Chris Dias
Google
It took me a while to figure out the origin of the name. I learned my lesson with Summerhill to research a winery before finalizing a review, and so far, St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery does not subscribe to mysticism, pagan rituals, or geomancy in order to inflate prices. I assume no goats were sacrificed to secure a plentiful harvest (I'm not flippant, have you checked Summerhill’s website).
However, this still created an issue involving the name. I mean St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery is a mouthful. I may need to compress that, but do I call it St. Hubertus or do I call it Oak Bay?
Hmm…I’ll just call it…Steve.
Wineries often hang names over their individual wine fields. Occasionally, those names can be found on the bottles to distinguish them, while also still falling under the umbrella of the parent winery. With Steve, they didn’t do that. They own two vineyards, St. Hubertus and Oak Bay. It was not a merger, just two guys that own two fields. They didn’t create—or at least didn’t appear to create—a parent name. So, it just became St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery.
Or Steve.
Steve is not a large winery despite seeing their products everywhere, mostly with Oak Bay. In fact, I keep calling it Oak Bay because that was the only brand I knew. I had never seen a St. Hubertus bottle anywhere. I have owned Oak Bay before and still own a 2014 Foch, but have never seen anything from the other half. Oak Bay has always been a reliable winery, but it’s a shame St. Hubertus had been denied to me until now, especially given their bottles are very attractive. St. Hubertus appears more focused on white wines, while Oak Bay centers mostly on red. Obviously, it makes sense if they’re named after the vineyards, especially if you ever played the Viticulture board game.
I’m not joking; there really is a Viticulture board game. I own it.
The winery itself is modest, more suited to those seen in Naramata, small family-run operations. There’s a small road, taking a slight left to the wine shop. The tasting room is nestled around back and is on the small side. Considering the name recognition, I was expecting something bigger, though my girlfriend and I enjoyed the selection of novelties.
There was an oversized cork-shaped cooler made of cork. There were other items worthy of mention but at the end of the day, all that’s required to know is that there was an oversized cork-shaped cooler made of cork. Months later, when trying to remember highlights of that short trip, one of the distinct memories emblazoned in my mind is that there was a for sale an oversized cork-shaped cooler made of cork. I said that three times and still call the winery Steve.
The host at Steve was knowledgeable and funny. Tasting flights cost $4, which is, of course, refundable upon purchase. Steve is another good reason to leave your expectations at the door. The wineries I enjoy the most are the modest ones; you could almost call them humble. I walked out with wine, so they must have done something right.
