Remembering winemaker Ron Taylor

Photo: Ron Taylor

Ron Taylor, a major figure in British Columbia winemaking, died in Kelowna on October 22 at the age of 82. He will be remembered as one of the creators of Baby Duck in 1971, the sparkling wine that was Canada’s top selling wine in the 1970s.

Born in Vancouver, Ron had a microbiology degree from the University of British Columbia when he was hired in 1970 by Andrés Wines Ltd. (now Andrew Peller Ltd.), which then had its winery in Port Moody, a Vancouver suburb. He quickly advanced to assistant winemaker and then chief winemaker. He spent 22 years at Andrés before leaving to pursue an active career as a consulting winemaker. An off-dry carbonated wine with seven percent alcohol, Baby Duck was inspired by more alcoholic sparkling wines made by several American wineries. The lower alcohol in the Andrés product attracted less tax and sold at popular prices. Flush with the Canadian success, Andrés even tried to launch it in Britain, without success.

Ron’s talents stretched to making well-crafted Okanagan varietals at Andrés after the winery began investing in Okanagan vineyards. In 1992, the year he left Andrés, he was awarded the BC wine industry’s Founder’s Award, honouring his contributions - even though his career would extend another three decades.

One of his contributions was mentoring young winemakers. Most notably, he hired the first female winemakers in the BC wine industry – Lynn Bremmer and Ann Sperling, both of whom justified his talent-spotting by going on to distinguished careers in wine. Ron appears to have been sensitized to the absence of women winemakers while taking a white winemaking course at the University of California Davis in 1974. “Of the 181 students, there were only two women,” Ron told me once. “I sat two seats over and one row back of Zelma Long [who was then at the Robert Mondavi winery]. “Mary Ann Graf of Simi Winery was the other.” Both had significant careers in wine.

Lynn Bremmer had joined Andrés in 1973 as a laboratory technician. Ron soon made her assistant winemaker over the objections of the winery’s general manager who happened to be John Bremmer. They subsequently married and went on to have major winemaking and consulting roles in the BC wine industry. I recounted the story in my 2022 memoir:

“ ‘John decided that winemakers were traditionally male and probably should continue to be male,’ Lynn recalled in 2021. ‘He told Ron perhaps I was not suited to become a winemaker, and he should look for a replacement. Ron stood by me, and we continue as good friends to this day.’ John recalled the incident differently. He told me he was not objecting, just asking whether the candidate could handle a particular job responsibility. ‘I did not care of which gender and that was never an issue,’ John told me. Ron also hired Ann Sperling for Andrés in 1984 in spite of stiff opposition from the winery’s vice-president of production in Ontario. “I remember the phone call very well,” Ron told me. “‘What have you bleep, bleep done’?” [the vice-president snapped.] “‘You know that’s not our policy!’” Ann went on to a very successful career in Canadian winemaking.

After leaving Andrés to work with a bottled water company, Ron returned to wine, this time with an extensive list of fruit wineries throughout BC and Washington state. “Projects started falling from the sky,” he told me. He even went to China several times to consult on cider projects.

One of his more than a dozen fruit winery clients was the Westham Island Winery (now Angel Estate Winery), where a profusion of fruits and berries gave him creative scope. Ron revisited the Baby Duck idea by making a summertime rosé from the Concord and Maréchal Foch grapes. “It is called Just Ducky,” he told me. One of the more challenging clients was the Constantin & Vasilica Winery near Cultus Lake in the Fraser Valley. The owners, who spoke little English, were born in Romania. They had bought the property without any background in fruit wines. They appreciated their consulting winemaker. “Thank God for Mr. Ron,” Vasilica Nemtanu, one of the owners, told me. Because the farm included 20 acres of hazelnuts, Ron proposed making a hazelnut dessert wine – having already done for another client, Samson Estate Winery in Linden, Washington. British Columbia regulators turned Ron down, contending that nuts cannot be fermented.

