Wineries are often named for their location. Calona Wines is obviously located in Kelowna. Mount Boucherie Winery is named after the highest elevation in West Kelowna.
What about Perseus Winery? It’s named after a far out location. The winery is at the southern end of the lovely Naramata Bench, just minutes away from Penticton. But it’s much farther away from the original Perseus it is named after.
Perseus, one of largest constellations in the northern sky, is composed of stars between 200 and 1600 light years above the Naramata vineyards.
I recently enjoyed a tasting of Perseus wines led by the manager, or should I say celestial overseer, Lindsey Richardson. She described the Perseus 2017 Pinot Gris ($18.99) as “celestial”, hinting at the star-like qualities of this popular white.
Richardson continued, “The Pinot Gris harvest was in mid-October when the Perseus constellation was hovering overhead of our Pinot Gris vineyard.” She described the wine as possessing “beautiful crisp acidity to it, and lovely melon flavours.” A long dry season allowed the grapes to ripen fully and because the forest fires were early before the grapes developed, there was no smoke to contaminate their delicate flavour.
Both the Gris and the next wine are two wonderful drinks for patio sipping and dining. The Perseus 2017 Roséis made from 35 year old Gamay Noir vines grown on their West Kelowna vineyard There’s about five grams per litre of residual sugar so it’s dry and with 22 hours of skin contact, it has some great flavours.
Richardson describes the Perseus Rosé($19.99) as, “Smooth but bold at the same time so you’ve got a little hint of smoked paprika and some ripe red fruit next to it with good acid, and well balanced with a clean finish.”
“I can’t wait to pair this one with a feta and watermelon salad a little bit of salt and mint. Just a hit of sugar to accentuate the nose,” Richardson recommended. Try this recipe with this Perseus pink: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/watermelon-feta-salad-with-mint/#wprm-recipe-container-43040.
Next in the tasting was the 2016 Cabernet Merlot ($19.99), which recently won a medal at the Cascadia Competition. It's a blend of Cabernet Franc, which adds smoothness and a chocolate character, Merlot which pumps in plummy fleshiness, and Cabernet Sauvignon which contributes backbone.
Richardson praises the Cab Merlot’s versatility, “Crack it open, don’t feel guilty, enjoy with pizza on a Tuesday night. Wine is incorporated into your lifestyle. For those moments under the stars, your celebratory moments, your Tuesday night moments.”
And she saved the very best for last, the Perseus Invictus ($54.99), a wine Prince Harry and Megan would be proud of. As Richardson described, “It’s our 10th anniversary wine. It’s so beautiful. Cab Franc is our winemaker’s favourite grape and he does a great job with it. These are all grapes from the southern Okanagan, fermented with natural yeasts.”
The Perseus Invicutus is the coveted recipient of the2017 Lieutenant Governor’s award as well as several international Platinum wine awards. This iconic Bordeaux style blend is indicative of the potential Okanagan wines can achieve.
Eric Hanson is a BC wine enthusiast and educator
Ehanson0705@gmail.com
