A masterful
the vineyard. We just guide the
process. They won’t taste like anyone
not just in the technology, but also in
e
the mindset.
addition helps
terroir; giving you a sense of where
lse’s. They’re a reflection of the
they came from,” comments Soon.
differently. Old patterns had to be
“You had to have the courage to do it
c
By Judie Steeves
hundred cases of that particular wine
In some instances there are only a convinced,” recalled Soon.
hanged. Other people had to be
In order to identify the factors
made. Blanc, which was released in 1999.
The first vintage was a 1997 Pinot
that make up terroir in each of the
single vineyards where the grapes
c
That’s ironic in a facility where a
go into a Sandhill wine, the company
made annually. At Calona Vineyards,
ouple of million cases of wine are m
vines, hand picking the leaves to create
ade is labourious, in tending the
The way the Sandhill wines are
hired Master of Wine Barb Philip to
which was recently purchased by
Andrew Peller Ltd., and where the
the sort of canopy that’s desired for
examine how those factors combine
Peller Estates and Calona Vineyards
each varietal, and in tending the wines,
in making distinctive wines.
Artist Series VQA wines are made,
by fermenting them in small batches,
Her report was completed in
along with a variety of other wines,
in small tanks and punching them
May and she said one of the most
Sandhill’s production of 35,000 cases
down by hand, by sourcing different
striking things to come out of the
is just a drop in the bucket—although
yeasts and by using expensive French
research was the “clear sense that
everyone is working together toward
it’s seven times what was made in the
oak barrels for aging.
a common goal. The desire to make
top quality wine reflective of its site
initial years. not over-cropped. Soon notes that
Critical is the fact that the vines are
starts with the vineyard manager, the
Ian Tostensen, who was then company
It all began with a decision made by generally Cabernet Sauvignon is
crew and continues to the
president, in 1995. He wanted Soon to
cropped at 2 1/2 tonnes per acre, while
winemaking team.
create a super-premium VQA brand.
they are cropping at half those levels.
“The resulting wines are distinct
and speak to their terroir,” she He brought up a consultant from the
Napa Valley in California, who worked
time,” comments Cleave with
“We’ve come light years in a short
concluded.
with Soon for three vintages and
satisfaction. “From a wine industry
In summarizing her report, she
motivated him to make some changes,
that was a joke, we’re now producing
wrote, “By restricting offerings only
world-class wines.”
from single vineyards, Sandhill
demonstrates a respect for the
individuality of terroir. It is important
therefore, that the wines are not only
high quality, but reflective of site.
“Respecting terroir begins with
Ne
vineyard sourcing and careful
assessment of each site. Vineyard
management techniques are tailored winter
w for sale this
to each vineyard and each variety in
order to highlight their unique
Pre-pruner selling at half the price
attributes.
“In the winery
of machines on the market today .
, a non-
interventionist approach allows the
Size is adjustable, with the ability to
work of the vineyard manager to
add or subtract blades to the
come through in the wine.
customer’ s pr efer ence. The machine
“The key to success is the
works by pinching of f canes, wher e
ongoing dialogue (and relationship)
pr evious pr e-pruners used
between the viticulturist and
high-RPM cutting b l a d e s e n c a s e d i n
winemaker to ensure the highest
carriages.
quality, most individual wines. It is
In addition to the lower cost,
the grower’s sensitivity to the
advantages of this machine include a
vineyard and the winemaker’s
weight r eduction of mor e than half
respect for its product that allow the
that of pr evious machines (which
natural attributes of site to express
makes side-hill operations much
themselves in the wine.” more plausible), along with elimination of wire catching in the field, and
“Sandhill is unique amongst considerable reduction of sawdust build-up on the tractor .
established Okanagan brands as all
wines are sourced from specific
sites. The resulting wines, while
sharing certain characteristics of
balance and complexity,are distinct Manufacturing
and speak to their terroir,” she
concluded.
Box 308 Phone: 250-498-4426
26
Oliver , BC V0H 1T0 Fax: 250-498-4460 www .munckhof.com
British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2009-10
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