BC, VQA Okanagan Valley

100% Syrah | Dry | 14.0% ABV

93pts Carl’s Wine Club, Gold, National WineAlign

For the 3rd year in a row, Maverick did a fantastic job with their Bush Vines Syrah. The 2021 version is dark and bold, dense and compact and clearly navigated the very challenging growing season of that vintage successfully. The Bush Vines Syrah is from a single vineyard on the Golden Mile sub-appellation of the Okanagan Valley where big grape varietals reign supreme. Aged for 18 months in French and Hungarian oak, this stunning wine offers a note of ripe black fruits like dark plum, ripe blackberry and black currant, dark cocoa, cigar box and oak spices. The palate is soft and compact offering a dense sequence of fruity flavours followed by torrefaction and spices. Cassis, black plum, vanilla, blue berry jam (mid-palate), expresso coffee, white pepper and charcoal are some of the leading components of the wheel of flavours of this wine. The texture is soft and rich, but the tannins are still very present yet silky, which I found totally appropriate for a 2021 vintage. This will age well for another 8 years and is a steal of a deal at this price point. (CWC, Dec 28, 2023) 325 cases made.

Food pairing: beef chili, smoked brisquet

Drink now until 2030

BC, VQA Okanagan Valley

60% Cab Franc, 34% Syrah, 6% Cab Sauv | Dry | 14.0% ABV

94pts Carl’s Wine Club | #10 on Carl’s Top Wines of the Year, 2023

This is a gorgeous wine, a wine of class and distinction, with superb flavour definition! Co-fermented Cab Franc and Syrah, aged for 18 months in French and Hungarian oak. The addition of a splash of Cab Sauv brings structure, depth and intensity. It’s complex and cerebral, but also juicy and so well balanced. On the nose you’ll find very expressive aromas of dark cherry, cherry wood, cassis, blueberry, vanilla, sandalwood, pencil shavings and a hint of violet. The palate is soft and generous, approachable and well defined. At first, black cherry and blackberry are coming at you with discretion followed by cassis and a swirl of black forest cake. The mid palate is filled with black currants, smoked meat, leather, a hint of fresh herbs and dark licorice. The finish is soo long with cedar box and tobacco leaves, also including a nice sequence of spices such as black cracked pepper followed by Turkish delight. This wine has the material and everything that I’m looking for in order to be included in my Top 10 Wines of the Year. An absolute GEM and very well priced. I sure hope to see this wine coming back in the future, as this was the first of its kind made at Maverick Estate. (CWC, Dec 28, 2023) 95 cases made.

Food pairing: BBQ smoked ribs, beef tartare

Drink now until 2030

BC, VQA Okanagan Valley

100% Syrah | Dry (RS 1.7 g/ltr) | 12.5% ABV

90+pts Carl's Wine Club , 92pts John Schreiner

For the 2022 vintage, Maverick has taken a “crowd pleaser” approach with his bone dry, 100% Syrah, all stainless-steel, rosé. On the nose the aromas of jolly rancher, strawberry cantaloupe and honey melon are appealing, friendly and approachable. On the palate, the acidity is bright and perfectly counters the sweet berry jam of the first wave. The mid-palate is where the magic happens with strawberry-rhubarb pie flavours, a hint of fresh herbs and nice salty minerality on the finish. While the complexity is not the calling card of this wine, the length and approachability stand out and will make lots of people happy. (CWC, 9/4/23). 422 cases made.

Food pairing: feta and strawberry salad, grilled rainbow trout

Drink now until 2025

BC, VQA Okanagan Valley

100% Sauvignon Blanc | Dry (RS 3.1 g/ltr) | 12.5% ABV

92pts Carl's Wine Club, 94pts John Schreiner

This is a multidimensional Sauvignon Blanc, one of the best of the vintage, offering texture and richness vis a vis a bright and tangy acidity! Stainless steel fermentation was used with a touch of barrel ferment. This exciting combination offers aromas of tropical fruits but also the traditional pink grapefruit and lime that you should expect from a good and complex Sauv Blanc. On the palate, flavours of passion fruit and pineapple come right before a hint of orange blossom, sweet citrus and green apple. The finish brings a hint of tartness, orange-peel-like, and light spices, which add extra layers of complexity and a distinctive salinity to close out a sensational experience. Verdict: this is a FANTASTIC wine, putting the potential of this grape varietal in the South Okanagan on full display…a real Maverick Classic. (CWC, 26/3/23). 1,039 cases made

