Solvero Wines looks to Oregon, Washington grapes this fall

Photo: Solvero's Alison Moyes (Jon Adrian photo)

On the Canada Day weekend, Solvero Wines opened its tasting room in the Garnet Valley, appealing for visitors not to be deterred by the wine shortage misperception created by the Okanagan’s two recent hard winters. “We are open and we have lots of wine to share,” says Alison Moyes, Solvero’s general manager and winemaker. “That is a message that is getting a bit lost amid all the talk about vineyard damage. The best thing that people can do to support BC wineries is come and visit us.”

It is not that Solvero’s Garnet Valley vineyards, north of Summerland and at a 600-meter elevation, escaped damage when temperatures one week in January got as low as -26◦C. A covering of snow allowed most of Solvero’s vines to survive. They will produce negligible fruit this year but should recover to yield a modest crop next year. Meanwhile, Alison plans to make Chardonnay and Pinot Noir this fall with Oregon and Washington grapes. “I have blocked off some time to go down to Washington and Oregon to look at the possibilities,” she says. “My plan for harvest is to spend three weeks down there, so I can follow the ripeness and manage all of the custom crushing and processing.”

“As a small producer, I did not know if we would have the buying power to go down and make special requests,” she continues. “But because of their grape surplus, I am told you can get pretty much what you want. Obviously, there are different price categories. If we are willing to pay the appropriate price, we should be able to get the quality we need. I am not looking for huge quantities. Chardonnay is something we will run out of quickly. And I would like some Pinot Noir for rosé and sparkling. That being said, it is only if the quality is where we need it to be. We would likely bring in juice, as opposed to trying to bring the grapes here.”

While Solvero made its first Pinot Noir only in 2019, the winery has some inventory to sustain its sales during this difficult period. “We did not start selling our Pinot Noir until its third year,” Alison says. “But we will sell out of most wines.” That is why she is looking to Washington and Oregon vineyards to help her keep wine in the pipeline. “I don’t want to lose the shelf space that we worked so hard to acquire thus far,” she explains. “It takes time and effort to get into places.”

Solvero was established by Matt Sartor, backed by his parents, Andrea and Bob (he is the retired chief executive of the Calgary Airport Authority). Matt has a music degree from Dalhousie University but became passionate about wine while working in a Calgary wine store. After finding a forested property in the Garnet Valley suitable to growing premium cool-climate wines, he began planting vines in 2016. “We now have 16 acres planted in the Garnet Valley and four acres at the Happy Valley site [also near Summerland], where Bob and Andrea live,” Alison says. In 2023 Solvero began contracting Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris from grower David Kozuki, also a premium producer near Summerland. While all of these vineyards are within a short drive of Summerland, each is in a different sub-appellation. Alison plans to release Pinot Noirs from each of these to demonstrate the significant differences in the terroirs.

Born in Ontario, Alison has a microbiology degree from Dalhousie and a winemaking degree from Brock University. Her thesis involved an Okanagan vintage in 2008. That led to her decision to make her winemaking career in the valley. She became the chief winemaker at Stoneboat Vineyards in 2010. She moved to Liquidity Wines in 2015 and joined Solvero in 2021. Passionate about Pinot Noir, Alison was attracted to Solvero by its disciplined Burgundian portfolio: just Pinot Noir (from multiple clones), Gamay Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and sparkling wine. “Having that kind of diversity to play with in the cellar is catnip to someone who is interested in making Pinot Noir,” Matt told me last year.

Alison believes that Solvero will not need to replant more than 15% of its vines. “We are still feeling quite optimistic. Our young vines are pushing a lot of growth from the base. We have good strong suckers at the base to re-establish for next year. We won’t get a crop this year but, if all goes well, we should be able to re-trunk and get back to something close to normal production next year. Maybe 60%.”

Here are notes on two current releases.

Solvero Pinot Gris 2023 ($25 for 458 cases). The wine was fermented cool (12C to 16C) for three to four weeks. The wine was aged three months in a mixture of stainless steel and neutral French oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of pear, apple and citrus, leading to flavours of peach, pear and a hint of grapefruit. The texture is svelte and polished. The exquisite balance shows the winemaker’s delicate but assured hands in the cellar. 92.

Solvero Rosé 2023 ($25 for 358 cases). This is made with Pinot Noir. The grapes were crushed and given two to three hours skin contact before being fermented in stainless steel. That has given the wine an appealing rose petal hue. The wine has aromas and flavours of raspberry, strawberry and sour cherry, with a crisply dry finish. 90.