Current Offering – TT Wine Counsel

Painted Rock Estate Winery

I clearly remember the first time I visited Painted Rock. It’s hard to forget. Spectacularly positioned on Skaha Bluffs just south of Penticton, Painted Rock has a sleek, airy and modern tasting room, gobsmacking beautiful views across Okanagan Lake. It’s wine resonated with me from the first sip. I’d just moved back to Canada from having lived and worked in Australia (where they do wine tasting experiences very well) for more than a decade and thought this place was kicking goals. It still is.

Formerly the largest apricot orchard in the British Commonwealth, the Skinner family converted this land in 2005 to start Painted Rock. They’re part of a strong local force putting BC on the global wine map and their wine has caught the attention of renowned international wine critics such as Jancis Robinson and Steven Spurrier.

Bordeaux consultant Alain Sutre has been on the team since Day 1 and careful site selection backs their award-winning wines. Painted Rock produces small lots of wonderful Chardonnay and Rosé, but its focus is making premium red wines using Bordeaux varieties and Syrah grown on their Estate vineyards. This particular offering for you is a spotlight on some of those big reds.

I can’t help but stop in to pay a visit and have a tasting with proprietor John Skinner when I’m in the area. The combination of the stunning landscape and experiencing the wine in situ never gets old, no matter the time of year. Oh yeah, it’s also pretty cool to jump into the ATV with John and zoom around to get a closer look at the vines on the lake’s edge. This truly is a destination winery.

This Offer from Painted Rock Estate Winery

This is a trio for red wine lovers. These bottles will go for distance so you can put them away for a while and open down the track when they’ve got a bit more age on them. But if you can’t wait that long (let’s face it, it’s hard to especially these days) you can enjoy now after a good decant. Perfect for transitioning into BBQ season, you can pair these picks with whatever’s coming off your grill. Have some celebrations coming up which you’re attending virtually and looking for a special gift to send? Look no further. Check out the Painted Rock wooden gift box options below to help you out with that.

Each pack will include a Wine Note Card from me setting out a few pairing ideas.

2016 Syrah: Gold Medal at the 2019 Wine Align National Wine Awards. Syrah has found a great home here in BC and at Painted Rock. I enjoy the dark fruit, cassis, peppery and gamey tones here with hallmark fresh acidity and round mouth feel. This 100% Syrah bridges “Old” and “New” World styles. Aged 18 months in 30% new oak (80% French and 20% American) with balance in 2nd and 3rd fill French oak. (Drink 2020 to 2026).

2017 Malbec: From Painted Rock’s one acre of Malbec, this very small lot offering is produced in select vintages and is currently made available only to wine club members. A great way to explore this Bordeaux grape on its own. I like its dark purple colour and tones of dark cherry, blueberries, black fruit, cassis and perhaps charred gameyness. It’s bright and juicy with fresh acidity and soft grained tannins. (Drink 2020 to 2027).

2016 Red Icon: This is Painted Rock’s flagship and your bottle will be signed by proprietor John Skinner. A Bordeaux blend of 45% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, 11% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 18 months in 30% new French oak. It’s early days for this one, so I recommend putting it away for a while. But if you can’t hold off (I get it) be sure to give it a good decant after popping the cork and line it up with a rib eye steak or wagyu burger. (Drink 2020 to 2028).

This Painted Rock offering is available in a 3-pack (one bottle of each wine above). But you can add an extra bottle of each wine to make it a 6-pack.

As a further add-on, you can have your pack delivered to you (or your gift recipient) in a custom Painted Rock wooden box, which is available only through the winery. Great for cellaring or a special gift presentation.