primarily in the Trentino wine region of northern Italy. “DNA testing has shown that Teroldego is a full sibling of Dureza, one of the parents of Syrah,” Sick said. In fact, Sick said he handles making Teroldego in the same way he does Syrah. which includes 18-22 days on the skins and aged in French oak. “Teroldego is a grape that could benefit from the stems being added back,” he said.


The grapes are long, loose and vigorous.


At Stag’s Hollow it is grown in alluvial soil.


“Easy to farm—yields suck,” Sick said. It is also noted for low yields in Italy. Sick’s Terodelgo made from young vines was compared to Foradori 2013 Vigneti delle Dolomiti produced from very old vines grown in alluvial-pebble soil.


“You can tell it’s the same varietal,” Sick said of the 2013 Foradori. Although planning to continue production and improve his Teroldego, Sick doesn’t think it will become widely popular.


“Our Sangiovese is the first Sangiovese grown and produced as a VQA wine in Canada,” said Howard Soon, now- retired winemaker at Sandhill in Kelowna.


Derived from the Latin sanguis Jovis, “the blood of Jupiter”, Sangiovese is the dominant wine grape of central Italian red wines.


It is a foundation of Chianti and as Soon said, “It makes Chianti what it is.” “Sangiovese is a fussy grape to grow,” he explained, but it can be very vigorous—shoots, leaves and fruit—even on sandy soil.


Sangiovese needs heat and ripens late. “The wine tends to be astringent, which is why we pick it ripe,” Soon said. The thin-skinned berries produce a medium wine that tends to be savory rather than sweet.


“I don’t like the big heavy stuff. The medium reds show the skill of the winemaker,” Soon said. Refined over 37 years, Soon’s philosophy of making wine is to work with the grape, be gentle and let the grapes speak for themselves. Soon spoke about how he sees the potential for unusual varieties in the market place.


“We all make classic varieties because they sell. But we should remember that people like to discover wines, including different varieties, for themselves.”


12 British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Fall-Winter 2017


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