This is a great way to get your holiday planning off an amazing start. We have two offers that you simply cannot pass up! Free shipping We pay for the shipping on all wines ordered online until December 10th! Use the coupon code “FREESHIP17” at checkout and voila! Shipping is free! Discounts on our flagship […]
This is a great way to get your holiday planning off an amazing start. We have two offers that you simply cannot pass up!
Free shipping
We pay for the shipping on all wines ordered online until December 10th! Use the coupon code “FREESHIP17” at checkout and voila! Shipping is free!
Discounts on our flagship wines
Our flagship wines – Signature and Capella – have been produced since 2006 and we are extremely proud of how well they have faired with critics, in competitions, and with everyone who tastes them in our wine shop! In addition to the free shipping, we are also offering a 10% discount on the current vintages of Signature and Capella until December 10th. (That’s the same discount that members of our Soleil 160 Wine Club get! Please don’t tell them…)
No coupon code is required for this wonderful price on either of these fabulous wines! It couldn’t be any more simple!
Large formats now available
For the first time, we have made our large-format bottles of Signature availabe online. Previously, these were only available in the wine shop.
Signature is available in 1.5l and 3l bottle sizes. Each comes with its own branded wooden gift box. Perfect for long-term aging or for making your holiday party that much more spectacular and memorable!
These offers will only be available until December 10th so order now and make sure that your wine arrives in time for your holiday entertaining and gifting needs!
Verticale 2017 took place on a beautiful day on September 30th. This was our annual vertical tasting of the two flagship wines that have been the pillars of our portfolio since the 2006 vintage – Capella and Signature. This year’s flights both started with the 2007 vintage and extended up to the current vintages 2015 […]
Verticale 2017 took place on a beautiful day on September 30th. This was our annual vertical tasting of the two flagship wines that have been the pillars of our portfolio since the 2006 vintage – Capella and Signature. This year’s flights both started with the 2007 vintage and extended up to the current vintages 2015 and 2014 for Capella and Signature respectively. The flights were expertly paired with food prepared by Chef Natasha Schooten from Walnut Beach Resort in Osoyoos.
A vertical tasting includes tasting multiple vintages of the same wine, usually from oldest to youngest, in order to experience the variations and similarities between the vintages. Variations can come from factors such as the weather during the growing season, the different combination of grapes used in the blend, or even the age of the vines in the vineyard. The similarities can show flavours derived from the vineyard’s terroir as well as winemaking techniques among other things. Top-quality wines that are suitable for long-term aging are perfect candidates to experience in a vertical tasting.
Our first vertical tasting happened in 2012 when there were only five possible vintages of each wine available to taste and the oldest vintage was only six years old. In 2016, the vertical tasting reached a milestone when it featured wines that were a full decade in age for the first time.
This year’s tasting event was the first to be branded with the name “Verticale” and featured 9 vintages of Capella and 8 vintages of Signature with both wines starting from the 2007 vintage. The afternoon started with a tasting of our very first vintage of Sémillon and finished with a taste of the recently-released 2013 Estate Reserve Red.
Each course of Chef Natasha’s deconstruction / reconstruction concept meal featured a small plate with a trio of basic flavour elements that was analogous to flavours in the accompanying wines. These flavours took into account the different ages of the wines. The older wines, from 8 to 10 years of age, were showing tertiary aromas such as tobacco leaf, black tea, and olives, all of which Chef Natasha literally used as ingredients and flavours in the deconstructed portion of the courses. It was then followed by a plate which contained these elements reconstructed together. These courses were all accompanied by a flight of three wines in sequential vintages. This unique experience allowed each wine to be tasted in the presence of a food item with a focused complimentary flavour as well a food with a more harmonious blend of all of the flavour elements. It was an intensely focused experience but one that everyone appreciated. The myriad flavours and texture combinations kept palate fatigue to a minimum even after multiple courses.
The tasting went into double-overtime but nobody complained at all as it was clear to everyone that the tasting was best experienced at a relaxed pace rather than rushed. The experience was completed with a taste of the recently released 2013 Estate Reserve Red and some took strolls through the vineyard as the sun got low in the sky.
A historic event for Clos du Soleil’s wine portfolio has just been announced by SIP Northwest Magazine. Both Capella and Signature have taken home Double-Gold medals from SIP Northwest’s “Best of the Northwest” wine awards. Never before in Clos du Soleil’s history have both flagship wines taken home the same award from the same competition. […]
A historic event for Clos du Soleil’s wine portfolio has just been announced by SIP Northwest Magazine. Both Capella and Signature have taken home Double-Gold medals from SIP Northwest’s “Best of the Northwest” wine awards. Never before in Clos du Soleil’s history have both flagship wines taken home the same award from the same competition. “Needless to say, we are ecstatic,” says Winemaker and Managing Director Michael Clark. “It is such a nice combination for us to have both Signature and Capella recognized that way.”