Food pairing: pan seared sole filet, scallop ceviche

Drink now until 2027

BC, VQA Okanagan Valley

60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay | Dry (RS 6.0g/L) | 12.0% ABV

91pts Carl’s Wine Club | Silver Medal WineAlign National Wine Awards

Here we have an approachable, easy drinking sparkling with soft texture that is great for everyday celebrations. A slight shadow of pink enhances the colour of this festive juice. A discreet nose of tangerine, cranberry and orange blossoms announces a Pinot Noir dominance for this Traditional Method Sparkling. Bright acidity and a mouth-watering palate, with flavours of cranberry, strawberry, lemon zest, red apple, honeysuckle and peach across the whole palate. Overall, this is a very honest and straight-forward bubbly with pure flavours and a creamy mousse. (CWC, 16/10/22). 240 cases made.

Pairing: eggs benny with smoked salmon, scallop ceviche

Drink now until 2026

BC, Okanagan Valley, VQA Golden Mile Slope

100% Pinot Noir | Dry (RS < 1.0 g/ltr) | 13.0% ABV

90pts Carl's Wine Club

This is textural, gracious and intriguing…definitely a wine you have to try at least once a year! Estate Pinot Noir grapes from the Golden Mile Slope sub-AVA, this White Pinot is made just like a white wine, fermenting the freshly pressed juice without any skin contact. This gives you a soft & rich white wine, with aromas of freshly baked apple pie, pear, honeydew, jasmine and ginger. The complexity on the palate justifies the price-point, by offering rich and deep flavours of baked apple, apple jelly, honeysuckle, orange crème brulee, lemon twist plus a spark of ginger and cinnamon on the finish. To me, the generous usage of oak barrels for this small batch wine takes it from a good wine to a very good wine. Texture and acidity is the calling card here! (CWC, 28/6/23). 188 cases made

Food pairings: roasted chicken, grilled tuna

Drink now until 2026

BC, VQA Okanagan Valley

100% Gewurztraminer | Dry (RS 2.7 g/ltr) | 12.0% ABV

90pts Carl’s Wine Club

Fermented on its own skins and aged in neutral French oak, this amber Gewurztraminer offers a good balance between richness, freshness and complexity. The nose is very intriguing with aromas of lichee, rose petals, orange peel and orchard fruits. The front palate is fresh and zippy, while the mid palate offers texture and richness with flavours of pear, peach, lichee, tangerine, orange marmalade, and a hint of pink grapefruit. The finish is long and delivers a multitude of spice flavours including white pepper (lots of it), cinnamon and nutmeg. This small batch Gew is a unique wine that brings the geek out of me, but also is approachable enough to not scare anyone away. It should bring a tonne of fun around the dinner table offering lots of versatility between bright acidity and the natural sugar of the grapes. (CWC, Dec 29, 2023) 66 cases made.

Food pairing: smoked maple ham, grilled teriyaki chicken

Drink now until 2026

Andrew Windsor is the winemaker and COO at Maverick.

Andrew brings a unique blend of passion and scientific knowledge to his winemaking.

Born in Ontario, Andrew’s first taste of wine was a friend’s parents’ attempt at homemade wine. It might not have been great, but it didn’t put him off – he went on to take a course in wine while studying at the University of Guelph. In his twenties, Andrew assisted with an ice wine project in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Andrew had quite a wake-up call to the winemaking world when he had to start picking grapes at 3 a.m. in minus 12C to make ice wine.

Andrew earned a Masters of Oenology at the University of Adelaide in Australia in 2008 and then took on an Assistant Winemaking role at Mollydooker Wines in McLaren Vale, where he lived on the beach and cycled to work through vineyards filled with kangaroos.

Andrew is responsible for the winemaking process from vines to bottle. He brings with him a wealth of experience having worked in wineries in the Okanagan, Marlborough in New Zealand and the Northern Rhone in France before returning to Canada to work in Niagara and then on to Tinhorn Creek in the Okanagan.

“France taught me that wine is not just a science but an art form, a culture and an expression of a place. Wine has the ability to take you to a place in the world without leaving your home,” says Andrew. “I want to make the best wine in Canada and the only place I can do that is the South Okanagan.”