The GOODS from Okanagan Crush Pad

Kelowna, BC | The summer is shaping up to be a great season and tourists are already starting to flock to the Okanagan. After two years of operating with limited space, Okanagan Crush Pad (OCP) has renovated its visitor area to accommodate more people and offer diverse experiences. The winery is now set up to host sit down tutored tastings for up to ten people at its cellar long table, in addition to offering a relaxed patio seating area for picnics and a new tasting bar in the wine lounge.

The new set up also allows the winery to offer intimate public events for 50 people. In addition to six evening music events between July 3 and September 11, OCP will also host a fundraiser for PADS (Pacific Assistance Dogs Society), called Puppies on the PAD on Saturday, August 16. Okanagan Crush Pad is a long-time supporter of PADS and many of the winery’s lovely Labrador Retrievers are retired PADS dogs.

“Visitors tell us that OCP offers a unique experience as our guest area is built into the heart of the winery. It is the winery equivalent of an “open kitchen concept” so people can watch our winemakers at work and get a first-hand glance into how our state-of-the-art facility operates. As one of the first wineries in Canada to extensively use concrete tanks you can learn about the benefits and taste the resulting Raised in Concrete™ wines”, Christine Coletta (owner of OCP) comments.

Details

16576 Fosbery Road, Summerland, BC | V0H 1Z0 Winery phone: 250-494-4445 | Order wine: 604-800-3738 [email protected] Web: www.okanagancrushpad.com | Facebook | Twitter

Gallery

The People

Christine Coletta, Owner Steve Lornie, Owner Michael Bartier, Chief Winemaker Matt Dumayne, Associate Winemaker Julian Scholefield, Operations Manager David Scholefield, Wine advisor Alberto Antonini, Consulting viticulturist & winemaker Leeann Froese, Marketing and Communications Alison Scholefield, Brand Manager Whitney Law, order desk and THE Club @ Crush Pad

About Okanagan Crush Pad

Okanagan Crush Pad Winery, is based in beautiful Summerland, British Columbia, overlooking the 10-acre Switchback Vineyard site and Lake Okanagan. The winery is home to Haywire and Bartier Scholefield, as well as other brands that have been made at the custom crush facility. With a team of dedicated industry leaders, OCP’s mantra has been to improve the quality of Okanagan wines through shared space and ideas. Since September 2011, the winery has opened its doors to provide home to smaller producers and growers within the Okanagan Valley, while focusing on their own boutique line of hand crafted wines. Keeping with the philosophy that less is more, grapes are handled with minimal intervention with an eye on pure fruit expression that accentuates the Okanagan’s distinctive terroir. Aided by six concrete egg fermenters by Sonoma Cast Stone, Okanagan Crush Pad is the first Canadian winery to introduce these modern vessels to the market. Okanagan Crush Pad boasts an impressive state of the art facility, but owners Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie stress that it is their winery team that remains the hallmark of their success. Respected winemaker, Michael Bartier is an Okanagan native that has a refined understanding of the valley. Coupled with the global experience of internationally acclaimed wine consultant Alberto Antonini and OCP’s wine advisor David Scholefield, the team strives to create distinctive, quality driven BC wines. The winery is responsible for the boutique labels Haywire and Bartier Scholefield but is equally committed to bringing small producers from field to market. The winery is not open regularly to the public but is designed to be a shared working space for winemakers to work closely together. Tastings and visits to the winery can be made by appointment through Alison Scholefield at [email protected].

Accolades

Bartier Scholefield Rosé Review on Tim Pawsey’s www.HiredBelly.com | “Bartier Scholefield 2010 Rosé gets better every time we taste it. Looks pretty too. Lovely salmon colour in the glass, raspberry earthy notes on top.” Recommendation in Georgia Straight by Jurgen Gothe | This one delivers hints of ripe strawberries as well as truffles—no mean feat!—for an intriguing—guess the grapes, Uncle Frank!—dinner companion. Not-quite-salmon-but-beyond-apricot is the colour. Think I could sell that to Sherwin-Williams? Great, crisp finish. Bartier Scholefield White Review by Christopher Waters in The London Free Press, 24 Hours Edmonton, 24 Hours Vancouver, Fort MacMurray Today | It boasts terrific integration and focused peach/apricot character that makes real the cliché that a blended wine is better than the sum of its parts. Made in a unoaked, old school way to amplify the flavours that came with the fruit, you could say it’s a “no B-S white.” Haywire Pinot Gris One of Julianna Hayes Top Wine Picks for 2011 – Okanagan Saturday | “Intense aromas of pear, golden apple, yellow grapefruit and lemon meringue pie. Delivers all that character on the palate with mineral and mouthwatering acidity. Stylish. Reviewed by Kasey Wilson in The Globe and Mail | It’s a deliciously pure, fresh white that displays citrus and delicate mineral nuances highlighting our lighter West Coast cuisine. Influential Tuscan-born winemaker Alberto Antonini acts as a consultant to Haywire, helping craft terroir-driven wines like this one. Review in Tidings by Harry Herstscheg, 89 points | Fragrant orchard blossoms tease the nose, while ripe pear flavour rides lemony acidity along a crisp, lively palate. Generous lees contact gives a rounder mouthfeel. Flinty minerality lingers. Haywire Rosé Reviewed in the Okanagan Sunday | “Haywire 2010 Rose ($25) – Cranberry, cherry, blood orange with some earthy notes. Refreshing.” Review in Tidings by Harry Herstscheg, 88 points | “Attractive salmon pink colour. Delightful scents of all manner of red fruit. Bright cherry and cranberry flavour upfront set up lean, lingering mineral notes. Haywire Pinot Noir Reviewed in Vines magazine | On the nose this has pleasing strawberry and pepper notes. The palate keeps that same delicious peppery character, with the addition of cherry and some subtle herbaceous hints. Some slight grip from fine tannins adds structure and great acidity on the finish rounds out this truly enjoyable wine.”