winter 2017
Three Okanagan wineries keep it all in the family Classical music and wine, a perfect combination for Summerland winery Dr. Pedro Parra breaks new ground when it comes to terroir of wine regions
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6 Editor’s message – Shayna Wiwierski
8 Winemaking from the ground up
12 All in the family 17 A grape concerto 20 Toasting to two new sparkling wines 24 Is your winery a “farm”? 27 Home-grown 29 Wine on tap? 31 Expanded education offerings translates to more options for learners
33 New technology fights fakes and connects vintners with consumers
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.......................................................................................... 34 AgSafe....................................................................................................................... 3 Anton Paar.............................................................................................................. 7 Antonio Carraro Canada............................................................................... 14 Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equip. Ltd...................................................13 Brock University................................................................................................... 5 Canada Kegs & Packaging.......................................................................... 29 Cellar Tek Supplies Ltd...................................................................................22 Central Fabricating.............................................................................................11 Durward Jones Barkwell & Company................................................... 26 Gintec Shade Technologies Inc..................................................................21 Gusmer Enterprises, Inc............................................................................. IBC Knights Grapevine Nursery..........................................................................15 La Garde.............................................................................................................. IFC Okanagan College.......................................................................................OBC Okanagan Viticulture Services Inc............................................................21 Ramondin USA Inc...........................................................................................25 Raynox 2000 Inc.............................................................................................. 33 Redden Net & Rope Ltd................................................................................ 19 Southern Irrigation.......................................................................................... 28 Structural Panels Inc.......................................................................................32 Syfilco Ltd.............................................................................................................23 Town Hall Brands...............................................................................................25 Unitech Scientific, LLC...................................................................................25 Vailmont Vineyards Ltd................................................................................ 28 Vinetech Canada................................................................................................. 8
4
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editor’s message
Happy 2017! A new year brings many changes. It was announced
the Apple and Google Play
in December 2016 that the B.C. government has
stores, which lets you read
updated the Wines of Marked Quality Regulation so
this issue and past issues
B.C. wineries can more easily identify and promote
of the magazine on your
the terroir and flavours specific to where their
smartphone or tablet.
grapes and wines are produced. This is important
Our digital version also
for a number of reasons. Geographic indications help consumers identify wines in the marketplace and provide assurance to shoppers of the origin and quality of wine. This is something we look into
includes added interactive features, such as a video that lets you experience
a few times in this issue of Crush magazine.
the musical magic of
What if I told you the terroir of your vineyard
Lunessence Winery and Vineyard. If you want more
our featured winery,
could tell you the right kind of grape to plant? We
Crush news around the clock, I also invite you to
explore the theory of terroir and chat with one of the world’s leading experts on this topic, Dr. Pedro
visit our official site, crushmagazine.ca.
Parra, as well as a few wineries he has consulted
I hope you enjoy this issue of the magazine, and
with for their wines. We also look at counterfeiting
as always, if you have any questions, concerns, or
wines and ways to prevent this, as well as many
story ideas, please send a message my way.
other topics that showcase the amazing wine industry Canada offers.
Cheers!
In addition to this print issue of Crush I also invite
Shayna Wiwierski
you to download our new app, available in both
@DELCommInc
contributing writers Cindy Chan
is published by
Kaitlyn Little Steve Mason Christine Ulmer
DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3L 0G5 www.delcommunications.com
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Dayna Oulion Toll Free: 1.866.424.6398
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publisher Jason Stefanik
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art director / design Kathy Cable advertising art Sheri Kidd, Dana Jensen © 2017 DEL Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Publications mail agreement #40934510 Return undeliverable address to: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3L 0G5 While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in and the reliability of the source, the publisher in no way guarantees nor warrants the informationand is not responsible for errors, omissions or statementsmade by advertisers. Opinions and recommendationsmade by contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher, its directors, officers or employees. PRINTED IN CANADA • 02/2017
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Winemaking from the ground up
How examining terroir is changing the wine landscape for the Okanagan By Shayna Wiwierski
W
ith so many wineries in Canada, they are each tasked with creating a unique personality and product. Anyone can use the same grape variety, barrel, the same stainless-steel tank, and the
same commercial yeast. What could make your winery stand out from the others though is actually located right under your feet. Pedro Parra is a Chilean terroir specialist, and one of few in the world. He is based in the Bio Bio Valley, one of Chile’s most southern wine-producing regions. Originally wanting to be a musician, he eventually got into precision
he has clients all over the world where he consults with vineyard owners on the relationship between wine and terroir, and how soil affects wine taste. “To me, terroir is the complex expression of multiple factors that create a wine typicity associated to a scale or size,” says Parra. “It’s very fragile; you can modify or change it easily.” Although he works with many wine regions across the world, he came over to the Okanagan in 2012 to work with Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland. Christine Coletta, owner of Okanagan Crush Pad, had already been working
agriculture and mapping techniques and ended up at
with Alberto Antonini, an Italian oenologist and consultant
the Institut national agronomique Paris Grignon in their
to wineries across the globe, since 2010. Antonini was in
terroir centre. After gaining his PhD in terroir (he also
Vancouver doing some work and happened to be good
holds a master’s in precision agriculture), he spent time
friends with one of Coletta’s associates so they managed
in Burgundy tasting wine from different soil blocks and
to have a wine tasting with him and she asked him to be a
connecting which wine came from which soil. Currently,
consultant. Antonini replied that he would come, so a few
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8
Did we miss your winery in our summer 2016 listings? Visit us online at crushmagazine.ca to get in the next issue.
months later he was in the Okanagan and although he loved the region and saw the potential in it, he said the viticulture of farming was not up to global standards. Antonini also mentioned that the soil promoted too much vigour in the vines. All the energy in the plant was producing green growth, not fruit. In his mind, Okanagan wineries had it all wrong and needed to start below the ground and work back up, so he recommended Parra. “I’ve known who he was for several years as I used to be a marketing consultant for Wines of Chile, and I would fly there with journalists. We sat in a Pedro Parra at Switchback Vineyard.
Photo by Lionel Trudel.
seminar with Pedro where he would explain how the substructure of the terroir, eight- to 10-feet deep where the vines root, influences its fruit,” says Coletta. “Lots of people look at the top soil, but vines don’t live
Clover being planted between the vines to give the plants natural nitrogen.
Photo courtesy of coolshanagh vineyards.
in that, they go much further down. So, we brought Petro here and he is now extremely important to what we’re doing.” Although he works in many regions across the world, including Burgundy, Montalcino, Barolo, Oregon, Sicily, and others, Parra says that he loves coming to the Okanagan as he thinks there’s a great future there, especially with limestone-based soils from glacial landforms. Currently, he works with Okanagan Crush Pad, Blue Grouse Estate Winery in Duncan, B.C., and Coolshanagh Vineyard in Naramata, B.C. During his first visit to Okanagan Crush Pad, Coletta took him to their first vineyard, Switchback, and he said they had screwed it up. “He said ‘you did it wrong, but we aren’t going to redo it, just start over from the ground up’. We had to change the irrigation system and the way we farm it; redesign it from that perspective. There’s five different zones and it’s amazing the difference that has occurred in the resulting wine,” says Coletta, who adds that Parra dug 35 pits on the site (calicatas) and went down to take a look at the soil and predicted what the future wine would taste like. “He came back a year later when we had the wine to taste – one from five different blocks. It was exactly as he said it would be.” Naramata’s Coolshanagh Vineyard uses Okanagan Crush Pad to make their wine, which led them to working with Parra. Skip Stothert, owner of
9
Pedro Parra explaining terroir at Coolshanagh.
