B.C. WINE INDUSTRY CRESTS FIRST MOUNTAIN, MORE TO GO
The B.C. wine industry is going downhill fast, but it’s not what you think.
After three decades of climbing the complex mountain of wine, local producers appear to have crested the first big hill and are beginning to gather momentum, moving at a speed few would have considered possible a decade ago. There will be many more hills ahead, but for the moment it’s as if they are enjoying a bit of a breather riding downhill.
The signs were sporadic at times, but they were all there. I distinctly remember touring Mission Hill with John Simes in 1992, only weeks after he arrived in the middle of the harvest. The quiet Kiwi tipped-toed me around a cider bottling line, blocked off from view by temporary plastic walls, telling me it would vanish by the next harvest. Four years later owner Anthony von Mandl bought his first vineyards and began construction of his showcase winery, all signs the race had begun.
The same cold afternoon Simes suggested it would be 20 years before the Okanagan generated enough critical mass in the wine business to attract the young people needed to propel the region onto the world wine stage. He was correct. When Mission Hill opened its new premises in 2002, I remember thinking the fit and finish and attention to detail was at a level you seldom encounter around the world, and it remains that way today.
Across the valley, along the east Kelowna benches not far from original pioneer Calona Vineyards, Tantalus Vineyards’ owner Eric Savics stunned Riesling aficionados in 2004. Savics built a certified LEED winery, decided to concentrate on Riesling when no one else was drinking it, using old vines planted in 1978. Under winemaker David Patterson and consulting winemaker Jacq Kemp (Moraine Winery) the winery took off, as did interest in B.C. wine freshness and acidity. The Riesling revolution quickly spread to Moraine, Synchromesh, Cedar Creek, Martin’s Lane, Harper’s Trail, Little Farm and St Hubertus.
In Osoyoos, the joint-venture Franco-Canadian project at Osoyoos Larose gave us a closeup look at a single vineyard model and winemaker Pascal Madevon, who gave us a lesson in growing balanced, low vigour vineyards, pairing specific grape varieties to individual blocks, and demonstrating the age old Bordelais art of blending.
In 2001, the race for finesse began and 15 years later we had Oculus, Clos du Soleil Estate Reserve, Laughing Stock Portfolio, Culmina Hypothesis, MacIntyre Heritage Reserve Ardua, Painted Rock Icon, Black Hills Nota Bene, and Osoyoos Larose.
From another angle, Summerhill Pyramid Winery owner Stephen Cipes and family have been persistent advocates of encouraging biodiversity in B.C. vineyards via organic and biodynamic farming. It was a lonely story back in 1986, today the family has inspired a growing number of B.C. producers to venture down the same path and, frankly, do what’s right for the land.
Across the lake, Chris Coletta’s Okanagan Crush Pad has converted the home Switchback vineyard to organic, and plans to go all-in biodynamic on virgin ground at its latest venture in Summerland’s Garnet Valley.
Clos du Soleil, St. Hubertus, Little Farm, and Rustic Roots lead an increasing shift toward organics, with many growers currently practicing organic methods without certification. The green movement is contagious, as evidenced by Mission Hill Family Estate’s commitment to convert its 1100 acres of vineyards to organic by 2021.
There are renegades, too. The Hatch, Stag ’s Hollow, Little Farm, Lock and Worth, Nichol Vineyards, and Emandare are demonstrating there is a place for small but feisty producers to compete with passion and innovation, and take chances on new grapes that are often impossible for mid-size and large wineries.
Pinot Noir is the poster child for how far B.C. wine has come. The toughest fine wine variety to grow is quickly establishing a home across the province’s coolest sites, producing complex, site-driven wines almost unthinkable in the 1990s.
Blue Mountain, Quails Gat, Meyer, Martin’s Lane, Averill Creek, The Chase, Tantalus, Carson, Moraine, Spearhead, Howling Bluff, Emandare all are riding high downhill.