s winemaker and CEO Sandra Oldfield has been top of mind for me for the past few weeks. We co-presented a blending seminar at one of my East Van Wine Academy events at the Waldorf Hotel in mid-March and I collaborated on a side-by-side, cork-versus-screwcap comparative tasting of her 2001 merlot with LAbattoir sommelier Jake Skakun last week. (The screwcap version aged much better and was still fairly intact.)
Just a few days ago I had a quick visit to her winery on a blustery afternoon with the added bonus of a kick-ass lunch at Miradoro, Tinhorns on-premise restaurant helmed by Chef Jeff Van Geest, hyper-focused on local, sustainable fare.
Sandra is heading into her 18th vintage in the Okanagan, a good chunk of history for a place with so little of it. A native Californian, she sold dresses at Macys before working the tasting room at Rodney Strong led her to wine studies at UC Davis, eventually getting her Masters in enology.
Partnered with her husband Kenn and a couple friends from Alberta, Sandra has built Tinhorn Creek into a consistently acclaimed 35,000-case-a-year winery priding itself on the South Okanagans Golden Mile and Black Sage Bench fruit, particularly suited for hearty, well-structured reds. Her history in our region brings a wealth of experience that has not only resulted in Tinhorns quality-level building over the years, but as a resource for her neighbours and colleagues who dont have the advantage of a couple decades under their belts.
While many fretted over the 2010 and 2011 vintages for being cooler and prolonged due to slow ripening, Sandra was often talking them down, sharing anecdotes of the dreadful 1999 vintage that was outright cold and punctuated with a killer frost at the end of September.
When picking up a bottle from Tinhorn Creek, Ill first lead you to Sandras killer Cabernet Franc ($19.99, BCLDB), a strong red-fruit and herb-dusted example of both the grapes appropriateness around these parts, but also as evidence that you can get a solid BC red for twenty bucks. Youd do no wrong picking up a bottle of her merlot ($18.99) for a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Some say its Tinhorns signature grape, a sentiment with solid backing as evidenced by it being one of the only New World merlots not to tumble in sales once the grape was vilified in Sideways.
Any red, mind you, is good value from Tinhorn though Im not huge on the pinot noir ($19.99.) I feel the South Okanagan heat is too intense for the grapes typical softer, delicate style, resulting in lost nuance and finesse. It ends up being a little beat-up and clumsy (like me after Sandra reads this.)
For whites, her pinot gris ($17.99) perfectly straddles that brighter, citrus-laden Grigio style, while maintaining a slight oily texture, making it ultra-food-friendly. The Tinhorn Creek Oldfields Series 2Bench White ($22.99) though, reaches for the stars (and grabs em!) with a so-crazy-it-just-might-work field blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, semillon, viognier and muscat. Peaches, pears, honey and jasmine all contribute to a juicy, fresh and complex Okanagan wonder.
Along with tucking into some of Sandras wine, do make a point of following her on Twitter (@SandraOldfield ) One of her best traits is that she is one of British Columbias most cheery, witty, intelligent and accessible winemakers.
Wine should offer a sense of place, and while everything she bottles certainly does that, its getting to know her a little better that makes each glass poured even more enjoyable.
