The Wine Knows

One of the most exciting young wineries in the Pacific Northwest is Joie Wines on the Naramata Bench of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.

Run by Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn, the winery focuses on fresh, crisp, food-worthy whites inspired by Alsace and Burgundy. Heidi and Michael are ex-restaurateurs from the Lower Mainland, so they've had an inside track on selling their wines from the beginning.

They've run a guest house and cooking school, along with orchard dinners. In fact, Heidi recently published Menus from an Orchard Table, which celebrates the cuisine and wines of the Okanagan Valley.

Heidi also was a philosophy major in college, and this shows in the way she talks about her goals with the winery. "Our wines are food-driven, and food is wine-oriented. Harmony between wine and food is what is important."

In this week's Northwest Winecast, we catch up with Michael during harvest at the winery.

Joie also was our 2007 B.C. Winery to Watch. You can read the story here.