Painted Rock takes 3rd place at the Wine Access 2011 Canadian Wine Awards

Each time you step onto the 60-acre Painted Rock vineyard, you get the feeling you are entering a magical place. The steep, slanting site tilts west and, from just about anywhere on the property, it appears as if the vines simply tumble off the cliffs into the shimmering waters of Skaha Lake, south of Penticton.

High above the site, on its eastern flanks, are ancient pictographs, painted on the rocks. They’re from a different time, a time when the local First Nations people would venture out on a spirit walk, or perhaps mark a coming of age of a band member.

Painted Rock's Vineyards and Grapes

In 2011, Painted Rock came of age at the Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards; the winery — once the largest apricot orchard in the British Commonwealth — finished third overall, and first among all British Columbia wineries entered. Owners John and Trish Skinner and Bordeaux-based consultant Alain Sutre have hit their groove, easing Painted Rock's multitude of single-vineyard blocks into 100-percent-estate-grown wines that shout richness and balance, power with restraint and tannins that build structure, but not dryness.

The property, planted in 2005, boasts all the required red grapes of Bordeaux. All that is required now is time for the grapes to settle in and add their mix in the blend. The property (25 acres is under vine) also sports significant chardonnay and syrah offerings that display the diversity of the site’s terroir.

Embracing Green Initiatives in the Vineyards and Winery

With a lot of the heavy lifting completed, or at least underway, the Skinners are embracing green initiatives. Lighter bottles have reduced shipping weight by 15 percent. The team is learning about biodynamic viticulture, too, as it looks to minimize the winery's carbon footprint. A sustainable, low-impact resort is in the planning stages; talk is of geothermal energy and solar heating.

For the moment, however, the team may want to bask in the knowledge that their performance at the 2011 CWAs was as good as it gets for a young winery, and that they are now clearly on the national wine map after three golds, three silvers and seven bronze medals in Nova Scotia.

Painted Rock's Top Wines

Their 2009 Red Icon tops the pack, but it is hard to argue the 2008 and 2009 Syrah and the 2008 and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon are any less behind. It’s difficult to say whether Painted Rock’s rise to fame is karma or just plain hard work; either way, this young winery is coming of age.

Photo: Carey Tarr