Having graduated from university with a degree in molecular genetics and plant biochemistry, Val Tait never imagined that she would end up running a winery. Her specialty was viruses. It turned out that grapevines provide exceptional homes for these pathogens, and she would receive calls from growers worried about the effect they were having on their crops.

“When I went to actually look at the vines, they weren’t infected with viruses,” Tait told the Straight by phone. “They just weren’t growing them properly, and so I started helping growers.”

She experienced so much more joy in the vineyards that it motivated her to get out of the lab permanently. She studied enology and viticulture at the University of California at Davis and worked as a consultant for local growers.

“I found out that you could actually change the way a wine tastes just by what you do in the vineyard, which was really fascinating to me,” Tait said.

In 2013, she became general manager and winemaker at Bench 1775 Winery. (The name reflects its location at 1775 Naramata Road.) It produced 300 cases in 2012, but according to Tait, the “first real vintage” was in 2013.

“We’re focusing on small lots of premium-quality wines,” she said.

The winery has traditionally been a large producer of icewines, which are especially popular in the Asian market. Tait said she was a bit dismissive of sweet wines until she began making them and discovered that they’re actually quite intriguing.

“You can get very concentrated fruit flavours of great intensity,” she said. “Unfortunately in our culture, they’re not often paired with food—they’re often seen as a dessert wine.”

Tait sees Bench 1775 as being in the “business of entertainment”, and the winery offers live music from time to time.

“We invite people to bring their own picnic food so it’s an affordable experience for people,” she stated. “I really believe people should enjoy wine in the company of friends.”

Tait said that the Vancouver man who owns the winery wants to remain anonymous. “He’s a very private guy, a humble guy.”

Signature wine: Tait pointed to the Pinot Gris, which won a double gold at the 2014 All Canadian Wine Championships, as well as the Sauvignon Blanc, which is made by combining separate lots of wine. “When you do that, it allows the wine to have a lot of complexity just from the different wine ferments that are put together,” she said.

Fun fact: Bench 1775 Winery has applied for a restaurant permit and, according to Tait, it has been “verbally okayed” by municipal officials. “It’s going to be a simple menu to pair with the wines,” she said. “It will all be locally sourced, locally grown food in keeping with the style of the wines that are produced in the vineyard.”

Address: Bench 1775 Winery, 1775 Naramata Road, Penticton, B.C., 250-490-4965 x108.