Ailm intends to challenge Champagne with Okanagan sparkling wines

Photo: Winemaker Rowan Stewart

The newest sparkling wine producer in the Okanagan is Ailm Estate, a label that has been launched by the Stewart family, owners of Quails’ Gate Estate Winery. Ailm is shooting high. “Our intention is to compete with the best sparkling wine in the world,” winemaker Rowan Stewart says. “As people taste it, there will be a recognition of the Okanagan’s potential for sparkling wine.”

Ailm is a letter in the Irish alphabet. It was chosen for the winery in tribute to the Stewart family’s Irish roots. The first member of the family to emigrate to the Okanagan in 1908, Richard Stewart, was a horticulturist who started a tree nursery near Kelowna. In the 1950s, his son – also named Richard – developed the West Kelowna vineyard, now home to the Quails’ Gate winery, which was started by Ben and Tony Stewart, grandsons of the first member of the family to settle in the valley. Rowan is one of several great-grandchildren behind Ailm.

The sparkling wine project is based in East Kelowna, on a large property which the Stewarts acquired in 1950 and operated as a tree farm. In 2014, the family decided to plant grapes instead. Because the site is cool, it was planned to be a sparking winery, based on traditional Champagne grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Ailm’s first three vintages of traditional method sparkling wine were laid down in 2020, 2021 and 2022 while plans were made for an onsite winery, complete with a tasting room and a restaurant. That was derailed, at least for the time being, by the devastating freezes in the winters of 2023 and 2024. These caused serious damage to East Kelowna vineyards. While the surviving vines recovered to produce about 100 tons of grapes in the fall of 2025, including 35 tons for sparkling, some of the property also has had to be replanted.

“So the vineyards have recovered,” Rowan says. “We did lose some vines but most of the Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay came through.” The Stewarts decided to press on with the Ailm project but to delay building a winery and tasting room until replanting has been completed. There may be a pop-up tasting room next summer in East Kelowna but the limited volumes of sparkling wine cannot yet support the original grand plans.

While the launch wines are almost exclusively bubble, there is one red wine in the portfolio, an $80 wine previously released in the Quails’ Gate portfolio.. “We have one other wine under the Ailm label: Connemara,” Rowan says. “This was a Quails’ Gate wine but there are reasons why we pivoted it. My grandfather said the only place in Ireland he liked was Connemara. When the farm [in West Kelowna] was named in the 1950s, it was called Connemara Farms. The part that is still called Connemara is the highest point of the vineyard. The Merlot that was in our old Connemara came from that site … one of the few places north of Penticton where you could ripen world-class Merlot. The blend of this wine is Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.”

Rowan has come to his role at Ailm with considerable experience. He has a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and enology from the Nelson Marlborough Institute in New Zealand, where he graduated in 2016. While there, he worked as a vineyard hand and in the cellars are several New Zealand wineries. When he returned to Canada, he spent three years with two large producers in the Niagara region in Ontario. He has been at Quails’ Gate and Ailm for the last six years.

Here are notes on the sparkling wines, available at the Quails’ Gate tasting room.

Ailm Brut N/V ($45). This wine is 57% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier, each fermented separately in stainless steel. The wine was on the lees for 24 months. The active mousse gives the wine a good texture and an appealing presentation in the glass. There are notes of citrus in the aroma and the palate. The finish is crisp and clean. 91.

Ailm Blanc de Blanc 2021 ($65). The Chardonnay for this wine is from the winery’s Westpoint Vineyard in East Kelowna. The wine had 28 months on the lees, resulting in a fine stream of bubbles and delicate notes of brioche in the aroma and the palate, along with refreshing touches of citrus. 93.

Ailm Brut Rosé 2022 ($65). This is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 20% each of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. There is a light blush in the glass, accentuating the active mousse. The wine has aromas and flavours that hint at strawberry. The finish is crisp and refreshing. 94.

Ailm Brut Reserve 2020 ($85). This is 82% Pinot Noir and 18% Chardonnay. Extended time on the lees (40 months) has given this wine a rich texture, with aromas and flavours of brioche. This is a sophisticated sparkling wine that could well have been made by a leading Champagne producer. 96.

Rust Winery plans to winter-proof its vineyards

Photo: Winemaker Ryan de Witte (courtesy Rust Wine Co.)

Rust Wine Co. is a sister winery to Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery but has concentrated on different varietals to set itself apart. These included a quartet of Syrah wines and a Zinfandel. Unfortunately for Rust, the January 2024 freeze devastated the winery’s sources of Syrah and Zinfandel. Winemaker Ryan de Witte has begun to make major changes in the portfolio, adding Pinot Noir and soon Sangiovese, Mondeuse and Barbera.

