Colouring Outside The Vines

A fresh winery has quietly opened in the famed Black Sage Bench between Oliver and Osoyoos. The vineyard itself, however, isn’t new; Red Barn at Jagged Rock is surrounded by well-established rows of vines that have been masterfully farmed for years by senior viticulturist Rob Achurch, who knows the geology and geography like the back of his hand.

“There is absolutely nothing like the Okanagan Valley, globally, for growing vines,” he says, explaining that the signature rugged landscape of the Black Sage Bench was created eons ago, when the area experienced multiple spectacular and dramatic glaciation events—events that transferred via glacial outwash the rich gravel and sand that now lines the valley beds. The result is that no two sites are alike in terms of soil composition and microclimate; it’s what viticulturists like Achurch live for in carefully curating grape varietals to suit the terroir. This variation allows for unlimited expressions of wine depending on how the grapes are farmed (viticulture) and how they’re treated once inside the winery (viniculture).

The new winery is a decidedly swishier “upgrade” from the original building it replaced—a (you guessed it) red barn that housed old farm and harvest equipment, with a viticulture office in the loft above. When Tom Kundig’s Seattle-based architecture firm was selected to design the building, the team thoughtfully incorporated a nod to the site’s humble, agricultural past with a bold chevron motif that is both striking and playful. The new, modern winery and tasting room is perched perfectly in the centre of the vineyard with spectacular views of Jagged Rock to the north, and the picturesque town of Osoyoos to the south.

“The winery itself was designed to be an art piece,” says Red Barn winemaker Kaylee Barss, who was born and raised in the Okanagan and studied winemaking at Brock University in Ontario. “We took over what used to be a working barn and created a space that integrates the tasting room into the cellar where guests can experience the winemaking process. Art is incorporated into all aspects of the winery, from our chromatic purple fermenters to our individually designed labels by local street artists.”

But, she says, what really sets this winery apart from the other idyllic wineries of the Black Sage Bench is the slightly unconventional approach to winemaking, paving a new path as bold as its chevron doors. A strategic decision was made not to use oak of any kind; fermentation and aging take place only in stainless steel and concrete, which give the wines a fresh, exuberant style but retain generous texture and complexity. The vineyard has also been quietly focused on sustainability efforts for years, utilizing 100 per cent organic fruit alongside responsible irrigation, canopy management and biodiversity.

“We are incredibly fortunate to be sourcing all our fruit from the vineyard that we are located in,” Barss says. “Not only are we producing some novel varieties for the Okanagan, like Barbera and Sangiovese; all our wines are made in concrete and stainless steel, which allows for a pure expression of the fruit and the terroir of the site.”

Plus, each wine produced by Red Barn at Jagged Rock is curiously and cleverly named (Transfiction Rosé, Lost Art Semillon and Stand Apart Syrah, to name a few), with every artist-designed label as expressive as the stuff in the bottle. Expertly crafted and just the right amount of cheeky, all truly speak to the element of place and let each grape varietal shine. —Janet Helou

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