Serendipity Winery, located in the heart of the Naramata Bench is owned by Judy Kingston. She is assisted by the second-in-command, daughter Katie O’Kell.
The adventure began in the fall of 2005 when Judy embarked on a holiday wine tour of the Okanagan with the objective of finding a retirement property in the south Okanagan. Instead, she found an old orchard in Naramata. This was the first Serendipity “aha” moment, as she set out to convert the orchard to a vineyard with the goal of establishing a new boutique winery.
The Vineyard
Beginning in the spring of 2006, the property was completely re-landscaped to provide the optimum slope and orientation for the new vineyard. The Serendipity property is 13 acres, with approximately 10 acres planted. The vines include Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc for whites. Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir for reds. There is also have a dedicated Rosé block, which is a field blend of all the reds plus Malbec.
The Winemaker
Katie O’ Kell is the Serendipity winemaker and she provided the following background information.
“I got a degree in Biology, with a specialization in Virology and Immunology at McMaster University. I originally wanted to go into Biomedical research and worked at a cancer research lab at McMaster. Halfway through my thesis, I realized that I absolutely hated research. Not one to quit, I stuck it out and defended my research and then gracefully backed out of the field. But I wasn’t sure what to do next. I figured ‘when in doubt – write the LSAT!’. I got into law school, but I had nine months off before law school started. So I came out here to help my Mom out. Temporarily for nine months!
In that timeframe, I absolutely fell in love with being here. I started working in the vineyard and moved up to the office. When harvest came I truly found my passion in the cellar.
Our winemaker at the time was Jason Parkes. He was great at showing me the ropes (or hoses, more accurately). Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Richard Kanazawa. I also had an extensive mentorship with Bradley Cooper.
My winemaking degree is from UC Davis via their distance learning program. I scored an unprecedented 100% on my final exam. To say Mom was proud would be an understatement – she mentions it to almost everyone who comes into the wine shop. Once a mother, always a mother!
Midway through my winemaking degree, Brad Cooper told me he thought I was ready for a vintage abroad. So I packed my bags and headed off to New Zealand for a vintage in 2016. I worked extensively with their floatation machine (a $4 million toy) which my scientific mind found fascinating. When I got home, I helped a few wineries who were just starting to implement that technology here.
Bradley Cooper amicably parted ways with Serendipity mid-December of 2017, at which point I became the head winemaker.
I think that my background in Biology allows me to have a higher degree of comfort in experimenting, particularly when yeast is involved. In 2016, Brad and I played with making a Champenoise Viognier. To my knowledge, we’re the only ones crazy enough to attempt this feat. My theory was that the chemistry and physiology of Viognier
are similar to the traditional Chardonnay grape, so the bubbles and mousse would form properly. I also wanted to make it fruity, so I used not only a non-recommended grape but also a non-recommended yeast for sparkling. At the end of the day, the Plot Twist turned out beautifully. It’s a weird, wonky, experimental wine that I’m very proud of, and one that I wouldn’t have been comfortable making without my history of science and experimentation.”
Vintage 2017/8
2017 was an interesting growing season. The late cold winter caused some frost damage, late Spring delayed growing, and then the fires and smoke came in, reducing our swing in temperatures that we normally get. It’s not surprising that we had a significant decrease in yield last year, however, the fruit was excellent quality.
For the 2018 vintage, I think we’re going to be getting a huge jump in quantity, especially compared to last year’s vintage. We had another slow start to the year, so the quality will really depend on how long and how warm our Fall season is.
The Wines
Serendipity Winery Viognier 2017 – Traditional Viognier notes of lemon, honey and tropical fruits greet your nose. The acid balance brings out a taste of lemon, orange, peach and kiwi, with flavours of gooseberry and creamy lemon tart. Great length and a clean finish.
Serendipity Winery Sparkling Truth 2014 With a clean, floral nose, and crisp minerality with balanced acidity, this elegant BC bubble offers flavours of granny smith apple, almond/marzipan, creamy lemon tart, sweet pastry, mandarin and pear. It offers a luscious mousse with an elegant mouthfeel and generous length. A 16-month
Serendipity Winery Estate Merlot 2011 A full-bodied wine, it offers aromas of vanilla, marzipan and cassis followed by flavours of cardamom and blueberry. An inviting, well-integrated red wine, it is the third vintage of Serendipity’s popular Merlot. Aged two years in specially selected French barrels.
You can visit the Serendipity Winery website for their complete portfolio of BC wines here.
Future Plans
Katie provided the following comments. “I am blessed to have a very supportive and understanding boss (and mother) who lets me do a passion project every year. This year, you can look forward to a very small batch of fortified wine coming out of the vineyard, as well as a few more sparkling experiments.
As winemakers, we only really get to play around once a year, and I look forward to seeing what challenges, processes and creative thinking this year brings.
I am a huge proponent of supporting other women in the wine industry. I’ve been asked several times by other females wanting to get in the industry what I’d recommend helping them push through the ‘old boys club’ mentality. I’ve spent countless hours meeting with young women and helping them navigate these waters. I know it’s a hot topic these days, but sometimes it still feels cliché to bring up. I’ m thrilled to have another female working with me, and I love learning and working with other women winemakers in the industry.
Source: The Serendipity Winery provided the Winery and Vineyard information, Photos and BC wine tasting notes.