News

John Schreiner on wine - Moon Curser and my Neighbours

It is axiomatic that wine is best enjoyed in the company of other wine lovers.

By good fortune, I had samples from Moon Curser Vineyards, which was opened in 2006 by Beata and Chris Tolley. Having planted varieties different from the Okanagan mainstream, they produce some of the most interesting wines in the Okanagan. Read more Click Here.

The Globe & Mail - It's a Region Known for Reds.......

Moon Curser's second arneis crop, harvested from young vines in 2014, proves that the variety can perform splendidly in the sunny south Okanagan, without the need for Piedmont's relatively cool, foggy climate. This superb effort, aggressively pruned to low fruit yields, is medium-bodied and rounded in texture, with ripe pear-like fruit enlivened by nuances of smoke, spice and minerality. Read more Click Here.

The Georgia Straight - B.C. Wine Picks for Everyone

While most wine-lovers know flinty and crisp Arneis as a variety hailing from northern Italy, Moon Curser has gone out on a limb to prove the grape can express itself well in the deserts of Osoyoos. Read more Click Here.

The Globe & Mail 0 Moon Curser 2013 Carmenere - 90 pts

Chile, move over. Moon Curser is working wonders with the South American country's signature red grape. And this is a wine worthy of comparison with some of Chile's better examples, which may be a consolation to those who find the price as frighteningly high as an Andes peak. Read more Click Here.

The Georgia Straight - Beverage Pros Unearth These Wine Gems

David Stansfield is a consulting sommelier who oversees the wine program at Vancouver’s Tap & Barrel restaurants, along with various other clients. Back in January, when asked for a wine recommendation, he became the first and only person to have dropped an F-bomb in this column. I guess he’s feeling a touch classier these days, since he only went as far as calling Moon Curser’s Touriga Nacional “badass”. Read more Click Here.

Wine Picks - Moon Curser Touriga Nacional

by: Neal McLennan, Western Living Magazine, Aug 20, 2013

Wine geeks love nothing more than the experimenting winemakers who plant all sorts of off–the–wall grapes in unexpected places. Partly, it’s respect for their pioneering spirit, and partly it’s because after a day of tasting perfectly crafted Syrahs from Washington State, you’re just happy to have an imperfectly crafted Sangiovese from Washington State. But even within this group of rule breakers, there are guidelines. Never take on Portugal’s signature grape—Touriga Nacional is one...

"But there's always some wizard who thinks he can beat the system..." / Read more. Click Here.

The Globe & Mail - 7 sweet-scented wines that betray the tongue

by: Beppi Crosariol, The Globe and Mail, July 27, 2013

When it comes to wine, the nose trumps the tongue almost every time. It’s one of the first lessons taught in wine schools. That protrusion below our eyes is capable of detecting thousands of scents, yet the tongue interprets just five basic sensations: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and the vaguely meaty essence called umami. The sensory organs work in tandem, of course. We taste with both organs as we sip, taking in aromatic air as well as wine. But in rough scientific terms, when we “taste” such things as thyme, citrus or pepper, it’s mainly the nose talking to the mouth. Here’s the proof: If your nostrils are stuffed up from a cold, you don’t taste an awful lot, which is why kids sometimes plug their noses while eating broccoli... / Read More

The Globe and Mail - Moon Curser Pinot Noir 2011, British Columbia

By: Beppi Crosariol, The Globe and Mail, July 25, 2013

It’s medium-bodied and very dry, with pleasantly dusty texture carrying dark-berry notes and nuances of beetroot, herbs and spice. Available from the winery... / Read More

The Globe and Mail - Push your palate: Six reasons to sip wines from the wild side

By: Beppi Crosariol, The Globe and Mail, July 25, 2013

The road less travelled has rewards. Sport-utility vehicle makers tap the allure with fantasy clifftop money shots that say: “freedom four-wheel-drive.” Wine enjoyment can be a little like that – exciting when you dare to venture off the steamrolled asphalt. Yet in vino as in vehicles, most people rarely stray from the smooth and familiar. Cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir and, at most, one or two dozen other popular grapes account for the vast majority of North American consumption. The wines are easy to pronounce, easy to find and easy to understand. No big surprises. / Read More

The Globe and Mail - Moon Curser Syrah 2010 - 91 pts

By: Beppi Crosariol, The Globe and Mail, Sept 6, 2012

This full-bodied Okanagan red has one foot in the Rhône Valley, showing French syrah’s hallmark peppercorn spice against a rich backdrop of berries, cinnamon and chocolate. It’s richly fruity but with good acid balance. A year or two in the cellar would bring it into even better balance. Try it now with saucy short ribs... / Read More