Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery is located on the busy Upper Bench Road in Penticton BC on the Naramata Bench. The new tasting room opened this spring.
The owners of the Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery, Wilbert and Joka Borren both grew up in Holland. In 1993 they bought a small pig farm in Lacombe, Alberta and started a family. After successfully growing and expanding the farm, it was time to sell and find their next adventure. A previous vacation to the beautiful Okanagan Valley had them intrigued.
With a strong desire to continue farming, in 2011 they purchased a 17 acres vineyard property and moved their young family to Penticton.
The Estate Vineyard
The lower 8.5 acres vineyard was planted in 1999 with Zweigelt, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Blanc. In 2009 the upper 3.5 acres vineyard was planted with Riesling.
The Winemakers
Wilbert Borren is gradually taking over as the lead winemaker for Four Shadows. He made the Merlot and Pinot Noir in 2017 with the assistance of Lyndsay O’Rourke, the winemaker from neighbouring Tightrope winery. Lyndsay completed the 2018 crush but Pascal Madevon (Signature LTD.) is now the wine consultant. You can read more about Pascal in this article by John Schreiner – Pascal Madevon hangs out the shingle.
Harvest 2018
The Fall of 2018 was our 8th harvest since we purchased the property in September 2011. We started the 2018 harvest by picking the Riesling on September 29th, 2 weeks later than 2017. We finished with our Zweigelt for Chaberton Winery on October 20th. The late harvest and cooler nights were excellent for our Riesling, which won gold at the CNWA. The yields were somewhat higher than average.
The 2018 harvest was a good year, regardless of the smoke and the September rains. October brought some much-needed sun and heat which allowed us to ripen our grapes nicely.
Joka Borren – Owner Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery
The Wines
Four Shadows Chardonnay 2018 ($23)
A full-bodied, slightly oaked wine releases aromas of honey, butterscotch, pear, and mint. On the palate, you will find flavours of white peach and nectarine, vanilla and ripe pear and a wonderful buttery mouthfeel.90 Points.
Four Shadows Riesling 2018 ($23)
Aromas of rose petals and jasmine. Ripe apricots jump from the glass along with red peach and Anjou pear. A lovely off-dry style Riesling at only 9.5% alcohol. 89 Points
Four Shadows Rosé 2018 ($21)
The Rosé is a Pinot Noir/Merlot blend which produces a vibrant sockeye salmon hue. Pink grapefruit, watermelon, pear and citrus. Sparkling acidity balances the touch of sweetness with a smooth lingering finish. 90 Points
Four Shadows Pinot Noir 2017 ($28)
Aromas of black cherries, raspberry and vanilla. On the palate, cherries, cranberries with earthy notes. A well-balanced full-bodied wine with smooth tannins. Suggest you aerate the wine before serving. 90 Points.
Paired beautifully with BBQ Salmon and Spinach Salad.
Four Shadows Merlot 2017 ($26)
An elegant nose of black fruit. Flavours of black currants, blackberries, plums with a hint of leather, strawberries and vanilla. Smooth ripe tannins with a lengthy finish. Enjoy with your favourite BBQ beef. 91 Points
To order these excellent BC wines please visit the Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery Website.
Future Plans
“We are still selling approximately 65% of our grapes to other wineries. We do our crushing and pressing at Tightrope Winery. If the future allows and wine sales are good, we would process more of our own grapes. We hope to be able to do our own crushing and pressing in the future. Also one of our sons has been helping us during the summer months for the past few years. He’s studying business at Simon Fraser University and has expressed interest in the winery.
Right now we are making Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay and a Rosé. In our wine portfolio future, we would like to use our Zweigelt for reds and rosé and we also could add at a small amount of Pinot Blanc. As we are farmers by heart we take care of our land and believe in sustainable farming. We’d like to stay a small family operation and there is no intention of purchasing grapes elsewhere.”
Joka Borren – Owner Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery
To check out the tasting notes for the 2019 vintage see – Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery 2020 Releases