A little Mayhem in the Park

As I enter the park, I feel a bit clandestine, like I’m smuggling in the good stuff. The truth is, I am, but this summer the contents of my cooler are legal. 

Thanks to a Kelowna summer pilot that runs until Oct. 6, cracking open a can of wine is legal.

Yes, I said ‘can of wine,’ and yes, I’m heading to the beach. 

The City gave a green light to permit alcohol consumption in designated areas of Waterfront, Boyce-Gyro, and Kinsmen Beach parks daily from noon to 9 p.m. A similar pilot is underway in Summerland at Rotary Beach, Peach Orchard Park and Powell Beach. 

The projects model a similar endeavour implemented in Penticton in 2020. The southern city now allows parkgoers to consume alcoholic beverages year-round in designated locations along the lakefronts from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., including Okanagan Beach (East of Power St.) and Rotary, Okanagan Lake, Marina Way and Skaha Lake parks. 

Before you finish packing your picnic basket, there’s a precious little wine can that will add some bubbly fun to your summer outing.

For the 2022 Mayhem Sparkling Rosé can (250 ml), New Zealand-born winemaker Ajay Chavan chose one of his favourite varietals, Merlot, to work with. Fermented using the Charmat style, this delicate pink sparkling is perfect: the bubbles are fine, the flavour a touch of cherries and rhubarb. The 12-pack is priced at $88.32; alcohol is 12.5%.

The Mayhem Sparkling White wine in a can is equally exquisite, but you’ll have to wait until next summer. It’s already a sell-out. 

We can all cheer that the time has now passed when you have to wait to have a sparkling until you can drink the entire bottle. 

Merlot grapes were also used to craft the 2022 Mayhem Rosé ($20.97), whose gentle tannins offer great structure to the dry wine, giving it a great mouthfeel to showcase those lovely strawberry and cranberry flavours. The finish is long.

Co-located on the Meyer Family Vineyards property in Okanagan Falls, the tasting room at Mayhem Wines opened this year. The new winery is a collaboration between two established wine industry siblings, Terry Meyer Stone and her brother Jak Meyer. The siblings have also roped in their respective spouses, Andrew Stone and Janice Stevens, into the small batch, family-made winemaking endeavour.

For the siblings, Mayhem was an opportunity to have a little bit more fun and perhaps colour outside the lines of premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (a tradition the Meyer Family is long known for) and offer some approachable price points. The Stone’s home vineyard is Anarchist Mountain near Osoyoos.

For Andrew, a long-time viticulturist, Mayhem lets him exercise his passion for lean management, which is all about eliminating waste and promoting value to the customer. 

“I thought it would be great if a college student could afford our wines,” he says. “They don’t have to be amazing. They just have to be good. And they would get value for that.”

While the Mayhem label has delivered, the exceptional talents of winemaker Chavan have also meant the introduction of the premium Anarchy Collection, showcasing Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot varietal wines.

 “So, what happens is Ajay comes along, and he puts insane amounts of effort into every single thing,” says Andrew, offering some insight. “What’s confusing is the brand is supposed to be kind of cheap and cheerful and known to be approachable and good value. But then Ajay is increasing the quality of everything.”

This summer, Mayhem hosts Flamingo Fridays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. with glasses of wine or beer for only $4, chips galore and a chance to win a Flamingo floatie. The upcoming lineup for their Sunday music series included local duo Rod & Ron Aug. 20 and Mandy Cole on Sept. 3.

My suggestion: make it a double date when you head to the family property at Okanagan Falls. It’s just a quick walk door-to-door from Mayhem to Meyer Family Vineyards. Reservations can be made at MFVwines.com and mayhemwines.com.

Read the full article here: https://trendsmag.ca/a-little-mayhem-in-the-park/