Today’s visit on my Naramata Bench trip gave me a bonus. Besides tasting wine, I also enjoyed some cheese pairings. Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery is the place to go as they make their own cheeses, which you can also buy. Yes, I bought cheese to take home.
I spoke with Josh Edwards, their winemaker, before tasting the wines. Josh noted that they have a 100% crop loss this year and have decided not to bring in grapes from outside of BC for this vintage. They had bumper crops in earlier years so have plenty of wines to sell to customers. For now, it was time to clean wine barrels and the winery. Vine pruning will occur sometime in the winter. Upper Bench’s hand-tended vines are farmed without the use of synthetic herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides.
Let me tell you about the wines I tasted and then the cheese pairings.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery Riesling 2022 (BC $26) – It has a medium intensity, clear, bright lemon colour. Medium-intensity aromas of sweet stone fruits and petrol. It is dry, medium-bodied with a lean mouthfeel. High acidity which leaves a light acidic prickle on your tongue. Tart citrus flavours along with green fruit and stone fruit. Medium length with some bitterness on the finish. 
Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery Chardonnay 2021 (BC $39) – A medium-plus bright lemon colour. It has a light toasty nose. Medium body, dry with a lean mouthfeel. Higher acidity with citrus and apple flavours. Overall quite tart on the palate. A touch of light sweet spices. Medium-plus length. – 
Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery Rosé 2023 (BC $28) – a blend of 86% Pinot Noir and 14% Gamay. This wine has a pale, clear rose petal colour. Light, sweet strawberry nose. Dry, medium body with a roundish mouthfeel. Strawberries on the palate with touches of floral and red cherries. Medium length with tart red fruits on the finish. A dry finish with a touch of tannins.
Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery Pinot Noir 2022 – (BC $30) A medium-intensity clear, bright garnet colour in the glass. Medium-intensity aromas of candied cherries and a touch of sweet spices. This wine is dry, medium-minus body, lean with a light mouthfeel. Flavours of red cherries, red berries and a touch of sweet spices. The wine has some tartness on the palate. Medium length with some pepperiness on the finish. –
Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery Zweigelt 2022 (BC $29) – Medium intensity, clear garnet colour. A deep, ripe sweet cherry nose and a touch of sweet spices. Dry, medium-minus body with a lean mouthfeel and higher acidity. Ripe cherries and cranberries on the palate. Light tannins. Medium-plus length finishing with tart red cherries and medium-drying oak flavours.
Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery Merlot Cabernet Franc 2021 (BC $26) – a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. This wine has a medium intensity, translucent to the core, garnet colour. Medium-intensity aromas of capsicum, red fruits and some red cherries. Fresh aromas. It is dry and medium-bodied with a lean mouthfeel. Tart red cherries and red fruit flavours, plus touches of capsicum and oak. More acidity than tannins. Medium-plus length with a puckering red fruit finish. –
Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery Merlot 2021 (BC $31) – A medium-plus intensity dull garnet colour in the glass. Medium intensity, rich ripe red cherry aromas and a touch of oak. his wine is dry and smooth with a lightly round mouthfeel. Tart red fruit, red cherries, with hints of sweet spices and raspberries. The acidity in this wine gets stronger at the mid-palate. Medium-plus length with puckering red fruit and red cherries, plus light pepperiness on the finish. A dry finish. –
Wine and Cheese Pairings
The Moody Cow is a very mild blue cheese that can lead you to try stronger blue cheeses in the future. The texture of the Moody Cow is dreamy, creamy, with streaks of blue veining of which you may not be able to taste its bitterness. The Double Cream Brie also has a soft buttery texture and mild taste. There is also some pleasant bitterness from the rind.
I tried the Double Cream Brie with the Chardonnay 2021 and the Moody Cow with the Pinot Noir 2022. The Brie with Chardonnay pairing was complementary with the acidity in the wine cutting through the creaminess of the cheese. You then get to taste a bit of the Brie’s bitter rind. The Moody Cow was quite creamy, with light blue bitterness, and a touch of saltiness. I enjoyed tasting the creaminess of the cheese with the red fruit flavours and the acidity of the Pinot Noir.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these wines online at the Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery website:
The Riesling is available at select Everything Wine stores.
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