Print 2002 Vintage Report

2002 Vintage Report
By John Simes, Winemaker

The 2002 growing season got off to a colder start than usual, but the long-range projections were for above average, sustained and even heat through to October, so no corrective action was taken. I made our vineyard management decisions based on those forecasts.

As May dawned, so too did the warmer weather. It wasn’t the kind of heat we saw in 1998. It was dry, even, manageable heat that gave us days that put sugar in the bank. It was especially helpful during the key-ripening season from mid-August to the end of September. The heat, courtesy of El Niño, stayed with us until the early part of October, atypical for the Okanagan. It was the most sustained warm period that I’ve seen since coming to Canada ten years ago.

Harvest started and ended earlier this year. We began on September 11th in our Osoyoos Estate Vineyards. We brought in our last parcel of fruit (ex-Icewine) on October 30th. As a result of the higher than average ripeness, we can expect our white wines to have rich tropical aromas and flavours on the nose and palate. Our red wines will be bigger, darker in colour, more full-bodied and with higher alcohol levels than we’re accustomed to seeing in the Okanagan Valley.

I’ve set aside a small parcel of Riesling grapes on Mission Hill Road for Icewine production this year. At our Naramata Ranch, we’ve netted both Vidal and Riesling for Icewine and we’re hopeful Mother Nature will do her part.

Bottom-line, in addition to having the weather on our side this year, buying the Ranch had a tremendous impact on us in 2002. With a deal likely, I began working with the vineyard management team at the beginning of the season to make some changes early enough to have an impact on the final quality. I’m especially impressed with some of the Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris harvested from this site.

This year, we also added soil moisture monitoring equipment in key areas throughout our estates. That was extremely useful given the dry heat we experienced. Our continuing investment in vineyard land is truly starting to pay off. With this harvest, over 80% of the grapes used in our wines now come from our own vineyard estates throughout the valley. The ability to control the process from planting through to harvest has made a significant difference. So too has the continued maturation of our vineyards. Our learnings increase as the vines become more established. All in all, I’m pleased with our progress and believe we are well positioned for the future.