“Planting Sangiovese was a way of future proofing the vineyard to warmer summer temperatures as well as being hardier than the Zinfandel it is replacing,” Ryan explains. “It is mostly intended as a blending component for Solus, our halo wine but, if the vintage is good and the crops are equally generous, then we will bottle a varietal Sangiovese. It’s hard to decide what to put in premium sites as the variety needs to be one we can get a good price for (i.e. we don’t plant Pinot Gris there, but Sangiovese can fetch a fair price and is known by consumers – another problem as well). We talked about Tempranillo and some others but they were either too obscure or unlikely to make it through a severe winter.”

Ryan continues: “Mondeuse is an alpine red variety from the Savoie region of eastern France. It hits a bit like Syrah in that it ripens around the same time and can have a similar colour and weight, but it is a bit more delicate and tends to have higher acidity. Again, the hope with this is that this helps with warmer summers with its ability to retain acidity and, because it’s an Alpine grape, it will have some winter hardiness. It’s also a vanity project for me. I love the grape and have always wanted to plant it.”

As devastated as the vineyards were in 2024, they have “rebounded with aplomb” this year, Ryan reports. “We are awash with fruit and are excited to be making 100% BC wine again. We have not elected to purchase grapes from elsewhere this year but do not pass judgement on those who have elected to. We will be releasing an Oregon Pinot Noir from the 2024 vintage from the Laurelwood AVA in the coming year.” The current releases from Rust are from the 2022 and 2023 vintages. While 2022 was thought to have been the stronger vintage, Ryan did a great job with 2023. Here are my notes.

Rust Chardonnay 2022 ($N/A). This is a crisp and disciplined wine, with notes of citrus and apple mingled with minerality on the backbone. The wine was aged in French oak (20% new). 90.

Rust Chardonnay 2023 ($35). Ryan has been fine-tuning Chardonnay since joining the winery in 2019. He believes the 2023 is his best so far. The wine was aged 15 months in French oak (none new). The wine begins with aromas of apple, peach and vanilla. The creamy palate delivers rich stone fruit flavours mingled with oak. The finish is persistent. 93.

Rust Pinot Noir 2022 ($55). This is a robust wine that was aged in French and Hungarian oak (20% new). There are aromas and savoury flavours of dark cherry wrapped around a sturdy texture. 90.

Rust Pinot Noir 2023 ($N/A). Aged in neutral French oak, this wine begins with bright aromas of cherry and spice which are echoed on the lush, fruity palate. The texture is silky and the finish is long. This wine, along with the previous vintage, is made with grapes from the winery’s Three Mountain Vineyard in West Kelowna. 93.

Rust Merlot 2022 ($35). The grapes for this wine are from the winery’s Lost Horn Vineyard at Okanagan Falls. The 2022 vintage was exceptional, showing in this wine good concentration and long tannins. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak (20% new). The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits and spice leading to richly textured flavours of dark fruits. 92.

Rust Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 ($55). This wine is a tribute to the late Kane Morgan, Rust’s wine shop manager who died in a traffic accident a few years ago. It is a very fine wine – big and ripe, with a dark colour and aromas of black currant and dark cherry that are echoed on the palate. 92.

Rust Golden Mile Syrah 2022 ($44). This is the last Syrah from Rust’s home vineyard because the varietal did not survive the 2023 and 2024 freezes; and other varietals have been planted in its place. A pity, perhaps, because Rust made glorious Syrahs. This wine has aromas of plum, dark cherry and pepper which are echoed on the palate. The ripe tannins give the wine body and length. 93.

Mt. Boucherie plants Mondeuse and Trousseau vines

Photo: Winemaker Jeff Hundertmark

The current releases from Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery include an addition to the portfolio: White Summit, a partner to the winery’s flagship red blend. “Finally, after years of pleading from our wine club, we have created a white companion for our flagship Summit,” writes Jeff Hundertmark, Mt. Boucherie’s general manager and director of winemaking. “A barrel selection mimicking the process for Summit … It is a white Meritage of sorts with a twist.” That refers to the Chardonnay in the blend.

