Ehren the Side of Caution

I decided to ring in the New Year by opening up some of those bottles in the wine cellar that had been gathering dust for too long, and found a long-forgotten Ehrenfelser on a top shelf.
For those that do not recognize the name, Ehrenfelser is a wine grape of German origin, developed in 1929 by crossing Riesling with an Alsatian grape known as Knipperlé. Interestingly, the grape has diminished in popularity in its native Germany, with most of the worldwide plantings of Ehrenfelser now in the Okanagan Valley of BC.
Ehrenfelser is a fairly low-yield grape that does well in cooler wine regions like Germany and Canada, and has been a very reliable and consistent grape in the terroir of the Okanagan Valley. This grape varietal was originally developed to be a hardy substitute for Riesling, which prefers a slightly warmer climate.
Unsurprisingly, one of the earliest plantings of Ehrenfelser vines in Canada was at the Gray Monk Estate Winery, owned and operated by the Heiss family for nearly 50 years, after emigrating from their native Austria in the 1970s.
There are a dozen or so wineries in the Okanagan Valley producing Ehrefelser wines, with about half of those available here in Alberta at your friendly neighbourhood bottle shop, so there will be no need for a pilgrimage to BC to lay your hands on your very own bottle.
Since Riesling is one of the parents of Ehrenfelser, it should not be surprising that they share some flavour characteristics, both being fruit-forward, with Ehrenfelser being slightly more subdued than its more famous parent.
Ehrenfelser wines typically have notes of honey and apricot, with hints of almond and white pear on the finish. The relatively high tannins and acidity make this wine feel a bit more dry than expected, making it easy to pair with seafood or spicy Asian dishes.
While I confess that my introduction to the Ehrenfelser grape was at the Gray Monk Estate Winery way back in the early days of the new millennium, and it still holds a special place in my heart, my current favourite comes from the Gehringer Brothers Winery a bit further south in the Okanagan Valley.
At a surprisingly inexpensive $17, the Gehringer Brothers Ehrenfelser drinks like a much more expensive wine, with an intense bouquet on the nose, followed by the typical fresh notes of apricot and honey on the palate, this Ehrenfelser is more fruit-forward than many others, likely due to Gehringer Brothers prized location in the so-called Golden Mile Bench of Okanagan Wine Country, a unique microclimate that averages 6-8˚C warmer than the surrounding area, and is the home to several of my favourite wineries.
Just a quick jaunt north along the lake is the aptly named Lake Breeze winery, which produces another award-winning Ehrefelser, and has a beautiful sun-baked patio restaurant that I make time for every time I visit the Okanagan Valley.
The Lake Breeze Ehrenfelser is unique in the region, less crisp and fruit-forward, favouring notes of baked peach and apple with a richer bouquet and hints of minerality on the finish. While most Ehrenfelser wines pair best with seafood, this example was a perfect match for the porkbelly course I enjoyed in the winery restaurant. At only $20, it is still priced like a daily drinker, and widely available here in Alberta.