Canada’s Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys (14) Nostalgia
Website: https://nostalgiawines.ca/
Gina Fernandes Harfman is the owner and winemaker at Nostalgia Wines, based in Black Sage Bench in Canada’s Okanagan Valley. This is an innovative project that’s very design led. She has Portuguese roots, but her family are fourth generation in the Okanagan.
An Okanagan local, Gina attended Fine Art school in Kelowna, and then did airbrush courses in Las Vegas, where she got work airbrushing and pinstriping hot rods and motorcycles. This has influenced the design of the labels.
It was in 2009 that she made her first wine, using some grapes from her father Ken Harfman’s vineyard in 2009 for a family event. This led her to enroll in Okanagan College to learn more about wine.
She did vintage at Oliver Twist winery in 2010, and in 2012 at the age of 32 she bought the winery, changing the name to Nostalgia Wines.
She has 17 acres of vines and also purchases from her father, who has 16 acres on Osooyos. The wines are made on site, and she also does some custom crush.
The freezes hit hard. She lost 35% of production in December 2022, and lost another 30% in 2024. She’s now replanting and changing some of the varieties.
To make up for the 2024 shortfall she bought in 5000 litres of juice from Washington State. Okanagan legend Mike Bartier arranged for juice to be brought in for a number of wineries. He also looks after the vineyard here. Interestingly, her father didn’t lose anything in Osooyos.
85% of sales are direct to consumer. The pin-up series has six different wines, and these are all blends. Classic cars are also a focus here and they’ve tapped into this market.
In the vineyard she has a new electric frost fan that is much more economical to run, which she got through a government grant.
Nostalgia Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Horse Heaven Hills
From Prosser, Washington. Stainless steel, cultured yeast. Supple, fresh and ripe with nice sweet pear and cherry, as well as a touch of grapefruit. Nicely textured with some ripeness. This offers a lot of pleasure. 89/100
Nostalgia Kerner 2022 Okanagan
This is bright with nice texture and energy, showing sweet pear and citrus fruit with a hint of melony richness. There’s a touch of aniseed, too, with a bit of mandarin. This has lovely weight to it, finishing fresh. 91/100
Nostalgia Chardonnay 2022 Okanagan
This is the Family Collection Chardonnay (black label) and has some nice oak use supporting the pear and peach fruit, with some nice spicy detail. Nicely balanced. 90/100
Nostalgia Gamay Rosé 2023 Okanagan
Smoky juice, treated with carbon, but you’d never know! Osooyos, direct pressed. Juicy and focused with nice bright citrus and cherry fruit. This is energetic and bright with a slight saltiness. Very stylish with lovely flavours. 92/100
Nostalgia Rockabilly Red 2022 Okanagan
This is a Bordeaux-style blend with some Syrah. Staves in tank. Lovely balance here with some pepper and wood spice notes under the crunchy raspberry and cherry fruit. Shows lovely balance with a crowd-pleasing character but also a hint of seriousness. 92/100
Nostalgia Meritage 2019 Okanagan
13.3% alcohol. Cabernet Sauvignon dominant (from Osooyos). Aged 17 months in barrels (80% French oak, 20% American, 30% new). Nice concentration and freshness here with some spicy detail to the berry and black fruits, with some nice structure. Grippy with nice intensity to the fruit, and a dry, tannic finish that works really well. 93/100
Nostalgia Meritage 2020 Okanagan
Merlot dominant this year. Really nice balance to this wine with well structured black cherry and blackberry fruit, with a bit of grip. Has a peppery edge to the fruit. Juicy but with density, and some nice grip. This is really good. 93/100
Nostalgia Cherry Baby
16% alcohol. 60% cherry, 40% merlot. Old cherry varieties. Cherries are frozen to help maceration. They are pressed, yeast is added, then it’s fortified twice. The Merlot has some sugar added to create alcohol and then it’s fermented, fortified and the two are blended. Solera system. This has spice, wood, sour cherry, a hint of raisin, and then some prune and chocolate. Mellow with a nice tangy edge from the cherries. Not too sweet. Some cherry pit notes, too. 90/100
