and I have paired them with lemony rigatoni, chickpeas and roasted brocollini.
You may have heard that the Okanagan Crush Pad has been undergoing some renovations this year. They are in the process of building an all-new hospitality space as well as creating increased capacity in their warehouse and production facility. With demolition now complete, the Okanagan Crush Pad is now open daily from 11:00-5:00, welcoming visitors for tastings and wine sales. Be sure to stop by if you are in the area: Okanagan Crush Pad 16576 Fosbery Road, Summerland, BC.
2019 Free Form Riesling $34.99
Free Form wines are made from organic grapes, fermented using native yeasts and they contain no additives. The label itself is made from eco-friendly stone paper, saving both trees and water.
The grapes for the 2019 Free Form Riesling were grown at the Garnet Valley Ranch in Summerland. The grapes were fermented in clay amphora using native yeasts. The wine was aged in stainless steel prior to filtration and bottling.
On the nose there is a hint of petroleum jelly followed by lemon, orange and pink grapefruit rind, green apple and peach pits. This wine is dry, medium in body with high acidity. The palate is intense and concentrated, offering flavours of dried apricots and green apples, alongside lemon and lime hard candies with a medium+ finish.
2019 Switchback Pinot Gris $29.99
The grapes for this wine were grown at Switchback Vineyard in Summerland, which was certified organic in 2015. The grapes were harvested in two batches and gently, whole bunch pressed into concrete. Natural fermentation and full malolactic fermentation took place. The wine then rested on the lees for ten months prior to bottling the wine unfiltered.
There are aromas of ripe melon, a hint of pink grapefruit, lemon and orange rind, dried apricot, pineapple and papaya with a dusting of rosemary and sage. This wine is dry and medium bodied with medium+ acidity. The palate offers pineapple and pink grapefruit, with peach, papaya and lemon candies, which fade into a saline and herbal, medium+ finish.