What do you get when you combine a passionate winemaker with a European education and a background in hospitality? A charming and unpretentious gathering place that makes and sells great wine. Welcome to City Side Winery, a new spot in Vancouver that is redefining the local wine scene.
As you step inside the tasting room at City Side Winery, you instantly feel as though you’ve been transported into someone’s living room—albeit a sizeable one! A large Persian rug leads you to an open room filled with long tables, a couple of couches and a few tables for two along the large window that fills up the street front wall. Candles adorn all the tables while board games and chess sets sit on the shelves at the back wall inviting you to sit back, relax, and plan to stay a while.
Four months ago Homan Haftbaradaran opened City Side Winery in the heart of Olympic Village amongst neighbours that include Big Rock Brewery, Triumph motorcycles and a number of other similarly eclectic businesses. Some may think it an odd location choice for a wine tasting room but once you get a glimpse inside the space itself and understand the man behind the vision, it makes perfect sense.
Homan’s journey is not your typical winemaker story. Of Iranian descent, his uncle owned 3 hotels in Germany so he studied hospitality in Hamburg in preparation of working in the family business. As he puts it, “The German structure is to learn everything and then decide what you want to do. Wine is a big part of the hospitality industry so that’s initially where the passion started.” But it was upon graduating University and going to work for a hotel at a winery in the world renowned wine region of Mosel where his passion was fueled. The Director of the hotel was the first German Master of Wine (MW) which meant Homan was exposed to a large wine cellar and a lot of tastings, “There was no way NOT to learn about wine working there!”
From there he opened a couple of hotels in Germany while working as the food and beverage manager which eventually led to him working for large wine companies. He moved to London with one such company and went back to school to study winemaking in England. Not exactly known as a wine-producing region then, it did mean exposure to all types of wine and, more importantly, all types of winemaking styles. “If I had studied in Bordeaux or Barossa Valley I would have been learning a specific style whereas in England I learned all the styles and was able to taste all types of wine because everything was available.”
When asked to describe his own wine making style today, he responds simply, “you work with the grapes. Wine is made in the vineyard. I believe in minimal intervention which is a lot more difficult than it sounds; the grapes have to be good.” For Homan, quality grapes mean doing less in the winery and why having a strong relationship with the growers is so important. “The majority of the work is done in the vineyard.” He sources all of his grapes from BC’s Okanagan Valley including from vineyards in West Kelowna, Okanagan Falls and the Similkameen Valley.
As for his approach to hospitality, his aim is to create a barrier-free environment where regardless of your background or ethnicity, if you enjoy wine…you are welcome. He makes the comparison to craft breweries and their extensive appeal, “Beer is much easier to access, there’s no fuss and it’s casual. As soon as you introduce wine, there’s an aspect of intimidation. I am trying to break that—wine should be available to everyone, regardless of how you look or what you wear. It should be easy and at the same time educational.”
Homan ended up in Vancouver after making several trips north of the border while working for Hogue Cellars in Washington State. He immediately saw the potential for his vision of an urban winery combined with a tasting room and started making wine in small quantities while his idea was still conceptual. He currently has 4 wines available at the tasting room under his “Mystic Pearl” label: a 2014 Riesling, a 2014 Semillon, a 2012 Merlot and a 2012 Cuvee blend made up of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc. The benefit of him making wine before City Side was open means enjoying his reds that have had some time to mature. And it shows. AdVINEtures tasted all four wines and were thoroughly impressed with all of them (see tasting notes below).
Food is also available at City Side with everything from cheese plates to flatbread to salads and dessert. We shared the gourmet meat board and an order of bruschetta which were both excellent. His desire to provide a top quality experience whether eating, tasting wine or both is evident and his background in hospitality shines through with every aspect.
Homan has produced approximately 1100 cases of wine so far, all of which is sold exclusively through the tasting room. In the very near future he’ll be adding a Chardonnay and a Viognier along with a Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend to the current offerings. He’s also very close to bringing wine on tap to City Side (see our article on the rise of wine on tap here ) and once that’s installed, will transfer the wine making facilities to the back space of this location which is 5,000 square feet in total including the tasting room.
The label name Mystic Pearl came about largely because his original intention was to make just sparkling wine and, in his words, “because a pearl is natural and takes time to turn into something unique.” In similar fashion, through time and a lifetime of open minded experience, he has successfully created a unique atmosphere that brings wine and people together from all walks of life and, after all, isn’t that how wine should be enjoyed? http://www.citysidewinery.com/
Tasting Notes
2014 Mystic Pearl Semillon
Medium gold in colour. There are slight notes of citrus, pear and grassiness on the nose. The body is medium/full and possesses a lovely round texture that adds intensity to the honey, pear and lemon flavours that come through with intensity. The acidity is just right giving balance and a counter-point to the rich texture and honey notes. Unlike many Semillons from the New World, this wine is varietally correct and provides a true expression of the grape. Delicious!
Excellent
2014 Mystic Pearl Riesling
Lighter in colour than the Semillon, this Riesling shows apple and lime in its juicy flavour profile. Surprisingly there are 12 grams per litre of residual sugar, yet the wine comes across as completely dry, an acknowledgement of good winemaking and the balance it achieved. On the finish we picked up granny smith apple notes that made our mouths water!
Very Good+
2012 Mystic Pearl Merlot
Dark red with just a slight fade at the rim. Plum, cherry and earth dominate the flavours and aromas of this delicious Merlot. The impact here is high as there are lots of sweet tannins coupled with good acidity to give plenty of structure. Already delicious, this wine is on the way up and should be even more rewarding in another five years. Full body with a long finish, this is a Cab-lovers Merlot that is big and brawny and a delicious mate for anything grilled.
Excellent
2012 Mystic Pearl Cuvee
This blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc shows elegance and refinement. Whereas the preceding wine was more about power, this is more about finesse. Dark cherry flavours are joined by nuances of spice and tobacco. Already complex this also shows great aging potential.
Very Good/Excellent
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