Photo: Pair of burrowing owls in the Oliver breeding facility
One of the great success stories of the Okanagan, Burrowing
Owl Estate Winery celebrates its 25th anniversary this fall.
The vineyard was established in 1993 by Jim and Midge Wyse.
The first vintage was made in 1997 and the winery itself was opened in 1998. It
has grown to be a 40,000-case producer of premium wines, with grapes from 220
acres, almost all from the south Okanagan.
The Tuscan-style building today is perched on vast
underground barrel cellars. So many solar panels have been installed on top of
the buildings since 2006 that Burrowing Owl is practically energy self
sufficient. And the parking lot by the wine shop has eight electric vehicle
charging stations that customers are free to use.
It all started with a newspaper advertisement that Jim
chanced to read in 1993 when he was still active as a property developer.
“I had been spelling off our real estate sales people as
we approached the end of our sales of a 40-unit stratified town-house project
in Vernon,” he remembers. “I was browsing a local newspaper and noticed the
advertisement for the sale of a winery named “Chateau Ste. Claire” near
Peachland. So I called the owner, Goldie Smetliner, and met with her once, or possibly twice.”
Even without a wine industry background, he recognized
that her winery was run down and that the vineyard was poorly located.
But Goldie gave him a useful bit of advice: talk to Harry
McWatters, the founder of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery and even then, one of the
best-connected individuals in the Okanagan. Harry introduced him to a realtor
with a portfolio of vineyard properties. These included several on Black Sage
Road that were fallow after the original plantings of hybrid grapes had been
pulled out in 1988.
Jim was soon convinced this was a prime site for growing
big red wines. He first bought 100 acres and then, joined by investors,
acquired adjoining land until he controlled 288 acres. This was later
subdivided, with half becoming Sandhill Vineyards. Subsequently, Jim and his
son, Chris, who now runs the winery, added significant vineyard property near
Osoyoos and planted a small vineyard in the Similkameen.
Burrowing Owl has built its reputation on making big red
wines. “Our original big leap of faith was to get into the Bordeaux reds,” Jim
says. That started with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, fleshed out since with
Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Syrah.
While the winery is seen as a red house, white varietals
are also produced – notably Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and most
recently Viognier, due to be released next year.
Burrowing Owl made
its first vintage in 1997 while building the winery in which wine has been
produced since 1998. The winemaker for the first seven vintages was Bill Dyer,
a legendary consultant from the Napa Valley. The style of his wines – rich and
ripe - set up Burrowing Owl for immediate success with consumers. While he is
long gone, his impact remains on the portfolio.
The inspiration for the winery’s name came from a roadside sign about a struggling Burrowing Owl breeding program in the Okanagan. The ground-dwelling bird, remarkably cute and cuddly, had become extinct in the Okanagan about 1980. A program at the Vancouver Zoo had spawned the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society and Jim Wyse (above) became a major supporter.
Since 2004, the winery has directed more than $1 million
– money from tasting fees at the winery – to support the Society. There are now
three breeding centres in B.C., including one near Oliver, and these now
release about 50 breeding pairs of owls annually back into what was formerly
their natural habitat.
On its website, the winery adds: “Visitors to Burrowing Owl Estate Winery are sometimes surprised – and
often delighted — to see a live burrowing owl perched on a portable roost in
our Wine Shop alongside a Wildlife Biologist who manages the South Okanagan
chapter of BOCS. These birds are not pets or mascots; their presence in
our shop is intended to raise awareness of, and appreciation for, our feathered
friends.
The birds that are
chosen to be “ambassadors” for their species are usually the LOTH (Last One To
Hatch), or the runts of litters, and they would not have survived in the
wild. They spend a limited amount of time in the shop (3 – 4 appearances
per year), and are always closely monitored for signs of stress by highly
trained members of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society. Burrowing Owls
are naturally social birds, and the ambassadors seem to enjoy the stimulation
of meeting members of the public. We’ve seen for ourselves the positive
impact that seeing these birds up-close can have on visitors, who frequently
express enthusiasm about the preservation of the species and the conservation
of its habitat upon meeting the birds.”
Here are notes on some of Burrowing Owl’s current wines.
Some will be sold out at the winery but still available in select wine shops
and restaurants.
.
Burrowing Owl Pinot
Gris 2017 ($22). This wine, now sold out, alas, begins with aromas of
citrus and apple. On the palate, there are flavours of pear and citrus, with a
backbone of minerality. The finish is crisp. 91.
Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2016 ($30). This wine begins with
appealing aromas of citrus, apple and tropical fruit. On the palate, there are flavours
of peach, pear and melon. The finish lingers. The oak is very subtle and
well-handled. 92.
Burrowing Owl Pinot
Noir 2016 ($38). This is made in Burrowing Owl’s signature full-bodied and
juicy style, with aromas and flavours of cherry and strawberry. The winery
concedes that Black Sage Bench is not ideal Pinot Noir terroir – but the wine
has a strong and steady following. 90.
Burrowing Owl Merlot
2016 ($30). This plush wine begins with aromas of blueberry and cassis,
leading to flavours of black cherry and black currant, with savoury notes on
the long finish. 91.
Burrowing Owl
Cabernet Franc 2016 ($35). This wine has aromas of blackberry, black cherry
and raspberry which are echoed in the savoury and bramble flavours. The texture
is generous. The bright, refreshing flavours are typical of the 2016 vintage.
92
Burrowing Owl
Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 ($38). This elegant wine begins with aromas of cassis
and black cherry. On the palate, the fruit is luscious, with flavours of black
cherry and blackberry. The fruit flavours, mingled with spice, persist on the
finish. 93.
Burrowing Owl Athene
2015 ($N/A). This is a wine made from equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon and
Syrah from a single block in the Burrowing Owl vineyard. The grapes are
co-fermented. The wine is dark in colour and rich on the palate, with aromas
and flavours of plum and black cherry. 92.
Burrowing Owl
Meritage 2014 ($50). The blend is 32% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, 23%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec and 11% Petit Verdot. This concentrated wine
begins with aromas of black currants, black cherry and spice. On the palate,
there are flavours of dark fruit mingled
with cherry, vanilla, tobacco and chocolate. The tannins are ripe but firm. The
wine will continue develop in bottle for at least the next 10 years. 94.
Burrowing Owl Coruja
NV ($N/A). This is a superb fortified wine which the winery began making in
2007. It is made in the solera style, with half of each vintage held back to
blend with succeeding vineyards. Consequently, the wine now has the complexity
of good Port, with aromas and flavours of fig, plum, blackberry jam and
vanilla. 93.
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