Plume is a chameleon.
The distinction label of Quails' Gate Estate Winery in West Kelowna was originally started in 2009 to bottle wines made of grapes from the renowned Napa and Sonoma regions of California.
And then, some grapes from the Similkameen Valley, next door to the Okanagan, made their way into Plume's line up.
And now, with no grape crop in the Okanagan in 2024 because of the deep freeze, Plume is also utilizing grapes from Washington state and Oregon.
"The 2024 wines are the next chapter in that story," said Quails' Gate and Plume senior winemaker Jeff Del Nin.
"All this started before Trump was elected and started causing chaos. Plume has always been a label for our wines that are not 100% Okanagan. So, it was only natural to expand the use of the Plume name after Okanagan grapes were hard hit in 2021 (by the heat dome), 2023 (by cold) and 2024 (by even fiercer cold)."
By the way, the Plume name has a tie-in to Quails' Gate as a plume is that showy feather on a quail's head.
Currently there are five wines in the Plume line up available at the wine shop at Quails' Gate, to the wine club, in select restaurants and online at: https://www.quailsgate.
- Plume 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon ($52)
Made of Similkameen Valley grapes at the West Kelowna winery.
Big and dark and smooth with a blackcurrant, black licorice and violet profile.
- Plume 2023 Pinot Noir ($48)
Made by Quails' Gate of grapes from Oregon's Willamette Valley.
Classic aromas and flavours of black cherry, purple flower and herbs.
- Plume 2024 Rose of Pinot Noir
Oregon grown, crafted in BC.
Pretty pink with a profile of wild strawberries, rose petal and orange peel.
- Plume 2024 Chenin Blanc
Washington state grapes, wine finished at the West Kelowna facility.
A combination of stainless-steel tanks, concrete eggs and neutral oak barrels were used for fermenting and aging to give complexity, texture and extra mouthfeel to this peachy, limey and honeyed beauty.
- Plume 2024 Pinot Gris
Oregon grapes, Okanagan-style of crisp pear and fresh lemon with elegant texture and mouthfeel thanks to the stainless steel and neutral barrels used in production.
Aperol spritz
Aperol and Toronto-based public relations firm Heads+Tales has declared Aperol spritz the must-sip cocktail of the summer.
They call it light, refreshing and effortlessly social for everyone from music festival lovers and sunset chasers to bar hoppers and patio loungers.
And, they're right.
The immediate demographic for this clear orange cocktail is young women looking for something pretty and bubbly to drink.
But, that demo has ballooned to include guys on bachelor party weekends, middle-aged and wrinkly couples.
Aperol is the low-alcohol (11% alcohol by volume) liqueur made of rhubarb, the bark of the cinchona evergreen tree, bitter root of the blue European flower gentian and other proprietary ingredients.
It's bright orange and somewhat bitter.
But, mix it in a cocktail of three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part club soda and pour it over a load of ice in a big wine glass garnished with an orange slice and you have the perfect balance of bubbles, brightness and citrus with just the right amount of bitter tang.
Aperol is part of the beverage company Campari Group, based in Milan, Italy, eponymously named after another bitter liqueur.
Also in the group is orange liqueur Grand Marnier, Wild Turkey whisky, Appleton rum, Espolon tequila and Lallier Champagne.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
