I hope you've been enjoying the beautiful Japanese cherry blossoms that are blooming all over the city! During Spring, I love to get out some chilled white and rosé wines for a nice picnic in the park as the temperatures get higher, the sun shines longer, and shoulders get tanner. April is BC Wine Month, so in support of local wineries, I’m sharing my thoughts on Kitsch Winery’s Spring Wines. Kitsch Winery is located in East Kelowna and I absolutely adore their wines and brand. I visited them last summer and loved their hip, cute, laidback tasting room set up in a garage with a beautiful view of their vineyard and the Okanagan valley (Read more about Kitsch winery here). Their spring wines include their Block Party, Rosé, and Pinot Gris. Let me say, I’ve never been more excited for this season till I tried these wines. Mmmhmm, they were all so delicious, juicy, and brought warmth to my heart. So if you’re looking for some tasty wines for chill vibes, then keep reading to see which wine will make Spring even more fun.
Kitsch Rosé 2020
Of course, I start off with rosé - my favourite blend! I’ve found that many BC rosés are dry to the tea, and honestly, it’s a trend I’m not in favor of. But this rosé is different because it’s more refreshing, thirst-quenching, and juicy - which I LOVE. Kitsch blended hand-harvested Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris grapes for this. What I found unique about the winemaking process was that the grapes were crushed by foot treading, not the usual method of machine crushing (if a winery ever has an opportunity for me to crush some grapes with my feet, sign me up)! Also, the wine has a gorgeous hue of pink from having only 48-hours of skin contact. Now to get to the good stuff – nose and notes. The flavours include fresh red fruits like strawberries and raspberries, as well as, some grapefruit, lemon, and hibiscus. This rosé is light-bodied with a light finish, low acidity, and has a touch of sweetness with a residual sugar of 2.9g/L. Overall, this is one of the best rosés I’ve had that I’d buy a case in a heartbeat.
The first wine I really liked from Kitsch was their 2019 Block Party, so I was most excited to try their 2020 vintage. If you love their rosé, this wine takes it up a notch. When you initially smell it, you’ll notice some passion fruit, lemon zest, and green apple notes. Then when you taste it, it brings a lot of juicy ripe fruit notes to your palate since it's a blended compilation of 5 varietals - Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürtraminer, and Pinot Noir. Yummmmy!!! The fruity notes in this wine truly cover the scope of a rainbow. You’ve got green fruit (apple, pear), citrus (lime, lemon, orange blossom), lots of tropical fruit (pineapples, lychee, passionfruit), and stone fruit (peaches and apricots). Some other notes you’ll find are honeysuckle, cranberries, and candy. Since this blend is Riesling dominant, Block Party has a medium body, alcohol (12.5% abv), and acidity, and is seemingly sweeter than the Rosé, despite having a lower residual sugar level of 2.2g/L because it's more "fruit-forward" with the ripe fruit notes. What’s nice is that it has a medium finish, so the flavours linger on your palate for a bit. Not only is this wine a compilation of varietals, but it’s also made from a compilation of winemaking techniques. The fermentation process included the use of various vessels including yeast over 45 days, which is a longer and more complex process than what was used for the Rosé and Pinot Gris (learn more about the winemaking process here). To end this off, pair this wine with good music, a couple of friends, and any food – bbq chicken, small appetizers, whatever floats your boat.
This Pinot Gris reminded me of the first signs of spring because of its herbaceous, fresh, green fruit tasting profile. The wine has a pale lemon color with a light body, crisp acidity, and minerality. On the nose, I could smell light grassy, lime notes. On the palate, I tasted zesty lemon, green apple, and pear notes. The residual sugar is low, sitting at 2.2 g/L, so it’d be considered dry. The alcohol content is medium at 12.5% abv, which is average for this varietal. Overall, I'm not a big fan of this Pinot Gris, but I'm not that big of a fan of this varietal in general. I can say that Kitsch has made a light and balanced Pinot Gris, so if the flavour profile sounds like something you'd like, then try it. The best food pairing with this would be any type of salad, but preferably ones without meat because the strong flavour can throw off the taste of the wine.
Let me know in the comments which wine you want to try 👇👇
Enjoy the sunshine!
- Deanna