Dead of Night

Osoyoos East Bench, Canada

Moon Curser Vineyards' signature blend featuring touriga nacional and tannat — two varieties virtually unique to this winery in Canada — from their estate on the Osoyoos East Bench. The name reflects both the desert darkness above Osoyoos and the winery's embrace of unconventional varieties. The tannat's muscular tannins and touriga's floral, purple-fruit intensity combine to produce a wine of genuine distinctiveness: recognisably from the desert south Okanagan, yet unlike anything else in Canadian wine.

Pairing intelligence

• main: Wild boar's intensity and gaminess demands a wine of equal power. Dead of Night's iron and dark-fruit density matches the protein's weight; juniper in the braise bridges the wine's spice character.
• starter: Dead of Night's co-fermented Viognier adds floral and apricot notes to the Syrah base, creating a distinctive aromatic lift that bridges across liver's richness — the port jelly's sweetness mirrors the wine's own fruit concentration.
• aperitif: A dark, structured PNW red finds an immediate partner in a charcuterie board's robust charcuterie; the pâté's richness calls for the wine's tannin while mustard and cornichon provide acidic relief.
• main: Venison and Pinot Noir is a bold pairing that works when the Pinot is structured enough to meet game meat's intensity. Similkameen's elevated terroir gives this Pinot sufficient weight. Juniper jus creates a direct aromatic bridge — juniper is botanically adjacent to the forest-floor notes in a cool-climate Pinot. Spruce oil's resinous note echoes the wine's herbal character.
• main: Pork and apple is a traditional pairing; the Syrah blend adds a darker dimension to the dish. Dead of Night's iron and dark fruit bridges the sage's herbal character while the apple sauce's sweetness finds a counterpoint in the wine's tannin structure.