Established in the heart of Okanagan Wine Country, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery is located on Highway 97 just north of the charming lakeside town of Summerland, British Columbia. The winery has been dedicated to producing 100% British Columbia grown wines since its inception.
Sumac Ridge is the oldest operating estate winery in British Columbia and founder Harry McWatters is one of the most seasoned executives in the industry. In 2006 McWatters will complete his 38th vintage and will celebrate the winery's 27th vintage.
At the Summerland winery site, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir and Riesling grapes are grown on a vineyard sloping towards Lake Okanagan. Further south is Black Sage Vineyard, a 115-acre vineyard in Oliver (in the south Okanagan) where such noble red varieties as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grown in addition to a number of white varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay. The winery augments its own supply of grapes from other respected vineyards throughout the south Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys.
25th Anniversary
2006 marks the 25th anniversary of the winery opening and celebrates the colourful thirty-eight year career of McWatters who has led many innovations. If he had it all to do over again McWatters says he would jump into the fray in a heartbeat. "The industry attracts people from all walks of life yet they share a common passion for the process of growing grapes and making wine. It is a product that attracts people who like to celebrate good living, good food and good times and it is hard not to get swept up in the excitement that it generates," states McWatters. "British Columbia grown wines have not always been glamorous or highly sought-after, but I am thankful that the wine industry collectively forged through some bleak times to see wine lovers embracing VQA wines and making the Okanagan Valley a wine touring destination."
What's next for the winery and McWatters? This year, Sumac Ridge will be releasing a new Sparkling Pinnacle Brut, an ultra-premium sparkling wine made from Pinot Noir that has been aging in the bottle for four years. The winery also has a Sparkling Shiraz in the works. McWatters predicts that Sumac Ridge will continue to be an innovator and continue its work as a leader in the Canadian wine industry. "The winery has had so many firsts in the Canadian wine industry that I can't believe we will stop at this point and merely coast on the reputation we have built over the last decades." Is he up for more vintages? "You bet - I can't image doing anything else."
Sumac Ridge's Innovations
Icewine
Sumac Ridge was one of the first Canadian wineries to produce Icewine. The first vintage was made from Riesling in 1984. Today the winery makes both a Pinot Blanc and a Gewürztraminer Icewine.
In the dead of winter, when many winegrowers in the northern hemisphere are pruning or taking a well-deserved break and their counterparts south of the equator are gearing themselves up for the next crush, some Canadian winemakers still have their thoughts firmly fixed on last year's harvest. They are making Icewine, the rich, sweet wine made from frozen grapes that has won accolades for Canada and gold medals in international competitions all over the world.
Germany may be recognized as the home of Icewine but, like many vinous specialties, it was originally "discovered" by accident in Franconia in the 18th century by winegrowers who had to press frozen grapes out of necessity. While Icewine origins belong to Europe, Canada is the world's largest and best-known producer. Thanks to its climate, only Canada is able to produce Icewine consistently year after year.
Meritage
Sumac Ridge was the first winery outside of the United States to produce Meritage thus making it an international term. Today, Sumac Ridge makes both a red and a white Meritage.
Meritage (which rhymes with heritage) wines are hand-crafted wines blended from traditional "noble" Bordeaux varietals. The term Meritage was created by combining the words "merit" and "age" and standards for production are set by the American Meritage Association.
According to the Meritage Association a red Meritage must be made from a blend of two or more of the following varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot, and Carmenére; and a white Meritage is to be made from a blend of two or more of the following varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Vert. For white or red Meritage, no single variety may make up more than 90 percent of the blend.
Black Sage Vineyard
In 1992 Harry McWatters and his partner Bob Wareham had the foresight to purchase a fallow vineyard site south of the town of Oliver and were among the first to replant what was previously known as the Monashee Vineyard where the famed Becker Grape Research project took place in the 1970s. McWatters was attracted to the land because it is stone-free, sandy material that drains rapidly and is well suited to irrigated grape production. Water can be applied through drip irrigation to control the amount of moisture the vines receive.
McWatters explains that "grape vines, like marathon runners, perform best when their endurance is put to the test. The harder the conditions, the harder a vine works." The net result is fruit bursting with intense flavours at harvest time.
The 115-acre site was named Black Sage Vineyard after the road it fronts and McWatters set about planting premium vinifera grapes that thrive in hot, arid conditions. He selected Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc representing about seventy percent of the planting. White varieties included Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. It was a bold move because classic red Bordeaux varieties had yet to be planted in the region and many other growers waited to see how the new vines would mature before committing to planting in the area.
The new vines thrived and since 1993 many other vintners have jumped on the Black Sage bandwagon. The Black Sage Bench, as it is now called, is a relatively young region. The average age of the region's vines is seven years old yet it totals more than half of the planted area in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. About sixty percent of the area is planted with red varieties.
Several years ago McWatters released a series of single vineyard wines that carry the Black Sage Vineyard designation in recognition of the superior quality of these wines. Included are a Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and red and white blends named "Meritage."
Steller's Jay - Sparkling Wine Program
Harry McWatters has always been a huge fan of traditional sparkling wine and felt that the Okanagan Valley was perfect for a product which relies on the natural acidity found in grapes varieties such as Chardonnay.
Sumac Ridge began a sparkling wine research program in 1985 and released its first commercial sparkling wine in 1989. The research program tested a wide range of grape varieties and yeasts to determine the most suitable. The goal was to create an ultra-premium sparkling wine that was fermented and aged in the bottle in the traditional method of France. The final wine was developed using a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc and was named Steller's Jay after British Columbia's official bird. The wine was released in 1989 and has become the largest selling premium sparkling wine made in Canada.
The sparkling wine program requires intensive care and maintenance. The bottles are hand riddled regularly to move the yeast cells to the neck of the bottle. The onerous process is supervised by long-time Sumac Ridge employee Wayne Cousins. The sparkling wine cellar, affectionately known as "Wayne's World", houses over 250,000 bottles of aging wine at any given time.
The Cellar Door Bistro - Canada's first winery bistro
Originally operated as a steak house in the golf course club house, the Cellar Door Bistro was Canada's first winery restaurant. Over the years the once humble facility has evolved to become one of the most celebrated restaurants in the Okanagan Valley. Under the culinary direction of Chef de Cuisine Roger Planiden, the bistro fare celebrates local ingredients. The menu changes each season and many of the items including pasta, breads, sauces and ice-cream are made on the premises.
