“I appreciate them. They’re reliable and theywant towork,”


comments Triggs, as he shows off the clean, spacious new kitchen and living area, laundry roomand sleeping quarters for 10 of thewinery’sworkers. This spring they installed the supports: natural, hand-split


cedar end posts; galvanized steel in-rowposts to avoid chemically-treatedwooden supports;wires and irrigation piping for 45,000 newvines. Plantings are double the density ofmostOkanagan


vineyards, at 2,044 vines per acre,with the idea that therewill bemore competition between the vines and roots thatwill force themto travel deeper in search of nutrients andwater, presenting a better expression of the site in each grape varietal, and givingmeaning to the termterroir in the resultingwines. The theory is that such high-density plantings also advance


ripening by a couple ofweeks, notes Triggs. Between the narrowrows, a cover crop ismaintained,


making use of research done by PacificAgri-foodResearch Centre scientists TomLowery and PatBowen indicating the improvements there are in providing spaces for beneficial insectswithin the vineyard. They intend to useminimal sprays and do aminimumof


cultivation once the vines are planted. Triggsmade the decision to terrace some of the steeper


slopes of this higher-elevation vineyard—despite the added expense—so he could usemore of the land and because he had a romantic vision of vineyards inEurope—but he has also fenced off the parts of the property planted to vineyard so the rest of the property can remain a naturalOkanagan environment, growing the evocative arrow-leaved balsamroot or spring sunflowers, dodecatheon or shooting stars and the iconic lewisia or bitterroot, aswell as sagebrush and cactus. “Terraces are beautiful, not practical,” he admits.


It’s all about family This family project, begun at a timewhenmost businessmen


and farmers have retired to take awell-earned rest in the twilight years of their life, is a dichotomy ofmodern technology and innovation, based on the latest research and data, paired with romantic notions and traditional farmingmethods. The pair owned a 100-acre vineyard inNiagara they re-


planted froman orchard and calledDelaine, after their two names. It provided grapes for the top tier of Jackson-Triggs wines, sowhenVincorwas sold, theywanted it, explained Triggs. “We had to decide thenwherewemostwanted to farm.We


wanted to growBordeaux-stylewines and the best land for that was theOkanagan, and since our youngsters are out here, it was a choice both of family and terroir,” he explains. “I love thewine industry and the fact that it’s anchored in the


soil. I even loveMotherNature’s uncertainties.” When theywent searching for the perfect spot for their


dreamvineyard andwinery, thiswas one of five South Okanagan sites on their radar. Theymade use of the experience and training of


internationally-recognizedBordeaux-based oenology consultantAlain Sutre ofErtusConsulting in their scrutiny of the site,which included extensive soil tests,water capacity analysis and detailed climate and topographical studies. They ended up creating a patchwork quilt ofmicro-blocks. The chosen vineyard is a series of benches, so not only does it


include several elevations from380metres to 595metres, but also an immense variety of soil types—fromgravel and silt combinations, to calciumoxide and calciumcarbonate— different aspects in different spots, and varying degree days of


8


JUDIE STEEVES


Margaret’s Bench, one of several higher-elevation benchland vineyards planted by Culmina Family Estate. It has degree-days similar to Dijon, France.


heat. They then planted each to the particular clones of specific


varietals on the appropriate rootstocks for that spot in the vineyard—in all, 60 blocks averaging 1.25 acres each in size, managed for dozens of different values. Themain vineyardwas purchased in 2007 and they’ve


named itArise, afterDon’s ancestor’s land. Hewas a purser on the firstBritish garrison ship to the


Barbados, and received a patch of dirt therewhich he named Arise. That bench is planted all inBordeaux varieties such as


Cabernet Sauvignon,Cabernet Franc,Merlot and someMalbec. TheMerlot has been planted in themountain’s shadowto


shorten the hours of sunlight it receives in summer because it doesn’t like quite somuch heat. The next vineyard upwas purchased later, in 2009, and is


slightly higher. It’s calledMargaret’sBench, afterDon’smother. “She keeps an eye on it for us,” he comments. It is similar in degree days toDijon, France, and is planted to


aromaticwhites such asRiesling andChardonnay. Itwill produce its first crop this year.AnAustrianGrunerVeltliner grape varietal planted in this part of the vineyard is thewild card in the pack, admits Triggs. Then there’s Stan’sBench, named afterElaine’s father,where


anotherChardonnay planting has been located, aswell as Riesling,Malbec, Petit verdot andViognier. The different terroirs of the vineyardwill result in complexities of flavour to give thewinemaker choices in


British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Summer 2013


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