Upper Bench Winery
We were proud to feature Upper Bench Winery in May 2020.
Located just outside of Penticton’s downtown core at the gateway to the Naramata Bench, Upper Bench offers a unique opportunity to experience our two passions: wine and cheese. Award-winning winemaker, Gavin Miller, believes great wine is grown in the vineyard. Upper Bench’s hand-tended vines are meticulously farmed without the use of chemicals or pesticides. Upper Bench is known for producing big, bold reds and crisp, dry whites that reflect the vintage and soil from the vineyards where they are grown. Upper Bench’s grapes are sourced from our own seven acre Estate vineyard and select growers along the famous Naramata Bench in the South Okanagan of British Columbia, Canada.
Tasting Notes
CHARDONNAY, 2018
Upper Bench Winery, Okanagan Valley Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: BC VQA Naramata Bench
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vineyard: Various Naramata Bench vineyards
Alcohol: 13.8%
Residual Sugar: 1.9 g/L
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 780
Appearance: Light straw colour.
Nose: Toasty, spicy, baked apple nose with a clove-y note.
Palate: Medium-bodied, dry, apple flavour with cinnamon oak spice; harmonious, with well-integrated oak and laser-like acidity and a cashew nut finish.
Quality: Outstanding. Delicious wine. Drink now or hold 1-2 years.
Critic Rating: 91 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Crab with cannellini bean salad and a citrus vinaigrette, braised leeks with Hawaiian red snapper, grilled corn on the cob, bruschetta with sautéed greens, pork tenderloin with baked apples, and broiled garlic clams.
ESTATE PINOT NOIR, 2016
Upper Bench Winery, Okanagan Valley Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: BC VQA Okanagan Valley
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vineyard: Upper Bench Vineyard
Alcohol: 14.1%
Residual Sugar: 3.2 g/L
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 165
Appearance: Deep ruby in colour.
Nose: Cedary, spicy, earthy, plum bouquet with a red licorice note.
Palate: Medium-bodied, dry, ripe black cherry flavour with mellow tannins and a warm alcoholic finish.
Quality: Very Good+. Drink now or hold for a year to allow the oak to integrate.
Critic Rating: 89 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Grilled quail with goji berries and pine nuts, turkey sausage with sauerkraut, squash soup with lentils, stuffed eggplant with lamb and feta, leek and pecorino pizza, glazed ham with red peppers, and roasted rabbit with oranges and herbs.
RIESLING, 2019
Upper Bench Winery, Okanagan Valley Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: BC VQA Naramata Bench
Varietal: Riesling
Vineyard: Upper Bench Vineyard
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 7.9 g/L
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 398
Appearance: Light straw in colour.
Nose: Floral, grapefruit with a hint of petrol.
Palate: Light to medium-bodied, tangy, tangerine and grapefruit flavours with racy acidity; long and lingering, lemony finish.
Quality: Outstanding. Drink now or through 2021.
Critic Rating: 90 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Blackened chicken with Cajun remoulade, garlic mac and cheese, halibut with orange-miso sauce and fennel, beet carpaccio with pickled mustard seeds, and seared scallops with sweet papaya sauce.
MERLOT, 2017
Upper Bench Winery, Okanagan Valley Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: BC VQA Okanagan Valley
Varietal: Merlot
Vineyard: Various Naramata Bench vineyards
Alcohol: 14.1%
Residual Sugar: 4.1 g/L
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 451
Appearance: Deep purple-ruby in colour.
Nose: Cedary, lightly floral, black cherry bouquet with oak spice.
Palate: Medium to full-bodied, dry, savoury, sweet black fruit flavours with racy acidity and a firm finish.
Quality: Very Good+ – Outstanding, dependent on cellaring. You can drink it now but 1 – 2 years in the cellar will enhance the bouquet and round off the dark chocolate tannins.
Critic Rating: 88-90 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Veal chops with capers and cream sauce, shepherd’s pie, roast beef sandwich with caramelized onions, spinach and artichoke stuffed mushrooms, filet mignon with arugula salad, and elk burgers with garlic mashed potatoes.
GEWURZTRAMINER, 2018
Upper Bench Winery, Okanagan Valley Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: BC VQA Similkameen Valley
Varietal: Gewürztraminer
Vineyard: Various Similkameen vineyards
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 7 g/L
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 194
Appearance: Straw colour.
Nose: Spicy, lightly floral, minerally bouquet of grapefruit with a note of ginger.
Palate: Medium-bodied, dry, lychee and grapefruit flavour carried on fresh acidity to a bitter almond finish.
Quality: Very Good+ – Outstanding based on cellaring. Drink now or hold for a couple of years for the Gewürztraminer bouquet to become more expressive.
Critic Rating: 89-90 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Grilled lobster tails with crispy ginger slaw, bacon wrapped dates with goat cheese, mesquite pulled pork sliders, chicken spring rolls with peanut sauce, and buffalo cauliflower bites.
ALTITUDE, 2015
Upper Bench Winery, Okanagan Valley Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: BC VQA Okanagan Valley
Varietals: Merlot (75%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%)
Vineyard: Various Naramata Bench vineyards
Alcohol: 14.5%
Residual Sugar: 2.9 g/L
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 208
Appearance: Opaque purple-ruby in colour.
Nose: Cedary, tobacco, blackcurrant bouquet with oak spice and a light floral note.
Palate: Medium to full-bodied, richly extracted flavours of blackcurrant and plum with notes of cinnamon and mocha chocolate. Firmly structured with evident but ripe tannins.
Quality: 91-92, dependent on cellaring. Outstanding. Hold 1-2 years.
Critic Rating: 91-92 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Beef short ribs with black pepper sauce, grilled lamb chops with honey and herb chimichurri, caprese salad with flank steak, balsamic roast chicken with tomatoes and swiss chard, and quinoa jambalaya.
MERLOT, 2016
Upper Bench Winery, Okanagan Valley Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: BC VQA Okanagan Valley
Varietal: Merlot
Vineyard: Various Naramata Bench vineyards
Alcohol: 14.7%
Residual Sugar: 4.1 g/L
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 542
Appearance: Dense ruby colour.
Nose: Cedary, floral, mulberry bouquet with oak spice.
Palate: Medium to full-bodied, dry, savoury, sweet black fruit flavours with racy acidity and a firm finish.
Quality: Very Good+ – Outstanding, dependent on cellaring. You can drink it now, but 1 – 2 years in the cellar will enhance the bouquet and round off the bitter chocolate tannins.
Critic Rating: 89-91 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Veal chops with capers and cream sauce, shepherd’s pie, roast beef sandwich with caramelized onions, spinach and artichoke stuffed mushrooms, filet mignon with arugula salad, and elk burgers with garlic mashed potatoes.