The Okanagan Crush Pad (OCP) in Summerland has never been shy about what they do. When they began their winery in 2009, their business model was an innovative custom crush business and their name reflected that.
The winery was also bold in its business model. When it opened its doors, the OCP had a capacity much larger than was needed. The available space was used to incubate other B.C. winery startups.
Now the custom crush service offering has run its course as sales of their own wines have grown and their house brands have taken over the production space that was previously used for clients.
The OCP was one of the first wineries to be organic and their wines reflected the terroir of the central Okanagan. It was also innovative in designing new techniques for aging wine in concrete.
Unlike stainless steel, concrete is porous and allows micro-oxygenation of the wine enabling the wine to breathe and evolve. Unlike oak, wine in concrete has a round mouthfeel and much greater purity of fruit flavour and colour. Furthermore, concrete adds a kiss of minerality, which introduces texture and complexity to the wine.
Another example of the Okanagan Crush Pad’s boldness was producing four brands of wine: Haywire, Narrative, Free Form and Bizou + Yukon wines.
Moreover, the Okanagan Crush Pad made a huge transformation by changing the name of the winery to Haywire. It was originally the name of one of the five brands but now Haywire is the name of the wine-producing facility and it is the headliner.
The winery has been under renovation since 2022. “The rebrand is a statement to our commitment to continue to take bold new steps forward as a winery team and define a style: bright, fresh, lively, and uncomplicated,” said Haywire Winery co-owner Christine Coletta.
Whereas the original bottle labels were innovative in being on light labels, today it’s commonplace with a lot of winery labels. Later this month, new and bold Haywire labels from the 2021 vintage will be introduced.
The new packaging reflects the distinctive artwork installed on the exterior of the new modern tasting lounge. Vancouver artist Scott Sueme created a bold and colourful mural that runs 150 feet long and is 20 feet high.
Here is the trio of the 2021 Haywire releases I recommend this week:
Haywire 2021 Pinot Gris Switchback Vineyards ($29.99, 92 points)
This dry white is one of my favourite Pinot Gris in B.C.! Produced from 100 per cent Pinot Gris fermented naturally and then aged in concrete tanks. It enjoys 11 months spent on the lees resulting in a complex wine with fine structure.
The Gris has a deep onion-skin colour and a very pleasant aroma which includes apple pie spice and ripe bosc pear. The flavour displays vibrant acidity with a tart quince character, minerals and an almost endless finish. Serve with roast chicken or duck à l’orange.
Haywire 2021 Pink Bub ($29.99, 91 points)
The Pink Bub is made from 100 per cent Pinot Blanc and fermented in large Italian concrete cylinders and then secondary fermentation in horizontal Charmat tanks. Daily stirring of the lees for three months enhanced the palate weight of the lush sparkling wine.
A drop of red wine was added to produce this lively pink and orange hue with lots of effervescence. It reveals a red berry aroma and has a sweet and sour flavour with lots of freshness.
It’s great to sip this invigorating bubbly on a cloudy rainy day in January or a sunny day in February. Pair with BBQ salmon.
Haywire 2021 Chardonnay ($29.99, 91 points)
Another delicious Haywire wine is the 2021 Chardonnay. This 100 per cent Chard was whole-bunch pressed and fermented in concrete tanks before malolactic fermentation converted the tart malic acid into a creamier lactic acid.
In the glass, there is a medium golden colour with an apple and peach aroma. Expect ripe fruit flavours with minerality and texture. Pair with oysters or Dungeness crab mac and cheese, or halibut in a white wine and cream sauce.
To order any of the new 2021 Haywire releases, click here.
For a limited time, the 2021’s are available only to Haywire Club members and shareholders.
The new Haywire website will be launched next week along with details on the experience guests can expect this spring and summer! And enjoy the bold!
