Anthony Gismondi: How B.C. wine industry will fix damage to vines

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Many years ago, on my way to visit one of the oldest vineyards in Chile, I stopped in a small town to get directions to the site. I approached a group of old-timers sitting in the town square, thinking if anyone knew where the vineyard was it would be one of them. When I asked for directions, one of them asked, What will you do when you get to the vineyard? I said I wasn’t sure. I knew there were 100-year-old vines and wanted to see them in person. He laughed and said, I’ll tell you what you should do. You should walk to the middle of the vineyard, lay down between the vines, and listen.

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It’s one of the most profound pieces of advice I’ve received in the wine business. Lying between old vines is an experience that defies description. It’s a moment of pure magic. Nobody knows what they’ve witnessed, heard or endured, but they’re still here, year after year, ready to share their story.

I was reminded of that experience during a recent discussion regarding old vines in South Africa, where they consider 35-year-old grapevines can be registered in the Old Vine Project, a national system that shares resources to learn how to care for old vines, keep them healthy, and even market the notion of old vines to customers.

Old vines may not yield as much as their younger counterparts, but what they produce is a testament to their resilience and quality. The wine they create is often more intense and complex. Their roots delve deep, steering clear of surface droughts, floods, heat bombs, or other disasters that can decimate a young vineyard.

Interestingly and timely, given the current issues in B.C., I learned that they don’t necessarily pull out their old vines when they finally reach the end of life. Using the latest information and techniques, growers will train new shoots that come out at ground level to develop a new trunk that will support the vine the following year. They do this because they don’t want to abandon the magnificent root system underground. This replacement method eventually leaves you with a healthy new trunk to support the grapes while preserving an old and complex root system underneath.

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In recent travels across the Okanagan, I saw some of this underway in the vineyards. The January deep freeze has been destructive above the ground. Many vineyards have not produced enough worthwhile buds that will turn into grape bunches this year. It’s not over. A cool spring has set back the growing season, so the final story is unfinished, but it doesn’t look good.

For vineyards, where the vines have survived and are pushing new shoots from the base. The strategy will be to train that growth this year to trellis height and prepare them for an entire season of growing next year when they may even get some grapes. Then they will select the strongest new leg and cut off the old trunk. That will leave them with a healthy vine above ground and a more extensive, established root system underground. While hardly ideal, it does preserve an established root system, ensuring a new, hopefully long life for that vine.

I asked Richard de Silva, a longtime Naramata wine grower at Da Silva Vineyards and Winery whose family has been farming fruits in the Okanagan since the mid-1950s, for his thoughts as he replants three vineyards of damaged vines.

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“They would have likely recovered and will eventually produce fruit, but likely only 70 to 80 per cent of what they normally produce, and as a grower, I need 100 per cent.”

He explained it to me this way. “Picture a copper pipe you’ve been indenting with a ball peen hammer. You can try and fix those dents, but you’ll never get it perfectly round again. The last two cold events of ‘22 and ‘23 have done that to too many vines in the valley, so I would rather replant and give the site the best chance to recover using better-suited grape varieties, clones, rootstocks.” It’s also an opportunity to tweak his row layouts to take better advantage of the sun’s direction and the wind to grow even healthier grapes.

As painful and expensive as all this will be — and difficult for many — we should end up with more resilient growers and, hopefully, even better wine. In the meantime, there is no shortage of local wines to buy and that’s where you can help out anytime.

Weekend wine picks

Villa Sandi Prosecco Rosé Il Fresco Millesimato 2021, Veneto, Italy

$19.99 I 87/100

UPC: 8017494743018

The Sandi Rosé Il Fresco is a mix of mostly Glera with some Pinot Nero to create its light coppery-pink colour. It has an attractive, off-dry, lightly fizzy palate-pitching candied strawberry and baked red apple with a dusty, herbal, citrus undercurrent that cleans the back end. This is a ready-to-drink summer sipper you can serve solo or with tapas.

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Escorihuela 1884 Cabernet Sauvignon Finca E.G. 2022, Agrelo District, Mendoza, Argentina

$19.99 I 88/100

UPC: 7790415130241

This rich everyday Cabernet takes you in two directions. It is oak-driven, with vanilla, sweet spices, and some milk chocolate, but it has some herbaceous jarilla character that helps temper the sweet notes. The black fruit is the star here and should help this wine fully mature over the next two or three years. Steaks, ribs, or your favourite cheese are all you need here.

