Charles Smith started his winemaking career with a cool five grand and a maybe not-so-cool Chevy Astrovan.
But before that, the American winemaker spent a decade or so living in Denmark, where he managed rock bands, including The Raveonettes and The Cardigans. His trademark long grey corkscrew curls and his own rock star escapades have made him legendary amongst his fans.
Shelley Boettcher is the Executive Editor of Wine Access magazine and is a wine columnist and blogger for the Calgary Herald. When she's not drinking wine, she's probably drinking coffee. Her favourite wine? Whatever's currently in her glass.
Two Canadian university professors have written a paper criticizing British Columbia’s wine industry.
Shelley Boettcher is the Executive Editor of Wine Access magazine and is a wine columnist and blogger for the Calgary Herald. When she's not drinking wine, she's probably drinking coffee. Her favourite wine? Whatever's currently in her glass.
Fans of The Bachelorette — a popular ABC show about a young woman looking for a love — may have been disappointed last season when Ashley Hebert chose J.P. Rosenbaum to be her fiancé over hunky Sonoma winemaker Ben Flajnik.
Allison McNeely is the web editor of Wine Access. Her work has appeared on websites, blogs and in print. She loves running and is the magazine's resident web nerd.
Bob Ferguson (right in photo), co-owner and co-winemaker at Kettle Valley Winery, tells Wine Access a little bit about his winery and why he enjoys making wine.
“We [Ferguson and brother-in-law Tim Watts] were hobby winemakers. We met and married sisters. That’s how we got introduced to each other…we just took our hobby to a bit of an extreme," says Ferguson.
Ferguson and Watts purchased the first piece of what would be Kettle Valley Winery, a plot of land on the Naramata Bench, in 1987. They acquired more land between 1988 and 1991, and in 1992, the winery released its first vintage.
“I just enjoy the whole process of making wine," says Ferguson. “I was an avid collector of wines — I enjoy the complexity, taste and flavour of wines and just wanted to try and bring out those characteristics in B.C. grapes from wines I love from around the world.”
“We’re a hot growing area in a cool climate, which keeps our acids slightly higher, which captures the fruit flavours in the grape," says Ferguson. "The lake works as a heat sink and it moderates our temperature in the winter and in the summer. Perfect combination for growing."
Ferguson believes that although there is room for improvement, the region has the potential to make world-class wines on a consistent and regular basis.
"I think the winemakers are getting better every year; the grape growers are getting better every year. The quality of our grapes are outstanding," says Ferguson.
“CREST Cabernet Sauvignon, Hayman Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris," says Ferguson, “We do make a lot of wines in very small batches, but those are probably the top three ones.”
“We’re celebrating our 20th vintage. Our first vintage was 1992," says Ferguson, "Roll back our prices to when the varietals were originally released."
Kettle Valley sold select wines at the original prices on April 15 and July 15. The next celebration pricing day is Oct. 15. Details are available on the website.
“It’s just a thank you for all of our customers who have allowed us to be in business and do what we do for the last 20 years," says Ferguson.
I never considered being a winemaker when I was growing up, not when I could be an astronaut and fly to the moon. With a space launch every other month and a race to the moon underway, NASA looked very attractive to me. Even more appealing was a life in professional sports; hockey and football looked like dream jobs.
Alas, as John Lennon opined, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.”
What never occurred to me was getting a job as a winemaker.
These days, I wonder: What if?
The first winery I ever visited was in California, some 30 years ago. In those days, winemakers were just beginning to spread their wings. If you could make wine and tell a story, you were highly sought-after and valuable.
Before long, the best winemakers were getting their names on some of the winery’s best labels and, in some cases, the very best were allowed to make a small batch of wine they called their own. Long before the big companies rearranged the wine business, winemakers ruled, and some were even given the keys to the kingdom.
Things are different in today’s economy, where the brand is king, but there is still a shortage of what I would term the archetypal winemaker. To get the job done, you need a lot of skills. Passion would be first on my hiring list, but the job requires so much more. A strong science background helps a lot. An interest in viticulture, and ideally formal training, is a must.
