It’s time to enjoy the fleeting rays of summer during this September Labour Day Weekend! Time Winery in Penticton has three wines that will add a splash of flavour and enjoyment. For example, take the 2018 Time Viognier ($20.99 on sale.)
Viognier is a white grape whose traditional home is France’s Condrieu region in the Rhone Valley. But in the past couple of decades, Viognier has met with success transplanted in California, Australia, and B.C.
Time’s Viognier is much like Okanagan fruit ripening in the orchards. There’s a generous bouquet of stonefruit. Plus it has a smooth viscous feel in the mouth. But the real delights are the rich seductive flavours of peach, apricot, and nectarine along with soft acid and a balanced orangey finish.
This Viognier would be delicious with a wide variety of foods including spicy dishes from Thai curry to Punjabi rogan josh and butter chicken.
Another delicious Time wine is the 2016 Syrah ($34.99). Its traditional home is also the Rhone, but it has been very successfully transplanted in Australia and B.C. This mature red wine is 100-per-cent Syrah, fermented from grapes grown at Oliver’s Sundial Vineyard and Osoyoo’s Saddle Ridge Vineyard.
It displays a generous bouquet of black and blue fruit. I really enjoyed the rich blueberry, blackberry, and black currant flavours, the full but smooth body, and the chocolate and black pepper finish. Pepper steak or chicken tagine with prunes and olives would be perfect paired with the Time Syrah.
Finally, there’s Time Fourth Dimension ($35). When the late Harry McWatters opened Time Winery in downtown Penticton two years ago, it was his swan song and he wanted to play with the idea of time on his labels. “Albert Einstein famously characterized “time” as the fourth dimension. In tribute to this is a blend of four varieties: Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.” Each variety is grown in its own vineyard in either Osoyoos or Oliver, the southern most part of the Okanagan, which is known for producing premium reds.
Time’s Fourth Dimension has a full body with a touch more tannin than their Syrah. The nose reveals black and red fruit with a splash of cocoa. Ripe boysenberries, plum, and black cherry flavours delight the palate plus there’s some leather to add interest and it finishes on a licorice finale.
Fourth Dimension is a complex wine that’s easy to enjoy. Serve with any meat dish such as Italian Osso Buco or Lamb Shanks cooked in some of the Fourth Dimension.
If you taste two wines side by side, you’ll be able to pick out the similarities and differences and your level of appreciation will be raised. I’d recommend you compare the Fourth Dimension which has 29% of Syrah in the blend, with the Syrah which is 100% Syrah.
Time wines are available in Richmond at Ironwood Save-on Foods. If you are travelling to the central Okanagan in the near future, plan a visit to the Time Winery and Kitchen. It’s a fully functioning winery with a tasting bar and restaurant, located in the heart of the Okanagan wine country in downtown Penticton. Reserve a tasting and a meal at their website.
Eric Hanson is a life-long Richmond resident, retired teacher and wine educator. Eric has also taught wine appreciation courses in Richmond and throughout Metro Vancouver for many years. He continues to be a journalistic ambassador for the enchanting world of wine through his weekly column.
