Calgary Couple Pop Cork on New B.C. Winery

0
baillie-grohmanwinery2

CRESTON, B.C. — Bob Johnson and Petra Flaa are celebrating the launch of their new winery, Baillie-Grohman, in Creston, B.C., where the Calgary couple were drawn to the area’s unique microclimate.

The duo planted their first crop of third-leaf vines in their 15.5-acre vineyard in 2007; since then they’ve built a 5,000-case winery with solar panels and hired winemaker Dan Barker, owner of Moana Park Winery in New Zealand.

Two vintages have already been completed with a focus on keeping grape yields low, so the flavour is more concentrated. “The Baillie-Grohman wines are rich, textural and aromatic; they display purity of fruit, balance and zest,” explains the winemaker, who’s excited about working in what the company is calling Canada’s next wine region. “The weather and crops are so much like Central Otago. I find this fascinating as it shows us the potential for this area. It is not overly surprising given that the area has long been recognized for soft tree-fruit production such as peaches and apricots and for cherries and apples.”

The winery, which is named for William Baillie-Grohman, one of the Kootenay’s pioneers, has launched its premiere line-up of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Blanc De Noirs Rosé, as well as two Pinot Noir wines: estate and reserve. All selections can be found where fine wines are sold in B.C. and Alberta.

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.