First blog post - Welcome to BC Wine Nerd
- dre5074
- Jun 1, 2023
- 5 min read
“And Out Come the Wines”: A Jason Parkes Customs Wine Tasting Event
First, I want to say Welcome to BC Wine Nerd. My apologies for my tardy launch of this site. After a journey, here we are. If you follow my IG (ok_wino) there, you will see homemade gluten-free meals with BC wine pairings. Here I’ll post my restaurant reviews, winery reviews, wine/food events, and some learning about the wine industry—Facebook and Instagram for the visuals and pics and this site will be a journey of experiences.
As I said earlier, I’ve been a bit tardy finally getting this website going. The original plan was to present a review of my visit to District Wine Village in Oliver, BC. I would follow it up with thoughts on my tastings at the individual wineries in District Wine Village. Then plans adjusted to something new—a wine-tasting event for a winery that hasn’t done this before. So on May 31, I attended “And Out Come The Wines,”: A Jason Parkes Customs Wine Tasting Event.
Before diving into this event, I will turn face-first into an easy observation. If you peruse my IG
page, you will see many pairings with wines from the Jason Parkes Customs (JPC) family of wineries. I’m a massive fan of theirs and have followed them since their inception with The hatch. Before there was Black Swift and Crown & Thieves, there was only The hatch. And now, each is sharing the load of multiple labels/lines of wine. Imagine running all those labels under one banner?!? The grand design culminating in three wineries, each with its own style and artistic approach, seems exceptionally lofty initially. But their sense of humour - as the printed statement on the wine corks about yeast, to a hidden story behind some imagery hiding in plain sight on one of their wine labels, to mishaps with winemaking that create a unique report. This winery has always run with tremendous tongue-in-cheek humour, allowing ease and approachability. I always recommend one of these wineries to visit when asked for recommendations. In their wine club, you get a unique welcome box that changes throughout the year. When I first joined their wine club when they first brought them out they gave out metal membership cards!! Seriously, solid metal.
I do not earn any $$ or comp gifts from any of these wineries under JPC. I’m a genuine fan who enjoys what they put out.
“And out come the wines” is the first tasting event JPC has done, as far as I can remember, and this gets confirmation by one of their team members Nina. This exclusive event features a selection of 16 wines—the most delicious wines from The hatch, Black Swift Vineyards, Crown & Thieves. Jason Parkes was also supposed to speak with a “special guest,” but I didn’t stay long enough. Hey, chill….before you start judging; this event runs from 5:30-9:00 pm.
As I walk up to the location for this event, the rooftop patio of Craft Beer Market, I hear a random “hello, Mr.Douglas!” from the most chill man who manifests a chill groove atmosphere around him, Grayson, the GM of Black Swift. It’s fun getting recognized for customer loyalty. I’ve always enjoyed walking into The hatch, but when it’s always so friendly, welcoming, and inviting makes for a costly love affair. After this warm greeting outside of the venue, I headed in. Now, anyone familiar with the Kelowna summer sun will know and recognize the skillful planning of numerous oversized black patio umbrellas. Providing tons of shade and the cool breeze from the lake reinforced why I love living in Kelowna. I’m glad I arrived at 5:30 pm, as only half of the top patio floor was sectioned out for this event. Still, the number of tickets of the time entry management didn’t result in an overly-crowded event. However, it was in line to enter where the “buttering up” started. I was handed a glass and told I’d get some bubbly for being in line. I thought this was a nice touch…little did I know the other show was about to drop. I give my name they give me a “menu” of everything available for tasting, along with an order form. AND THEN, they dared to add that there was a different member discount tonight - 25% per dozen & 20% per half-dozen!
I am so screwed. Good luck reigning this in.
The first table tasting was at Black Swift Vineyards, where Grayson is stationed. Starting a small group of 6-9 people in a tasting, he proceeds with great humour in The Long Road, followed by The Longest Road Chardonnay each from 2021. I enjoyed the one that is more like classic Chablis. My wife loves the one seeing wood treatment. I then move to their reds - Gamay Noir 2020, Syrah 2016, and Cab Sauv 2019. Tasting all of these, it was hard to choose any as I’ve got some of each in my cellar already, which gives me more room to play with at the other two tables. Don’t get me wrong, I still got some, just not as much.
Next is Crown & Thieves. Starting with the 2021 Roussanne. The “better than Sauv Blanc” white! Wow, I agree. Followed by the 2019 Dimmer Mort blend of pinot noir and cabernet franc - this one sang to me as it’s a blend of my top two favourite reds. Next, the 2014 Broken Wing Merlot is an explosion of flavours that may be at its peak, and I know I have some of this in my collection. And the 2018 Dimber Damber is a cab sauv, merlot, and cab franc blend.
And the last table with seven tastings! Good lord, I”m so happy I planned on taking a cab home. First is the “white wine for red wine drinkers,” the 2021 Dynasty white, a blend of pinot gris, muller thurgau, viognier, and Roussanne. This is a very full-bodied white. They had one red chilled that gave me an idea for a wine pairing with dinner—a Fistful Of Mothballs 2018. I’ve always enjoyed the next ones as I have them - The Greatest Love Of Mal a Malbec 2017, Merlot Rider of Merlot 2017, and Franc Says Relax Cabernet Franc from 2019. All are lovingly crafted with a gracefully managed wood treatment program. Then the Fifty Shades of J, a 2017 red blend of Merlot Cab franc and cab sauv. I had forgotten that this was for Jason’s 50th birthday. And The Unicorn Of The Sea 2019 red blend of Syrah and Malbec.
The “menu” given at the start has a wealth of great information, including “Peak Range” to drink, “Wine Analysis,” and description. I’m getting plenty of value from my wine club membership. This event is a great way to bolster up some of those older vintages that are harder to find. I’m delighted to add to my collection and look forward to future events like this.
Check out
The Hatching Post (brewery)
Cheers 🥂
-DD
PS - You can visit my Instagram or Facebook page to see more pictures from this visit. “And Out Come the Wines”: A Jason Parkes Customs Wine Tasting Event
PPS - Thank you for following along on this wine journey together.
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