Id always had it in the back of my mind that Id like to make a wine in the Okanagan one day. Ive had no illusions of giving up the city life in favour of small-town living in the valley, but the idea of having a hand in making just a barrel of something really floats my boat.
The opportunity ended up landing in my lap way sooner than expected. When I was wrapping up my tenure running Gastowns Salt Tasting Room a couple years back, I was fortunate enough to be named Sommelier Of The Year by the which, besides being very encouraging as I leapt into the world of freelance consulting, was something that put me first in line for a new opportunity.
My friend Christine Coletta is a partner in a winery in Summerland called , a custom-crush facility where those without a winery step in and use their equipment, or let OCPs talented winemaker, Michael Bartier, steer the ship. It has a few of its own brands (Haywire, Bartier-Scholefield) but its position as a playground for budding winemakers is really making it an exciting new force in British Columbian wine.
Christine had an idea to create a Wine Campus series, where each years winner of Sommelier Of The Year will have the opportunity to make 100 cases of their own wine, anything they want. All proceeds go to the BC Hospitality Foundation, which provides financial support to individuals in the hospitality industry who are coping with costs that have arisen from a serious health crisis.
I was happy, ecstatic even, to be the pioneering winemaker and opted to make a Semillon. Ive always been a fan of the golden grape, whether the crisp and citrusy, bone-dry built-to-age version from Australias Hunter Valley, to the opulent butterscotch-y Washington State outings to fantastic local examples from La Frenz and Lake Breeze.
I occasionally flew to the Okanagan to do everything from choosing the sunny vineyard in Oliver where wed source the grapes, to sorting them in the fall and processing the grapes into OCPs egg-shaped concrete fermenters.
My wine is ready to go, and Id love to have you join me. At my next East Van Wine Academy at The Waldorf Hotel on June 5, Ill not only be freely pouring and chatting about my fresh-outta-the-gates wine, but also pouring Semillons from around the world that inspired me to play around with the grape in the first place. Itll be a stand-up, social affair with killer tunes from Rico Uno of The Freshest DJs, interactive visuals by Jesse Robinson Williams (who designed my label) and a host of other cheer. Its just 20 bucks and Im passing along partial proceeds to the BC Hospitality Foundation.
Head to for tickets and hit up OkanaganCrushPad.com to learn more about the cool things they do! The Kurtis 2011 Wild-Ferment Semillon is going for around $20 and will be in private wine stores and restaurants soon!
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