Winery Review of Foolish Winery @ District Wine Village
DWV Series - 3 of 10
Continuing my tasting adventure at District Wine Village, I walked into a winery whose decore was opposite the last winery. Bright, vibrant colours, some excellent chill music playing, and a fun, funky vibe greeted me upon entering. The Wine Host, Daniel, was enthusiastic, informative, fun, lively, and entertaining. And I will add that his hat style was on point!
The Coghill and Main families run businesses, including Yellowdog Brewery in Port Moody and Neighbourhood Brewing in Penticton. The name for this winery came from their love of the Okanagan wine country and wishing to jump into the wine game, which they were getting told by those close to them was a "Foolish" idea.
This foolish idea didn't stop them because, in January 2022, they purchased a winery. Yes, they are new-ish and a smaller, more boutique winery. Still, they aim to show their funky, non-pretentious, approachable side. Evident from the decor of their space and an engaging and entertaining Wine Host in Daniel. Their home vineyard is in north Naramata, and they source grapes from specifically selected vineyards within the Okanagan Valley. Focusing on the terroir, which is the hallmark of a majority of wineries in the valley, they release smaller lots of their wines.
Almost everything they are selling is inherited from the previous owners. Daniel said that the
Meritage (Hooligan) and Cabernet Sauvignon (Optimist) are Foolish wines created by their winemaking team. The winemaking team at Foolish consists of the second brewer from Neighbourhood Brewing, along with a partner who has previous experience in vineyard management and winemaking from wineries like Mt Boucherie. As Daniel was describing these two, I was getting an image of a Mad Scientist and a Scholar as caricatures of these two. However, these two have some very grand ideas, experimentations, and innovative products they are chasing to produce. Some of those that Daniel shared with me are - three different styles of sparkling (traditional method and some experimental ideas), experiments with three variations of rose, moving to a dryer style of whites - the current slate of whites are sweeter in style due to them being inherited. But with future vintages, they aim for a dryer style with more intense fruit-driven aromatics. Daniel was visibly excited when discussing the future these winemakers want to explore. I was concerned about the future that Daniel was describing as they are looking to grow to 23 different wines with various offerings and experimentations quickly. But that did work for another "rebel" of the BC wine scene. It may be a challenge to deliver to this volume and ensure quality but not impossible.
One thing that this winery will have unique to itself is its wine club. Being part of an organization that includes breweries gives them more options for wine club member gifts. Aside from discounted wine and first access to some small experimental wine releases, they aim to offer some nice swag and concert tickets. As I write this, I miss the excited exuberance of Daniel when sharing this. He sold me on it, and I did seriously consider it at the time of my tasting.
Now let's dive into the tasting!!!
Shape 2020 Viognier: Daniel flexed his knowledge for my wife on this, and I immensely enjoyed his delivery. Viognier was made famous in the south of France. This varietal loves the heat and develops excellent tropical fruit notes in the Okanagan hot summers. I loved how Daniel described Viognier as the lil sis to Chardonnay. The nose was a bit muted. Almost as though the usual Viognier aromatics had the volume turned down—great stone fruit (nectarine and apricot) kept in check by the citrus flavours. The texture and mouthfeel were typical Viognier with a rich and textured presence. I will add that the citrus flavours beautifully masked the acidity.
Ruse 2021 Roussanne: What first caught my attention was the darker colour than what I've experienced with my very few experiences of this varietal. Overall this had a lighter texture than the Viognier - this came across as incredibly refreshing. That refreshing quality I attribute to the acidity. Peach and juicy pear were the flavours that stood out for me. There was an herbaceous or a floral note that was elusive for me to nail down. But I quickly noticed the harmonious balance within this taster portion.
Cohesion 2021 Viognier Roussanne blend: This is where Daniel showed his talent as a Wine Host. He suggested we taste the solo Viognier and then the solo Roussanne to understand what the winemakers were working with. Then when we get to this blend, it's easy to see and understand the destination they were aiming for in this blend. This suggestion automatically endeared Daniel to me and this overall experience. This is a wine that is perfect for pairing with food. This wine was one that I grabbed to enjoy with a lovely summer grilled fish dish. Beautiful acidity that received a supercharge from the combination, but not to the point of becoming an overpowering mouth-watering single-note wine. Possessing a lovely refreshing texture accompanied by peach, apricot, and citrus zest flavours and a rich hint of honey. This wine is one to be cautious of serving too chilled as I can see some of this fruit being dulled by being served too cold.
Next is the Pinot Noir journey. Now, I must make a disclaimer here Pinot Noir is my favourite red varietal. On my bucket list is a journey through the Burgundy region of France to explore the home of old-world Pinot Noir. Stay tuned for a write-up on Pinot Noir, as its versatile style is incredible, along with an explanation of why "earthy" and "dirt" are lovely descriptors for a wine. 🙂
Revival 2020 Pinot Noir: This wine aged eight months in French oak barrels. The fruit was from the Three Sisters vineyard in Naramata. This beautiful decadence is ready to enjoy now. However, the structure showed the capability for aging. When I asked Daniel about this, he confirmed that this wine was ready now and ready to enjoy later. Beautiful tannins are supporting characters to highlight the fruit flavours of ripe berries (I was thinking of cherry and raspberry) and a green herbaceousness that helps this pair with food. Daniel described this as green and soft, which does apply.
Revival 2020 Naramata Bench Pinot Noir: Wait a sec…. wasn't the previous wine also called Revival? Now that you've re-read that, I will confirm there is no typo. The fruit harvested for this is the same as the previous wine. Same vintage, same vineyard! The only difference is that this aged for 15 months in French oak barrels. With that, it was described as the "big sis" due to the more extended maturation in barrel. I couldn't detect a huge difference except that the fruit seemed more mature and not just sweet fruitness.
Revival 2020 L Block Pinot Noir: Another Revival? Seriously…another Revival?!? You could say that having a third wine with the same name is….Foolish…😯! The grapes for this are from Nk'mip winery in southern Oliver. I was picking up blueberry and blackberry and some cherry. The warmer nights of southern Oliver explain why I picked up a more jammy version of the berries. There was a slightly spicy essence in the smooth finish. This is a wine that shows aging potential.
Overall this was a super fun, tasting experience. Daniel was fantastic. He suggested an exceptional manner to taste the Roussanne and Viognier, then the blend, stellar hat style, and great sense of humour - had recommended we go and experience a tasting from his fiancé over at Gneiss. With touching moments like these, I can understand how and why Foolsih appears to be the sweetheart of the District Wine Village. Everywhere I went tasting, everyone spoke so fondly of Foolish. So, if you make a trip to District Wine Village, it will be the highlight of your excursion.
What came home with me? Cohesion (the Viognier Roussanne blend). Following Daniel's recommended tasting order, it was clear to see the art of this blend. I can't wait to pair this with a lovely summer fish meal. Also coming home with me is the Revival L block Pinot Noir. I enjoyed the new world profile of this Pinot (plus, Pinot Noir is my weakness). Last was a Syrah. I know we didn't taste it, but all their wines leaned more toward the New World style because they have very pronounced fruit flavours, and Australian Syrah was my first wine love.
Cheers 🥂
-BC Wine Nerd
Website: Foolish Winery
Instagram: @foolishwine
Email: info@foolishwine.com
Address: District Wine Village
Tasting Fee: $10.00 (Waived with the purchase of a bottle)
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