Calliope, Greek Muse of music and poetry, has graciously loaned her name to Canada’s smallest bird, the Southern British Columbia’s own Calliope hummingbird. The Wyse family, founders of Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, have now taken the name for a new line of wines to complement the senior brand. They are breezy, approachable, ideal for summer sipping, certainly, although we can think of a good reason to sip on them all year long. The sauvignon blanc boasts a fairly light, fruity composition, ripe with grapefruit and gooseberry, and with fine acidity to make it a very nice food wine indeed, $16. The viognier has intriguing spice notes to accompany exotic fruit flavours, apricot and cantaloupe among them. A fresh attack which yields to a fairly rich, almost unctuous mouth feel, and plenty of body. A delightful example of what can be achieved in the Okanagan in the hands of great winemaking teams, at this price point, $14.
