A Little Algarve in the Okanagan

136. 2005 Quinta Ferreira Pinot Blanc (Black Sage Road - Okanagan)

A fairly new addition to the burgeoning collection of BC wineries, Quinta Ferreira is owned and operated by the Ferreira family. John and Maria Ferreira were both born in Portugal and emigrated to Canada with their respective families at an early age. Once married, they took over the operation of John's family's farm. They continued to grow tree fruit as John's parents had throughout his youth.

Their website states that "coming from a Portugese heritage, our passion for wine led us to convert our orchard into a vineyard after 20 years." In 1999, they planted their first grapes and they've added more varietals as the years have progressed. Son, Michael is also actively involved in the winery as he's working on obtaining his designation as winemaker.

It will be interesting to see if they add some more traditional Portugese wines to their portfolio - such as Touriga Nacional, Port and Vinho Verde.