Zephyr through Stone
Blue Mountain’s Gravel Force Pinot Noir 2023 first caught me with its perfume: red cherry, lychee and potpourri over a concentrated, juicy core. Zephyr Through Stone came from that contrast, with fragrant wind revealing the structure underneath, then carrying the same idea into music. It is a taste that honours the land.
空の羽 — Sora no Hane
Born from Martin’s Lane Hyland Vineyard Riesling 2024, 空の羽 — Sora no Hane transforms an unexpected vintage into a song about becoming stronger through change. A cold snap altered the wine’s path; botrytis gave it greater depth. From that tension emerged the image of a white dove in an open sky—and a bilingual song in which hardship becomes wind, scars become light, and Ava claims her moment to fly.
Checkmate Artisanal Winery
What Checkmate also has going for them is the human element that is actually rarely seen by other wineries we have visited thus far in the Okanagan Valley.
Le Vieux Pin Equinox Syrah 2012
Alluring and restrained at the same time. It is the Lion King of the Pride Rock kind of a wine.