If you are looking for a Christmas gift for that wine lover on your list…or simply missing travel and visiting wineries, here is the perfect solution. The Okanagan Crush Pad has just released four new wine collections: Big Reds for Winter ($135), Holiday Cheers ($124), Organic Wine Collection ($117) and Pure Whites ($98). Each pack contains four wines and gives the buyer access to tasting videos guided by none other than Vancouver-based wine educator, wine writer and classically trained chef, DJ Kearney. The tastings can be watched at your leisure and offer tasting notes, food pairings and insight into how each wine is produced.
You don’t have to open all the bottles at once either – pause the tasting when you want and pick-up later where you left off. If you would like to try all four wines at once, a fun idea is to share the tasting with a friend. Pour half of each bottle into a decanter or carafe and deliver the other half to a friend so that you can do a Zoom tasting together later.
I chose to try the Big Reds for Winter collection, which included the Narrative 2017 Malbec, the Narrative 2016 Syrah and the Narrative 2017 Non-Fiction Red Blend, along with the 2018 Free Form Cabernet Sauvignon. I would happily order all these wines again, although the Malbec and Syrah really stole the show for me.
The Okanagan Crush Pad does not use a lot of oak treatment when they are producing their wines, but when they do use oak, it is used judiciously. This really lets the purity of the fruit shine through, which I find fascinating and enjoyable.
For more information on these great wine collections, contact the Okanagan Crush Pad:
OKANAGAN CRUSH PAD
16576 Fosbery Road
Summerland, BC
V0H 1Z6