Then there are the basic skills of production, as well as the ability to think fast and to make crucial and decisive decisions. Last, but not least, you have to excel, to perform your job at its highest level. You only get one chance a year to get it right.
I often marvel at the skill of the chief winemaker in large wineries, orchestrating dozens of employees, keeping track of 50,000 barrels, scores of tanks of wines and endless bottling schedules, while following a strict set of appellation rules and dealing with the vagaries of the weather.
If that doesn’t sound daunting enough, add two to three months of travel to meet with distributors and educate the people who sell your wine. Add dozens of media interviews, endless tastings, and too many formal meals. You need, well, an iron constitution to get the job done.
The modern winemaker comes at wine from so many different angles, and with so much more information, it remains to be seen how winemaking will develop as we move through the next millennium.
But the best will likely do what has always been done: very little.
When I became a wine writer, I was determined to write a treatise on Burgundian winemaking but, to my great surprise, as I tried to uncover the secret of how great Burgundy is made, I learned there is very little “making” of wine. It’s hardly enough for a good story. The grapes are picked and then gently pressed, open-fermented and put in a barrel. There’s a bit of stirring, a racking or two, some blending and voila, the wine is born.
If I had known it was that easy to make wine when I was young, I would have gladly traded my dreams of shooting for the moon to work in a hillside vineyard to the biodynamic rhythms of the lunar orbit.
Really, it’s a good lesson about life: with almost everything, less is more. Just ask any winemaker you meet.
These interviews are part of our feature on winemaking families from the June/July 2011 issue.
They are father and son, but they share a bond beyond bloodlines. Paul Bosc, the mentor, winemaker, viticulturalist and visionary, and son Paul-André Bosc, the businessman, the salesman, the student. Their family was exiled from their home country of Algeria during that country’s civil war in the 1960s because they were part of the French minority in a Muslim country.
Paul, educated in viticulture and oenology, worked at the Chateau Gai wine company for 15 years before deciding to build Château des Charmes with his family.
A: I quit a very good job to go on my own; let’s put it that way. That would be my big break. At the time, people thought the guy was out of his mind — the guy is quitting his job to go out on his own. That was 32 years ago. It takes a country like Canada to allow somebody like me to do what I’ve done.
A: I knew we were going to be successful when I started winning a lot of medals internationally. And today I’m convinced that we are as good as anyone else in the world.
A: My passion is to be on the scientific side of it. It’s something that, every year, you get more passionate about because you acquire more knowledge and you never stop learning and studying.
A: It’s genuine wine. It’s classic in every category. If it’s chardonnay, it’s distinctive chardonnay, but typical chardonnay. Not chardonnay that doesn’t taste like chardonnay. I want to stay within the profile of the varietal.
A: My hope would be that when you talk about Château des Charmes 50 years from now, you talk about it the same way you would talk about Château Palmer or any of those châteaux in France which have an international reputation.
A: Until very recently [a year ago at age 74] I was riding horses. And that’s pretty well it. When I was a kid, what attracted me was grapes, trees and animals. At one time, I wanted to become a veterinarian, but I thought that was going to take me too long. I have five Egyptian Arabian horses.
A: Taking care of a vineyard is just like taking care of an animal. You’ve got to make sure it’s in good health, make sure that it grows and does not suffer. So that’s why we are not trying to declare ourselves organic. I can’t have any mildew in my vineyards. I can’t have any red mites. I can’t have any berry moths. This affects the quality of the fruit so much that it is not something that I could accept.
Although we are 75 percent organic, I don’t want to try to be 100 percent, because I don’t want my vineyards to suffer.
A: I didn’t volunteer. I was conscripted. My dad bought his first farm when I was pretty young, 13 or 14 … and a few years later he started the winery. We made every possible mistake you can make.
A: It was almost 17 years ago now — the grand opening of the château — because it was very tangible. It was there. It was real. We had owned the land for seven years and had slowly begun to nurture it, started to plant the vineyards. Not only was this important to our company and my family, but I understood the significance of it for Niagara’s wine industry.