Coolshanagh, says that first you dig pits, four-feet-by-eight-
Paul Brunner, owner of Blue Grouse Estate Winery on
feet deep and then he goes in and tells you what variety of
Vancouver Island, has been working with Parra since 2014.
grape plant, clone, and rootstock to use, what’s best suited
Parra has visited the winery three times, the first time to
for that site. Then by testing the components, he can tell
dig a bunch of pits, where he discovered that the terroir
you the structure of your wine and what it will taste like
is ideal for growing Pinot Noir. The second time he sent
when you produce your first bottle.
a team of Chilean experts who did an electromagnetic
“He came over and looked at our site which is situated right below glacial bedrock. The rocks from the bedrock were pushed down onto the property. He found limestone calcium carbonate, which is the material found in
survey (EMS) at two different depths over their vineyard, 50 centimetres and 75 centimetres. The third time he dug a series of followup pits to log the characteristics of the soils identified by the EMS work.
Burgundy and gives you the minerality and really good
“He was measuring ground conductivity to map different
wine. Pedro suggested our vineyard was in the top 15 per
types of vineyard soils. The characteristics were confirmed
cent of all vineyards in the world. And I used to cuss those
by digging a series of pits. The information was then used
rocks when I was putting the posts in, only later finding out the rocks’ relevance to the end product,” says Stothert. Parra has been consulting with Coolshanagh for three years now and Stothert says that the changes are coming. Parra has helped redesign their whole irrigation flow systems so they end up watering the vines that are asking for it and not watering the ones that don’t need it. He also advises on when to harvest. For example, if you want more minerality and more structure in the wine, you pick
10
Photo courtesy of coolshanagh vineyards.
to lay out vineyard rows and to select the vine clones to be grown,” says Brunner, who adds that they will not see the results of Parra’s work for another five years in 2022. When asked how the Okanagan compares to other wine regions, Parra says that it’s like mixing the desert with cold weather. He says there’s a lot of work to do still, but he sees a great future. Coletta agrees with Parra’s sentiment and is happy that they have found someone who knows the relationship between growing grapes and making wine.
certain blocks at certain times, ferment them separately,
“The world is becoming full of commodity wine. What we
blend those blocks together, then leaving them in whatever
can do is create wines that reflect our place here in B.C.
vessel you’re dealing with. In this case, 30 per cent goes
We can’t compete on price, but we can compete on style;
into 600-litre lightly toasted new French barrels, with the
we need to be different, special,” says Coletta. “The unique
remainder in the concrete eggs. At the end of the day you
thing we have isn’t a French oak barrel; it’s our place here
blend them together to get the profile you want before you
in the Okanagan. The more we can express that, the more
bottle them.
sought-after we will be.” o
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All in the family A look at three Okanagan wineries that are family-owned and operated By Shayna Wiwierski
There are over 1,000 wineries in Canada alone, each with their own distinctive blend of wines, branding, and faces behind the brand. The wine industry is much like any other business; there’s a lot that goes into building and running it, but very rarely do consumers get to know the people who make the wine. Many wineries are family-owned and operated. Some have been passed down to future generations and others employ multiple family members. Ask any vineyard owner and they’ll say the industry is a labour of love... in more ways than one. We took a look at three Okanagan wineries that are owned and operated by families, and the stories behind how they got into the industry and how they draw the line between personal and business. 12
Encore Vineyards The McWatters family are legends in the Canadian wine industry. At the helm, Harry McWatters has been in the industry since the 1960s and is the founder of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery and See Ya Later Ranch. He later became vice-president of Vincor Canada when the wineries were sold in 2000. His daughter, Christa-Lee McWatters Bond, is currently the director of sales and marketing for ENCORE Vineyards Ltd.,
Family patriarch and B.C. wine legend Harry McWatters (right) with his daughter, and director of sales and marketing for ENCORE Vineyards, Christa-Lee McWatters Bond. PHOTO BY CHRIS STENBERG.
which started two years ago in Summerland, B.C. She and her younger brother Darren both
my first wine when I was nine; to
grew up in the wine business. After-
me, that was a part of growing up.
school activities included picking up
Doesn’t everyone do that? Doesn’t
pinecones at the Sumac Ridge Golf &
everyone have wine at dinner? I
Country Club and lending some extra
found out now that I guess they
hands at the winery.
don’t,” says Christa-Lee, 44.
“I wouldn’t say there wasn’t a choice,
Although her father is instrumental
but I would say we were too young to
in the B.C. wine business, he pushed
be left at home alone. When people
his children to do anything but the
ask me what it’s like to grow up in a
wine industry as he didn’t want them
winery, my answer is, ‘what is it like
to live his dream. With aspirations of
not to grow up in a winery?’ I made
being a drama teacher or helicopter
pilot as a kid, after high school Christa-
50th vintage will take place in 2017),
“I have about 75 children, it feels
Lee travelled for a bit before moving to
Christa-Lee doesn’t see herself taking
like. My brother’s sons have come
Vancouver where she started her own
the reins anytime soon. For now, she’s
out the past two summers and have
agency. However, she didn’t stay there
enjoying working alongside her dad
long, as a job opportunity came up in
been helping a bit, but they aren’t as
and his storied history in the business.
the Okanagan, pulling her right back
enamoured by the industry at this
Although she doesn’t have any children
home. Since the McWatters family sold
point, so we’ll see. I think [Darren] has
of her own, her brother Darren has two
their wineries to Vincor, there was a
sons, and she feels like between the
the same mindset as my dad. I’m not
five-year contract and agreement that
winery business and the restaurant
stated Harry had a job, and both his children ended up joining him at the company in different roles. Christa-Lee became the sales manager for the
she operates in the summer with her husband, there are many people to take
sure if my nephews will be interested or not, but it has to be their dream, not ours.”
care of.
Interior and later the hospitality manager for the western estates, including Sumac Ridge, See Ya Later Ranch, and Osoyoos Larose. Vincor eventually got purchased by Constellation Brands, and although her father left in 2008, she stayed on until 2010, with Darren leaving in 2013. Harry immediately started up his own winery consulting company and Christa-Lee and her husband, who own a restaurant in the Okanagan together, ended up joining him. Currently, Christa-Lee is the director of sales and marketing for ENCORE Vineyards, where her dad is president and CEO. Under the ENCORE umbrella, they manage the McWatters Collection, which produces premium Chardonnay and Meritage in low quantities crafted from grapes grown in the South Okanagan Valley; TIME Winery, of which they are currently renovating the former PenMar Theatre in downtown Penticton to become the region’s first urban winery; and Evolve Cellars, located in Summerland on a scenic property where wines retail for under $20. Although her father is still heavily involved in the industry (his
13
Serendipity owner Judy Kingston and her daughter and winemaker, Katie O’Kell.
