Wines with John Schreiner

By John Schreiner
reprinted with permission

Okanagan Crush Pad Winery

Legendary for her contributions to successful British Columbia wineries, Christine Coletta has come up with another ground breaker: an incubator winery.

Along with several partners, she has announced the Okanagan Crush Pad Winery, to be open by this fall. At least four labels will be produced here, including her own Haywire Winery, which began marketing its wines last year.

This is not the Okanagan's only custom crush or incubator winery but the concept is not as developed as it should be due to barriers in liquor licensing regulations. Coletta and her colleagues, one of whom is David Scholefield, have asked for a meeting with the regulators to resolve the grey areas.

She has the necessary credibility with both government and the wine industry; as executive director of the British Columbia Wine Institute in the 1990s, she played a central role in putting B.C. wine on the map. The future for incubator winemaking looks a lot more promising than the past.

Adora Estate Winery, which opened in 2003, was the Okanagan's first custom crush winery, producing wines for other wineries (such as Calliope, Morning Bay, Cellars at the Rise, Aces Wine Group) and for its own label. In the past two years, Adora has wound down its activities but plans to relaunch with a new label, a new Summerland winery and new clients.

Various individual wineries have incubated others over the years. JoieFarm and Painted Rock Estate Winery made their first vintages at Poplar Grove Winery, for example. Foxtrot Winery had its first three vintages made at Lake Breeze Vineyards before building its own cellar.

Last year, Alan Dickenson and several partners opened Alto Wine Group in Okanagan Falls. It makes wine for labels that the partners are launching and it offers custom crush services to other boutique producers.

Proper accommodation and regulations for incubator wineries is long overdue. There are successful models operating in the United States, New Zealand and no doubt elsewhere.

Regulations in British Columbia require land-based wineries to have at least a minimal vineyard and a processing facility on the same site. That has not been enforced strictly (thank heaven). Neither Sandhill Wines nor Prospect Winery ferment wines on their vineyards; they ferment their wines in the commercial wineries owned by their parents. Some in the industry see that as an example of a grey area.

The argument for incubator wineries is obvious. The cost of starting a winery is a major barrier when every new entrant is expected to have a standalone winery on a vineyard. You would need at least $1 million to get started. That is why almost none of British Columbia's 200 wineries have been started by young vintners.

As Coletta says, it is like the Vancouver housing market where young people can't afford the housing unless they are highly paid professionals or have inherited wealth.

The Okanagan Crush Pad Winery eliminates this barrier to getting into the wine business. Its first client (aside from Haywire) will be wine educator Rhys Pender MW who will make the first wine this fall from his small vineyard in the Similkameen Valley.

David Scholefield, a former portfolio manager at the Liquor Distribution Branch, and Michael Bartier, the former Road 13 winemaker, will use Crush Pad to produce their own label. As well, Bartier is likely to use this facility to launch a brand with his brother.

Similarly, Alto Wine has provided Tom DiBello, CedarCreek's former winemaker, with the opportunity to launch his own label later this year.

If these vintners were expected to come up with $1 million each before starting a winery, none of this would happen and consumers would be denied what are likely to be exciting wines.

Undoubtedly, there are many others who would start boutique wine labels if given access to incubator wineries. These include the rising number of graduates from Canadian wine schools. There also are a number of growers who would prefer to turn their grapes into their own wines but cannot afford the startup costs.

Incubator wineries don't just make wine. They provide a meeting place where vintners can help each other with everything from technical advice to marketing know-how.

Perhaps the established wineries might be nervous about all of the new competitors that Crush Pad and Alto Wine are expected to foster.

“Competition is healthy,” Coletta argues. “It gets us to the next level [of quality].”

Winners at Cellars of the World wine competition

Champagne and Sparkling wine

GOLD** Henriot Brut Souverain, Champagne, France** NV $59.99
** BEST OF SHOW WHITE **
SILVER De Bortoli Emeri Pink Moscato, Australia NV $16.99
SILVER Sumac Ridge Stellar's Jay Brut, Okanagan Valley 2006 $26.99 BRONZE Cristalino CAVA Brut, Spain NV $13.99

Off-dry white

GOLD Arrowleaf Snow Tropics Vidal, Okanagan Valley 2009 $14.99
GOLD Gray Monk Riesling, Okanagan Valley 2009 $16.99
SILVER Arrowleaf Bacchus, Okanagan Valley 2008 $15.99
BRONZE Nollen Notorious Rooster Riesling, Germany 2009 $13.99

Sweet white

GOLD Nk'Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Riesling Icewine, Okanagan Valley 2009 $60.00
SILVER Volcanic Hills Chardonnay Icewine, Okanagan Valley 2008 $49.90
BRONZE Hester Creek Late Harvest Pinot Blanc, Okanagan Valley 2009 $15.99