A: Beyond the obvious answer of my parents, my wife, Michèle. We’re partners in this; we’re not only husband and wife. We work at the winery together. She’s a very bright woman.
A: I want people to appreciate our wines, not just because they happened to like it at that moment, but think about how it’s taken years to make this particular wine and was made by a family and its employees that have been doing this for a long time.
A:To me, it’s far more important that the winery has a 50- or 100-year history still ahead of it and is employing people, contributing to the industry, than to be still around in 50 years and still owned and managed by the Bosc family. Sometimes families run out of luck. What matters more to me is that the institution be preserved and move on. That passion need not come from the immediate members of your family. But I don’t think a lot about these things. In order to be around in 20 or 30 years, you have to do well this year.
A: There’s nothing, nothing I like doing more than being with my boy. That’s enormously important to me.
These interviews are part of our feature on winemaking families from the June/July 2011 issue.
One of Napa Valley's most famous wineries, Trefethen Family Vineyards is still owned by the same family that founded it in the 1960s; Janet Trefethen is the winery’s chief executive officer, while daughter Hailey Trefethen is the marketing manager.
A: My parents-in-law started the vineyard in 1968, when there were fewer than 25 wineries in the Napa Valley. My husband John and I started renovating the old, rundown “ghost” winery in 1973 and made our first wines that year. I did everything from weighing grapes, to pulling hoses to making lunch and dinner. It was a great time as everyone was new in the business and most had chosen it after being successful at something else. People were enthusiastic about their choice and passionate to make wine. We all learned as we went and shared what we knew with our neighbours.
A: [The editors of] Gault Millau magazine decided they would hold the Wine Olympics in Paris, France, in 1979. Unbeknownst to us, someone entered our chardonnay and it won the gold and was claimed the “Best Chardonnay in the World.” Of course, the French were upset and challenged us to a rematch. It took place approximately six months later at the Hospice de Beaune, in the capital of Burgundy and, guess what? It won again. I believe it is the only chardonnay to be claimed the best in the world twice.
A: Talking about “making it” is a moving target. We wake up every morning and ask ourselves how can we grow grapes, make wine just a little bit better.
A: I am passionate about the Napa Valley and more specifically, our Oak Knoll District AVA. It is one of the best geographic regions ever to grow great grapes, and that is what it takes to produce terrific wines.
I am even more passionate about “estate-grown.” I wish more consumers understood the term and knew that it means that we did everything from planting the vine through nurturing to harvesting it and making wine.You cannot get a more authentic product than a true estate-grown wine.
A: The delicious, consistent quality; their longevity — both the whites as well as the reds — and that they have been 100 percent estate-grown since we started the winery in 1973. People may talk about terroir — we practice it.
A: That it will still be family owned and operated and that it will be known as one of the best wineries in the world.
A: I feel like I have my wish, my dream, to be working now with my husband, daughter and son.
A: I was lucky enough to be born into his industry, and then raised in it. It was never just my parents’ job.
A: My big break, I think I’m still waiting for it. My parents and grandparents have accomplished so much over the past 40 years, and those are some big shoes to fill. So that is where I’m headed.
My big break in the past year was getting the opportunity to be the marketing manager. To have your family and those you work with to have that much faith and respect for you, well, it’s more than I ever expected at this age, and I am honoured.
A: My family; my mom, dad, and my older brother, Loren [who handles direct and export sales for the winery].
My mom has been a wonderful mentor as I take on more responsibility. Sometimes I think I’m just running behind her trying to catch up, but when I get to stop and take a breath, I realize how far I’ve come and everything that I’ve learned.
And what little girl doesn’t look up to her older brother? My brother and I think very differently and he has always pushed me to go a little further, a little outside my comfort zone.
A: I love the vineyard. I grew up playing in the vineyard every day, and one of my first jobs was interning for Jon Ruel when he started as our viticulturist. That is where everything starts.
