CityFood Magazine - New Wineries, New Labels for South Okanagan

By any other name the wines would taste as good, but perhaps it would not be so easy to catagorize or market them.

At last weekend's Spring Banee Festival, hosted by the 21 members of the newly formed Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country, the wineries unveiled their latest name, slogan ("Uncork the Sun"), and brandmark -- a symbolic desert sun made from two concentric wheels of bottle outlines.

Will the trademark appear on future bottling of members' wines? On the top of the caps, perhaps?

"That would ideal", says association president Tim Martiniuk (Stoneboat Vineyards). "But for now we just want to define the region where our wines are grown, and to convey its distinct and unique qualities: climate, soil, and the people who make the wines here. We are proud of the fact that the vast majority of wine produced and sold from our cellar doors is grown within the boundaries of this region."

The Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country is bordered by McIntyre Bluff to the north and the USA border to the south. It's major growing areas encompass three major benches: The Golden Mile, The Black Sage and the Osoyoos Lake Benches. Not all wineries located within the area are members of the new marketing association, however. Black Hills Winery, for example, has yet to sign up. "But we are working on that", says Martiniuk.

The 21 members who are in support include: Burrowing Owl, Cassini Cellars, Castoro de Oro, Church & State, Desert Hills, Dunham Froese, Gehringer Brothers, Hester Creek, Hidden Chapel, Inniskillin Okanagan, Jackson Triggs Okanagan, Moon Curser, Nk'Mip, Oliver Twist, Quinta Ferreira, River Stone, Road 13, Rustico Farm, Silver Sage, Stoneboat, Tinhorn Creek.

And it's not just the association debuting a fresh look. A number of new wineries, as well as some older, established members have added brand new labels to the shelves. See six of them below.

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