In this case, snakes are not scary and slithery.
They are charming, intelligent, intuitive, romantic, polite, creative and sociable.
And this year, snakes will be transformative, have so many opportunities for advancement and bring calm to the world.
It's also an excellent year for snakes to turn bad luck to good, to have a child, buy a house, start a business, get a new job or promotion.
The snake's lucky colours are black, red and yellow and lucky numbers are 2, 8 and 9.
Of course, we're speaking of the snake in the Chinese zodiac.
The 'Year of the Snake' runs from Jan. 29, 2024 to Feb. 16, 2026, according to the lunar (moon) cycle.
People born in this year (and previous 'Year of the Snakes' in 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001 and 2013 according to the Chinese lunar calendar) are believed to have similar characteristics to the snake of the zodiac.
They are also expected to have extra good luck every time the year of the snake rolls around in a 12-year cycle.
The cycle of zodiac animals is, in order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
Now, this is all fascinating.
But, you may ask: What does this have to do with wine?
Well, the tie-in here is that Haywire Winery in Summerland has been making a Lunar New Year wine every year since 2014.
This year's limited edition, in celebration of the 'Year of the Snake', is the Haywire Lunar Red ($29), available at: https://okanagancrushpad.com/product/lunar-red.
A portion of proceeds from the sale of the wine goes to the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, the charity committed to the revitalization of downtown Vancouver's historic Chinatown.
The wine's label is red (one of the snake's lucky colours this year) and the rising snake on the label is yellow (another of the snake's lucky colours this year).
The Lunar Red is a blend of smooth Merlot and flavourful Cabernet Franc, resulting in a wine with aromas and flavours of cherry cola, black licorice and dark chocolate.
Winemaker Matt Dumayne created the wine with Haywire's signature fermentation and aging in concrete tanks to give the wine extra texture, depth and interest.
The Lunar Red is a perfect pairing with Chinese foods such as ginger beef, spicy Szechuan stir-fry, Chinese barbecue chicken and wok-seared vegetables.
Haywire has decorated the winery for Chinese New Year and is inviting people to drop by tomorrow at 3 pm, 5 pm or 7 pm for appetizers and wines, including, of course, the Lunar Red.
$25 tickets can be booked here: https://www.exploretock.com/okanagan-crush-pad-summerland/event/503152/lunar-new-year-celebration
Most inspiring
Quietly and efficiently, and over decades, Tanya Martin has become a leader, problem-solver, strategist and visionary in the Okanagan wine industry.
The director of operations at Blasted Church Winery in Okanagan Falls has just been recognized as one of 'Wine's Most Inspiring People 2025' by US-based publication Wine Industry Advisor.
From over 100 nominations, only 10 most inspiring people were chosen.
Martin made the cut for helping Blasted Church navigate challenge after challenge and come out the other side stronger and smarter.
Those challenges include dealing with potentially smoke-tainted wines in 2021 with transparency and turning to Washington state grapes to make wine after the 2024 cold snap decimated the Okanagan crop.
"For three decades she has worked behind the scenes as one of the backbones of the BC wine industry," said Town Hall Brands co-owner Leeann Froese, who nominated Martin.
"But, because Tanya is shy, she doesn't get celebrated like she deserves. She has earned this recognition and every accolade that comes her way."
Martin is in good company on the most inspiring list.
Also on it is California marketing and public relations pro Linda Parker Sanpei and wine-in-a-can pioneer Marian Leitner-Waldman of Archer Roose Wines.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
Large thumbnail features snake photo by Alfonso Castro on Unsplash