A: Being sustainable is hugely important to us. We’re 100 percent estate-grown and a big requirement is taking care of the land. We have created an entire ecosystem on our property, from keeping bees to having owl and bat boxes.
A: I want them to remember their own experiences that they’ve had with Trefethen. I love hearing their discovery stories about our wine, at a friend’s dinner party, and the winery.
A: Cooking and being outside, hiking, skiing, and I’m about to try this whole fly fishing thing.
A: My grandparents. Part of my job is travelling around and telling the family story, but my favourite part is when I meet people that knew my grandparents and they tell me stories about them. I wish I had known them better.
A: I see myself still here in 30 years, with the vineyard [and the winery] thriving. It’s pretty easy to imagine.
These interviews are part of our feature on winemaking families from the June/July 2011 issue.
The Chilean winery Errazuriz has gained a great reputation for well-made, balanced wines that also get high scores in international competitions. Much of the credit for the winery's success lies with its winemaking team, headed by Francisco Baettig, with Rodrigo Zamorano at his side.
A: You can "make it" in professional terms by obtaining the position you always dreamed of in your favourite winery, or working overseas, or obtaining recognition or respect from your peers, or making wines with excellent reviews (high scores, medals, etc.), but winemaking is about reaching perfection, and perfection doesn’t exist. The secret, probably, is to make a wine that makes you happy, with an emotional connection, regardless of if it gets 75 points or if some people hate it.
A: My passion is blending. I love travelling, presenting wines, working in the cellar, and visiting the vineyard, but what I like the most is when it comes to making the final blends, so I can play with the different varieties and lots. I love working with sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon and I love Maipo Alto and cool-climate areas like our Aconcagua Costa.
A: The wines I make today, I’d like it if they remember the wines as neat and polished, with a sense of typicity, where the fruit plays a big role. For the wines I’m working toward, I hope people remember that those wines are elegant wines with character, personality and finesse.
A: I used to have a few hobbies or interests like flying planes, playing squash, reading compulsively, travelling, trekking, etc., but now it is mainly family and reading. I still do some jogging and travelling. I guess it all depends on what stage of your life you are in — I have little kids and a lot of work!
A: I believe in the principles of biodynamics, but not in its esoteric bits, nor in the possibility of managing big surfaces biodynamically. I respect it and I think in particular regions with dry climates, like Chile or California, it can work, but I don’t believe it results necessarily in better wines.
A: I’m a Francophile. I worked and studied in France and my wife is French; therefore guessing what are my favourite wines is not too difficult.
I have some wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and Alsace. I also love Barolos and Brunellos and some wines from the south of Italy like Fiano. I’m a big fan of Spain. I always buy some late-harvest wines from
Alsace and Jurancon and icewine from Canada. I’m a huge champagne lover, so every time I go to France, I bring as many bottles home as I can. I owe a big debt to the Loire and Rhône. From the New World, I follow and like some specific producers, including Jordan in California, and Yalumba and Peter Lehmann in Australia. From Chile, I have sauvignon blanc, carmenère and cabernet sauvignon, mostly.
A: My first mentor was Cecilia Guzmán, from Viña Haras de Pirque. Then, Richard Lavanoux, winemaker of Laroche, in France, allowed me to get some knowledge from the European industry and introduced me to the complex world of French wines. (And) actually, Francisco Baettig is a very inspiring boss.
A: It may be too soon to call me a successful winemaker. Nevertheless, I try every day to do my best to produce great wines.
A: I enjoy very much tasting wine, but to taste wine with the person who made it, because it is at that moment when you realize the meaning of that wine.
A: Chilean winemakers such as Alvaro Espinoza or Andrés Ilabaca because they’re great professionals and I always find surprising good qualities in their wines.
A: I love to cook, to read, play soccer and to do some swimming. I like also to travel around the world. But above all the things, I love to be with my family and to play with my kids.
A: I have tasted great organic and biodynamic wines. Why not? Who am I to define science? Biodynamics is a respectable way to produce wine.