It will be interesting to see what Jeff and his team do for an encore. The backbone of the 2023 White Summit is Sémillon from the winery’s Lost Horn Vineyard in the Similkameen Valley. Unfortunately, the devastating freeze of January 2024 hit the Similkameen especially hard. The Sémillon did not survive. “Harvest is going well,” Jeff told me in a recent email. “The vineyards have definitely fought back. The picture I attached is a Zweigelt cluster from our home vineyard to show how much mother nature heals herself. Overall, we lost about 40 % of our vineyards, but have replanted and the vines are doing well. I think in three to four years, we will be producing some really interesting wines from Albariño, Trousseau, Mondeuse, Sangiovese, to name a few of the varieties we pivoted with.”

Trousseau (one of its alternate names is Bastardo) is described in the Jancis Robinson book, Wine Grapes, as a “demanding variety making powerful, age-worthy wines.” It a varietal identified with Jura in eastern France but is also common in Portugal. To my knowledge, this will be the first planting of Trousseau in the Okanagan.

The Robinson book says: “Mondeuse Noir is an old variety from the Dauphiné, a former province in eastern France … .” The variety “produces wines that are aromatic, tannic and deeply coloured, with good aging potential, and, in the best sites, an Italianate bitter cherry bite.” There are a few producers of Mondeuse in California and Australia. Again, this is probably the first planting in British Columbia.

Both Albariño and Sangiovese have been grown in the Okanagan for some time. The former produces interesting white wines. One could still argue that Sangiovese does not travel well from its native Italian terroir but I look forward to what Jeff does with it and the other new varietals. Here are notes on current releases from Mt. Boucherie.

Mt. Boucherie Blaufränkisch 2023 ($27.99). The winery describes this wine as “a rare and unique medium-bodied wine that showcases notes of wild blueberries, sour cherries, and baking spices.” I cannot argue with that. I also found aromas and bright flavours of blueberries and sour cherries. 90.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Malbec 2022 ($44.99). The fruit is from the winery’s Similkameen vineyard. The wine was aged 14 months in American and French oak (15% new). This is a richly-textured wine with aromas of blackberry leading the flavors of blackberry mingled with oak. 92.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Syrah 2022 ($44.99). The fruit for this wine is plantings Mt. Boucherie had in the Similkameen, on the Golden Mile and in Okanagan Falls. Sadly, not all of these vines survived the devastating freezes of 2023 and 2024. However, 2022 was a great vintage and this is a great Syrah. It begins with aromas dark cherry and pepper. On the palate, the dark fruit flavours are rich and the finish is long. 93.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Petit Verdot 2022 ($44.99). This dark, mineral-driven Bordeaux varietal is seldom made on its own because it is so useful as a backbone in Bordeaux blends. The fruit for this wine came from an Osoyoos vineyard. The wine was aged 18 months in oak (20% new). The wine has aromas and flavours of dark fruits mingled with spice and tobacco. The long wood aging has mellowed the firm tannins. 93.

Mt. Boucherie White Summit 2023 ($55). This wine is a blend of 60% Sémillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc and 17% Chardonnay. It was aged 15 months in barrel: 50% new French oak, 10% new Acacia wood and 40% in neutral oak. This is a sophisticated white with aromas of lime, apple and new-mown hay. The dry palate delivers citrus flavours mingled with spice and oak. 93.

Mt. Boucherie Summit 2020 ($66). This is a blend of 45% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah and 2% Malbec. The varietals were fermented separately for 14 months, mostly in French oak, both new and seasoned. The wine was aged four years in French oak (20% new.) All that time in oak has polished the long, ripe tannins and added notes of spice to the wine. It is a full-bodied wine with aromas and flavours of black cherry and black currant. There is a hint of chocolate on the persistent finish. The wine benefits from being decanted. 93.

Noble Ridge is in a mood to celebrate

Photo: Noble Ridge's Leslie and Jim D'Andrea

Jim and Leslie D’Andrea, the proprietors of Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery, remark that the last several months of the year feature many occasions to celebrate with sparkling wine. “Please help us get the Noble Ridge Sparkling story out there,” they write in a note accompanying their latest releases.

They have their own reasons for celebrating. This year has seen a recovery of wine touring as well as a revival of their Okanagan Falls vineyards. Benoit Gauthier, the winery’s chief winemaker, writes: “We’re thrilled to see that the vineyard bounced back beautifully this year. … It has been a picture-perfect growing season, with an early bud break, a warm and consistent summer and the beginning of a fall that feels more like a continuance of summer. … I now believe we will exceed our initial forecast of 50% of a typical crop, reaching closer to 65%.”

That has been a typical comment across the Okanagan. For example, Blue Mountain Vineyards, located just a stone’s throw from Noble Ridge, reported 80% of a normal harvest in the 2025 vintage. Vineyards have recovered from the 2024 freeze much better than expected, to the point that some growers have struggled to sell all their grapes this fall.

