Okanagan wine tour part 8; them Hills are on fire!!!

Up early enough on Sunday morning to hit a few wineries before our tour and lunch plans, so we head up the road to Volcanic Hills, another first time visit for me. Beautiful and HUGE wine tasting room, and an excellent host to boot.

Normally there is a tasting fee ($3 I think?) but it was waived for us on that particular day.

2011 Magma White

Fruity and very aromatic with lots of citrus and a touch of green apple on the palate. Very refreshing and drinkable, I enjoyed this quite a bit, and it's a steal at $16.

Rating: 84






2012 Single Vineyard Gewürztraminer

Floral nose with strong notes of citrus on the palate. Slightly off-dry and a touch of spice on the long finish.

Rating: 79






2012 Gamay Noir

The nose experiences strong aromas of cherry and raspberry. Your palate will still get the cherry, joined by slight hints of vanilla and clove.

Rating: 74






2010 Pinot Noir

Cherry and vanilla on the nose and light notes of berries and a touch of cinnamon on the palate. Very, very light bodied version of Pinot.

Rating: 73







2008 Syrah

Fabulous notes of raspberry jam, with hints of plum greet your nose. A truly complex wine, your palate might get plum, blackberry, raspberry and pepper. Very nice.

Rating: 84






2009 Eruption

A blend of Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, your nose will be greeted with vanilla and floral notes. Strong berry flavor and a long finish.

Rating: 79






2010 Merlot

Cherry dominates the nose, along with hints of other berries and vanilla. The palate will experience some cherry as well, as well as blackberry and maybe even a tiny hint of mint. This is good now but needs to age; shows tons of promise and if you have the patience to wait until 2017 or 2018, you'll have yourself a $75 bottle of wine for only $25. We picked up one of these.

Rating: 86




2011 Zweigelt Late Harvest

If you are one of those people who cringes at the sweetness, and the price, of the finest Ice Wines, here is your solution. Only $17, and while it's still sweet, it's far less so than it's aforementioned cousins. It's really quite pleasant and we picked up one of these as well.

Rating: 86




2009 Pinot Noir Icewine

MMM MMM MMM. Sweet as you could possibly imagine, which is SO my thing. Notes of caramel and butterscotch and deliciousness.

Rating: 87

A lot of promise for a very new winery, very impressed and we will definitely make it a point of going back!