Canada’s Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys (6) Nk’Mip
Website: https://www.nkmipcellars.com/About-Us
This was my second visit to Nk’Mip (pronounced inkameep), an important winery in the south of the Okanagan. They own 380 acres of vines, and this is on the traditional lands of the Osoyoos Indian Band, part of the larger Salish tribe, who own 51% of the winery while the other 49% is owned by Arterra, one of Canada’s biggest wine operations.
The vineyards started in 1968 as a collaboration between the tribe and what was then Andres wines, later to become Peller. Today, 24% of British Columbia grapes are on Osooyos Indian Band lands.
It was a grape growing operation until 2000, and the winery opened its doors in 2002. There have only been two winemakers since then: first of all Randy Picton, and more recently Justin Hall, who is a member of the Osoyoos band, and who studied at Lincoln University in New Zealand. Justin started as a cellar rat in 2003, became assistant winemaker, and now runs things.
There are two tiers of wine, the winemaker’s (storytellers) tier, and then Qwam Qwmt range, which is achieving excellence.
In terms of how the freeze affected Nk’mip, they didn’t harvest any grapes in 2024. 2023 was a short vintage because of the December 2022 frost. Fortunately they had some inventory from the generous 2022 vintage.
Justin describes the freeze as ‘probably the greatest thing that could happen to the BC industry, in terms of taking out things that don’t work in certain areas, but I don’t think people will take advantage of it.
They made wine from 35 tons of Washington fruit in 2024.
He’s not afraid to use technology in winemaking where it is needed. ‘With the big reds you have to use reverse osmosis at the end. If the alcohol is too much, I bring it down. I could make a 17% alcohol wine if I tried here.’
Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Riesling 2022 Okanagan, Canada
From Oliver fruit. Bright, focused, pure and limey, with good acidity and a bit of pithiness. Nice intensity here, and quite dry, but there’s some texture here (around 5 g/l sugar). Real intensity here. 91/100
MERRIYM (marriage in the local language)
Nk’Mip Merriym White Meritage 2022 Okanagan, Canada
13% alcohol. Sauvignon Blanc (88%) and Semillon (12%). 30% new oak for four months, staying away from smoky barrels. Shades the fruit for Sauvignon, while Semillon is fruit zone stripped early in the season. This is a lovely wine with nice texture, showing some smoky grapefruit, with bright acidity. There’s a lovely crystalline citrus edge to this wine. Balances depth with freshness. This is really impressive. 94/100 ($35)
Nk’Mip Dreamcatcher 2023 Okanagan, Canada
Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Ehrenfelser. This is bright, aromatic and fruity with a nice acid line. Juicy and supple with nice tartness. Lovely dynamic range here with bright acidity sitting under very pretty fruit, with a touch of melon and even some table grape, as well as lime. 90/100
Nk’Mip Chardonnay 2021 Okanagan, Canada
This is the storyteller tier. This is a smoked vintage. They have 1000 acres they lease to Arterra so they used some of this rather then their own vineyard which had a double smoke event. 35% new oak. This is quite rich and spice laden with some honey and butterscotch as well pear, peach and toast. It has developed really nicely, in a very rich style. 91/100
Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2022 Okanagan, Canada
This is bold and rich with concentrated toast, peach and spice notes. There’s some honeyed richness, and a lovely drive from high acidity combined with spicy detail. This is rich but complex. Pineapple, peach and pear fruit, with some citrus. Nicely intense. 93/100
Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Pinot Noir 2022 Okanagan, Canada
14.1% alcohol. This is the first Pinot Noir Justin made on his own, trying to make it a bit softer with less pronounced acidity. 33% OK Falls fruit, the rest from the south. Dijon clones (667, 777) plus a third Pommard. 10% whole cluster. This is ripe, sleek and textured. There’s a lushness to the cherry and berry fruit, but also some meaty hints. This is stylish and expressive with fine-grained tannins. Supple and juicy with nice finesse, finishing finely spiced. There’s a lot to like about this. 93/100 ($40)
Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Syrah 2020 Okanagan, Canada
This is rich, complex, meaty and spicy with some olive and cured meat as well as lush black fruits, with notes of pepper and just a twist of balsamic vinegar. Ripe, rich, meaty and intense, with a smoky hint. Lovely density, with hints of lavender and fennel as well as the roast meat notes. Alluring and enticing in this rich style. 94/100
Nk’Mip Talon 2022 Okanagan, Canada
14.5% alcohol. Syrah (60% ish), Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Ripe, rich and spicy with good concentration, well integrated oak and some fruit sweetness. Lush and delicious, combining ripeness with drinkability. This is big and weighty with nice spicy intensity. Has some meatiness to it. 92/100 ($30)
Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Merlot 2020 Okanagan, Canada
14.65% alcohol. Alcohol reduced with reverse osmosis a bit. This is ripe, supple and lush with sweet cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit. Certainly in a ripe style, and it’s a real crowd pleaser, but there’s good balance here and it tastes like Merlot. Has some juiciness and a bit of grip on the finish. Very attractive. 92/100
Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Okanagan, Canada
14.5% alcohol. Has 9% Merlot in the blend. This is concentrated, rich, lush and ripe with bold blackcurrant fruit, with a lovely texture. It’s full, with smooth tannins and a bit of chocolatey richness. Salty and rich with a bit of grip on the finish. A complete expression of Cabernet Sauvignon in a rich style. 93/100
Nk’Mip Merriym Red Meritage 2020 Okanagan, Canada
14.5% alcohol. Four varieties in the blend. 54% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and then usually Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Beautiful floral aromatics here with blackcurrants, some red cherries, and a nice fresh green hint (it’s sage brush character, I think). The palate is bright and focused with some lush sweet fruit, some nice spicy detail, and lovely texture. There’s an openness here with a slight saltiness, and some brightness on the finish. Very impressive in a sweetly fruited style. So expressive, with complex herbal hints, and I really like the sage. 94/100
Nk’Mip Merlot 2021 Okanagan, Canada
This is bright and juicy with sweet cherries and plums, and a hint of salami on the finish. This is very stylish and has ripeness and drinkability. There maybe a touch of smoke here, but it’s right in the background. 89/100
Nk’Mip Qwam Qwmt Riesling Ice Wine 2022 Okanagan, Canada
Jellyish, rich and concentrated with nice depth and some lovely apricot, honey and melon notes. Finishes soft and luxurious with amazing lushness and concentration, with good acidity just about holding the sweetness in tension. 93/100
