three different wineries, and
only Soon has produced
gratifying, and Goltz gets a
a
similar satisfaction from
it.
ward-winning wines from w
Nathan, who is now going
orking with his son
you’re in an adversarial
“You can’t get better if i
relationship with the
growing fine wine grapes.
nto the family business of
winery; if it’s all about
tonnage and money.
generation of farmers in
“It’s the fourth
our family, and it is
about pride. Without
“With Howard, it’s all s
Howard I couldn’t have
lot of knowledge and it’s a
atisfying. You acquire a
excelled at growing grapes.
shame to take it to the
And, if he was a prima
grave with you. This way I
donna we wouldn’t have this
can pass it on,” he
relationship. There’s a
comments.
passion there,” he adds. acreage until seven years
Goltz grew apples on his
must be disappointing for
Cleave agrees, saying it ago, and then he planted it
grape growers who don’t
to popular Italian varieties
have as much involvement
with the winemaker.
JUDIE STEEVES
Robert Goltz, who owns the 12-acre Osprey Ridge vineyard
Sangiovese and Barbera.
of grapes such as
and manages Sandhill’s 156-acre vineyard nearby.
he says the team has been,
With the Small Lots wines, brand in Canada where the
Sandhill is the only wine
ìpushing the envelope to see what the
recently divided up to become part of
potential is here in the valley. We
the Sandhill Vineyard and the rest the
single vineyard and those are two of
wines are made from a
cropped lighter and left them to hang
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery
longer...”
vineyard.
the grape varietals Soon uses to make
his Sandhill Small Lots wines—very
the Riparia Gloire de Montpellier
He’s also a passionate proponent of
acres after 1991.
He figures the pair planted 4,000
special wines made in small batches,
often experimentally.
rootstock, which produces grapes that
mature earlier and it’s resistant to
grapes there as well; his father-in-law
Today, his son has seven acres of
phylloxera, a plant louse that can
has 10 and now his daughter is moving
block wines from grapes grown in a
This year, he’s even making single
devastate a vineyard. Recently, he said,
back to the Okanagan to lease five
particular part of a block in the
it’s been discovered that the RGM
acres of grapes.
vineyard, because he believes in the
vital role played by the grape grower in
rootstock is influenced by the amount
of daylight rather than by heat in the
consuming interest for Cleave is
Their interest in what is still a
Pr
Pr
oducer
oducer
s of
s of
achieving wines of very high quality.
“These wines are an expression of
timing of fruit maturity. It’s a wetland
native North American grapevine
which was imported to France after
vineyards there were wiped out by
Quality
Quality
phylloxera in the 1880s.
T
This is Cleave’s 35th vintage on the
EAM WITH HISTORY
Black Sage Bench and he’s seen a lot of
• Baco Noir
• Ca
changes in the industry over the years.
• Ca
ber net F r anc • Gewurztr
• P
• Seyv
Sauvignon
ber net • Malbec
aminer • Pinot Blanc
etite V er dot
• Shiraz
al Blanc
Management, began planting and
Cleave and Goltz, working as R&R
• Char
• Mar
• Pinot Gris
• Pinot Noir
replanting the South Okanagan after
• Dunk
donna
elf
y • Mer
sanne
• Mour
lot • Riesling
• Syr
the grape pullout program that
• F
• Sauvignon Blanc
•
• V
V idal
ah
• Gama
oc h
elder
y
• Musca
v edr e
• Orang e Musca
t Ottonel
t
•
Corona
So v er eign
tion
• Zinf
iognier
andel
resulted from the Free Trade
Agreement with the U.S., beginning in
NN
1991.
ar
OO
e a
TT EE
v
::
• Zw eig elt
aila
T hese vines ar
b le. R ootstoc
e Canadian made! Man
ks a v aila ble ar e Riparia,
y dif
S04 and 3309.
fer ent c lones
valley’s first 100 acres of vitis vinifera
Cleave recalls they planted the
grapes; planted 600 to 700 acres for
M ORI
CONT
V INES
ACT :
I NC
Mission Hill; 400 to 500 for Vincor
Nia
R.R. #3, 1912 Concession 4,
R
.
on F our
and planted and ran the 440-acre
Burrowing Owl vineyard, which was
Phone:
gara-on-the-Lak
email:
(905) 468-0822 • F
e, Ontario L0S 1J0
mori vines@sympatico
ax: (905) 468-0344
.ca
Oli v
nier ,
(250) 498-3350
er , BC
British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2009-10
25
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