Sandhill Sovereign Opal 2019

Andrea Shapiro rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

A unique and fun off-dry white wine from Sandhill Estates Winery made from Sovereign Opal - a hybrid grape made crossing Merechal Foch and Golden Muscat. Suitable to withstand British Columbia’s Canadian winters! Elements of lychee, peaches and floral perfume dance around in the glass with flavours of bright tropical fruit, citrus and a touch of fresh herbs on the medium bodied finish. Would pair nicely with Sushi. California rolls, and stir fried cuisine. Enjoy!

L.J. Palmer WSET 3 rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

Sovereign Opal is a hybrid grape that is a cross pollination of Golden Muscat and Maréchal Foch (https://fps.ucdavis.edu//fgrdetails.cfm?varietyid=3286). Lovely nose of white grapefruit, rose petals, zesty sweet lime, and lychee. Lychee, lime and lemon on the palate.This racy, medium-bodied, off-dry wine would be perfect as a summer time drink, especially as it is only 11% ABV. It paired wonderfully with salmon sashimi and assorted sushi; easy on the ginger; as well as roast chicken. Flavours reminiscent of Torrontés.

Pam Hatton rated this wine as 88/100 with the following review:

Clear barely yellow wine already has you thinking of summer to come. The nose of Turkish delight, faint rose, lychee and clementine are also revealed on the palate. The crisp and juicy finish takes you a little off guard as the aromas might have had you anticipating a sweeter wine. The light bodied and lively flavours make this a great aperitif and would pair well with light seafood.

Gwen Barton rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

Clean aromas of melon, lychee and peach blossoms. Off-dry, but brings acidity to balance it out nicely. Pleasant finish with floral, sweet citrus and herbal notes. Pair with a curry from your favourite Indian take-out! Tasted Feb 2021.

Lynn van der Linde rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

A lively and fun wine, boasting characteristics of southern Okanagan Valley grapes. The 2019 growing season in Okanagan Valley had a moderate temperature summer, allowing the grapes to mature slowly and retain their lovely acidity. While this Sovereign Opal is vinified with residual sugar from this acidity adds to a lovely persistence of the wine’s flavours.
Aromas of lychee fruit and freshly baked lemon meringue pie carry through to a lingering lychee finish. A lovely compliment to spicier dishes but versatile enough to be paired with charcuterie and cheese boards.
Tasted February 2021.

Jennifer Havers rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

This wine is lovely, light and fragrant. This wine is a cross of Golden Muscat and Marechal Foch. The result is hearty and stands up to Canadian winters. Aromas of golden pear, lychee and tangerine, with light floral notes. Medium bodied, off-dry leaning a little sweeter on the palate, medium acidity, with lemon-lime notes on the palate, along with more lychee and orange flavours, and some hints of minerality, and a balance of light, floral and herb notes on the finish. Enjoy with mild spiced curries.

Craig Haynes rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

In my glass, pretty scents reminiscent of floral perfume, chalky minerality, fresh tangerine slices plus lime and lemon zests mingled beautifully with mouth coating lychee, zesty and citrusy flavours. No oak notes present. From British Columbia’s revered Okanagan Valley appellation, this medium bodied creation revealed refreshing acidity, too.

The blend’s grapes were not disclosed so join in a guess-the-varietals game or let the mystery live on and savour the Sovereign Opal’s pleasing experience. Serve with roasted lemon and thyme chicken. Enjoy.

Reviewed on February 15, 2021

Christian Marcoux rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

If you want to try something different, the Sovereign Opal 2019 is definitely one to try. This interesting terroir driven white wine from Sandhill Winery, offers aromas of lychee, green pear, honeysuckle, straw, saline and lemon curd. Light body with agreable and smooth acidity, this uncommon but pleasing wine will serve well as an apero. The finish is round and expresses fresh fruit. Palate: Lychee, lemon peel, ginger, saline and crushed almond. Enjoy.

Lori Kilmartin WSET3 rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

"To quote Sandhill Winemaker, Sandy Leier: My goal is to promote a lot of lychee character in the aroma and flavour profile. " She certainly has achieved her goal - this wine sings lychee! Add in some melon and white stone fruit and you have a very aromatic wine.

Lychee again on the palate but with some crisp acidity to offset the higher sugar levels (17.4 g/l). A fairly long persistent finish of - you guessed it - lychee!

This is a nice fruity, low alcohol (11%) wine that would be versatile with a lot of food. Thai, curries, lightly grilled chicken, Asian dishes with a bit of zing and goat cheese to name a few.

Tasted February 10, 2021

Deborah Podurgiel WSET IV Candidate rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

The Sovereign Opal grape was developed in the Plant Breeding Program at Agriculture Canada's Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland, British Columbia. The cultivar is said to produce a "high quality wine with citrus, vegetative, herbaceous, and grassy" elements and with the ability to withstand -20 degrees C.

By the 1980s, after many classic vitis vinifera grapes had been planted throughout the Okanagan valley, many wineries decided to pull the Sovereign vines and replace them European varietals. However, The Casorso Family saw great potential for one of the Sovereign varietals, called Sovereign Opal - a cross of Golden Muscat and Marechal Foch - and well-suited to their vineyard in Kelowna.

The free run juice is split into two lots and fermented separately with two different strains of yeast; one strain fosters a tropical profile, while the other a stone fruit. After careful blending to obtain the right flavour profile for Sovereign Opal, the final blend is aged for an additional four months in stainless steel tank prior to bottling.

The wine is floral and fresh on the nose, lip-smacking and mouth-watering with apple, yellow plum, pear, soft orange, lychee, melon and tropical fruit notes with just a hint of spice. Chill and enjoy with mildly-spiced dishes, sushi and pan-fried trout.