Serendipity Winery When Judy Kingston’s law career in Toronto was cut short due to a car accident, it was almost a serendipitous realization that life was taking her in a different direction. Mom to two children, Katie and Patrick, she became a stay-at-home lawyer while in recovery. Once her children finished high school, she wasn’t quite ready to retire, so she looked for a new direction in life. In addition to law, she’s also a trained chef; however, since she has a metal knee, she can’t stand for long to do prep work. A holiday in the Okanagan was all it took for her to realize that winemaking was her new direction in life. “She happened to be in the Okanagan Our unique, specialized tractors are available with:
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an epiphany moment. Winemaking is similar to cooking, but you aren’t standing, you’re moving and walking,” says Katie O’Kell, Kingston’s daughter and a winemaker at Serendipity Winery. “She put in an offer on the orchard, and by the time she got back to Toronto, it was hers.” After securing the orchard, located at 990 Debeck Road in Naramata, B.C., Kingston went to farming school to learn about viticulture and then planted the vineyard. From there, she went to Okanagan College to study
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winemaking to learn how to actually make the wine. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, since O’Kell was at university during that time and
14
had nine months between finishing
the science behind the process. The
boss,” says O’Kell, who adds that her
her biology degree and going to law
grapes were harvested in 2014 and,
brother Patrick, 29, currently still
school. That summer, she came to
this summer, they bottled their first
lives in Toronto, but is involved in the
the Okanagan to help her mom out.
vintage of Sparkling Truth.
marketing of Serendipity remotely.
“It was nice my mom gave me that
“Finding that balance together has
However, mid-vintage, she fell in love with the industry and has stayed ever since.
trust and freedom to do whatever
been very challenging and rewarding,
I wanted with [the sparkling wine].
and being there to help each other
“We both had this serendipitous
It’s been an interesting dynamic
has been amazing. At the end of the
being a mother-daughter team, that
day, we both have a lot of fun together
you don’t want to lose that dynamic,
sharing what we love to do – making
but at the same time, she’s also my
wine.”
journey into winemaking,” says O’Kell, 28, who got her winemaking degree online at University of California, Davis, which she completed this year, earning a 100 per cent mark on her final exam. Both O’Kell and Kingston have found that winemaking lets them explore different sides of their backgrounds. For O’Kell, it’s the fact that she is working with her hands and it’s a mix of science and art. Being a biologist, she hated working in a lab as there
or nearly fifteen years, beginning in the late 80s, the name Euro Grapevine Nursery was synonymous in Canada with high-quality virus tested grapevines.
was no creativity. Same goes for Kingston. “I love the creative part of this. Being a lawyer for 30 years, the analytical part of you becomes very strong. I’m a mathematician by training. Being analytical was easy for me. Practising law for 30 years, though, your creative
Since the year 2000, I have been operating my grapevine operation in California’s wine country as Knight’s Grapevine Nursery, where under its new name, the nursery is still synonymous with healthy, tested vines. I sell vines throughout California, and continues to serve my grapevine growing friends in Canada.
side doesn’t come out very often,” says
I use the strictest test process available, testing each and every plant.
Kingston, who found that winemaking
Whether in Canada or California, I understand that protecting vines against viruses means nothing less than protecting a vineyard owner’s future.
unleashed a skill in her that she wasn’t using while practising law. “As a woman, we have strong intuition, and I wasn’t using that as much. Making wine brings out that creative intuitive part of you. I didn’t get that as a lawyer.”
Sincerely,
Eckhard Kaesekamp Knights Grapevine Nursery
Currently, Serendipity produces around 4,000 cases a year, but plans on producing 6,000 in the future. They want to keep the business as a midsize winery; however, they will also be adding on a small kitchen for tastings and food pairings in the near future. Although they produce table wines, O’Kell started experimenting with sparkling wines, as she enjoyed
15
The family behind Singletree Winery. L-R: (Back) Garnet Etsell, Debbie Etsell, Andrew Etsell, Laura Preckel, (front) Noah Etsell and Cooper Etsell.
stages since they started with two acres. They are hoping to have their production facility in operation with next year’s crush. Garnet says that both sons grew up on the farm, but in their spare time, they are both volunteer firefighters, with one of his sons hoping to get into full-time firefighting. He also has two grandchildren, who are too years. “Deb and I always liked wine, enjoyed it and was fascinated by
young at the moment to decide if farming is something they want to get into. However, he mentions that one grandchild preferred to stay home from school at the time of the harvest.
it from the agriculture
Singletree Winery The Etsell family’s roots in agriculture go back to 1995, where they own 67 acres of land in the farmlands of the Fraser Valley. Although they didn’t start planting vines until 2010, the Etsell’s first business was actually turkey farming, which their younger son Nathan took over in 2005. When Garnet and Debbie Etsell’s older son Andrew mentioned he wanted to join the family business, Garnet told him that he needed to find something to support the land. So, Andrew chose wine. “[Andrew] went back to school to get
16
and vineyard aspect of it, so we all jumped on board.” Since the Etsell’s background is farming, they didn’t know where to start with the wine business. Andrew finished his diploma in horticulture from the University of the Fraser Valley and worked on a certificate in winemaking from UC Davis, while the rest of the Etsells did research on what varieties would work in the valley, as they didn’t want to duplicate what was already
Noah, Laura, and Andrew at Singletree Vineyards.
being done in the Okanagan. In 2010 they started planting, and in 2013 their first crop of grapes was grown. They are currently on their fourth vintage.
Although winemaking is much different from
a diploma in horticulture and did
Once they are fully planted, there
turkey farming, which the Etsells still
a practicum at Mission Hill Family
will be 30 acres of vines. The first
do, they have enjoyed working in both
Estate Winery. From that point, he fell
four vintages were made at Okanagan
industries.
in love with the wine industry. When
Crush Pad since Andrew didn’t have
he came back, he said he knew what
the practical knowledge at that
“We really enjoy farming and the wine
he wanted to do,” says Garnet Etsell,
time, so he worked alongside them
side. I like the marketing aspect of it.
owner of Singletree Winery, who, prior
in creating the wines. It also kept
It’s lots of fun being able to interact
to farming, was a CFO for a number of
their capital costs down in the early
with the customer.” o
A grape concerto
Photos courtesy of Lunessence Winery and Vineyard.
Summerland’s Lunessence Winery and Vineyard utilizes the moon and classical music to create a harmony of good wine By Shayna Wiwierski
W
hen you pull up to Lunessence Winery and Vineyard in Summerland, B.C., the first thing you hear is classical music.
understanding the vineyard, and putting the message into
Everything about Lunessence is
classical music. There are speakers installed throughout
carefully controlled – from when the grapes are planted to
the vineyard and their estate-grown grapes benefit from
when they are harvested, even the process of bottling. And
the sound vibrations and frequencies of classical music.
it’s all hidden in the name. The Okanagan winery takes
In the vineyard itself, they play mostly easygoing, relaxing
its name from Luna, which means ‘moon’ in Latin, and
classical music, like Mozart and Bach, and when the grapes
‘essence’, representing the essence of their farming and
come into the winery they switch to emotional melodies.
philosophy.