When Sleeping Giant Fruit Winery opened at Summerland in 2008, Ron was engaged as the winemaker and was working there until his death. Here, he has made perhaps the most extensive portfolio of his career: 19 table wines and 12 dessert wines. On its website, Sleeping Giant has this to say about him: “Ron has infused his high standards into Sleeping Giant Fruit Winery and has brought a commitment to perfecting his trade. His efforts have won awards and acknowledgement from his peers, as well as praise from visitors to Sleeping Giant with crafted wines that draw attention to detail, resulting in a wide range of varietals that are distinctive and exemplary.”

He has had an extraordinary life in wine and he will be missed by his many friends and clients.

Mt. Boucherie taps old vines for complex wines

Photo: Director of winemaking Jeff Hundertmark

The current releases from Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery often are made with fruit from vineyards in the Okanagan and the Similkameen Valley that often were planted 20 or more years ago. The richness and complexity of the wines has always reflected the fact that the grapes were being sourced from mature vineyards. I would advise picking up these wines as they become available. The admirable style of Mt. Boucherie wines has been interrupted by the devastation the January freeze delivered to the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys.

“Yes, it is sure is an abysmal year,” Jeff Hundertmark, the director of winemaking, told me in mid-September. “We had very spotty fruit in the vineyards, so we decided the best thing for the health of the vines was to drop it early and let the vines heal. It seems to have worked as the late season heat really pushed and saved vines we thought were going to be lost.” That is very good news, considering the importance of mature vines.

With no fruit this year from its traditional vineyards, Mt. Boucherie sourced its red varietals from vineyards in Washington and Oregon. Mt. Boucherie’s cellar team supervised the picking. The grapes were fermented in the winery’s modern cellar in West Kelowna. “I am heading to Niagara to work with some of my favourite growers from when I was there and crushing the grapes to juice for Riesling, Gamay (for rosé) and some assorted whites for a house blend,” Jeff told me. “I will be working with the winemaker of Niagara College Teaching Winery and some students.” That is one of many anecdotes that illustrate how creative British Columbia wineries have had to be to make the 2024 vintage.

Here are notes on some current releases from Mt. Boucherie.

Mt. Boucherie Original Vines Sémillon 2022 ($34.99). The fruit is from the winery’s Lost Horn Vineyard at Okanagan Falls. A portion of the juice was fermented in stainless steel and a portion was fermented in French barriques. The lots were blended and spent a further two months in stainless steel. The result was a rich and complex wine, beginning with aromas of quince and citrus and leading to flavours of quince and stone fruits. 92.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Chardonnay 2022 ($29.99). There is fruit here from vineyards in the Similkameen and Okanagan Falls. The wine was aged 13 months in French oak (50% new). The result is a full-bodied, creamy textured wine. It has aromas of orchard fruits with flavours of apple and nectarine. The oak manifests as spice on the finish. 90.

Mt. Boucherie Original Vines PTG 2022 ($34.99). The blend is 45% Gamay Noir, 35% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Gris. All the fruit is from the Similkameen Valley. The wine has aromas of cherry and cranberry which is echoed on the palate. PTG is inspired by a traditional Burgundy blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir. The Pinot Gris is here presumably to perk the acidity and the fruity flavours. 89.

Mt. Boucherie Merlot 2022 ($24.99). The fruit is from vineyards in the Okanagan and in the Similkameen Valleys. The richly-textured wine begins with aromas of cherry, raspberry and spice. On the palate, there are flavours of black currant and blueberry. 90.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Syrah 2022 ($44.99). The fruit for this delicious wine is from a vineyard in the Similkameen and two in the south Okanagan. The wine was aged 15 months in French and Hungarian oak (20% new). As one expects from Syrah, this is a bold wine with aromas and flavours of cherry, plum and fig. The wine has a classic note of pepper in the flavour and the finish. 93.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Meritage 2022 ($34.99). The fruit is from vineyards in both the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. The blend is 48% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc. The wine was aged 14 months in American and European oak (15% new). The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits mingled with chocolate. On the palate, the flavours are luscious, with notes of black currant, blueberry, dark cherry and spice. The finish is persistent. 92.

