This B.C. micro-vineyard carries a collection close to their heart, each bottle a key moment of their life

By: Apurba Roy

When we think of wine, our minds often wander to the silky texture and bittersweetness from its ripened fruits. But can a bottle of wine tell a story beyond what touches the tip of the tongue?

This idea motivates Aasha Wines, a winery in British Columbia, to not only make a delicious variety of wine but also share key moments of their lives with customers through each bottle. 

Their journey started seven years ago, when owner Gaurav Puri was a silent partner in a project to purchase a small parcel of land in the Okanagan Valley, and as he describes, “with no experience in winemaking — just sort of an interest, a curiosity and a passion for wine.” 

In the subsequent year or two, several partners had left for a variety of reasons, and Puri soon found himself to be the sole owner of the property. 

“We sort of had to start from scratch,” Puri said. 

He recalls having to learn how to get a liquor license, how to source barrels and bottles, as well as all the hard work it took to bring Aasha Wines to the scale it is at today: with a vineyard of over two acres that has rows of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier, an incredibly dedicated team, returning customers and a true promise of sustainability and storytelling through their wine.

The stories that come with Aasha Wines’ products truly never go unnoticed. The tale behind each bottle is as indulging as the wine itself. For example, their velvety 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon called Curious Glance tells the story of when Puri and his partner Tracy Rook first saw each other in a different light outside of friendship. The flavour is described to CanCulture as aptly spicy with notes of vanilla, lingering long after the last sip.

“When you have this type of product… the thing that sometimes brings people in is the stories about [the winemakers],” Puri said. 

These stories are not only for people who know them personally, but also strangers — either because they can relate to having a similar moment or they are drawn in by their curiosity. 

“We hope to share moments in our lives with openness, and hopefully people find it interesting,” Puri said.

Not only does every bottle have a story to tell, but so does the name of the winery. Puri shares that Aasha is his grandmother’s name, which means “hope” in Hindi.

“That’s what you sort of have with wine,” Puri adds. “From the moment your season starts, you’re filled with hope that it’s a good year and your grapes grow well. When you put them into barrels, you hope that it develops nicely. And finally, when in its bottle and someone has the opportunity to taste or enjoy it, you hope that it enhances whatever experience they are having.”

In the age of climate change and great environmental concerns, it is important for companies that depend a lot on nature for their success, such as Aasha Wines, to also treat it right and ensure that they don’t cause any harm for current and future generations.

“From a sustainability perspective, we try to be as minimal as possible,” Puri said. “As winemakers, we are so reliant on the environment being kind to us and being kind to our growing season, so it’s a delicate balance. We want to do things in a way that we can feel comfortable with, that’s not causing more damage — or as little damage as possible — to fulfill what we are trying to do.” 

Aasha Wines’ 2.81-acre vineyard is environmentally friendly, and they practice sustainable farming through their waste management. The company’s two delicious Rosé wines are made with the help of the after press of their 2016 Syrah, which would have otherwise gone to waste.

Aasha Wines is more than just about the taste of the wine. What they’re after instead is a hope that customers have a magical experience, enjoy that instant of savour, feel inspired by the stories and take that moment to unplug from whatever they’re doing. In the words of Puri and Rook as shared on their website, “our wines carry our stories, but we hope they can now play a part in the moments and stories shared around your dinner table.”