Five decades in, the winery focuses on Pinot and Chardonnay

Quails’ Gate photo

Few wines are as emblematic of the Okanagan than Quails’ Gate Stewart Family Reserve selections, which continue to highlight the top-tier varieties first introduced by the pioneering Stewart family some 50 years ago.

Over the last few decades, “the Family Reserve line has always been about expressing what our estate is capable of,” says winemaker Kailee Frasch. She points out the Stewarts were among the first in the valley to plant Dijon clones when they opted to focus on Pinot Noir in the 1970s and Chardonnay a decade or so later. “I think it’s worth noting that we pay homage to the Stewart Family for betting on Dijon clones so early on.”

Most of the vines currently producing the Family Reserve fruit are now around 30 years old, or more. They span a period that covers a lot of B.C. wine history. In fact, the inaugural Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir 1994 was one of the first premium reds to be introduced to the market at $30—a significant threshold at the time. Naturally, says Frasch, the style has evolved and become more refined over time. “But there’s always going to be that continuity, given that the wine has been about expressing our estate and the fruit has always been from this site—although we’re always trying to find ways to make incremental improvements.”

Asked which varieties she loves to work with, the winemaker confesses she “definitely has a soft spot for Chardonnay—in fact it’s my favourite, although Pinot would be a close second,” she says. Even though 2021, ‘23 and ’25 were some of the hottest years on record, the Family Reserve source sites, with their proximity to the lake, provide some moderation with cool nights that yield significant diurnal shifts. “It’s kind of a unique spot in where we’re still able to maintain acidity and freshness even in the really hot years,” says Frasch. “We have the unique capability to make Chardonnay that’s both very rich and has very ripe fruit, but it still has its fine acidity that I was talking about, so it keeps it keeps it from being overly heavy.”

The winemaker adds, “We’ve gone in with a lot more Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, taking out some of the varietals that were planted early on that maybe weren’t completely suited to the site, like Merlot and Cab Sauv. It’s really exciting that our estate is basically going to be 80 per cent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. So we’re really doubling down on those two varietals.”

The replanting of more than 80 acres of vineyards last year, with continued work this season, marks a defining moment for Quails’ Gate—reinforcing its role as a benchmark in the region. Guests are invited to visit the estate, where this ongoing journey is best experienced firsthand: through the wines, the setting, and the unmistakable sense of continuity that defines Quails’ Gate.

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY: 

Quails’ Gate Estate Winery
QuailsGate.com

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