SpearHead releases two Pinot Noirs from 2022

Photo: Winemaker Grant Stanley

Pinot Noir is now the second most widely planted grape variety in British Columbia and the fastest-growing red. Arguably, no winemaker has contributed more to the success of the varietal in BC than Grant Stanley. Grant was born in Vancouver in 1967 but started his winemaking career in New Zealand, including six vintages with Ata Rangi, a legendary Pinot Noir producer. He returned to Canada to join Quails’ Gate Estate Winery in the Okanagan in 2003.

“You know I am a Pinot guy,” Grant told me at the time. “I don’t advertise it but with all the different varieties I make, I still spend about 80 percent of my time thinking about Pinot Noir. I think it has a positive spin-off on the other wines. There is a lot you can learn about Pinot that you can apply to other winemaking. It really is the tricky grape to make. If you can learn with it and understand it, you can ask: if that works for Pinot, will it work for Merlot?”

He left Quails’ Gate for several years at 50th Parallel Winery in Lake Country, another Pinot Noir specialist. Since 2017, Grant has been the winemaker and general manager at SpearHead Winery, an East Kelowna producer also with a major focus on Pinot Noir. Like most East Kelowna producers, SpearHead has been struggling with winter damage in recent vintages. Not much wine was produced from the 15-acre estate vineyard in the 2023 vintage and none in 2024. SpearHead got “not a single grape from SpearHead or grower vineyards this year!” Grant writes. Next spring, the winery intends to replant both of its vineyards, Gentlemen Farmer and Saddle Block, with Pinot Noir and Riesling. Happily for SpearHead fans, the winery has inventory from 2022 that it is releasing now.

The lack of BC grapes has not deterred SpearHead from making wine this fall. Indeed, it is expanding the selection of wines in its portfolio. “Vintage 2024 has been excellent with some fabulous grapes from Washington and Oregon arriving by refrigerated truck,” Grant writes. “From Washington, I have Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Syrah. From Willamette Valley in Oregon (Amity Eola hills AVA), Pinot Noir has come from the magnificent Cherry hill Vineyard. I am excited and grateful that we were allowed access to amazing grapes from our colleagues in the US.”

Consumers should look forward to SpearHead’s releases from the 2024 vintage. Meanwhile, here are notes on two current releases from 2022.

SpearHead Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir 2022 ($36 for 758 cases). The fruit is from vineyards in East Kelowna and Summerland. This wine was made with clones 115, 777 and 667. They were fermented separately and aged 13 months in French oak (25% new). This is something of a thespian wine, strutting on stage with dramatic aromas of cherry, mocha and spice. These are echoed on the silky textured palate. The upfront fruit gives this wine immediate appeal. 92.

SpearHead Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 ($46 for 310 cases). This wine, again with fruit from Summerland and East Kelowna, is SpearHead’s age-worthy flagship Pinot Noir. It is made with clones 667, 115, 828 and 777 and was aged 13 months in French oak (40% new). The aromas of dark cherry and spice are mingled with flavours of dark fruits with earthy forest floor notes on the finish. The texture is robust. The wine should be decanted for current consumption. 92.

Haywire Winery counts on inventory to get through 2024 vintage

Photo: Haywire winemaker Matt Dumayne

This summer, the staff at Haywire Winery in Summerland discovered a forgotten pallet of 2018 Syrah at the back of the warehouse. An excellent wine, it was promptly made available to members of Haywire’s wine club. Fortunate discoveries like that are always welcome, but never more so than in a year like 2024 when there is a negligible harvest for most Okanagan vineyards. While many producers have purchased fruit from American vineyards, Haywire has not done that. The winery will rely on selling its bottled inventory to get through this rough patch. Haywire has a good stock of table wines and sparkling wines, as the disc0very of a 2018 red in the warehouse would indicate. (The winery has already begun selling the 2019 Syrah.)

Formerly known as Okanagan Crush Pad Winery, the winery has transitioned to Haywire, along with brands like Garnet Valley and Narrative. The former name was appropriate when a major part of its business was making the wines for other emerging wineries. Matt Dumayne, the veteran New Zealand winemaker who joined Crush Pad in 2014, has his fingerprints on a lot of Okanagan wines. Most of the client wineries are now standing on their own feet, with their own production facilities and winemaking teams.

