by Treve Ring | If you haven’t heard of Culmina Family Estate Winery (yet), you most certainly have heard of the family behind it. The Triggs family is a legend in the Canadian wine industry (yes, of Jackson-Triggs). Donald Triggs left the successful, groundbreaking winery years ago to try his hand at retirement, but that didn’t last long.

Enter Culmina, one of the most innovative, meticulously planned and funded winery projects in the Okanagan Valley in – well, ever. Donald and family researched their higher altitude site on the Golden Mile Bench to the nth degree – including the soils and climate – before they planted their first grape. They found a select terroir and site up on the Bench that they believed worthy of making exceptional wine, so the retirement plans were modified to include building a state of the art winery, stunning tasting room and investing in the family’s next generation (his daughter Sara) to carry the Triggs name forward in Canadian wine. As the name suggests, this polished rosé is made in the saignée method, bleeding juice off of its big brother wine, Hypothesis (a blend of cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon).

Once you crack the code of the glass topped vino lock and allow some air time on this peach pink hued rosé, darker herbal raspberry, salted herbs and thorny rock rose aromas emerge. The full bodied palate carries strawberry rhubarb, rambled red currant, quince and fine pink peppercorn spice. Watch for nice spice throughout, lifted with prickly acidity and finishing with herbal saltiness. This 14 percent rosé is best enjoyed over salmon and wild mushrooms for brunch.

I asked winemaker Pascal Madevon about the Message in a Bottle of the Culmina Rosé 2014.

Culmina 2014 Saignée Rosé | Oliver, Okanagan Valley, BC | $22

Straight up – why did you make this wine? Because it’s a pleasure to do a rosé from the Okanagan Valley in a southern French style.

Where are the grapes from? 100% from Arise Bench on Culmina’s property in the Golden Mile Bench

Your ideal pairing with this wine would be…? Avec saussison et baguette

Favourite BC wine? Culmina’s 2013 Hypothesis.

What do you drink when you’re not drinking BC wine? Medoc.

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