Uppercase Winery @ District Wine Village
DWV Series - 2 of 10
Brought into existence by the Everrt family back in 2020. During family trips to the South Okanagan, Bert Everrt began his search for vineyards to capitalize on the bountiful South Okanagan terroir. This search led him to procure three estate vineyards allowing him to focus on his passion for Chardonnay and traditional Bordeaux reds. They have Uppercase vineyard located on the Black Sage Bench that produces Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Petit Verdot. Miller Road Vineyard is located on the lower terrace of the Black Sage Bench, where they grow Merlot and Riesling. And Border Vineyard is situated on Osoyoos West Bench, producing Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Cabernet Franc. Aside from these vineyards, they also source grapes from Peachland, Summerland, and Similkameen vineyards—all to allow their meticulous attention to detail and the beautiful terroir to produce expressive wines.
The name Uppercase comes from their respect for the varied South Okanagan terroir, much like how different fonts are used to present variety to the typed text. They have extended this some of the names of their wines - Axis, their premium Chardonnay, and Roman is a Cabernet Franc, Antiqua a white blend, Ascender is a Merlot, Italic a Merlot and Pinot rose, Foundry their premium Bordeaux blend.
A tasting of 4 wines will cost $10, which is waived with purchase. Their website also mentions a $15 Reserve tasting of their Grand Reserve wines. This fee is also waived with purchasing their Axis Chardonnay or Foundry Red blend.
This was the first place I tasted when I visited District Wine Village (DWV). Unfortunately, I mistakenly took the decor of the interior for granted. It was when my second winery tasting experience that I realized that the interiors have their flair to represent their winery brand. So I didn't take note of the interior, sorry. Their Wine Host was new and very quiet. She was a family member as her mother was present in the tasting area and was helping her with some of her knowledge of the winery and vineyards. The mother was a wealth of information on the Uppercase portfolio vineyards.
My four tastings started with the 2021 Chardonnay—this crisp wine aged in stainless steel tanks which allow the lovely fruit to stand tall. Apricot and green apple are the flavours swirling around the glass with a wet stone-like minerality. The majority of the fruit came from their Border vineyard. Beautifully balanced with lovely elegance.
Next was the 2019 Serif, a red blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.
This is a delicious wine. This blend showed great aging potential. A firm backbone of acidity enrobed in tannins, providing a strip tease as it opened up into the fruit. Dark fruit was plentiful in this with a dark chocolate-cocoa-vanilla undertone. I did grab a bottle to lay it down.
Following the Serif, I moved on to the 2020 Malbec. The fruit for this came from the Similkameen and Golden Mile. The fruit then spent 16 months maturing in French oak barriques. A rich red showcasing the usual fruit characters of this varietal- blackberry, plum, and black cherry with violets on the finish. I didn't get some of this because my next tasting edged it out by a very slim margin.
Last, but by no means least, was the 2020 Cabernet Franc. This one also spent 16 months in French oak barriques. What's also notable about this is that it's all from a single vineyard in Osoyoos. Higher acidity will allow this wine to lay down easily for 5-10 years to open up into a lovely complex wine. A special spice note weaves together dark berries, a subtle pepper hint, mingled with violets. Tasting this made me yearn for a rich tomato-based dish. So, I grabbed some to take home.
When I asked about their wines' aging potential, I was happy to hear that their reds are crafted to be aged. But are not so immature in youth to not be enjoyable. I will lay down my reds to see what Father Time does with them.
A piece of information that I was surprised to hear is that by the summer of 2023, they will be moving to their location in Oliver out of the District Wine Village. Thereby opening up a spot for a new boutique winery to get a chance to find its audience. Overall I will say that Uppercase Winery has an understated elegance.
So what did I end up taking home with me? I've always had a soft spot for Cabernet Franc, and this one showed great potential for cellaring. Also, it being a single vineyard wine always intrigues me as it's a pure expression of that area's terroir and growing conditions. The Chardonnay was one that my wife wanted as she loves Chard. And the Serif. Again this one came home with me to cellar it.
Website: Uppercase Winery
Address: 19 Eastside Rd, Okanagan Falls
Phone #: (250) 485-5031
Tasting Fee: $10.00 (Fee waived with purchase of a bottle)
Cheers 🥂
-DD
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