By Liam Carrier
Today, top South Okanagan producer Road 13 Vineyards announced their plans to dramatically change its popular line-up of varietal-driven wines to that of a more terroir-driven line-up of blended wines. Gone are the single-varietal Road 13 riesling, Road 13 Chardonnay, Road 13 Syrah, Road 13 Merlot and Road 13 Cabernet Sauvignon. Added to the portfolio are two new blends:
- Stemwinder ($21.99): a blend of Chardonnay, Chardonnay Musque and Sauvignon Blanc.
- Rockpile ($24.99): a blend of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Viognier.
The change brings the total number of blends that Road 13 will produce up to five (the Honest John’s White & Red and top end Fifth Element will remain in the portfolio).
The change will help the winery release a more consistently good product as the percentage of blends can be modified in years when individual components underperform. This will benefit the consumer as BC wineries have been unwilling to relate pricing to quality in pour vintage years. With a more dependable end-product year-in, year-out the consistent price will easier to swallow.
This is certainly a bold move to make in the single-varietal-driven North American market. Hopefully, for the Oliver-based firm’s sake, the BC consumer is ready to embrace this sort change. With the track record that Road 13 has established in the short time since its rebranding from Golden Mile Cellars in 2008, this move to more blended wines will likely pan out. We look forward to trying them!
For more information go to http://www.road13vineyards.com/
For more information go to http://www.road13vineyards.com/
Noooo! Their Cab is wonderful! Can't kill it!
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