Okanagan Crush Pad Wine Tasting at Boneta Restaurant

Despite how crazy my life has become since I started working with Raul on Hummingbird604, I can’t deny that I get to do very cool stuff and meet very nice people. So it’s in this grateful frame of mind that I represented the blog at the Okanagan Crush Pad wine tasting event at the new Boneta restaurant in Gastown on September 12th.

Disclaimer: I like wine but I’ve never been trained in tasting it, so I won’t use the fancy wine words that wine critics use. I wouldn’t be using them right anyway, so it’s fair that I remain within my humble abilities as a wine drinker: I can discern between a good and a bad wine. And I’ve tasted a few that day that definitely go in the “good” category.

The story of Okanaga Crush Pad

During the tasting, I was introduced to Leeann Froese, who manages the media relations for Okanagan Crush Pad and organized the event. She told me the story of Okanagan Crush Pad.

Think of Okanagan Crush Pad as a kind of coworking facility for making wine. Vineyard owners can use the facilities and services provided by Okanagan Crush Pad, thus eliminating the need to build their own wine-making facilities and hire a complete winemaking and business team. They offer services ranging from vineyard management and winemaking to licensing, marketing and sales.

The facilities are modern and high tech and they even invited graffiti artists to paint on the concrete walls of the buildings. So cool!

The wines made at OCP are terroir-focused and from high quality grapes. They focus on small lot production, so the wines are rather exclusive. They have three brands going at the moment: Haywire, Bartier-Scholefield and Bartier Bros.

The wines

I tasted five wines out of seven; the tables also featured a little amuse-bouche that complimented each.

The first wine I tasted was The Goal, a robust red by Bartier Bros. I can see it definitely working with my favourite lamb and pork recipes. (Retail: 30$)

Bartier-Scholefield offered two table wines: a white and a rosé. I’m a definite fan of rosé, so I tried that one first. I liked it: not too sweet yet refreshing, with the right amount of acidity. The white was good too, and the pairing with the pâté was perfect. (Retail: 22$ for the white and 20$ for the rosé)

The last brand was Haywire, and it offered three wines, two of which I tasted: the rosé and the pinot noir. I like this rosé as well, and even though I didn’t get to taste the food pairing (oysters), I can definitely see myself enjoying it on the patio. (Retail: 21$)

But the star of the afternoon for me was definitely the pinot noir. Accompanied by a delicious duck confit, the pinot noir is a subtle red that instantly enchanted me. I don’t know much about depth and flavours, but this one definitely has something special, even though I can’t describe it. I would suggest it for your next wine and cheese party: it’s sure to be a hit. (Retail: 27$)

Opening Harvest Party

Lucky for you, you might not have to order the wine through the online store before tasting it. From September 28 to October 9, the Okanagan Crush Pad is opening its doors to the public for visits and will offer food and wine pairings featuring these three brands.

The facilities will be open every day between 11am and 5pm, and wine and food pairings will happen from Wednesday to Sunday from 3pm to 5pm. If you happen to be in the Okanagan (or want to go on a wine road trip), it’s a great place to stop by. Contact them for direction and more information.

Raul was invited to the event but since he was teaching, he couldn’t attend, so he sent Anabelle to represent the blog. The food and the wine were free, but we were not paid to write a review nor were expected to post one. Raul maintains editorial control at all times.

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