Even without imported grapes coming through the door, Matt was still able to make some wines this year from the winery’s limited production of 2024 grapes. The 5 ½ acre Switchback Vineyard look full of growth this fall, having lost almost no vines in the January freeze. “The growth was phenomenol,” Matt says. “We have a ton of options for pruning and we have suckers at the bottom [of the vines]. Back in business. I am estimating we will be 75% back next year.”

“Last week [early October], we harvested Switchback Vineyard and found enough grapes to produce roughly 50 cases of wine,” writes Christine Coletta, Haywire’s co-proprietor. “It’s the only harvest we’ll process this year. Friends came to help pick, and we made hasty work of it. The batch was so small that we couldn’t use our regular equipment. After letting the grapes soak overnight, Matt used our basket press and transferred the juice to amphora. The result is a tantalizingly tasty lot that gives us a glimpse of what the 2024 vintage could have been.” She continued: “At least we got to celebrate Matt’s 38th harvest. Like many winemakers, in his younger days, Matt traveled between the northern and southern hemispheres, experiencing multiple vintages in a single calendar year to expand his knowledge of different varieties and techniques. If you think 50 cases might not qualify as a “harvest,” we may have to dub this his ‘gap year’.”

The winery’s major vineyard, about 65 acres in the nearby Garnet Valley, did not come through the winter as well. That is a higher elevation property than the Switchback Vineyard and does not benefit from any lake effect. “A lot of blocks survived,” Matt says. “Gamay and Pinot Noir did well. Riesling and Chardonnay did not fare that great.” Current plans call for replanting about 15 acres next year. “We planted it in 2013, so we have had a decade of knowledge of the site and the microclimates,” Matt says. “When we replant, we will hone in on what is best suited there in terms of clonal selection. This one particular block, about four acres, we will probably plant a field blend of five different Dijon clones.” And the vines will be planted on their own roots so that they can regenerate more readily after a freeze event. Vines grafted onto rootstock are at risk of freezing down to the graft, leaving just the non-fruitful rootstock to grow the following spring.

Haywire has also been buying fruit since 2022 from the King Brothers vineyard on the Naramata Bench. “Their whites fared really well this winter while the Merlot had some damage,” Matt says. “But nothing needs to be ripped out and replanted.”

Here are notes on some of Haywire’s current releases.

Haywire Vintage Bub 2014 ($49.99). This is a traditional method sparkling wine made with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The wine was aged five years on the lees before being disgorged; it was finished dry, without dosage. There is the classic note of brioche in the aroma and on the palate while the fruit flavors remain fresh and crisp. 92.

Narrative XC Sparkling Wine 2022 ($26.99). Narrative is the Haywire brand for wines made with purchased fruit. This is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Auxerrois. With the objective being a fruit-forward sparkling wine, this did its secondary fermentation in a Charmat tank. A tiny dosage with red wine gives it an appealing pink hue. The wine is in a lightweight bottle with a reusable screw cap. It has aromas and flavours of strawberry and cherry but still finishes dry. 90.

Haywire Switchback Pinot Gris 2020 ($29.99). This is a full-textured wine, the result of fermenting mostly concrete and spending 10 months of its lees. The wine has rich aromas and flavours of pears. 92.

Haywire Chardonnay 2021 ($29.99). Winemaker Matt especially likes making Chardonnay because the varietal is so versatile. The wine was fermented naturally in concrete tanks before malolactic fermentation, aging further on the lees. Once again, the texture is generous, supporting orchard fruit aromas and flavours. 91.

Haywire Pinot Noir 2022 ($29.99). This wine was fermented in a variety of vessels with natural yeast. The fruit aromas and flavours are bright, with notes of cherry and raspberry. 91.

Haywire King Family Vineyard Merlot 2022 ($32.99). Winemaker Matt recalls picking the grapes in the snow in early November. It was a big and very good vintage, typical of 2022. This is an appealing wine with aromas and flavours of blueberry, black currant and dark cherry. 92.

