Alex Nel has the winning touch.
The winemaker from Fort Berens Estate in Lillooet helped the winery to its best-ever showing at the WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada with a No. 3 Best Small Winery in Canada ranking and six medals.
"People might think Lillooet is in the middle of nowhere and might be surprised that we did so well at The Nationals," said Nel.
"But really, Lillooet (population: 2,300 in the Fraser Canyon along Highway 99, about half-way between Whistler and Kamloops) has the perfect climate for growing grapes and making wine."
Fort Berens is Lillooet's first winery dating back to 2009 and only one other winery has opened in the region since -- Cliff & Gorge.
Nel hails from South Africa and worked there as a winemaker before jaunts in California, France and New Zealand.
He was attracted to Fort Berens and Lillooet in 2020 for its reputation for quality and phenomenal locale testing the northernmost reaches of winemaking.
Lillooet may be north by winemaking standards, but its long summers with hot days and cool nights ripens both white and red grapes to perfection.
Nel capitalizes on that to make fresh and lively whites and rose and elegantly-oaked reds that are soft, juicy, fruit-forward and ready to drink right away.
A prime example of that is the 2020 Pinot Noir ($35) that snagged a platinum medal at The Nationals.
The 2019 Merlot Reserve ($40), 2019 Merlot (sold out) and 2021 Gruner Veltliner ($25) won gold and the Pinot Gris 2021 ($22) and 2019 Cabernet Franc Reserve ($32) were awarded silver.
The top 10 small wineries in Canada are:
1. SpearHead in East Kelowna
2. La Frenz in Naramata
3. Fort Berens in Lillooet
4. Hidden Bench in Niagara
5. Kismet in Oliver
6. Painted Rock in Penticton
7. Meyer Family in Okanagan Falls
8. Synchromesh in Naramata
9. Van Westen in Naramata
10. Lake Breeze in Naramata
Fort Berens was also No. 6 on the Top 10 Wineries in BC list and No. 8 on the Top 25 Wineries in Canada list.
The Nationals judged almost 2,000 wines from more than 250 wineries.
Aussie-style Semillon
Ever heard of Semillon?
The white wine is rare in the Okanagan.
And even in the land of its origin -- France's famous Bordeaux -- Semllion is used as second fiddle in the white Bordeaux blend in which Sauvignon Blanc is the star.
It took Australia's Hunter Valley to really put Semillon in the spotlight, specializing in 100% Semillon wines with an exciting apple, lemon curd and waxy honey profile.
So, when it came time for Red Rooster Winery in Naramata to craft its first Semillon, winemaker Elaine Vickers went with the Hunter Valley-style.
She made sure the wine was aged an extra year in the bottle -- to develop a yummy, round mouthfeel -- before the 2020 Semillon was released this summer.
Only 117 cases were made, so the Semillon is only available at the winery in Naramata, online and to Red Rooster Wine Club members for $30.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column will appear in this space every Friday afternoon.
