Arrowleaf releases first Petite Arvine wine

Photo: Arrowleaf's Manuel Zuppiger

Arrowleaf Cellars in Lake Country has released its debut vintage, less than 100 cases, of a Swiss white called Petite Arvine. It is an outstanding wine. “I always liked the wine,” says Manuel Zuppiger, the Swiss-trained winemaker and co-owner of Arrowleaf. “Of the Swiss wines, especially the varieties that are native to Switzerland, I always found that to be a standout. It has a lot of extract to it. The wines are rich. They have a nervy acidity. They are nice and aromatic but not overly aromatic. It is just a rich, powerful white wine.”

The Zuppiger family came to Canada from Switzerland in 1986. Eleven years later, they bought a vineyard in Lake Country where they opened their winery in 2003. They planted just over half an acre of Petite Arvine in the heart of their vineyard in 2017 after spotting the variety in the catalogue of a Niagara grape nursery called VineTech Canada “It was nice to see that a nursery in Canada actually had it,” Manuel says. “I thought that was a great opportunity – might as well get it before it is gone. I am not sure how long they would propagate it and sell it. I have always wanted to get grape varieties like that in here. I am not one to get cuttings and bring them in illegally.” “It is fun to have a few specialties and to try something new,” he continues. “Who knows? Petite Arvine may take off in the future. It is always nice to have an alternative in case people get tired of Pinot Gris, or whatever.”

Jancis Robinson and her colleagues agree that is a good variety. In their Wine Grapes, their masterly 2012 book on 1,368 varietals, they say this about Petite Arvine: “The finest indigenous Valais variety making lively, sometimes intense, whites both dry and sweet.” The Robinson book says that Petite Arvine is indigenous to Valais, a wine-growing region in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Less that 400 acres grow in Switzerland. “We have a bit of a different climate,” Manuel says. “We planted some and we are going to expand the planting a little bit. We couldn’t get enough plants in the first year. We will see how it goes. There are some changes we could make in the vineyard if it does prove itself. If we wanted to expand it, we could. We will take it one step at a time.” He continues: “The vines were planted five years ago and now that they are producing a full crop, we are starting to understand the variety a little better. In the vineyard the most obvious thing you notice is that the “petite” in Petite Arvine refers to the size of the individual grapes. They are tiny but the clusters themselves are large and loose. So far, the vines have not been noticeably susceptible to disease, but they can get stressed during drought and need adequate irrigation.”

Petite Arvine as a late-ripening variety. It was the last one harvested in 2021 in the Arrowleaf vineyard, as much as a month later than Pinot Noir. “Our site in Lake Country is a on the cool side for this grape,” Manuel has learned. “That brings me to the winemaking. Having tasted several Swiss Petite Arvine wines, their predominate style is dry, richly textured with citrus and floral aromatics and a mineral-like, almost salty finish. This is the template I had in mind, but this is not Switzerland, it’s the cool end of the Okanagan. “In 2020, the grapes came into the winery at the very end of the season looking more like Riesling, than, let’s say, Rhone white. I dealt with the acidity by means of a malolactic fermentation, which yielded a surprisingly good wine, but I felt it had lost a lot of what makes the grape unique. “2021 came along and gave us more than enough heat to ripen it fully. I was able to try to make the kind of wine I had tasted in Switzerland. Of course, with the heat dome and forest fires that year, I don’t hope for a repeat of 2021 anytime soon. Realistically I may need to tweak the style to something more Riesling-like in the future. For now, the 2021 vintage of this wine is a snapshot of how this variety can perform in the Okanagan. It may end up being as unique as the growing season that created it.”

Here is a note on the wine, along with four other wines currently available from the winery.

Arrowleaf Petite Arvine 2021 ($28.10 for 95 cases). The hot growing season produced perfectly ripe grapes which were whole-cluster pressed, barrel fermented and aged in neutral oak. The wine is rich in texture, with aromas of melon and peach. On the palate, it is a fruit bowl of honeyed flavours, including nectarine and apple. The wine has a lingering, dry finish of fruit flavours that do not want to quit. 93.

Arrowleaf Wildblume 2021 ($24.10 for 463 cases). This Charmat method brut sparkling wine is 77% Vidal and 23% Auxerrois grapes. The style is refreshingly fruity with aromas of apple and citrus. On the palate, there are flavours of peach mingled with lemon. 90.

Arrowleaf Riesling 2021 ($20.10 for 600 cases). The rich texture of this wine reflects the hot 2021 vintage, which delivered ripe fruit with concentrated flavours. The wine begins with aromas of melon and pineapple. The residual sugar gives a slight honeyed note on the palate and the flavours of pineapple and stone fruit. The finish is persistent. 90.

Arrowleaf Chardonnay 2021 ($25.10 for 385 cases). The fruit for this wine is from a grower at Carr’s Landing in Lake Country. The grapes were picked early to retain acidity, given the hot vintage. The grapes were whole cluster pressed. The wine was fermented and aged nine months in French oak puncheons (20% new). The oak is subtle is this fruit-forward Chardonnay. The wine begins with aromas of apple and lemon which are echoed on the palate. There is a hint of vanilla on the finish. 91.

Arrowleaf Archive Pinot Noir 2020 ($40.10 for 300 cases). The term, Archive, designates a premium tier among Arrowleaf wines. This is a dark and brooding wine, beginning with aromas of spice and dark cherries. Silky in texture, the wine has rich flavours of dark fruits. There is even a hint of red licorice on the finish. The wine was aged nine months in French oak and another nine months in bottle before release. I recommend another five years of cellaring. 92.