HM Well, that depends on where you draw the line. Generally, the line is drawn at the McIntyre Bluff [ near Okanagan Falls ]. Essentially, north of Okanagan Falls, early to mid-season grape varieties do best. Pinot Noir is great in some of these places. Similarly, the Okanagan is great for traditional method sparkling wine— but again, people need to be careful— it is site-specific. Sumac Ridge has made great Stellar’ s Jay wines, and the fruit for this has come from north of Okanagan Falls. And the heart of the blend was actually Pinot Blanc.
SJ What is happening in the Okanagan right now? In your opinion, are people planting the right things?
HM Yes, but there are also people planting the wrong things! We are in a highrisk area— the whole Okanagan is at the margin of being able to grow grapes for wine. It is important to do assessments on soil, topography, sunlight, rainfall, everything. But the area has great potential, and we are seeing it everywhere.
SJ How do Canadian wines, and B. C. wines in particular, compete in a strong, competitive market of international wines?
HM There are many wines that are produced in the $ 50 market that are a great buy. For Meritage wines that I have worked on, we have dropped grapes in the vineyard during the growing season for a smaller crop of great fruit; we have used just free-run juice, done in small batches, aging in barrel, and a great wine is the result. These wines are an excellent value compared to wines around the world.
SJ One problem for us in Manitoba is actually getting B. C. wines into our market! Why is it so difficult for us to offer Okanagan wines outside of the Okanagan?
HM The problem is one of quantity. Many of us produce really tiny quantities of wine, and do not have enough to ship out of province. Even when there is enough, it is difficult to afford to sell it because of shipping costs— we would be losing money, and your customers would be paying a much higher price than in B. C.!
SJ Thinking about VQA regulations, the non-VQA“ Cellared in Canada” designation allows for a great proportion of wines from other countries to be blended and bottled to look like Canadian products. Should there be more clarity on Cellared in Canada wines?
HM I am not opposed to Cellared in Canada wines. All over the world, there are multinational wines being marketed under brand names. The Cellared in Canada term allows us to use some portion, even if it is a small portion, of Canadian wine with imported wines, and to bottle it in Canada using Canadian labour and Canadian equipment. If you think about the fact that orange juice or coffee— none of which is grown in Canada— can be processed here in a Canadian plant and then called a“ product of Canada,” then Cellared in Canada is at least as fair. There is some Canadian wine in the blend, and processing, packaging and labour is also Canadian. Wine should not be subject to a tougher regulation than coffee or orange juice.
It is the responsibility of the retailer and restaurateur to help their customers understand the difference between VQA wines [ 100 % from the province of production ] and non-appellation wines [ such as Cellared in Canada ]. Wine lovers should also decide for themselves whether they want to drink non-appellation wines, or to drink VQA.
SJ Harry, thank you for everything you have done, and for everything you do for Canadian wine! �
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