The winning vintages were the 2015 Capella and the 2013 Signature. The 2015 Capella, which received a 91-Point score from John Schreiner, is the tenth vintage of this wine ever produced and uses a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (80%) and Semillon (20%) grapes. A previous vintage of this wine had been served to Her Majesty the Queen at Canada House in London, England.
This has been a banner year for the 2013 Signature, which is now the most decorated wine in the winery’s history. With a gold each at Intervin and the Wine Align National Wine Competition, a silver at Decanter’s Word Wine Awards, and a 92-point score from Anthony Gismondi, the 2013 Signature has clearly garnered some high praise over the past year. Signature is always a Bordeaux-inspired blend that, for the 2013 vintage, included Merlot (51%), Cabernet Sauvignon (34%), Cabernet Franc (11%), Petit Verdot (2%), and Malbec (2% ).
The year just keeps getting better and better for our flagship red blend, Signature. After a 93-point score from John Schreiner, 92-points from Anthony Gismondi, and a Silver Medal (and 91-points) from Decanter World Wine Awards, Signature has just received a Gold Medal from the 2017 Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada! “Naturally, we’re […]
The year just keeps getting better and better for our flagship red blend, Signature. After a 93-point score from John Schreiner, 92-points from Anthony Gismondi, and a Silver Medal (and 91-points) from Decanter World Wine Awards, Signature has just received a Gold Medal from the 2017 Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada!
“Naturally, we’re thrilled,” says Winemaker and Managing Director Michael Clark. “Wine Align has some of the most knowledgeable wine judges in Canada so this indeed is a wonderful honour.”
Signature brought home a Gold Medal in the “Red Blends” category where it shared honours next to some of the most respected wines in Canada. The competition was huge this year and may be one of the largest wine competitions in the country. Among all of those amazing wines, our 2013 Signature was clearly a standout for the judges!
Signature has been produced in every vintage since 2006 and is always a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, and often includes Petit Verdot and/or Malbec. The 2013 vintage is made up of 51% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec. It was aged for 17 months in French oak barrels and then bottled, unfiltered and unfined, in June of 2015.
We are proud to announce the arrival of the 2016 Sémillon as a pre-release exclusive to our Soleil 160 Wine Club members! This is an extremely special vintage that could never be duplicated again and here is why: The 2016 Sémillon was the first, and only, white wine to be fermented in one of our […]
We are proud to announce the arrival of the 2016 Sémillon as a pre-release exclusive to our Soleil 160 Wine Club members!
This is an extremely special vintage that could never be duplicated again and here is why: The 2016 Sémillon was the first, and only, white wine to be fermented in one of our new French concrete tanks. Though we may produce another single-variety Sémillon in future vintages, it will never be done in these concrete fermenters in the same way ever again. After fermentation, it was racked only a single time and then aged on the fine lees for 8 months before a light filtering just before bottling. The handling of this wine could not have been gentler! Winemaker Michael Clark describes it as having flavours of “lemon and lime, wet stone, light buttery tones, and a hint of apricot” and notes an intriguing “electrical streak of minerality and refreshing acidity”.
Only 110 cases of this wine were produced and they will certainly not last long. Members of our Soleil 160 Wine Club can log in to the member’s area of our website and head to the Store, where you will find the new Sémillon!
If you are not yet a member, you can certainly join in on the fun and take advantage of this very special pre-release wine! Join now by visiting our Wine Club page.
The wine will retail for $24.90 but of course, Soleil 160 members get it at the discounted rate of $22.40! It is just another reason why the Soleil 160 Wine Club is one of the most worthwhile experiences under the sun.
Clos du Soleil Winery is pleased to announce the acquisition of a new vineyard. Winemaker and Managing Director Michael Clark says that the new property will be called “Les Collines” (a French term meaning “the hills”), a nod to Clos du Soleil’s French influence and the unique topography of this parcel of land. The land […]
Clos du Soleil Winery is pleased to announce the acquisition of a new vineyard. Winemaker and Managing Director Michael Clark says that the new property will be called “Les Collines” (a French term meaning “the hills”), a nod to Clos du Soleil’s French influence and the unique topography of this parcel of land. The land is hilly terrain comprised of several steep ridges which is ideal terroir for growing Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes that will be used to produce Clos du Soleil’s white wines such as their flagship white Capella and the Estate Reserve White.