That is not the issue at Noble Ridge, which will need all of its own grapes to replenish its cellars. Noble Ridge used American grapes in 2024 just for white wines, apparently relying on red wines in its cellar from earlier vintages. If you would like to celebrate with Noble Ridge, here are three current sparkling wines.

Noble Ridge The Pink One 2020 ($34.99). This wine is made entirely with Pinot Noir (clones 114, 115 and 777). The berries are given four hours of skin contact, just enough to give the wine a delicate hue. A traditionally-made sparkling wine, it was en tirage for 42 months. There is just a hint of brioche in the aroma and on the palate, with flavours of wild strawberry. The active bubbles give the wine an especially festive appearance in the glass. 92.

Noble Ridge The One 2018 ($34.99 for 345 cases). This is 72% Chardonnay and 28% Pinot Noir. The grapes were whole cluster pressed and fermented cool. The wine was en tirage for 47 months before being disgorged. The wine has aromas of citrus and brioche; on the palate, there are flavours of lemon, pear and brioche. The mousse gives the wine a creamy texture; the finish is dry and refreshing. 94.

Noble Ridge The One Grand Reserve 2017 ($49.99 for 165 cases). This wine is also 78% Chardonnay and 22% Pinot Noir, but with 66 months en tirage. The grapes were whole cluster pressed and the wine was fermented cool. Citrus and green apple mingle with brioche in the aroma. On the palate, there is a medley of complex flavours, including apple, pear, biscuit and almond. The mousse gives the wine a creamy texture but the finish is crisply dry. 96.

Gehringer Brothers releases 2024 International red wines

Gehringer's Australian-trained Brendon Gehringer '

The latest newsletter from Gehringer Brothers Winery started off with this teaser: “We have some news that we are excited to share. Although we can't let the ‘cat out of the bag’ just yet, we would be happy to say that there's a new product that will be joining our portfolio! Stay tuned. More details next month - allow us to tinker away in the cellar and all will be revealed very soon!”

My hope is that it is a red wine aged in oak barrels. Traditionally, the winery has not had barrels in its cellar, for two reasons. Most of its wines have been whites that did not need oak aging. Secondly, the brothers – Walter and Gordon – have always been frugal. When they made reds that needed oak, they put oak staves in the stainless steel tanks and let the wine pick up some oak flavour. It does not mean that frugally-made wines are not good. Gehringer Brothers has an awesome record of medals won in various wine competitions. Yet barrel-aging takes a red wine to another level.

Walter’s son, Brendon, returned to the Oliver winery in September 2023, after spending many years in Australia. He had gone there in 2008 to train as a winemaker, and followed that up by working at several wineries, notably in the Barossa Valley. He has had plenty of experience at finishing red wines in barrel. That is why I speculate that the new wine is a barrel-aged red.

Gehringer’s 2024 wines were made primarily with grapes from California, due to the damage its Okanagan vineyards suffered from the severe freeze in January that year. It is a much better story this year, as the newsletter relates: “Vintage 2025 continues to be an exceptionally good season,” the winery reports. “Bumper crops of BC fruit with quality to match! As we have replanted almost all of our red varietals, our red wines unfortunately will not be produced this year. We have ,however, been fortunate to harvest fruit from our surviving Pinot Noir blocks. This is scheduled to be blended with our Cabernet Sauvignon to reproduce our well received 2024 Rosé style. Despite having lost certain Schönburger and Gewürztraminer blocks in the 2023/4 weather event, we have managed to source supplies to produce a re-run of our much-adored Schönburger-Gewürztraminer! It has been great to watch how these wines are evolving in the cellar this vintage!”

Here are notes on Gehringer’s 2024 reds, all of them made from California grapes.

Gehringer International Series Merlot 2024 ($N/A). This is an easy-drinking Merlot with aromas of plum and oak and flavours of plum and cherry. The oak lends a smoky note. 89.

Gehringer International Series Summer Night 2024 ($14.49). This is a blend Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It begins with aromas of blackberry and cherry which are echoed on the soft, juicy palate. 90.

Gehringer International Series Cabernet Merlot 2024 ($18.49). This blend is another easy-drinking red, with aromas of spice and flavours of red cherry and black currant. The tannins are long and soft. 89.

Gehringer International Series Pinot Noir 2024 ($18.49). This is a juicy red, showing notes of cherry and a silky texture. I would cellar this another six months to allow the oak flavours to integrate better with the fruit. 89.