The idea came from Mosny, who came to Canada from
“We are respecting nature. There’s no pesticides or herbicides in the vineyard, only the forces of nature,”
the bottle.” The message he’s talking about starts with the grapes. The winery strongly believes in the positive effects of
Slovakia five years ago, and who had seen other vineyards around the world use the same technique.
says Michal Mosny, general manager and winemaker at
“I always believed that there must be something about
Lunessence Winery and Vineyard. “In the vineyard, we are
grapes you grow in your own backyard. You buy the fruit,
trying to transform the farming into organic biodynamic
an apple from a big grocery store, and it tastes completely
farming, not by following any kind of rules or certification,
different from the one you grow in your backyard. It must
but to understand the process of growing grapes,
have something to do with the way you grow it, but also
17
with the attitude and feeling of the
bedrock and the region is known
grower. I came to this idea of playing
to be covered by glacial deposits,
classical music as there are vineyards
which presents strong minerality and
in Europe and South Africa doing it,
perfect for the many award-winning
and I tried their wines and they are
ice wines that are estate-grown.
amazing.”
Want an
“The whole vineyard and estate is
from Vancouver, the winery started
inside look at
the soil isn’t deep. According to my
in 2014 when they got control of the
Lunessence
experience from Europe, in places
Winery and
deep, so the roots need to find their
Owned by an environmental consultant
property. Lunessence officially opened in the middle of the 2015 season, and 2015/2016 was the first year they
they also have four growers across
way into the rock and they are very
Scan the QR
well, bringing flavours into the late
the Okanagan; one in Osoyoos, one in
code with your
Oliver, and two in Naramata. Although
smartphone or
the Summerland estate is the only one which plays music to the grapes, they
tablet to go on a
hope to play classical music in their
musical journey.
other locations as well. The six-and-a-half-acre vineyard
tough, so they can handle frost very harvest and ice wines,” said Mosny, adding that their first-ever ice wine, the 2014 Riesling Ice Wine, won the 2016 Lieutenant Governor’s Award. Although they do have a large offering of estate-grown ice wines, their other wines are also putting them on the map. Their unique blend
in Summerland hosts two natural wetlands and they
of Sauvignon Blanc-Muscat from the Naramata Bench is
utilize the benefits of the wetlands through dry-farming
their most popular blend. The winery is known for their
techniques. The vineyards are also located on ancient
reds, which include a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
There are speakers installed throughout the vineyard, and their estate-grown grapes benefit from the sound vibrations and frequencies of classical music.
18
similar to this, the soil is one-foot
Vineyard?
ran the winery. In addition to the estate vineyard on Gartrell Road,
located on a volcanic bedrock, so
Lunessence has two tasting rooms, including this private one which features reclaimed wood from an old fence and a glass table that is held up by two large trunks from a tree that grew on the property.
Lunessence has a large offering of estate-grown ice wines, as well as a number of popular white and red wines.
from their grapes in Oliver, both of which sold out in four
(which also plays classical music for the grapes and wine
months. Since they have full control over the grapes, from
– they like opera in the crushing and fermenting phase),
vine to bottle, they do a maximum of 5,000 cases per year.
everything revolves around their philosophy.
Mosny runs a tight ship when it comes to the production
“We start from scratch with a good production facility to
of the wine. They focus on transforming to biodynamic
control the quality, no chemicals, and we just designed the
farming and work according to the lunar calendar for
tasting room so it matches our philosophy. We play the
farmers.
classical music in the vineyard and the cellar, producing
“Usually the best time to pick the grapes is after a full moon. The fruit is very strong then. Every year is a little bit different as the decisions are made both according to moon phases and zodiac signs and weather conditions. When you are planting, when you are working with the leaves, when you are working with the roots, etc.,” said Mosny, adding that they focus on long skin contact for the grapes, and also using wild yeast for fermentation, which comes from the vineyard. As for where they sell the wine, Lunessence is available at private liquor stores in B.C., their online store, and at their winery located at 5716 Gartrell Road in Summerland. The tasting room is very simple and clean, with the focus being on the wine and the classical music heard throughout. They also feature a second tasting room for VIP members, which has a rustic feel courtesy of the wood details, all of which were all reclaimed from the property. “We decided to create a private tasting room featuring stuff we have on the property, things we inherited. There was this old wooden fence around the new production facility we built last year, so we used that on the walls and there is this huge glass table that is held by two big trunks that were growing on our property. When you walk in, there is some history from the property, a spirit of the property.” The spirit Mosny is talking about is all around the winery. From the wine to the tasting room to even the cellar
wines that reflect the wine in the vineyard. Our tasting room is elegant so the wine stands out. We don’t want to make it a winery Disneyland, we want to keep it just about the wine.” o
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19
Toasting to two new sparkling wines By Cindy Chan
Okanagan Crush Pad insists on keeping their wines and processes all-natural and rooted in tradition, reflecting the scents and tastes of the new trend in Okanagan winemaking. From L to R: Winemaker Matt Dumayne, and owners Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie. Photo by Lionel Trudel.
20
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The only electronic pruning in the world with an F3015 F301 interchangeable cutting he F3015
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Okanagan Crush Pad, home of Switchback Organic Vineyard, is known for producing wines that are crafted from organically grown grapes. Vest
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The storage cells of the battery have been choosen for their ULTRA-COMPACT LITHIUM ION BATTERY reliability and capacity toLITHIUM deliver Vest Vest ULTRA-COMPACT ION BATTERY ULTRA-COMPACT LITHIUM ION BATTERY The storage cells of the battery intense current. The storage of the battery The storage ofcells thefor battery The only electronic pruning tool have beencells choosen their Theonly onlyelectronic electronic pruning • tool 120Wh have LITHIUM Battery The pruning tool havechoosen been choosen for their ULTRA-COMPACT LITHIUM IONtheir BATTERY been for reliability and capacity to deliver reliability and capacity to deliver andcells capacity tobattery deliver in the world with anan • Weight:reliability The storage of the 810g intense current. inin the world with an the world with intense current. intense current. The only electronic pruning tool Thehave only electronic pruning tool been LITHIUM choosen for their • 120Wh Battery • Battery with storage cells •reliability 120Wh LITHIUM Battery interchangeable cutting head. • 120Wh LITHIUM Battery and capacity to deliver • Weight: 810g interchangeable interchangeable cutting head. in the worldcutting with anhead. protection and management the world with an •intense Weight: 810g •in Weight: current. • Battery with 810g storage cells •• Battery with storage cells cells 120Wh LITHIUM Battery • Battery with storage system (BMS) protection and management interchangeable cutting head.electronic interchangeable cutting head. • protection Weight: 810gand management protection and management electronic system (BMS) • High storage capacity LITHIUM electronic system (BMS) • Battery with storage cells(BMS) electronic system The F3015 can be fitted with a range of fixed and telescopic extension poles ranging • High storage capacity LITHIUM • High capacity LITHIUM cells High Power Long Life protection and management •storage High storage capacity LITHIUM cells High Power Long Rapid charging: 90 90 minutes cells High Power Long LifeLife Rapid charging: minutes electronic system (BMS) reach of up to 5m above the ground. Intelligent Battery Technology cells High Power Long Life Rapid charging: 90 minutes Intelligent Battery Technology Vest
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Established in 2011 by Christine Coletta and her husband, Steve
NEW FOR 20
Lornie, the Summerland-based winery is a custom crush facility on a vineyard they have owned since 2005. Coletta says she and Rapid charging: 90 minutes her husband built the winery
b
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themselves. The couple owns two
Intelligent Battery Technology The pruning shear is controlled byRapid a micro switch housed cells in aHigh sliding on the carbon Power Longhandle Life charging: 90 minutes Intelligent Battery Technology The shears can be operated by the user with a single cable between the battery and the po Trigger control information is directly centralized by an electronic micro-card housed in th F3015 fitted with rangeofoffixed fixedand andtelescopic telescopic extension extension poles giving a cutting TheThe F3015 cancan bebe fitted with a arange polesranging rangingbetween between1.2m 1.2mtoto3.5m, 3.5m, giving a cutting The tool’s versatility be appreciated users cuts or aoverhead work. The F3015 be fitted with a range ofwill fixed and telescopic extensionby poles rangingdoing between large 1.2m to 3.5m, giving cutting reach of up to 5m above the ground. reach of up tocan 5m above the ground.
