Yesterday I tried my first wine from Blasted Church and, having tried one, I know it won’t be my last.
The name of the winery is rooted in local history, dating back to 1929. It was in this year that a group of parishioners from Okanagan Falls descended upon an old mining camp, about 16 miles out of town. Their mission was to dismantle the old wooden church at the camp and bring it back to town for reassembly.
The group’s attempt to take the church apart was thwarted by the square, rusty nails that held the building together; each time a nail was removed, the structure incurred more damage.
This is when a man named Harley Hatfield came up with the hare-brained idea to blow up sticks of dynamite inside the church to loosen the nails. The congregation must have been desperate because they went along with the plan. Dynamite was hung from the rafters of the old church, the fuse was lit and there was a big bang. To everyone’s surprise, Harley Hatfield’s plan worked! The nails were loosened and the church was dismantled, transported and reassembled again in Okanagan Falls. The steeple was the only part of the church that was destroyed in the blast and it was rebuilt at the new location. The church is still active today, serving the community of Okanagan Falls, and on their front lawn is a sign “blasted church”.
Inspired by this church, its history and the community behind it, Blasted Church winery takes its name.
2018 Blasted Church Syrah $32.00
95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. The grapes were sourced from vineyards in Oliver and Osoyoos. The Syrah and Viognier were co-fermented and left on skins for 18 to 21 days. The free run wine was put into barrels where malolactic fermentation occurred. The barrels were a mix of French, American and Hungarian oak with 20% of the oak being new. The remainder of the barrels were a combination of second, third and fourth fill, as well as neutral oak. The wine was in barrel for 14 months prior to being blended. After blending, the wine was returned to barrel for a further four months before bottling.
After three hours in the decanter there are aromas of India ink, violet and black plum with hints of cherry, black pepper and star anise in the background. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with medium+ acidity and fine, medium tannins. The palate offers notes of ink, tart black plums, tart blackberries, violet and black pepper, with a savoury medium+ finish.
This wine begs to be paired with lamb or duck.
Oh Man this is an amazing photo and the lesson on the name and wine description are great! And while you want lamb or duck, how was it while making cookies?
Thank you so much Leeann! It was great while making the cookies, but it’s also a wine that you want to sip and contemplate with its savoury, lingering finish!