Winery Visits: Daily 10 am-5:30 pm Easter to Oct 31st / Mon-Sat 11 am-4 pm Nov 1st to Easter

Location: 799 Ponderosa Road, Oliver, BC

Website: www.road13vineyards.com

Phone: 250-498-8330

I recently had the chance to taste through some of Road 13 Vineyard’s best reserve bottles. The winery, located in the Okanagan’s Golden Mile, has some of the oldest Chenin vines in Canada, planted in 1968. They’re having fun making a wide variety of wines, and experimenting with Rhone varietals like viognier, mourvedre, and syrah. GM Joe Luckhurst was on hand to walk us through the tasting, and he explained the Jackpot series is named for the old gold mine once open near the property.

The 2011 Jackpot Chardonnay ($40) stood out among the whites, and is the perfect gift for the Chardonnay hound in your life. Full bodied, vanilla finish, barrel fermented in French oak, this is a big, ripe, smooth wine that tasted like “liquid luck”.

Among the reds, their 2011 Jackpot Syrah ($40) was notable for its incredible nose, with tobacco smoke, and an earthy, savoury leather character. It tasted of ripe cherries and blackcurrant, with a pleasant meaty note and silky tannins. This would be a real hit with your next Sunday lamb roast.

Also of note was the 2011 Petit Verdot, at $75, a contender for the next big cult BC wine. Opaque ruby in the glass, this had candied violets and mocha on the nose, with big high acid black fruit and a long peppery finish. Lay it down for a couple of years, and you would have a spectacular special occasion wine.

All the wines we tasted were well made, with attention to detail and obvious pride. While the whites shared a full bodied style, with a distinct mouth coating waxiness, moderate acidity, and interesting character, the crowd pleasers were the ripe, luscious reds. Road 13 is making some great wines which are worth seeking out.

Road 13 Vineyards

799 Ponderosa Road, Road 13
Oliver, BC V0H 1T1
Phone: 250.498.8330