NEW 2016 NEW NEWFOR FOR2016 2016 NEW FOR 2016 NEW FOR 2016 NEW FOR 2016 Rapid charging: 90 minutes
vineyards called Switchback Organic Vineyard – where the Okanagan
Crush Pad is located The – and Garnet F3015 can be fitted with a range reach of fixed and telescopic extension polesinranging between 1.2mfibre to 3.5m, giving a cutting of up to 5m above theaground. pruning shear is controlled bya amicro micro switch housed sliding handle on carbon The F3015 can beisfitted with range of fixed and telescopic extension poles ranging between 1.2m to 3.5m, giving a cutting TheThe pruning shear controlled by switch housed in aa sliding handle on the the carbon fibretube. tube.
The F3015 can be fitted with a range of fixed and telescopic extension poles ranging between 1.2m reach of up to 5m above the ground. pruning is controlled byuser a micro housed in reach a sliding handleand on the carbon fibre tube. shears be operated theuser withaaswitch singlecable cable between between the the reach of can upcan toshear above the ground. TheThe shears be5m operated byby the with single the battery and thepole. pole. of battery up to 5m above the ground. Trigger control information directly centralized by anon electronic micro-card housed ininthe pole. The can be operated the user with aby single cable the battery the pole. Theshears pruning shear is controlled acentralized micro switch housed in a between sliding handle on the carbon tube. control information isisdirectly an electronic micro-card housed thefibre pole. The pruning shear is controlled by Trigger a micro switch housed inby aby sliding handle the carbon fibre tube. The pruning shear isand controlled by a micro switch housed in a sliding handle on the carbon fibre tube. The tool’s versatility will be appreciated by users doing large cuts or overhead work. Trigger control information is directly bycable an electronic micro-card housed inby thethe pole. The shears bewill operated by the user with a single between the battery and the pole. tool’s versatility be appreciated bycentralized users doing large cuts orshears overhead The canwork. be operated user with a single cable between the battery and the pole. The shears can be operated by the The user with acan single cable between the battery and the pole. The tool’s versatility will beisappreciated by usersbydoing largeTrigger cuts orcontrol overhead work. Trigger control information directly centralized an electronic micro-card housed in the pole. information is directly centralized by an electronic micro-card housed in the pole. control information is directlyThe centralized by an electronic theversatility pole. “Garnet Valley RanchTrigger is a 320-acre tool’s versatility will be appreciatedmicro-card by users doing housed large cuts ortool’s overhead work.will be appreciated by users doing large cuts or overhead work. Thein The tool’s versatility will be appreciated by users doing largeInnovation: cuts or overhead work. Micro-Card Mobile Electronic farm,” Coletta says. “We have sheep, Mobile Innovation: Electronic Micro-Card Mobile Electronic Control System Housedin the Pole Control SystemInnovation: Housedin theMicro-Card Pole
Valley Ranch.
Control Mobile System Mobile Control System Control System
donkeys, eight acres of organic
vegetables and about 22Mobile acres ofInnovation: Electronic Micro-Card Control System vineyards planted. And it’s an
HousedinElectronic the Pole Micro-Card Innovation: Innovation: Electronic Housedin the Micro-Card Pole Housedin the Pole
Switchback is an organic-certified 10-acre site.
PO Box 25026 Mission Park PO OKANAGANPO Box Kelowna, 25026BCMission Park PO OKANAGAN P: (250) BC762-9845 VITICULTUREKelowna, PO Box Box 25026Mission MissionPark ParkPOPO 25026 F:PO(250) 762-9846 P: (250) 762-9845 OKANAGAN Kelowna, BC OKANAGAN VITICULTURE BC C:Kelowna, (250) 878-3656 SERVICES INC.F: (250) 762-9846 P: (250) 762-9845
P: (250) 762-9845 British Columbia fwhitehead@shaw.ca VITICULTURE VITICULTURE 878-3656 SERVICES INC. C: (250) F: (250) (250) 762-9846 F: 762-9846 British Columbia C: (250) (250)878-3656 878-3656 SERVICES INC.fwhitehead@shaw.ca C: SERVICES
OKANAGAN
British British Columbia Columbia fwhitehead@shaw.ca fwhitehead@shaw.ca
Organic viticulture is extremelyPO Box 25026 Mission Park PO Kelowna, BC P: (250) 762-9845 F: (250) 762-9846 C: (250) 878-3656 fwhitehead@shaw.ca
important to Coletta, as Okanagan VITICULTURE
SERVICES INC. Crush Pad is known for producing British Columbia wines that are crafted from
Innovation: Electronic Micro-Card Housedin the Pole
Tying TyingMachine Machine Tying Machine Tying Machine
Housedin the Pole
organic-certified farm.” Meanwhile,
OKANAGAN
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VITICULTURE SERVICES INC. British Columbia
40 Lakeshore Rd. RR#5 Niagra-on-the-Lake, ONRR#5 40 Lakeshore Rd. P: (905) 646-8085 Niagra-on-the-Lake, ON 40 Rd. Lakeshore TF: (866) 677-4717 40 Lakeshore RR#5 Rd. RR#5 P: (905) 646-8085 Niagra-on-the-Lake, ON C:Niagra-on-the-Lake, (905) 651-7505 ON TF: (866) 677-4717 P: (905) 646-8085 sales@lvequipment.ca P: (905) 646-8085 C: (905) 651-7505 TF: (866) 677-4717 TF: sales@lvequipment.ca (866) 677-4717 C: (905) 651-7505 C: (905) 651-7505 sales@lvequipment.ca sales@lvequipment.ca
LAKEVIEW Box 25026 Mission Park PO LAKTying EVIEW OKANAGAN POKelowna, BC Machine LAK EVIEW (250) 762-9845 LAK EVIEW VITICULTURE P:F: (250) 762-9846 VINEYARD EQUIPMENT INC.
