Winery: Hester Creek Winery Surprises with 2022 GSM

The view from Hester Creek Winery March 2024.

Daring Greatly with 2022 GSM from BC's Award Winning Hester Creek Winery

You might say 2022 GSM from Hester Creek Winery is beguiling. It's profile and complexity fans of Meryl Streep in the Devil Wears Prada. The ruby hue is classic, the sensory profile is full of attitude red, black and blue fruits with a floral backdrop and peppery spice and the dry, textured finish. Its a nod to expertise and a great vintage, like the persona of Miranda Priestly. This daring and bold idea from a British Columbia winery, challenging established wines of France, Australia and even Washington State, is audacious. It's a new style for BC and it's cultivated by the changing climate and clever winemakers. ​Here is the story about an exceptional wine experience from Hester Creek Estate Winery and their new and daring release of 2022 GSM - Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. ​

Good Wine Gal - Searching for Good Wine

Searching for "good wine" is a never-ending adventure. That's why I taste and travel as much as I can. What is good wine? How do you find it? If you haven't given my ebook a read, then now is a great time to do it. If you sign up for my newsletter, you will actually get a free copy. Thank you for being a wine lover. I hope to see you in wine county soon.

Fun Facts About GSM

Here are a few things that you can share with your wine loving friends about GSM.

• The term GSM refers to a red wine blend from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre grapes.​
• Grenache (Garnacha) and Mouvedre (Monstrel) have their origins in Spain
• One of the most famous regions in France for Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre is the Rhone Valley. 
• The most famous appellation for GSM blends in France is Chateauneuf Du Pape.
• Australia is credited with using the acronym GSM on the label and bringing it into the consumer's language. 
• Characteristic tasting profiles of GSM blends include pronounced ripe red and black fruit, savoury herbs and pepper to licorice spice.
• ​Wines are ample, dry and well balanced, with good complexity and age-worthiness.
• GSM blends are a good match to grilled meats, and flavourful BBQ dishes.

The GSM 2022 Label - Hester Creek Estate Winery

Hester Creek 2022 GSM

Hester Creek is launching GSM 2022 on June 5th. It's a delicious blend of valley grown Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. While the blend GSM, is not a new style for the international wine world, it is for British Columbia. And that's because historically it was believed that at the 50th parallel, there would not be enough growing degree days and heat needed to ripen these grape varieties. As a result, very few acres of Grenache and Mouvedre are planted. Thanks to climate change we have more heat now along with fire, drought and freeze.

So where do we find these vineyards? Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre are sourced from Vineyard Eleven in the hottest part of the valley, Osoyoos.  A small portion of Syrah comes from two other vineyards in the South Okanagan Valley.  Viognier is sourced from the Chahal vineyard in Okanagan Falls.  The GSM label carries the "Okanagan Valley BC" VQA mark as a result.

The 2022 GSM from Hester Creek Estate Winery is made predominantly from red grapes and a tiny amount of Viognier, co-fermented with the Syrah, a classic winemaking method from Rhone Valley as Viognier is believed to stabilize color and elevate floral and fruit character of the resulting wine. This red blend is aromatic, with red (strawberry, raspberry), blue and black (ripe bing cherry, blackberry) berry flavours, Hints of white-pepper spice and a touch of floral (lavender, rose) notes are present. You have 3 - 5 years to consume and it will pair well with grilled meats, cheese and meat boards and even Dim Sum. It has 12.5% abv and the price is $34.99 at the winery. Production of 2250 cases gives plenty for members and BC wine lovers.

Hester Creek Winery

Lunch at Terrafina in March 2024. Fantastico.

Hester Creek Estate Winery is a popular, long standing, BC vineyard and winery, located on the western slopes of the Golden Mile Bench near the wine town of Oliver. It's history is a classic Canadian story of an immigrant Italian family, arriving in the agriculturally diverse, south Okanagan Valley and farming the land, in this case, with grape vines from back home.

The first vines planted in 1968 by Joe Busnardo included Trebbiano, Pinot Bianco, and a mystery variety believed to be Italian Merlot. The "storied wine" series today, honors the history on which Hester Creek (est. 2004) vines and wines have been built. Hester Creek is 115 acres in size with 88 acres of planted vineyard. Grape varieties include Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Syrah and Merlot. The vineyard slopes face the morning sun, and these vines, along with the daily breezes remain fairly disease free. Cover crops of dandelion and clover grass between the vineyard rows stabilize the soil holding in moisture and nutrition. If you visit Hester Creek you will immediately recognize the steepness as you drive from Highway 97 up to the winery, restaurant and Villa site. What a view! Great for a hike and photographs as well as wine, dinner and a good nights sleep.​

Audacious Winemakers

Mark & Brooke present new wines at the Cellar Tasting for Members.

President and Aussie, Mark Sheridan, arrived at Hester Creek in 2010 and has spearheaded changes that include plumbing drip irrigation in the vine rows, and completing construction on a state of the art winery that includes shiny stainless steel automated maceration tanks. Geeky but really cool. The 2022 harvest produced high quality, ripe fruit, enough to spark the cellar genius of head winemaker Mark Hopley and assistant winemaker Brooke Jesus, to create a new Hester Creek blend. Of course, now that we have had two winter freezes (Dec 2022 and Jan 2024) we may not see this style again. But here's hoping.

Buy A Bottle & More

If you are looking for good wine, try Old Vines Trebbiano, Viognier or Pinot Bianco.

I know what you are thinking? You want to experience Hester Creek's "new release" and want to know how to get your hands on a bottle? My advice is to contact the visit the winery website and place an order. In the fall, Hester Creek GSM 2022 will be available at BC Liquor Stores in the province. 

There are plenty of options if you are visiting the Okanagan Valley soon. Tasting experiences are available at the winery and its recommended to book in advance. How about a blind tasting, a signature tasting or a tasting and a tour of the winery and vineyard? Having toured the winery myself, and knowing your passion for wine, I highly recommend the tour and tasting. In fact, if you have the opportunity to stay at the Villas and dine at Terrafina, it will change your wine life forever.  It will be the best weekend ever without leaving the country. Follow this link to Hester Creek and book your summer experience. ​

Conclusion

Meet masterful Mark Hopley, Head Winemaker at Hester Creek Winery.

Whether you are an international wine expert or just getting to know wine, GSM is a style that is very versatile and pleasing. It endures because it offers ripe red and black fruit flavours and aromas showcasing complexity as well as freshness and textured tannin for good structure and balance. GSM is a classic style that has found it's way to the new world and now BC. Here in the south Okanagan where flavourful grapes like Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre can ripen, Hester Creek is preparing to launch the first GSM. With a nod to the classics, it's time to give new regions recognition for breaking the rules and challenging the status quo. Miranda Priestly might know fashion, but Hester Creek knows wine.

Thank you for reading. Please support BC wineries by buying local, joining a wine club or spending your holiday in wine country. If you have any comments or questions please leave your thoughts below. Thanks for being a wine lover!

Thank you Hester Creek for inviting me to experience the winery, the Villas and Terrafina, as well as several tastings and a dinner in the Chef's kitchen in preparation for this launch. I loved my experience and I'm happy to share my experience.