Blasted Church Vineyards is named after an incident in 1929 when a church congregation wanted to dismantle an old wooden church and bring it back to Okanagan Falls.
They tried taking apart the church, but the rusty square nails damaged the building as they were removed. So Harley Hatfield came up with the plan of hanging dynamite from the rafters of the church and creating an explosion to loosen the nails.
Incredibly, the steeple was destroyed, but the rest of the church survived. The nails were loosened, and the church was able to be transported and rebuilt in Okanagan Falls. The steeple was rebuilt, and the church is still active in the Okanagan Falls community.
One of the winery's wines, Hatfield’s Fuse, is named after Harley Hatfield and the dynamite he used.
The winery was formerly called Prpich Hills Winery. Blasted Church Vineyards was established by the Campbell family in 2002. The winery is known for its cheeky religious motifs. In 2020, Sean Morrison purchased a majority interest in the winery.
The current winemaker is Evan Saunders. He joined Blasted Church in 2014 as a cellar hand, then became assistant winemaker, and was promoted to winemaker at Blasted Church in 2017. Saunders also spent three years at Osoyoos Larose and travelled to Sonoma for a Pinot Noir harvest at Kosta Browne.
I was given an opportunity to taste a number of Blasted Church Vineyards’ wines from their 2024 vintage. The grapes in the Okanagan were decimated by a severe cold snap in January 2024, and over 90 per cent of the crop was lost.
As such, B.C. wineries are allowed to use grapes from other jurisdictions to produce their wines for the 2024 vintage. The grapes used to produce these wines come from the Andrews Family Vineyards in Washington State.
Blasted Church 2024 Grenache Rosé
This is a delicious rosé to ease your way from the summer into early autumn. This is made 100 per cent with Grenache grapes. The wine was fermented in neutral French oak barrels and then aged in barrels for six months before spending an additional month in stainless steel tanks. You will get strawberries, cranberries, and floral elements on the nose with strawberries, cherry, apricots, and red plums on the palate. It is available at the winery for $26.
Blasted Church 2024 Sauvignon Blanc
The wine was fermented in neutral French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. The barrel and tank portions were given slightly different treatments to preserve the fresh, herbal character of the Sauvignon Blanc while also integrating the rich, tropical side of the variety. You will get honey and citrus on the nose. On the palate, it is a medium-acidity wine with honey and peaches on the palate, followed by a grapefruit and gooseberry finish. This is available at the winery for $28.
Blasted Church 2024 Pinot Gris
This white wine has tangerine, white peach, and talcum powder aromas on the nose. It will give you pear, tart lemon squares, and stone fruit on the palate with a musty, lemon peel aftertaste. You can find this at the winery for $24.
Blasted Church 2024 Big Bang Theory
This red wine is a blend of 60-per-cent Merlot, 24-per-cent Syrah and 16-per-cent Malbec. The wine was aged six months in French oak barrels before release. You will get dark fruit, vanilla, and forest floor on the aroma. On the palate, you will get black cherry and red plums with a charcoal aftertaste. This wine exhibits good tannin and acidity levels. It is available at the winery for $26.
I found all the wines I tasted very approachable and ready to be consumed without further aging. I fully support B.C. wineries like Blasted Church Vineyards, which price wines at affordable levels that give good value for the price.
For my full review of these wines, see my video here.
Until next time, happy drinking!
Tony Kwan is a Richmond News columnist. Lawyer by day, and a food and wine lover by night. Kwan is an epicurean who writes about wine, food and enjoying all that life has to offer.
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