Five wine brands incubated in the nest of the hatch on Westside Wine Trail including Black Swift Vineyards, Screaming Frenzy, Gobsmacked, Crown & Thieves, and Talking Stories. This summer, Black Swift Vineyards and Screaming Frenzy left to create their own nest with the opening of their new tasting room.
Proclaimed by Jason Parkes and Grayson Riordon, affectionately named the Prince of Tides, as “the hatch in a tuxedo t-shirt,” the new winery can be found just down the road from its old nest, perched on the hillside at the Westside Wine Trail’s gateway at 2345 Boucherie Road.
You’ll find a welcoming, bright tasting room with a picturesque picnic area overlooking the west arm of Okanagan Lake. It’s a stunning setting you’ll be wanting to direct guests and regularly visit yourself.
To get a closer look at the new site and to taste the wines, I attended a media event catered by The Grumpy Chef – one of the rotating food trucks on site this summer. Now the newest member of the hatch family, Smokeshow BBQ, featuring Chef Ryan Byrne will help feed the flock. You’ll find Smokeshow BBQ splitting its time between Black Swift and Truck 59 Ciderhouse at 3887 Brown Road. Follow your nose for the aromas of smoked meat and barbequed foods or @smokeshowbyjpc on Instagram to confirm its locations and hours.
For the launch, we were treated to a creative lunchtime pairing including:
- 2015 and 2016 Black Swift ‘Stone’s Throw’ Pinot Noir and Scotch Egg with Pinot Gris Dijon Cream
- 2016 Black Swift ‘Hans Estate’ Syrah and French Toast Grilled Cheese with Red Wine Bacon Jam
- 2019 Screaming Frenzy Pinot Blanc and Poached Egg in a Potato Nest with Black Pudding Salsa and Lemon Hollandaise.
We learned the name Black Swift is a nod to the elusive, high-flying black swift bird that flies in screaming frenzies and only produces one solitary egg each year. Consistent with that idea, wines released under Black Swift are single vineyard focused. “We try to pick a spot that we feel suits that particular grape – places that I feel I’ve had success with before,” remarks Parkes. “More importantly, it’s about giving our growers – who have been with us forever – the spotlight and respect they deserve. They put their heart and soul into their work and it really comes through in our wines.”
The focus for Screaming Frenzy is about making approachable, every day wines while creating labels that often pay ode to or poke fun at the wine industry and themselves. “We want to bring a lightness and playfulness to an industry that can sometimes take itself too seriously,” adds Parkes.
The tasting room offers flights of Black Swift Vineyards and Screaming Frenzy, with COVID-19 distancing protocols in effect for the safety and enjoyment of all guests.
Along with its wine brand companions, Black Swift strives to share with the world the incredible depth, variety, complexity, and most importantly quality, that British Columbia wine has to offer.
Learn more about Black Swift at blackswiftvineyards.com. Follow @blackswiftvineyards on Instagram and @blackswiftwine on Twitter.
