More from Canadian Wine Country



By John ~ September 2nd, 2009.

Vineyard in the Okanagan ValleyAs regular Wine Peeps readers know, we recently spent a long weekend in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, relaxing, visiting family friends, and of course, wine tasting. Kori wrote a nice post recapping our weekend and sharing our thoughts and ratings of the wines that we tasted.

LaGayle and I stayed over an extra day after Kori and her family left  to celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary, and as you might expect, we also found time to visit three more Okanagan Valley wineries, La Stella Winery, Le Vieux Pin, and Nk’Mip Cellars. It was only fitting that our favorite of the three was La Stella, since my mother’s first name was Stella.

La Stella and Le Vieux are small boutique wineries under common ownership, while Nk’Mip is a larger winery which is a partnership between the Osoyoos Indians and Vincor. In addition to the winery, Nk’Mip has a complete entertainment complex including a resort, restaurant, and desert cultural center.

Nk’Mip CellarsAs with the first part of this trip, we were impressed with the friendliness and professionalism of the folks in the tasting rooms. Each of these three wineries provided a take-home tasting sheet with their wine information on it and provided water and crackers to cleanse your palate.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name and region will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2008 La Stella Lastellina Merlot Rosato, Okanagan Valley, $25, QPR: 5
2008 La Stella Leggierro Unoaked Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, $25, QPR: 5

2008 Nk’Mip QwAM QwMT Riesling Icewine, Okanagan Valley, $60, QPR: 3
2006 La Stella Maestoso Merlot, Okanagan Valley, $85, QPR: 2

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Nk’Mip QwAM QwMT Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley, $29.99, QPR: 5
2006 Le Vieux Pin Emoi Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, $35, QPR: 4
2006 La Stella Allegreto Merlot, Okanagan Valley, $38, QPR: 3
2006 Le Vieux Pin Epoque Merlot, Okanagan Valley, $38, QPR: 3
2006 Le Vieux Pin Apogee Merlot, Okanagan Valley, $65, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2007 Nk’Mip QwAM QwMT Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, $24.99, QPR: 3
2007 Nk’Mip Winemaker’s Series Pinot Blanc, Okanagan Valley, $16.99, QPR: 2
2008 La Stella Vivace Pinot Grigio, Okanagan Valley, $25, QPR: 1
2006 Nk’Mip QwAM QwMT Syrah, Okanagan Valley, $34.99, QPR: 1
2006 Le Vieux Pin Perigee Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, $45, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2008 Nk’Mip Winemaker’s Series Riesling Okanagan Valley, $17.99, QPR: NR
2007 Nk’Mip QwAM QwMT Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, $24.99, QPR: NR
2006 Nk’Mip QwAM QwMT Meritage, Okanagan Valley, $29.99, QPR: NR


Filed under: Cabernet Sauvignon, Canadian Wine, Chardonnay, Dessert Wine, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Merlot, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Riesling, Rose Wine, Shiraz/Syrah, White Wine, Wine Travel, Wines NOT To Buy (1 & 2 Star), Wines Over $25, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25

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