Dry Riesling/Alsatian varietals

GOLD Wild Goose Gewürztraminer, Okanagan Valley 2009 $18.99
SILVER Bounty Crystal White Gewürztraminer, Okanagan Valley 2008 $19.90
BRONZE Wild Goose Riesling, Okanagan Valley 2009 $18.99
BRONZE Wild Goose Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley 2009 $18.99
BRONZE Orofino Pinot Gris, Similkameen Valley 2010 $19.90

Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon

GOLD Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2009 $19.99
SILVER Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2010 $19.99
BRONZE Cousino-Macul Sauvignon Gris, Chile 2009 $17.99

Chardonnay

GOLD Burrowing Owl Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley 2008 $25.00
GOLD CedarCreek Platinum Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley 2008 $29.90
SILVER Nk'Mip Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley 2008 $16.99
BRONZE Gray Monk Chardonnay Unwooded, Okanagan Valley 2009 $16.99
BRONZE Oyster Bay Chardonnay, Marlborough, New Zealand 2009 $19.99

Other dry white

GOLD Arrowleaf First Crush, Okanagan Valley 2009 $13.99
SILVER Conundrum, California 2008 $24.99
BRONZE Oliver Twist Viognier, Okanagan Valley 2009 $20.00
BRONZE Hester Creek Semillon/Chardonnay 2009 $15.99

Rosé

GOLD CedarCreek Rosé, Okanagan Valley 2010 $17.90

Pinot Noir

GOLD Meiomi Belle Glos Pinot Noir, California Coast 2008 $27.99
SILVER CedarCreek Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley 2008 $26.90
BRONZE CedarCreek Platinum Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley 2007 $39.90
BRONZE Nk'Mip Qwam Qwmt Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley 2008 $29.99
BRONZE Burrowing Owl Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley 2009 $30.00

Merlot

GOLD Oliver Twist Proprietor's Reserve Merlot, Okanagan Valley 2008 $28.00
GOLD Bonitas Merlot, Okanagan Valley 2008 $40.00
SILVER Burrowing Owl Merlot, Okanagan Valley 2008 $30.00
BRONZE Kalala Organic Merlot, Okanagan Valley 2007 $28.95
BRONZE Arrowleaf Merlot, Okanagan Valley 2008 $17.99
BRONZE CedarCreek Platinum Merlot, Okanagan Valley 2007 $34.90

Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Malbec

GOLD** Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc, Okanagan Valley** 2008 $33.00
** BEST OF SHOW RED **
SILVER Burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley 2008 $30.00
BRONZE Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County 2008 $19.99
BRONZE Hester Creek Reserve Cabernet Franc, Okanagan Valley 2007 $25.99

Bordeaux varietals/ Meritage blends

GOLD Burrowing Owl Meritage, Okanagan Valley 2008 $45.00
SILVER Inniskillin Dark Horse Vineyard Meritage, Okanagan Valley 2007 $24.99
SILVER Nk'Mip Qwam Qwmt Meritage 2007 $29.99
BRONZE Orofino Beleza, Similkameen Valley 2008 $33.90

Shiraz/Rhône varietals

GOLD Fetish The Watcher, Barossa Valley, Australia 2008 $24.99
SILVER Jackson-Triggs Gold Series SunRock Vineyard Shiraz, Okanagan 2008 $34.99
SILVER Razor's Edge Shiraz 2008, Australia 2008 $14.99
BRONZE Henry's Drive Pillar Box Reserve Shiraz, South Australia 2007 $24.99

Other red

GOLD The View Red Shoe, Okanagan Valley 2009 $14.50
SILVER Ruffino Il Ducale Toscano, Italy 2007 $19.99
BRONZE La Mozza I Perazzi Morellino di Scansano, Italy 2007 $24.99

Fruit/Honey wine

GOLD Rustic Roots Mulberry Pear, Similkameen Valley 2008 $28.90
SILVER Forbidden Fruit Pomme Desirée Iced Apple, Similkameen 2009 $30.00
SILVER Rustic Roots Santa Rosa , Similkameen Valley 2008 $27.90
BRONZE Forbidden Fruit Impearfection, Similkameen Valley 2008 $22.00
BRONZE Forbidden Fruit Cerise d'Eve 2009 $30.00

Fortified wine

GOLD Sumac Ridge Pipe 2006 $24.99
SILVER Wild Goose 2009 Black Brant 2009 $19.99

More with John Schreiner

Vancouver Island
Prospect Winery
Chardonnay
Cassini Cellars
Taste BC

reprinted with permission of author John Schreiner
John Schreiner is Author of Icewine the Complete Story and Okanagan Wine Tour Guide
Although John busy schedual does not allow him to provide regular articles he does provide information to us on a regular bases