The Most Adventurous Winery in Canada

There’s no one pushing boundaries like Osoyoos’ Moon Curser. 

Pinot Gris grows well in the Okanagan and consumers seem to very much enjoy drinking it. That statement seems obvious now, but when Grey Monk’s George and Trudy Weiss first planted the grape back in 1976 – they were nuts. Not only did they have no idea if it would grow, they had no idea if anyone would buy it even if it did—and that sort of folly is vital to an emerging wine region.Wine is big business in the Okanagan these days, which is why when I see Moon Curser growing Arneis, Dolcetto, Tannat or Touriga Nacional I can’t help but thinking they’re the spiritual descendants of the Weiss’: busting first through the wall, innovating and experimenting as they go. There’s no Pinot Gris safety net in their line-up: to make a go of it, they not only have to successfully figure out how to grow the above untested varieties, they then have to educate a wine-buying public that has hundreds of safe best at the ready, to take a chance on a grape they’ve likely never heard of.But what a reward you get when you take that leap. I recently uncorked a 2012 bottle of their Touriga (it’s the noble grape of Portugal btw and is often the backbone of great Port) that I had laid down— and it was a revelation: still bristling with energy and blasts of chocolate and ripe plum.But most importantly it didn’t taste like anything else in the Okanagan. Ditto the Arneis, with it’s green apples that are both crisp and waxy at the same time while draped in soft florals. The Dolcetto tastes more like it’s Italian forebearers, but given that good Italian Dolcetto is so hard to find in this market, it’s still a Godsend.So next time you’re in front of the counter at your local store, ask what sort of consumer are you? Do you want to go with the tried and true, or is this an area where you’re okay going on an adventure with a pair of dreamers?