Wine Wednesday: Ex Nihilo

Another Okanagan Valley Vineyard worth checking out. The LATIN meaning: out of nothing, from nothing. However, I would say that their wines taste like something else.

Ex Nihilo is the last and latest winery I visited in Kelowna, Okanagan, British Columbia for an exceptional tasting experience. It’s located in lake wine country and offers extraordinary small lot craft wines which are all family run.

“Our offering is wine, our strength is people. What comes ‘out of nothing’ endures.” – Mike and Janet Azhadi (owners). Their journey began with nothing but a dream and passion inspired by Fredrick Hart’s sculpture, Ex Nihilo; a depiction of the creation of mankind, which originally came from out of nothing.

My tasting included a perfectly balanced bubbly (2021 sX IMAGINE) with a blend of 3 varietals I really like: Riesling, Pinot Gris & Gewurztraminer made in a fresh Prosecco style.

The Vampata Rosé was produced with Pinot Noir and Syrah grapes. Crisp and lush, with an explosion of rosehip on the nose and hints of rose petals.

I tried their Pinot Gris, an unusual for the Okanagan Viognier (vee-ohn-yay) which was not on the list; nice and fresh with tropical notes. I bought a bottle to take home. Two elegant Pinot Noirs and lastly; NIGHT – a Big Bordeaux style red made with Merlot, Malbec, Cab Franc, Cab Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Quite special.

After my tasting I became a Silver Key wine club member. Members are entitled to six bottles of Ex Nihilo wines delivered to your door three times a year. You fill out a form to let them know what types of wines you prefer and if you don’t customize the order before the delivery date, they make the choices on your behalf from your notes.

You also get a complimentary wine tasting experience for two each time you visit the winery. Tastings cost $20 per visit but are waived.

Other perks are exclusive availability of their XXX reserve and library wines, invitations to “members only” events, an annual VIP wine/cheese tasting experience for up to four people (which has to be booked in advance) and 17% off retail, online and club releases year round. They also have a gold membership which is the same except you get twelve bottles instead of six.

I used to share a wine club membership with a friend that was placed with Marquis Wine Cellars right here in downtown Vancouver. Our shipment would include wines from all over the world and it was always exciting to see what was included. This was over a few years and it was great until we decided to call it quits. It was getting difficult to plan our get togethers to share in the tastings, so we decided to split the cases but no one got the same so it was hit and miss. If we wanted the same bottle we’d have to toss a coin. It worked for a long time until it didn’t. I hadn’t joined another wine club membership until now. I usually order either from the website or buy directly from the wine shop in person. Looking forward to seeing how this works out.

The Ex Nihilo bistro is called Chaos – where they offer the best quality, fresh, local and natural ingredients while using a unique method to produce clean flavours that compliment the food experience.

A nice touch is their summer concert series, the latest being talented Chantal Kreviazuk, which was accompanied by a sensational multi-course dining experience prepared by Executive Chef Danny Tipper. You can never go wrong with good food, music and wine to accompany it.

This is also the area where I got to pick up my Adele; Layla’s litter mate and little companion.