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VI
21
Nico Velo tanks at Okanagan Crush Pad.
organically grown grapes. Coletta says the facility makes two lines of wine – Haywire and Narrative.
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make their wine. “Haywire was the first wine we launched,” Coletta explains.
We’ve got you covered and then some.
Okanagan Crush Pad annually produces 10,000 cases of this line of wine. According to Coletta, Haywire wines are vineyardspecific – meaning they come from a single vineyard and are made from
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organically grown grapes. “We have a line of sparkling wines, table wines and a line of natural wines.” On the other hand, the Narrative line of wines consists of a collection of grapes sourced either from Coletta’s own vineyards or from contracted growers.
22
“They’re not specifically vineyard-
With the XC Method sparkling
express our vineyards. In order to
designated,” Coletta says. “And they
wine, secondary fermentation
do that, you need great viticulture.
can change from year to year. One
takes place in a large tank instead
You have to grow grapes with a lot
year, we may source Syrah, the
of the bottle. This results in a
of respect and integrity. The more
next Cabernet Franc – it’s more of a
fruitier, fresher version.
you add to wine, the less it tastes
changing, evolving portfolio.”
“In general, we’re very interested in
The Narrative line added two new
creating natural wine. They’re the
sparkling wines to its collection
growing trend right now,” Coletta
called Ancient Method and XC
says. “It’s more about being able to
Method. The Ancient Method wine
like the place where it’s grown. To us, that is very important because we want to make wine that is truly Okanagan.” o
has been around for a couple of years, while the XC Method wine launched in January. Ancient Method is a sparkling wine that is made through a natural style, according to Coletta. “It is made in the old way of making champagne where grapes are fermented once in the bottle,” she says. In other words, nothing is added to the wine – no commercial yeast, sugar or any other additive. Coletta says the “traditional” method of making sparkling wine includes fermenting the wine twice. In most cases, the first fermentation takes place in a tank and with the finished wine then being filtered. This is bottled along with a new yeast and more sugar, which starts a second fermentation inside the bottle. The new yeast turns the added sugar into alcohol and also carbon dioxide, which forms the bubbles. The residual yeast cells form a sediment in the bottle. After the wine is aged, the bottle gets turned upside down so the sediment solidifies at the neck. It is then frozen so it can be easily popped out – this process is called disgorging. However, this secondary step is not
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done in the Ancient Method; the wine is transferred into bottles during the first fermentation. So, instead, the entire process is naturally occurring. The net result has a very different
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23
Is your winery a “farm”?
T
he Canadian Income Tax Act contains a number of advantageous rules for farmers across Canada,
24
Certain activities carried on by
definition – it could be considered
a farmer or farming corporation
manufacturing and processing
may not qualify as “farming” and
(M&P) of agricultural products. It
would, therefore, be ineligible for
should be noted that M&P also has
such as the ability to use a cash basis
some of the tax advantages noted
its own unique set of tax benefits,
to report income, more flexibility in
above. Through court cases and
such as a lower corporate tax rate
succession planning, and a higher
technical interpretations issued by
and accelerated write offs for M&P
lifetime capital gain exemption.
the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA),
Farming, as defined in subsection
equipment.
it is generally accepted that farming
248(1) of the Income Tax Act, “includes
does not include the manufacturing
The question then arises as to
tillage of the soil, livestock raising or
or processing of agricultural products
whether an activity is incidental to
exhibiting, maintaining of horses for
unless such activities are incidental
the farming activity. This will always
racing, raising of poultry, fur farming,
to the farming activity. In the grape
be a question of fact. In the Tinhorn
dairy farming, fruit growing and the
and wine industry, for example, the
Creek Vineyards case (2005 TCC 693)
keeping of bees, but does not include
growing of the grapes would clearly
the company wanted to use the cash
an office or employment under a
be considered a farming activity.
basis method to report income and
person engaged in the business of
However, the winemaking process
the CRA disallowed this method
farming”.
does not appear to meet the farming
on the basis the company was not
Super
“farming”. The company had 160 acres of vineyards and a winery utilizing 1.5 acres on a total parcel of 175 acres. The winery (started
Glam Polylam
after the land was purchased) had a building and equipment, along with an inventory of wine in barrels. The company successfully argued that the winemaking business was an integral part of the farming activity. This included the argument that
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determining factor in the case was that Tinhorn Creek was an estate winery which could only use the grapes grown on their vineyards. Therefore, the profits of the winery were directly tied to the success of the harvest. Although Tinhorn Creek won this case and was allowed to use the cash basis method to report income, it is easy to see that if some of the circumstances were different, the case could have been decided differently. Therefore, it is important to structure your operations in a way that clearly supports your desired tax filing position. If the vineyard
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and the winery operations should be differentiated to maximize the tax benefits, perhaps different entities should be used: one for farming
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and one for M&P. Circumstances should be reviewed to ensure that individuals and corporations are utilized appropriately to maximize potential tax savings and support programs that may be available. Professional advice should be obtained to assist you in making these decisions. o
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Home-grown
College partners with industry to offer new diploma in viticulture By Christine Ulmer
More than five years of labour market research and curriculum development has resulted in a new two-year Viticulture Technician diploma at Okanagan College’s Penticton campus. The program will begin this fall.
W
hen James Hopper left Australia and boarded a plane to the
a decade transforming grape-growing practices in the Okanagan.
product. “It’s a fairly simple equation,” says
“The college has been offering a short
Jonathan Rouse, Okanagan College’s
course in viticulture for a number
director of food, wine and tourism. “In
of years but we knew we needed to
order to produce quality wines, the
develop a program that would provide
key ingredient is quality grapes. This
graduates with a more in-depth
has been a big focus for industry so we
applied education that was specific to
worked very closely with our partners
he has taken a lead role in a group of
the Okanagan.”
in the sector to ensure the program
industry professionals who are making
More than five years of labour market
we are offering will meet their specific
the push to develop home-grown
research and curriculum development
needs.”
Okanagan he was among a handful of viticulture experts who brought their international experience to help develop the growing profile of the region’s wines. Now, 11 years later,
viticulturists. In 2011 Hopper was named vice-chair of the British Columbia Wine Grape
has resulted in a new two-year Viticulture Technician diploma at Okanagan College’s Penticton campus.
One of the partners who was involved in the council and worked closely with the college during curriculum
Council (BCWGC) and was tasked with
The program will begin this fall, and
leading a group of industry experts in
according to Hopper, will bring a level
addressing the human resource needs
of grape-growing expertise to the
of the sector.
Okanagan that doesn’t currently exist.
