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Desert Hills (Black Sage, Oliver)
By Carolyn Coles
Also read:Wine Tasting 101 - Are you ready and willing to experiment with new wine selections and tastes but don't necessarily want to become a serious connoisseur?...
Brothers Randy and Jesse Toor recently founded Desert Hills Estate Winery after having planted land on the Black Sage bench with vinifera. It is a family-run estate winery and is located in a non-descript building dwarfed by the sizeable house adjacent to it (be sure to turn left folks!). Wines: Desert Hills production, like others on the Black Sage, is primarily focused on red wines. The winerys most popular wine among a quirky mix of varieties is Syrah.
Desert Hills Estate Winery currently produces: 2005 Unoaked Chardonnay
2005 Pinot Gris
2005 Gamay Noir
2003 Meritage
2003 Syrah (regular and select) Notes on Tastings: Like all Okanagan Wineries, Desert Hills gets busy in the summer. Parking space is not overly abundant, and the driveway is narrow. Tastings are free, however ID is required for people who appear to be under 25. The tasting room is small and relatively standard, and the staff (at least when we were there) was polite, if not overly cordial. Tours are offered throughout the summer.
Last Word: If you have extra time, make the stop. They make some fabulous wines and are an easy visit just off of Black Sage road. Burrowing Owl Estate Winery is just a few minutes further down the road, and if it's spectacular scenery you are looking for, venture that way.
Also by Carolyn Coles:Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards - Formerly LaCompte Estate Winery, Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards sit atop Hawthorne Mountain, and from a distance it almost looks as though the rows of plants could slide right off of it. This is one of the highest altitude wineries in Canada and is more of a destination winery as it requires a bit of a deviation from the beaten path. Burrowing Owl Estate Winery - Burrowing Owl Estate Winery had its first commercial wine release in 1997, however its vineyards were planted earlier in 1993. Since then, the winery has received widespread accolades for its wines, particularly its red vintages, resulting annually in sold-out inventory. Blasted Church (Okanagan Falls) - Blasted Church (the winery) sits atop a bluff overlooking Skaha Lake, providing it with a lovely vista. Visitors can enjoy the view from benches in the parking lot, or from the tasting room, which is located inside a little log house. Published by Tim Martiniuk and Carolyn Coles, founders of the Okanagan Wine Guide. http://www.okanaganwineguide.com/deserthills.html
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