Jason Fraser is the winemaker for his parents' winery, Thornhaven Estates Winery. Since purchasing the winery in 2005, the family has raised production and gained recognition for their gewürztraminer.
Jack and Jan Fraser purchased property down the road from Thornhaven in 2001 and Jason Fraser sold his Booster Juice business in Edmonton to move to the Okanagan and help with their fledgling winery. In 2005, a cousin sold Thornhaven to the family, and Fraser and his parents have operated it ever since.
“Definitely our flagship would be our gewürztraminer...actually, pretty much everything we make becomes a big hit," says Fraser, noting the popularity of the winery's pinot noir and sauvignon blanc/chardonnay blend.
Thornhaven currently produces 6,500 cases (65,000 litres) of wine from 12 to 14 different types of wine each year. "We’re at the point where we’re running out of room in the cellar,” says Fraser. When the Frasers purchased the winery, production was 15,000 to 18,000 litres of wine each year.
Thornhaven sources its grapes from 18 estate acres and 16 purchased acres from six vineyard sites around Giant's Head Mountain near Summerland.
Bottleneck Drive is an association of wineries that joined together to promote Summerland wines.
"Since the introduction of Bottleneck Drive, it’s bringing a lot more tourists here, and they do the tours and they see all the different wineries and we’re all better off with that," says Fraser, “Most of the wineries in this area are family-owned and operated…we definitely want everyone to prosper…when one winery does well, everyone does well.”
Phil Soo has been a man about the B.C. wine industry for more than 18 years. A consultant for Dirty Laundry Vineyard, Noble Ridge Vineyard and Winery, Ruby Tuesday Winery and Casini Cellars, Soo helps wineries produce great wine.
At Dirty Laundry, Soo makes 14 different wines, including the popular gewürztraminers — Madam's, Thread Bare and Woo Woo — and assists in the day-to-day monitoring of the vineyards and grapes.
Soo began his career in wine at a corporate winery, André's Wines (now Andrew Peller), as a lab technician. He rose through the ranks to the role of winemaker and quality control. Soo says that he received most of the training that he uses in his job today at André's Wines.
He arrived at Dirty Laundry in 2006, the same year that the current owners, Fort McMurray lawyer Bob Campbell and a partnership group, purchased the winery from Ron and Cher Watkins. Under the Watkins' ownership, Dirty Laundry (formerly Scherziner Vineyards) produced Germanic-style wines and the current owners have maintained this winemaking approach.
“They kept the same Germanic style of winemaking, making very fruit forward [wines], using sweet reserve and resting fermentation to really enhance the fruit and keeping that true varietal character in tact," says Soo, “That’s what I’ve inherited and have been able to maintain and keep.”
Under Soo's guidance, Dirty Laundry has expanded beyond the traditional Germanic wines. They plant chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and pinot gris, and source grapes from as far west as the Similkameen Valley and as far north as Vernon, B.C.
Dirty Laundry is also experimenting with new techniques such as micro-oxygenation. Micro-oxygenation inserts a measured amount of oxygen into the wine at the molecular level, which creates the effect of barrel-aged wine in the tank.
Soo is optimistic about the future of new plantings and winemaking techniques for the winery, "So far everything we’ve tried seems to be working well and so far the sky’s the limit.”
However, nothing can replace time spent in the vineyards examining the existing vines. "Half of the battle of winemaking is right in the vineyard here. Getting the right amount of sun exposure, right amount of watering, the right amount of canopy, growth, you know, disease management, that all affects the wine quality," says Soo. He checks on the vines approximately every two weeks.
As the winery experiments with new varietals and techniques, neither Soo nor the proprietors forget the original motto — wine is fun.
“The wines speak really loudly for themselves. It’s geared towards a clientele that really enjoys wines, not just with food or any kind of social setting…that’s why I see Dirty Laundry being a leader…breaking those barriers of people being afraid of wines," says Soo, "We want to be the ambassador to introduce a lot of Canadians to more wines and have fun.”
