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Island Hopping - Salt Spring Style
Article by Michael Fagin Meteorologist, Travel Writer and Wine Enthusiast
Salt Spring Island Winery Duck Pond
Salt Spring Vineyards www.saltspringvineyards.com/
Salt Spring Vineyard has the distinction of being the first winery on Salt Springs Island by 30 minutes. The original owners Jan and Bill Harkley were awarded their license in 2002 just half an hour before another winery. At the time, the Harkleys were novices but have since learned quite a bit through experience and studies at the prestigious Viniculture School of the University of California at Davis . Although they have retained part ownership, they recently sold the majority of the winery to Devlin and Joanne McIntyre, two physicians from Abbotsford British Columbia . The McIntyres are no strangers to wine having been hobbyists since 1985.
The winemaker, Paul Troop has been a constant through both owners of the vineyard and winery. Mr. Troop has been immersed in learning the craft of wine making for the last 37 years starting as a 15 year old in Victoria BC. He pretty much badgered the Harkleys into hiring him, by persistently showing up with excellent wine samples until they hired him. His expertise is in organic and sustainable viniculture and he is a popular speaker at various agricultural professional organizations.
Salt Spring Winery proclaims its focus on organic and sustainable viniculture through the logo of Eartha a beautiful and quirky earth goddess. She is on all of their labels and retail merchandise. Also pictured on the labels is a view of the vineyard setting chosen carefully for its south facing slope which gets the necessary growing units and good drainage.
Most of their wines, especially the whites, are made from their own grapes. We sampled the Blanc de Noir, Pinot Noir and (our favorite) the Pinot Gris in a lovely gazebo overlooking the vineyards and the duck pond. We were able to experience the wine paired with some wonderful local produce, cheese and bread. The winery imports some grapes from the Okanagon region for its Merlot. We especially enjoyed the desert wines Apple Pie Wine and Blackberry Port (great with dark chocolate).
We spent a couple of heavenly days at the Salt Spring Vineyard's Bed & Breakfast located on the property with views of the vineyard, duck pond and gardens. The Vineyard Room and the Winery Room both have very distinctive décor with comfort and beauty as the focus. One of the highlights of our stay was the gourmet cooking of Janelle Langford (aka The Kitchen Goddess). Our days started with omelets, fresh fruit and delicious coffee on the deck outside our room. Much of the food was made of local produce from the island. Aside from being the hospitality director at the vineyard, Janelle caters both locally and across the big pond in England during the winters.
Garry Oaks Winery http://garryoakswine.com/
Vineyards at Garry Oaks Winery
The winery is named for the Garry Oak trees that surround the area. The trees are also known as the Oregon White Oak. Garry Oak trees grow throughout Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands on south facing well drained soil which also happens to be an excellent environment for grape growing. The Garry Oaks Winery uses the wood of the trees to make barrels, finding them similar to French Oak.
Owners Marcel Mercier and Elaine Kozak purchased the land in 1999. For over a hundred years the land had been a sheep farm, with apple, pear, plum and cherry orchards. For the next 3 years Marcel and Elaine planted seven acres of vines and built the winery. The orchards were rehabilitated and greatly enhance the property. The property is about 100 meters (300 feet) above the valley bottom, which minimizes the frost issues since cold air usually collects in the valley bottom. The wines produced are dry and crisp, like most coastal wines. Their signature wine is the award winning Pinot Gris. They also produce Prism which is a blend of gewürztraminer and chardonnay grapes and a Blanc de Noir produced from Pinot Noir and Zweigelt grapes.
Gulf Islands Brewery http://gulfislandsbrewery.com
Tucked away in the hills is the home of Salt Spring Island Ales, a cottage brewery co-owned by Murray Hunter (Brewmaster) and Becky Julseth & Neil Cooke-Dallin. Murray produces 5 beers as a regular line with two seasonal beers. Gold Award winning Salt Spring Gold Ale (2004 Canadian Brewing Awards) is probably his most popular. The line also includes Salt Spring Porter a dark full thick dry porter that has a toasty nutty flavor. His seasonal and specialty brews are Heatherdale Ale a Scottish style ale that is dark gold and lightly hopped, created especially for Butchart Gardens in Victoria . The winter brings on the Salt Spring Style Winter Warmer, brewed in the Old English tradition.
The process of beer making includes mixing barley malt, hops and spring water. Murray uses hops grown in the Pacific Northwest Oregon , Washington as well as from Salt Springs Island . The Brewery uses its own natural spring water from the mountain just behind the brewery. Murray started out in the brew business by creating a Brew Your Own business for hobbyists. In 1997 he opened his brewery and drew his first brew in August of 1998.
Beer and wine share some important similarities. Both use yeast to convert starches into alcohol. The growing conditions needed for hops and grapes are similar so that wine growing regions such as the Willamette Valley in Oregon, the Yakima region in Washington and Sonoma California are home to both great wines and great hops. But maybe the most important similarity is how a great wine and a robust beer can enhance our enjoyment of life.
Vancouver Island Tasty Wines
BC Breweries
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