“We put together an outstanding group
“The goal is to provide an applied
that included some of our industry’s
education that allows graduates to exit
brightest minds and it didn’t take us
with skills and expertise to become an
long to come to the conclusion that in
asset to a vineyard on day one of the
order for our region’s wineries to excel,
job,” he explains.
enology from UC Davis and extensive
In recent decades, most vineyards
Oldfield founded Tinhorn in 1995
have hired employees with related
and spent the next 20 years as its
we needed to have access to a larger pool of qualified viticulturists and at that point, we turned to Okanagan College,” explained Hopper.
experience and invested months, and often times years, in on-the-job
development was Sandra Oldfield, founder and CEO of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards. Oldfield, like Hopper, came to the Okanagan from one of the world’s preeminent wine-making regions in California. With a master’s degree in experience south of the border,
winemaker.
Educated in Australia at Charles Sturt
training to bring their skills up to meet
“Any solid business needs to think
University, Hopper earned a bachelor
the demands. The new program will
strategically,” says Oldfield. “In our
of applied science degree in viticulture.
eliminate the need to rely exclusively
industry we know that we need really
The Australian native is considered
on job-site training and will allow
good grapes in order to build on the
to be one of the industry’s foremost
viticulturists and vineyard managers
progress we have made with our
viticulturists and has spent more than
to focus more on delivering a superior
wines.
27
“Okanagan wines are on the world’s
base to be local. We can’t continue to
reputation are two important aspects
radar and it is critical that we invest
hire consultants because after they
of the industry’s future. And based on
in our labour force to ensure we can
leave, we are left with a business
the progress and success of Okanagan
model that is not sustainable.”
wines over the past decade, it’s a
do things consistently. We really need that knowledge base and we need that
Sustainable growth and an increasing
future that is looking very bright. The Canadian wine industry is
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valued at approximately $7 billion with British Columbia contributing more than $2 billion to the provincial economy.
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“Okanagan wines are getting better
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and better,” says Rouse. “And with that, our training and labour market development needs to be ahead of the curve. This program is going to meet a niche need in industry that will provide the skills and knowledge required for a career within a vineyard management team.” According to Oldfield, graduates of
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on a technical role in a large vineyard as a foreman. In a smaller winery with fewer employees, a viticulture technician would likely have larger responsibilities and could take on the role of vineyard manager. “You have to love being outdoors and it requires a depth of knowledge in
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the science behind growing grapes,” she says. “These employees are really the eyes and ears of the vineyard. They monitor the plants, soil, pests, irrigation, and all of the other elements that affect the growing process. “It’s a great career with a lot of diversity and with opportunities to play a key role in the winemaking process. Viticulturists get to see how
28
Vailmont Vineyards Ltd Phone: 905-563-2880 Fax: 905-563-2881 Cell: 905-658-6387 Email: vailmontvineyards@gmail.com
grape-growing connects to the final
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being accepted for the inaugural fall
product, and ultimately to the success of the winery.” Applications to the program are now intake. o
Wine on tap?
By Steve Mason at Canada Kegs & Packaging, with input from Trywineontap.com and Kegshoe.ca
What is the fastest, hottest growing The green side of kegs for wine trend in the wine industry today? • 96 per cent reduction in CO2 footprint with reusable Wine on tap. Here some bits stainless-steel kegs and pieces that may answer • One stainless-steel keg saves the equivalent to that your questions and help your sequestered by 28 trees winery take the plunge! • Each stainless-steel keg put into service eliminates the From the end user/restaurant side, wine in kegs will cut scrap wine loss to almost zero. Opening that bottle that didn’t get all used and is now oxidized is money down the sink, or if it accidentally gets served and disappoints
carbon emissions equivalent to taking a car off the road for two years
• Each stainless-steel keg will save 2,340 lbs. of trash from landfill over its lifetime
a customer it’s a risk that you as a restaurant shouldn’t be taking. With wine on tap, you never have to worry about an open bottle decreasing in quality and losing flavour profiles. Wine in kegs stay fresh, from the
Wine in kegs Wine in kegs has a shelf life of 18 months untapped, and
first glass to last. There is no oxidation, no corkage, no
three months after being tapped. Most wineries, depending
spoilage. There is also no time wasted pulling corks,
on circumstances, can see a return on investment in six to
recycling bottles or throwing away waste. Simply tap and
nine months, with an approximate savings by using kegs of
pour the freshest, best-tasting wines.
• Made in Germany • In stock in our Canadian warehouse • Embossing available with quick delivery • 20L, 30L, and 50L sizes available
$18/keg over bottling the same volume, maybe more.
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29
For the dispensing restaurant/bar there are many companies able to retrofit this install to your existing serving area. Companies such as Canadian Beverage Supply (cdnbev. com) specialize in this and can advise you what is Wine-On-Tap program.
are desirable; plan for the long term, buy quality, and you will not regret it.
Keg tracking Your stainless-steel kegs are an expensive investment, and losing them is costly and inconvenient. Kegshoe in Ottawa, Ontario (kegshoe.ca) has come up with keg tracking solutions for your winery that use the existing 2D matrix code laser etched onto the tops of the kegs that Canada Kegs supplies, eliminating the need for RFID, or expensive GPS methods of tracking. It scans with an app; how easy is that?
Keg filling
required for
A number-one no-no with wine-on-tap is kegs that are filled
your specific
improperly by siphoning the wine from the barrel into the
application, right from
keg instead of filling through a closed system. This exposes the wine to oxygen, and even though it might taste lovely
tapping the keg to the custom-branded tap handles
upon initial kegging, it will begin to change inside and make
themselves.
for a poor wine-on-tap experience down the road.
If you use a distributor for your products, have a discussion
Wines need to be kegged in a sterile environment through
with them about whether they are already involved in wine
a closed washing and sanitizing system. There are keg
in kegs and get them involved in your process.
washer and filler equipment manufacturers that have this
Three hundred and four stainless steel must be used throughout all parts of the equipment line. Using this type of stainless steel won’t cause any corroding of the metal or funkiness with the wines. This generally isn’t a problem anymore, as industry standards are now using 304 steel for wine, but we were seeing bars and restaurants pushing wine through their already-installed beer taps, which caused issues. Micromatic and Taprite both have excellent
equipment available. Gases such as nitrogen and argon are gentle on wines, yet still give enough pressure to dispense it through a keg. A little trick that works best, however, is a 75 per cent nitrogen/25 per cent CO2 mix. This mix helps maintain the CO2 found in wine after fermentation. Without the right mix, the wine will deteriorate slightly in the keg, losing the freshness and aromatic nuances that were in the wine at the time of packaging.
wine-on-tap systems.
Keg washing
What size to buy?
