Premium Canadian Winery Quails’ Gate Lands At Berkmann Wine Cellars

We’re pleased to announce that we will now be distributing the wines of Quails’ Gate from Canada’s Okanagan Valley, British Columbia’s premium wine producing region.

Quails’ Gate can trace its origins back to 1908 when the Stewart family first settled in Canada’s Okanagan Valley, although the family planted vines for the first time in 1961 and the winery itself was only founded in 1989. Since then Quails’ Gate has become one of the leading producers of premium wines in British Columbia and under current CEO Tony Stewart the founding family remain committed to the project.

Boasting nearly eighty-two per cent of the total vineyard area in the province, the Okanagan Valley is British Columbia’s premier grape growing region.  An ever-changing panorama, the valley stretches over 250 kilometres, across distinct sub-regions, each with different soil and climate conditions suited to a wide range of grape varieties. The valley lies in a rain shadow 200 kilometres east of Vancouver where the influence of Lake Okanagan helps to protect the vineyards from the freezing winter temperatures. During the summer desert conditions prevail, with little rain, hot days and cool nights.

Quails’ Gate has over seventy hectares of vineyards in four different locations in the Okanagan Valley, in close vicinity to Lake Okanagan. From the Osooyos vineyard at the southern end of the valley, heading north to the Sunnyside vineyard, next to the winery in West Kelowna, each vineyard contributes something different in the way of aspect, exposure, soil type and climate, which allows the winery to craft their compelling range of wines. The range consists of five wines: a dry Riesling, two Chardonnays and two Pinot Noirs.

Quails Gate Dry Riesling is fresh and vibrant with intense aromas of lime, white flowers, stone fruit and wet stones. The well balanced palate combines intense citrus flavours with a hint of spice, leading to a long and refreshing finish.

Quails’ Gate Chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel tanks and in French oak barrels of differing ages. The palate shows a combination of white stone, melon and tropical fruits and the influence of oak adds subtle notes of toast and vanilla, enriching the mouthfeel.

Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay comes from the best blocks on the volcanic slopes of Boucherie mountain vineyards, located just above the winery. Fermented entirely in French oak barrels of which sixty percent are new, the wine receives regular battonage and undergoes full malolactic fermentation. Brimming with ripe orchard fruits, peach and hints of vanilla, spice and butter, it is very well balanced with alluring a refreshing acidity and lingering stony minerality.

Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir is sourced from various vineyard parcels on the estate. This exhibits classic Pinot Noir characteristics, with notes of cherry, raspberry and plum alongside hints of allspice, earth, dried herbs and vanilla from the oak with the perfect balance balance of fruit, acidity and light tannins.

Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir, sourced from the best sites across their vineyards, is a powerful, yet supple Pinot Noir of depth and character with an inviting mix of ripe red fruits, such as cherry, raspberry and plum that lift the palate along with aromas of allspice, clove and nutmeg. This wine is suave with an effortless elegance.

Quails’ Gate Winery is committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship. Their philosophy has always been to do more with less and this is achieved through the application of low-impact viticultural practices. This holistic approach to grape growing preserves the diversity of the natural surroundings without compromising the quality of fruit. Through the use of remote vineyard monitoring stations, they can target chemical applications; utilize drip irrigation to conserve water and operate fewer vehicles in the vineyard. They also use organic fertilizers and nutrients, which are supplemented by their composting program.