What do you get when you combine an Aussie-born Master of Wine and a caterer-turned-baker-turned-
Back in 2008, Alishan Driediger and Rhys Pender sold their Peachland home and made their move to a five-acre Cawston property in the Similkameen Valley, after a decade of food-and-wine adventures. Pender continued his wine studies, becoming Canadaâs youngest Master of Wine in 2010, while Driediger honed her baking chops and earned a winemaking diploma.
Little Farm Winery doesn't make a lot of wine â heck, there are a grand total of three different wines theyâre currently making, and with their inaugural 2011 vintage, they made a whopping 56 cases...in total.
But what they do make is created with attention to detail, passion and a respect for the land and their neighbours. The wines are an excellent reflection of Pender and Driedigerâs prowess in the vineyard and winery, as well as a reflection of the place in which theyâre made - especially the calcium carbonate-rich soil which provides great backbone to their fresh and focused wines.
The estate-grown Little Farm 2013 Mulberry Tree Vineyard Riesling is made in a bone-dry, chalky style thatâs racy and focused, and can be drunk now or tucked away for a few years. From that same vineyard comes the Little Farm 2014 Mulberry Tree Chardonnay, which spends some time in older/neutral French oak that adds a touch of texture and complexity to the crisp citrus, green apple and mineral notes.
The 2014 Little Farm Blind Creek Vineyard RosĂ© comes from just up the road, and the Cabernet Franc-based wine delivers similarly focused finesse â crisp red berry, rhubarb, plum and light herbal notes that combine for a lovely, mouth-watering rosĂ©.
