A new organic, Similkameen vineyard is set to debut their 2016 vintage. The riverfront vineyard and winery located in Cawston was purchased by Nicole and Mike Dowell in March 2016, and will focus on small lot wine, produced from organic grapes.
Liber Farm, named after the Roman god of wine, viticulture and freedom, is one of the oldest organic farms in British Columbia dating back to the 1960’s. 7 acres, of the 14-acre farm are planted with Chardonnay and Merlot and have been farmed organically since planting in 2007. The vineyards are planted on east to west slopes and overlook the Similkameen River. The river breeze moderates the otherwise warm site, which receives long hours of morning and evening sun. This helps develop complex flavours while retaining high levels of natural acidity in perfect balance.
Pascal Madevon, consulting viticulturist and winemaker states “the terroir is exceptional, the first time I visited the property I knew there was the opportunity to make some exciting, terroir focused wines”.
The organic grapes grown on the property will go into the flagship Liber wines. The Estate Chardonnay and Estate Merlot will be released within the next year. New spring releases include their 2016 Rosé ($22) – a dry, Provencal style Rosé made using the saignée method, and their 2016 Everyday Chardonnay ($18) – an approachable, unoaked, fruit forward wine designed to both quench and entice the palate. Both wines are made using organic, estate grown grapes.
The rest of the impressive line-up is sourced from organic fruit where possible, including:
- 2016 Hello Sunshine, a blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris & Gewurztraminer ($19)
- 2016 Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon ($22)
- 2015 Let Me Be Franc, Cabernet Franc ($23)
- 2015 Signature Red, a Cabernet/Merlot blend ($25)
“Our love for wine, the quiet farm life and the excitement of producing from the land made us take the plunge and purchase the property. As soon as we found the site, did some research, and tasted the wine, we knew we had found some real potential. The peaceful and picturesque location is not too bad either,” says owner Mike Dowell. “Our goal is to keep production to around 2000 cases so that we can focus on small lot, hands on winemaking.”