As with everything beverage-related, cleanliness is
Typically the winery will use a 20L keg, identical to a beer keg, made of 304 stainless steel. Dimensions are 570 millimetres tall by 235 millimetres dis. With a Sankey “D” type valve fitting, this keg size fits into all Kegerator fridges and hold approximately 26 bottles of wine or 132 five-ounce pours. Keg suppliers like Canada Kegs (canadakegs.com) sell the higher-end European-made kegs that do not taint your
30
appeal and perceived value. Kegs with 30-year warranties
important, and when refilling a keg, it must first be properly emptied, rinsed, washed and sanitized, and re-rinsed before filling. There are keg washing machines available from $8,000 to $100,000, and what you will have to pay will be dictated more by your kegging volume than anything else. Some machines are almost hands-off, down to fully manual machines in the lower cost spectrum. Talk to your keg supplier for a recommendation on where to look for a good solid and dependable machine.
product with an unwanted iron off-flavour, as opposed
In closing, wine-on-tap may not be the end all for everyone,
to some of the Chinese manufactured kegs available, so
but we hope we have pointed you in the right direction
be careful what you buy. Also kegs supplied by Canada
should you wish to pursue it further. We hope we have
Kegs have a polished finish and can be branded with your
given you some information we hope you will find useful.
winery’s logo, giving your kegs a higher-end marketing
Cheers! o
Barb Tatarnic, manager of continuing education at CCOVI, goes over the new online certificate in Ontario wine course with instructor Marc Pistor.
Expanded education offerings translates to more options for learners New course on cider production and an online Ontario wine course set to fill voids
A
nswering the needs of two growing industries, Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) is adding courses on cider production and an online certification
in Ontario wines to its continuing education lineup in 2017.
By Kaitlyn Little Industry partners like VQA Ontario welcome the new course, and are looking forward to working with CCOVI to increase consumer knowledge about VQA wines, said Laurie Macdonald, VQA Ontario’s executive director. “Consumers will benefit from a better understanding of
With almost two decades of experience running continuing
Ontario’s diverse regions, including the role grape origin
education classes for the industry and the general public,
plays in the character and taste of our wines,” Macdonald
the institute is well-positioned to fill current education gaps
said.
in these areas. Certificate in Ontario wine
Cider and perry training Canadians looking to increase their knowledge about
CCOVI has developed the first fully integrated online course
fermenting apples and pears into cider and perry will now
in Ontario wine that incorporates forums, chat discussions,
be able to do so without crossing the border. CCOVI has
and testing mechanisms for learners from across the
become the first Canadian program provider of the Cider
province.
Institute of North America’s (CINA) renowned training
From wine enthusiasts to anyone working in a winery or
program.
retail sales, the Certificate in Ontario Wine is the first online
CINA’s Cider and Perry Production Foundations course is
course of its kind that will remove geographical barriers for those looking for a formal introduction to Ontario wine. Upon completion, students will be granted official certification through CCOVI at Brock University and can also elect to write the Wine Council of Ontario Certification. The interactive online format uses the forums and chat discussions to bring students together, said course designer and instructor Marc Pistor. Students will receive suggestions and recommendations on Ontario wines to taste and will be able to share their tasting notes with their classmates. “In Niagara there are options and opportunities for wine education, but beyond our region, those opportunities are limited,” said Pistor. “Creating this course fits the need for getting the word out about Ontario wine across the province.” The five-week structured online program will see students putting in six hours of work each week around their own schedule and will be Brock’s first online course for the
set to begin running at Brock this spring and covers all aspects of cider production from growing practices to the economics of cider-making and legal framework around production. The hands-on program uses lectures, lab work, workshops and tastings to give learners a step-by-step guide to production. Certification through CINA is recognized as the industry standard for quality in the cider industry, says CCOVI continuing education manager Barb Tatarnic. “Bringing CINA training to Canada puts CCOVI on the leading edge of an industry that’s exploding,” she said. “It’s also a natural extension of the programs we already run for the grape and wine industry.” The first offering of the intensive five-day course will run April 24 to 28, 2017 and cost $1,500. In addition to the foundation course, CCOVI plans to also add CINA’s master class to its continuing education lineup.
general public. The course will run five times each year in
More details on all of CCOVI’s continuing education
January, April, June, August, and October, and is $195.
programs are available at brocku.ca/ccovi. o
31
Â
New technology fights fakes and connects vintners with consumers
A
uthentication of fine wine is an issue that causes concern for the global wine industry, however, today there is a smartphone solution, particularly for icewine producers in Ontario and British
Columbia that export to markets like China where a considerable amount of product sold is suspected to be counterfeit.
Prooftag™ features offer: Authentication • Secure the opportunity to identify and authenticate each of your bottles, wherever they are in the market and without specific tooling; • Prove the authenticity of each bottle to distributors and consumers;
AO Wilson now offers ProofTagBubble™Seals which are
• Reassure your customers by empowering them with
applied to caps, capsules, hoods, and wax finishes as part
the ability to check the authenticity of your bottles for
of the final filling and packaging operation. Each pilfer
themselves before purchasing; and
proof seal features a serial number, a dime-sized square
• Integrate the authentication service on your Internet
containing a random pattern of tiny bubbles, and a QR
site to promote usage and send a strong message of
code. Scanning the QR code with a smartphone brings
deterrence to counterfeiters.
purchasers to an authentication website — no two patterns are ever the same — to verify that the bottle comes from the original producer. The smartphone holder is linked to the producer for expanded communication and marketing opportunities.
Track and Trace Bottles • Identify each of your bottles to trace: • The content and its container; • The association bottles/boxes/pallets;
Two Ontario wineries, Pillitteri, stated to be the
• The destination and the buyer of the bottles; and
largest estate producer of icewine in Canada, and most
• Potential recalls or returns.
recently, Pondview, have utilized ProofTagBubble™Seals for
• Trace each bottle from production to consumption in connection with your quality management system to
authentication, traceability and
identify potential reasons for non-compliance (i.e. cork,
marketing.
container and tank);
RAYNOX, PERFECTING QUALITY TANKS FOR OVER 20 YEARS TO OUR CUSTOMERS REQUIREMENTS
GET IN TOUCH WITH US
USA EASTERN CANADA 110, ch. Marieville Rougemont Qc J0L 1M0 Tel.: 450.469.4822 Toll Free: 1 866.469.4181 Fax: 450.469.2112 lsoulard@raynoxinc.com www.raynoxinc.com Made in Canada
33
Scanning the QR code with a smartphone brings purchasers to an authentication website to verify that bottles are original. The ProofTagBubble Seals are applied to the wine bottle and help prevent counterfeiting.
• Limit health hazards by following your bottles in your distribution networks in the hypothetical need to make a product recall; and • Manage your production line in real time and drive your internal and external production process.
consumers; • The use of the seals by the distributors and consumers enables you to identify movement of
Expanded Marketing Opportunities
your bottles throughout
• Each seal is linked with a dynamic presentation page on
the world;
the Prooftag™ service platform: The Prooftag Cerv; • Promote your name and your wines by creating your product pages yourself; • Enlighten your consumers on the specific features of your products and help them in their choice and the discovery of your product; • The solution integrates directly with your website to facilitate its use by consumers and create a direct relationship; • Personalize the contents of your product presentation pages and offer them in 37 different languages; • Prooftag Cerv automatically identifies the language of the customer to present the contents to them in their own language; • Easily integrate social media with your presentation pages to create a continuous relationship with your
• Prooftag Cerv offers the possibility to link each bottle with the buyer or with the country of destination; and • Together with the consulting data, you are able to quickly identify abnormalities within your distribution network and identify opportunities. Contact us at customerservice@ aowilson.ca, or visit www.aowilson.ca for additional products, features and information. o
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