Lunessence Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2022, Summerland Bench, Okanagan Valley

$26.99 I 88/100

UPC: 793588413262

Lunessence continues to wow me with its technical precision. Look for a fresh citrus entry mixed with sweet lemons and hazelnuts. Soft and leesy, this is exceptionally drinkable and sports a creamy texture. It is not complex, but most Chardonnay drinkers will embrace the style. It is perfect for a bowl of clams or a crab sandwich on crusty bread.

Izadi Larrosa Negra Garnacha 2021, Rioja, Spain

$28.99 I 89/100

UPC: 8423302169114

Larrosa Negra is constructed to showcase the juicy, fruity characters of Garnacha. It is grown at 700 metres, the highest altitude in Rioja, over poor, stony soils. The resulting wine is fresh with a medium body. The palate is a red-fruited, cherry, blueberry affair with a fair bit of spice that’s ready to drink. It is a wine for chicken, lamb chops, or vegetable lasagna.

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Hillside Mosaic 2017, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley

$70 I 91/100

UPC: 626990028932

The just released 2017 comes with seven years of aging at the winery. The all-Naramata red blend is a 33/25/18/17/7/ mix of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, which is a study in blending. The tannins are mostly dispersed, leaving a silky dryness here that takes me more down the Margaux path than Napa. In all, it spent 18 months in 42 per cent new French oak. The style is graceful, and the result is admirable, although the vintage was not one of the best. You can drink this now or hold it through 2027 with no issues.

Calendar items

Chambar restaurant, famous for chef Nico Schuermans’ moules frites, has a summer series three-course prix-fixe dinner for $49 per person. The first course choices are a Belgian endive salad with radicchio, dill, capers, dried blueberries, sunflower seeds, apple thyme emulsion, Harissa prawns, hummus, mint pesto, and labneh. The second course features roasted ling cod, risotto, summer peas, yuzu mustard butter, herb salad or a grilled flat iron steak, tomato chipotle sausage, fingerling and shallot ragout. The dessert finale is a chocolate mousse, cookie crumble, espresso ice cream, whisky caramel or pistachio Bavarian cream, baklava, and raspberry rosewater coulis. Cocktails, beer and wine are extra, but the selection is one of the best in the city. The menu changes monthly and is served daily from 5 to 10 p.m.

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•••

Flute & Fromage, a new independently owned cheesemonger serving B.C. and international cheeses, small plates, and natural wines, has opened its doors in Whistler Village. The shop is anchored around a well-stocked deli, where visitors can also purchase to-go cheese and charcuterie plates and gift boxes, including the signature Cheese to the People box — a gourmand’s delight. To-go options are available for purchase in-store and online for pickup or complimentary delivery throughout Whistler and within the Sea to Sky region for a flat rate of $30. For guests who prefer to stay and lounge, Flute & Fromage, at 102-4305 Village Stroll in Whistler, has a nine-seat serviced outdoor patio with scenic mountain views and is open daily from 11 a.m. -7 p.m.

B.C. wine of the week

Le Vieux Pin Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Okanagan Valley

$31.99 I 89/100

UPC: 808755017447

Winemaker Severine Pinte was inspired to make this wine, having tasted the wines of the late legendary Loire winemaker Didier Dagueneau. Grassy grapefruit marks the nose and spills onto the palate, with a citrus herby undercurrent running through its leesy mid-palate and finish. Dry with a touch of bitterness, it is built for local shellfish. The wine is aged six months on its lees and regularly stirred in a mix of 43 per cent stainless steel tanks, 15 per cent French barriques, and 42 per cent larger (puncheon) barrels. Delicious and ready to drink.

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Value wine of the week

Paul Mas Viognier 2022, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Languedoc, Sud de France, France

$16.99 I 88/100

UPC: 3760040420127

Consistently fun to drink and never overprocessed, the Paul Mas Viognier is a wine that will appeal to the masses. Fragrant, floral aromas spill onto the palate, along with citrus, ginger, and pineapple. Fresh and lively, it is a go-to white for chicken or pork and an all-season wine. The Mas recipe mixes Viognier from cool and warm sites using young and old vines and relatively low yields at 52 hl/ha. Back up the truck again.

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