The Hillside Blog

What’s new at Hillside?  I’ll tell you what’s new!  Last month we released our first vintage of the newest addition to our Single Vineyard Series, the Occhi Dolci Vineyard Merlot. This merlot was planted and grown on a beautiful vineyard site (come on they’re all beautiful) just below the Penticton sign at the south end of…

August is BC Rosé Month, so let’s talk about rosé!  We have made our Hillside Rosé since 2005 with sales being slow for the first few years.  In 2008 we had a rockstar salesman in our wineshop who was able to double sales by convincing the male contingent that rosé is a very manly wine: …

The Naramata Bench wineries were the first in BC to join and pool their marketing efforts through a regional association when the Naramata Bench Wineries Association formed in 2003 as a marketing organization promoting awareness of Naramata Bench wineries throughout BC and Alberta. This vibrant group became well known for “taking it on the road”…

Winemaker, Winemaker Blend me a Wine… “Start with Merlot, make it taste fine, we want it to win awards when tasted blind, tell me what will Mosaic be?” What goes into blending a wine like Mosaic? “…for Mama add Cab Franc and Malbec, for Papa–Cabernet Sauvignon” Vineyard skill, careful barrel selection and cellar craftsmanship come…

As we celebrate budbreak, that magical period when the grapevine buds come out of dormancy, reconnect with the vine’s vascular system to draw up the nutrients stored in the root system through the winter, and unfurl two tiny leaves and a teeny pre-grape cluster, we wonder what the season will bring us. Each growing season…

To be truthful, it doesn’t always.  Some wines are made specifically to be the same year on year as variation is not considered desirable.  What I call “factory wines” are vinted and then blended with a view to give the consumer the same experience year on year.  Hence, warmer vintages may be blended with cooler,…