Narrative Non-Fiction 2019 ($24.99). This is a blend of Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The wine was fermented and aged 12 months in concrete. There are aromas and flavours of spice, dark cherry and black currant with a hint of sage. 93.

Narrative Malbec 2019 ($29.99). The wine was fermented and aged 11 months in concrete. It begins with the appealing perfumed aromas of this varietal, leading to flavours of blackberry, black currant and pepper. 92.

Narrative Syrah Viognier 2018 ($24.90). Aromas of mature fruit jump from the glass. On the palate, there are savoury flavours of dark cherry with a hint of deli meats and pepper. 93.

Checkmate 2021 Merlots

Photo: Winemaker Philip McGahan

When Australian-born winemaker Phil McGahan was recruited from a job in Sonoma to launch CheckMate Artisanal Winery in 2013, he focussed it on Chardonnay and Merlot. These were among the leading varietals in the South Okanagan vineyards operated by Anthony von Mandl, the owner of CheckMate, Mission Hill and other top Okanagan wineries.

“The choice for a red wine came down to one of the Bordeaux varietals,” Phil told me in a 2018 interview. “We felt that Merlot was the one we can ripen consistently. It also has that unique character here in the valley that you can really make an exceptional wine with it. Cabernet Franc --- you can do great things with it in the valley. And a lot of people are doing great things with Syrah. But Merlot gave us the best options.”

“We accepted that Chardonnay and Merlot are a non-traditional pairing but it is all about the winery and where we are,” he continued. “We are responding to the environment that we have.” CheckMate is currently releasing its 2021 Merlots, one of the latter few vintages made by Phil McGahan before he returned to his native Australia for family reasons. With the help of assistant winemakers on the ground in the Okanagan, Phil managed to keep his hand in at CheckMate through the 2022 vintage. He now manages a winery in the Australia state of Victoria.

CheckMate’s cellar was taken over early in 2023 by Penticton-born Spencer Kelly (pictured). He had trained in California and worked there with several top wineries before returning to the Okanagan. Unfortunately for Spencer, the devastating January 2024 freeze in Okanagan vineyards meant no grapes are available to CheckMate this vintage from it usual sources. This summer, Spencer returned to make wine in the Napa Valley with a boutique producer there.

It is safe to assume that CheckMate will not be making wine this year with imported fruit, given that its wines have always had the imprint of specific South Okanagan vineyards. The winery, which recently capped the membership of its wine club, will rely on its deep inventory of age-worthy wines to get through this time. Here are notes on current releases – if you are lucky enough to get some. The winery’s elegant tasting room has been open all season.

CheckMate Black Rook Merlot 2021 ($100). The fruit for this wine is from the Black Sage Bench. The grapes were fermented with wild yeast and allowed extended skin contact. The wine was aged 20 months in new French oak. The oak is well integrated with the wine, framing concentrated, almost brooding, flavours of dark fruits mingled with chocolate and spice. The structure suggests this is a good wine to cellar. 94.

CheckMate Silent Bishop Merlot 2021 ($100). The fruit is from vineyard benches on the west side of the Okanagan valley (Oliver Benches, Golden Mile Bench, Osoyoos West Bench). Fermented with wild yeast, the wine was aged 20 months in new French oak. Aromas of raspberry and red currant jump from the glass leading to flavours of dark cherry and black currant mingled with chocolate. Long ripe tannins give the wine a persistent finish. 96.

CheckMate End Game Merlot 2021 ($100). The fruit, from vineyards on the Osoyoos and Black Sage Benches, was fermented with wild yeast and allowed extended skin contact. The wine was aged 20 months in new French oak. There are aromas and flavours of dark cherry and blueberry. The rich and well-structured wine lingers on the palate. 96.

CheckMate Opening Gambit Merlot 2021 ($100). The fruit, from Osoyoos East Bench, was fermented with wild yeast and allowed extended skin contact. The wine was aged 20 months in new French oak. The wine begins with aromas of raspberry and cassis. The expressive palate includes flavours of dark cherry mingled with dark chocolate and spice. The finish is very long. 97.