Thirty years ago, BC –
mainly the Okanagan
Valley – was home to
a dozen estate wineries. Today there are
over 320, including
Blue Mountain on
Vaseux Lake
Raise a Glass
Thirty years on, BC’s wine culture is blossoming. Meet the folks
who made it so by tim pawsey
Three decades ago, Expo 86 “welcomed the world” without
pouring much BC wine. At the time, the province had only
a dozen or so estate wineries. Today, there are over 320.
Happily, many of the original pioneers are still around to
savour their success.
In the 1980s, most vines were hybrids — as opposed to
vinifera, the “noble” varieties we commonly know and
enjoy. Canadian wineries of the time were essentially a
chain of tank farms. Government-run liquor stores guaranteed the survival of dubious wines with less-than-auspicious names such as OK Red or Canadian Liebfraumilch.
Against this backdrop, wine lovers began to discover
imports made with vinifera from elsewhere — such as
France, California and Australia — and realized that there
were indeed better tastes available.
The straight-talking co-founder of Sumac Ridge, Harry
McWatters is often hailed as the godfather of BC wine.
Ever since 1979, when he put part of the Summerland golf
course “to much better use,” McWatters has been a driving force. He laid down the valley’s first sparkling wines
and planted Canada’s first substantial Bordeaux vineyard. Many thought he was crazy: even with the south
Okanagan heat, Cabernet Sauvignon could be tough to
ripen. But McWatters (usually known in the industry just
as “Harry”) was convinced that properly grown grapes
could result in decent reds.
While McWatters planted “down south,” Kelowna’s
CedarCreek was writing another early success story.
The winemaker at the time was Ann Sperling, who has
made wine in places as disparate as Niagara, Ontario, and
Mendoza, Argentina, and has since returned to her roots at
Sperling Vineyards in Kelowna. Sperling recalls the small
lot of 1992 Merlot at CedarCreek that won medals at home
and abroad. It so impressed the judges at the Okanagan
Wine Festival that they declared it to be the first ever
“Platinum,” above Gold.
While they may have shared a love of wine, those early
pioneers hailed from diverse backgrounds. George and
Trudy Heiss left successful careers as hairdressers to clear
and plant their steep-sloping vineyard above Okanagan
Lake in 1972. A decade later the couple built Gray Monk
Estate Winery, which now produces about 100,000 cases.
Much of their wine is sold through an always busy visitor
centre; and their vista-kissed Grapevine restaurant is a
popular destination.
Several early vines were planted as part of the Becker
Project, which came about in the mid-1970s when Heiss
met Dr. Helmut Becker. The renowned German viticulturist donated 34 varieties of vines to help determine which
ones would be most suited to the valley.
“We knew we were pioneering when we started, but
never dreamt that the industry would evolve so rapidly,”
says Walter Gehringer. His family established Gehringer
Brothers on Oliver’s celebrated Golden Mile, in 1981.
“It is amazing how climate change has allowed the industry to expand. Winters are not as cold and the growing seaE SS E N T I A L VA N CO U V ER 20 16 / 1 7
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