News

Quench - Canadian grape growers embrace diversity with stunning results

"Our wine industry has embraced diversity, just as we have as a country … with stunning results. Recently, I invited winemakers from every region of Canada to send me samples of their offbeat grape varieties, in a quest to find out just how adventurous they are. Below are the results of my recent tasting, wine by wine and grape by grape. This wasn’t just an apples and oranges kind of experiment, it was more like kumquats and kiwanos." 

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Wine Scores.ca - Wine Scores for Moon Curser Vineyards

92 points, 91 points, 90 points; plenty of good numbers here..Read more Click Here.

winebc.com - Holiday Snacks vs. BC Red Wines

"15 BC Reds Which Totally Work with Pretty Much Anything You Throw at ‘Em!

Moon Curser Dolcetto 2016

Bright berry and plum flavours bloomed when we paired this with onion dip and eggs. Try it with bacon and chips for a match made in heaven."

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John Schreiner on wine - Moon Curser winemaker revels in diversity

"Moon Curser Vineyards co-founder and winemaker Chris Tolley seems to have a bit of a nightmare: that he could be making wine in Beaujolais with just one varietal.

“I would do horrible in Beaujolais,” he says. “The idea of knowing just one grape for my whole life ….” He lets that frightening [to him] thought hang in the air.

Life is different at Moon Curser. He works with numerous varietals, almost all estate grown and some fairly obscure in the Okanagan. These include Arneis, Tannat, Touriga Nacional, Dolcetto, Carménère, Tempranillo, Marsanne and Roussanne. There is not much chance of getting jaded as a winemaker with that array of grapes every harvest."

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Gismondi on Wine - Moon Curser Tannat 2013 - 90 points

"Moon Curser Tannat 2013 - 90 POINTS

This is the best tannat we have seen from Moon Curser, and it has improved in my estimation since the National Wine Awards, where it showed very well. This guy is aged in 225L French oak barrels, of which 30 percent are new and 70 percent are neutral one to three-year-old vessels. It’s big and chewy but with some softness and plenty of black plum fruit, cloves and a dusting of baker’s spices. You can drink this now, preferably with a rare steak, but I would wait a decade to see the real story and it will be just fine under screwcap. The fruit is grown on the very warm Osoyoos East Bench where Moon Cursor says the sandy soils help mitigate the excessive tannins."

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The Georgia Straight - 8 unorthodox wines from B.C. that satisfy

"It kicked things into high gear after its rebrand to Moon Curser Vineyards in 2011, adding a host of varieties rather uncommon in our region. I appreciate the sense of playfulness here, but that playfulness has never been at the expense of crafting wines of integrity. Moon Curser’s Arneis 2016 ($22.52) puts the variety on a proper pedestal, even though it’s more at home in northern Italy, known for flinty, floral, and citrusy character. Take all those elements here and add some extra fresh-squeezed lime, a hint of salinity, and juicy acidity and you are primed for that next sip." 

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Gismondi on Wine - Moon Curser Dead of Night 2015 - 90 points

"Moon Curser Dead of the Night 2015 - 90 POINTS

Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Dead of the Night is a 50/50 mix of syrah/tannat grown on the Osoyoos east bench area that is the unofficial flagship red of the winery. As big as syrah and tannat can be this wine remains fresh and relatively bright on the nose offering fragrant notes of dark plums and ripe blackberries. The palate is much improved showing more finesse and refined dense tannins permeated by a strong black cherry flavour. Much more elegance than we are used to here and it is welcomed in what can be a brawny red. Impressive to say the least." 

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edible SEATTLE - TANNAT

"“Go big or go home” is not typically a winemaker’s mantra. There are plenty of bold, domineering wines on the market, of course, from Cabernet Sauvignon to Syrah to Petite Verdot. But most vintners reach for a little subtlety, a touch of elegance in their wines. So when an imposing grape like Tannat emerges on the scene, it’s worth approaching with healthy curiosity.

Tannat might sound a little like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but think of it more like a diamond polished out of the rough. Under the right hands, it can age from a strong-willed grape to a structured wine with smooth flavors and silky refinement."

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Wine Align - Top 10 Small Wineries in Canada

8. Moon Curser Vineyards

British Columbia
1 Gold, 6 Silver, 3 Bronze...Read more Click Here

Quench - Classic Italian grapes are populating the New World

"...But as Chris Tolley at Moon Curser in the Okanagan Valley points out, “plantings are only as appropriate as the wine is good.” He’s experimenting with Arneis, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo. While Tolley believes Arneis is suitable as it ripens early, likes sandy soils and isn’t too cold sensitive, he calls his two-year old Nebbiolo vines in Osoyoos “our sacrificial planting.” Only time will tell if that grape will be able to fully ripen in the Okanagan’s extreme climate..."

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