Tinhorn Creek Vineyards opened in 1993, with a focus on land stewardship and impeccable wine quality. Since then the winery has gone on to win multiple awards for both winemaking and sustainability. The winery, owned by Andrew Peller Ltd since 2017, continues that quality ambition and environmental principal, with Korol Kuklo at the winemaking helm.
Cabernet Franc has always competed with Merlot for top billing among the Tinhorn Creek reds. Until recent years it has lacked Merlot’s popularity.
The winery is open daily from 11 am to 5 pm. Reservations are suggested as capacity is limited following COVID 19 guidelines.
The Vineyards
Tinhorn Creek Vineyard
The 50-acre Tinhorn Creek Vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench is also home to the winery, amphitheatre, wine shop, barrel cellar and the oldest block of vineyards.
The Golden Mile is located on an upper bench, with the elevation making it significantly warmer than the valley floor. This helps the vineyard escape damaging spring and fall frosts. The Tinhorn Creek vineyards at this site get the first-morning sunlight. By late afternoon, the sun dips behind the hills, and in the cool summer evenings, the grapes develop their exquisite flavours.
The unique microclimate for this vineyard includes the east-facing site, which offers good early morning sun exposure. To the west of the vineyards lies the Thompson Plateau. The sun goes behind this ridge early in the day relative to the other side of the valley. This vineyard can be in shade as early as five o’clock in the summer months making it a cooler, slower ripening area. The downward slope of the vineyards provides good airflow and, mainly due to water drainage, varietals ripen differently uphill versus downhill.
The previous owners planted Pinot Noir in 1989, Merlot between 1989 and 1991, and Kerner and Chardonnay in 1990. Today, there are eleven varieties of grapes planted at this site including Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Syrah, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
Diamondback Vineyard
Tinhorn Creek’s 100-acre Diamondback Vineyard is located on the Black Sage Bench, which is home to approximately one-third of the Okanagan Valley’s vineyards.
The Diamondback Vineyard has a southwest facing elevated location and enjoys both early morning and late afternoon sun. In the summer months, the site can get anywhere from two to three additional hours of sunlight per day compared to the Tinhorn Creek Vineyard.
The grapes planted at this site can ripen one to three weeks prior to the same varieties at Tinhorn, in part due to this sun exposure. Planting began in 1994 with Pinot Gris and Cabernet Franc. More plantings followed including Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and more recently, Semillon, Syrah and Malbec were added.
Miradoro Restaurant
Miradoro Restaurant is a partnership between Tinhorn Creek and BC culinary legend Manuel (Manny) Ferreira. In 2010, Manny left Vancouver where he was the owner of Le Gavroche for the Okanagan to launch the Miradoro Restaurant.
Panoramic views of the valley below; clean lines, and a comfortable atmosphere. Locally sourced ingredients prepared by an award-winning chef. All of this, in the heart of the south Okanagan – with a hint of Mediterranean on the palate.
With an emphasis on seasonal products and a commitment to sustainable practice, the menu at Miradoro is a study in culinary creativity. From the authentic Forno oven to a diverse wine list (including library wines), this is the place for food lovers to indulge.
Open from March through December, Miradoro is where you can enjoy a leisurely meal and a glass of wine – whether you’re visiting wine country or you live down the road.
Dining at Miradora
We travelled to Oliver in March and were fortunate to dine at Miradoro one night. The restaurant was busy for the offseason. We were also able to take advantage of the March three-course fixed price menu. The meal included:
- Appetizer – albóndigas – beef & pork meatballs in rich tomato sauce, arugula, parmesan
- Rabbit, pancetta and green chickpea pappardelle – broad noodles in rich rabbit ragu, pecorino romano
- Grilled ‘bear & flower farm’ pork chop – garlic honey blue cornmeal polenta, red cabbage kraut, caramelized apple, celery root.
- Dessert – espresso tiramisu
The meals were paired with Tinhorn Creek Cabernet Franc 2018 (tasting notes below).
The service was excellent and the food was first class, such a treat in these difficult COVID times.
For a reservation at Miradora please use this link.
Winemaker Korol Kuklo
“I started working at Tinhorn Creek in 1998, in the cellar with Sandra Oldfield. It was just after my move from the Lower Mainland and a pretty big career change. At first, I worked in the lab as the lead for quality control. The move to Stelvin twist-offs? That was partly me.
I have a Diploma in Food Service from Langara College; before winemaking, I worked as a food service technician in hospitals and healthcare institutions; there’s a good chance I have the most Boston Terriers in the Okanagan.”
Karol Kuklo
The Wines
Tinhorn Creek Cabernet Franc 2018 ($25)
The grapes for this wine were fermented slowly with wild yeast, allowing a gentle extraction of colour and flavours and aged in French and Hungarian oak for 16 to 18 months.
Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, tobacco and cedar. Flavours of black cherry, black pepper, plum, wet soil, leather and smoke with ripe tannins. The texture is generous, with long ripe tannins rounded by barrel ageing. 91 Points
For other excellent BC Cabernet Franc please see – Top 10 Best Value BC Cabernet Franc.
Tinhorn Creek Chardonnay 2018 ($21)
Hand-harvested fruit is whole-cluster-pressed into French and American oak barrels (30% new) and allowed to go through fermentation naturally, while a portion of the wine is machine harvested and fermented in stainless steel and concrete tanks. The wine fermented until June and then went through elevage until being bottled at the end of August. The wines are then lightly fined and filtered before bottling.
The golden hue shows the barrel fermentation components and gentle ageing of this wine. The nose is full of spice, clove and nutmeg before fresh nectarine and lemon zest give it a delicate lift.
The palate is rich but still very bright and refreshing with golden apple crispness, yellow grapefruit, before finishing with a buttery macadamia nut cookie, or almond biscotti note.
The chardonnay won a silver medal at 2020 Chardonnay du Monde competition.
Please visit the Tinhorn Creek website for their complete portfolio of BC wine.
Notes
Background and Chardonnay tasting notes by Tinhorn Creek Vineyards.