Les Collines is over 10 acres in size with 5 acres scheduled to be planted and is located only a short distance west from the winery’s Estate Vineyard near Keremeos. Critically, the property is already certified organic which is in line with their current practices at their Estate vineyard. Clark will continue to maintain organic certification for Les Collines and will be practicing biodynamics on this property. Clark believes that living soils are crucial to maintaining vine health and for producing grapes that most truly represent their place. “My single-minded mission at Clos du Soleil is to produce the very highest quality wines,” says Clark. “I focus on producing wines which are complex, elegant, age-worthy, and that transparently speak of the land in which they were grown.” The balance of the acreage will be retained and preserved for local plants and wildlife as natural wild habitat.
For grape growing, the soil composition is of paramount importance for establishing a vineyard. The soil at Les Collines is extremely rocky with high levels of angular rocks within the gravelly loam and is similar in composition to the upper bench Similkameen soil series seen on their Estate vineyard. In addition, the organic practices already in place on this property have contributed to maintaining soil health and quality. As a result, Les Collines is already primed for the highest-quality grape production and will be planted with Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon vines. Sources for an ideal mix of clones (including Sauvignon Blanc clones 530, 242, and 906) have already been retained and planting is scheduled to begin in the spring in 2018.
Aside from the high quality viticultural characteristics, the land has extreme physical beauty: rugged and majestic with breath-taking views over the whole valley. “This small but exquisite new vineyard parcel will be a gem for Clos du Soleil, expressing all of the very best qualities of the Upper Bench Similkameen Valley,” says Clark.
The 2013 vintage of Signature, our flagship red blend inspired by the Grand Crus of Bordeaux, was awarded a Silver Medal and a 91-point score from Decanter Magazine at the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards. The 91-point score reconfirms an earlier score by Decanter associate editor Tina Gellie in the March 2017 issue of Decanter […]
The 2013 vintage of Signature, our flagship red blend inspired by the Grand Crus of Bordeaux, was awarded a Silver Medal and a 91-point score from Decanter Magazine at the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards. The 91-point score reconfirms an earlier score by Decanter associate editor Tina Gellie in the March 2017 issue of Decanter Magazine and puts this wine among the highest quality wines in the world.
Managing Director and Winemaker Michael Clark is understandably thrilled with this result. “It shows that our wines are now able to compete on a new level,” says Clark. International exposure and recognition is not new to our wines. A previous vintage of Capella was showcased in 2015 at the re-opening of Canada House in London England to critical acclaim.
Tasting notes on the Signature 2013 from the judges at the World Wine Awards included, “[t]oasty oak nose, coffee and blueberry flavours with firm tannins, plenty of oak and fresh acidity” and noted that it had a “[f]irm finish”.
This is a truly a classic wine that will no doubt be regarded as one of the finest and most collectible vintages in Signature’s history.
The wine shop was buzzing all day with the activity that comes from welcoming the spring to the Similkameen Valley. The weather was perfect as we toured visitors through the vineyard and winery all day long. Guests had the amazing opportunity to be able to sample older vintages of some of our wines, including the […]
The wine shop was buzzing all day with the activity that comes from welcoming the spring to the Similkameen Valley.
The weather was perfect as we toured visitors through the vineyard and winery all day long. Guests had the amazing opportunity to be able to sample older vintages of some of our wines, including the Célestiale, Capella, and the original 2010 vintage of Estate Reserve Red.
The spring was kind enough to the vineyard and the vines were just beginning to sprout some of the young green foliage that will soon become the dominant part of the vineyard views throughout the summer. The spring weather to this point has been a little cooler and slightly wetter than in recent vintages so there certainly is a lot of green to go around!
More special events like this will be part of our experience at Clos du Soleil so follow us on social media to find out about them well in advance.
The Winecrush Market in Penticton delivered the first and only “Picnic Station” in the Similkameen Valley to our wine shop. Visitors can now choose from a selection of amazing Winecrush products including OKV Pinot Noir Chorizo, OKV Turkey RhinePaté, cheeses, crisps, and mustards. It is a full and unique picnic experience that makes an innovative […]
The Winecrush Market in Penticton delivered the first and only “Picnic Station” in the Similkameen Valley to our wine shop. Visitors can now choose from a selection of amazing Winecrush products including OKV Pinot Noir Chorizo, OKV Turkey RhinePaté, cheeses, crisps, and mustards.
It is a full and unique picnic experience that makes an innovative use of Winecrush’s unique Winecrush Powder derived from the used grapes skins that remain after a winery has crushed the grapes to make wine. The powder has plenty of polyphenol antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients that make these picnic items a lot more healthy and, most importantly, amazingly tasty!
Since they are derived from grapes, all of these products naturally pair beautifully with wines of all colours! Experience a Winecrush Picnic Station at our wine shop all summer long.