Culmina leads the Grüner Veltliner parade

Photo: Culmina founder Donald Triggs

Year in and year out, one of the best wines from Culmina Family Estate Winery is a white called Unicus. It is made with Grüner Veltliner grapes. Culmina founder Donald Triggs (who sold the winery to Arterra Wines a few years ago) called the wine Unicus because his winery was the first in the Okanagan to plant that grape. The wine is a star in Culmina's very solid portfolio.

I encountered wines made from the Grüner Veltliner grape during several wine touring visits to Austria in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There, and in neighbouring wine regions in central Europe, it is usually the major white wine varietal. Grapes that would thrive in Austria’s continental vineyards, I reasoned, would also do well in the Okanagan – but no one at that time had planted Grüner Veltliner here. Since more that 100 varietals flourish in the valley, why was Grüner Veltliner a latecomer? When I put that question to the late Lloyd Schmidt when he was still one of Canada’s major vine importers, he replied that he had no source of virus-free Grüner. That surprised me. Austria has a long tradition of viticulture that there surely had to be a source of vines. Fortunately, Grüner vines were brought to California, cleaned up by the University of California at Davis and turned over to several plant nurseries. Culmina and other British Columbia producers have been able to source virus-free wines from California, or from France, where nurseries also now provide virus-free vines. Culmina was the first to plant it in 2011, and released the first vintage in 2013. There are 2.3 acres of Grüner Veltliner on Margaret’s Bench, the highest-elevation vineyard (at 600 meters) on the property.

“We did as much research as we could about the variety,” Donald told me in a 2012 interview. “We talked to Karl Kaiser [the Austrian-born co-founder of Inniskillin Wines in Niagara] about it. They had it at Inniskillin. They ended up taking it out because they needed the space for a parking lot. He said it was very winder hardy. Research from Austria shows that it produces spectacular wines on schisty mountain soils and wine that is not quite as exciting when planted on heavier lowland soils.”

Another enthusiast for Grüner Veltliner was the late Adrian Baker, the founding viticulturalist and winemaker at O’Rourke Family Vineyards in Lake Country. He planted two acres about 2012. The result was so successful that, as he told me later, he increased the Grüner Veltliner plot to 10 acres. So far, the wine has been released under the sister label, O’Rourke Peak Cellars.

Fort Berens Estate Winery in Lillooet is another British Columbia producer of Grüner Veltliner. “Our history with Grüner goes back to 2010, when we saw that our newly planted vineyard suffered some damage through the Thanksgiving frosts of 2009,” recounts Rolf de Bruin of Fort Berens. “We particularly had some issues with the more tender Merlot that was planted in sand. We worked out a plan to do some interplanting in 2011. As many Merlot vineyards suffered damage, this varietal was particularly hard to come by. Looking at alternatives, our eye fell on Grüner Veltliner. Reading up on the variety and its origins, we immediately saw some similarities in terroir.”

He continues: “Grüner does particularly well on the steep north facing slopes along the Donau west of Vienna. While winters can be cold, the heat in the summer on these slopes can be really hot. The mountains lining the Donau also create cooler drafts in the evenings, creating large diurnal temperatures, which is particularly important for Grüner as it tends to lose acidity quickly. With that in mind, we ordered 25 plants in 2011. Later we learned that the availability of Grüner Veltliner was because Don Triggs had ordered a larger number for his Culmina vineyard. We planted the 25 Gruner plants in a Merlot block to fill some holes in the worst and coldest possible spots.”

The varietal thrived in Lillooet, as it had already thrived in the high-elevation location at Culmina’s vineyard on the Golden Mile. “After a few vintages, when we were working on our plans to plant Red Rock vineyard, Grüner Veltiner become the top choice for a small block we created for a small lot wine,” Rolf says. “We opted to plant just under an acre.” Small blocks like that may be more typical that the O’Rourke planting. Mohan Gill of Bordertown Vineyards in Osoyoos planted slightly more than an acre in 2012, sourcing his vines from a French nursery. Winemaker’s Cut’s Michal Mosny has a small block that, he says, originated in his native Slovakia. Bartier Bros. sources fruit for its wine from a vineyard in the North Okanagan.

The varietal seems to react to the terroir differently here than in Austria. There, one of the most typical characters of the wine was an intriguing note of white pepper. That seems not always typical of British Columbia Grüner Veltliners, with the exception of the O’Rourke example. Culmina’s Unicus has always been an elegant serving of tropical fruits. The Fort Berens Grüner, from the estate vineyard in Lillooet, is more herbal but also delivers a lot of fruit. Perhaps the grapes get riper here than in Austria, enabling the wines to be fruitier. Clearly, it is a varietal that does very well here. Culmina’s winemaker, J-M Enixon, makes a superb example – and does very well with the rest of the portfolio.

Here are notes on the wines.

Culmina Unicus 2021 ($30). This is 100% Grüner Veltliner. The aromas are brimming with pineapple, banana and other tropical fruits. On the palate, there is a basket of tropical fruits including pineapple and mango. Mid-palate, there is honeyed texture. 93.

Culmina Decora 2020 ($23). This is a Riesling. It begins with aromas of lemon, echoed on the palate. Bright acidity is well balanced. This is a sophisticated Riesling. 92

Culmina Viognier 2021 ($34). This is a refined wine, beginning with aromas of stone fruits. On the palate, there are flavours of apricot and green apple. The lean texture suggests this wine will benefit from another year of bottle age. 92.

Culmina Dilemma 2018 ($35). This is Chardonnay. It was aged in both oak and stainless steel, with only a third allowed to go through malolactic fermentation. There are complex aromas of apple, green tomato and spice. On the palate, there are flavours of grapefruit peel and apple mingled with stone fruits and oak. 91.

Culmina N◦ 018 Süsser Riesling 2021 ($32). This is a dessert wine. It was fermented in stainless steel, with fermentation stopped when sugar and alcohol were in balance. The wine has 10.2% alcohol and 54.88 grams of residual sugar per litre. It is a honeyed wine with flavours recalling lemon meringue pie. This will be released exclusively at the winery this fall. 91

Culmina Malbec 2019 ($42). This wine, which was aged in French oak (25% new), begins with notes of black cherry, black currant and a whiff of pepper. The palate is generous with dark fruits and the intriguing, if unexpected, note of pepper. 91.

Culmina Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 ($45). This wine begins with an appealing aroma of spicy cherry and black currant. The palate delivers brooding dark fruits mingled with oak (the wine was aged in French oak, 25% new). The texture still has grip, suggesting this is a wine that can be aged several more years. Decant it for current consumption. 92.

Culmina Hypothesis 2017 ($50). This wine is a blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Malbec and 6% Petit Verdot. It has been aged in French oak (31% new, 20% one-year old and 49% neutral). The aromas mingle spice, oak, cassis and cherry. The palate delivers layers of dark fruit. The finish is long and harmonious. 94.