Roots, origins – the great Odyssean questions. To compliment my recent article in Palate Press on BC’s wine industry, this article will look at the international influences of British Columbia’s wine styles. British Columbia does not have the same historical links to the European wine making tradition as many other regions in the “New World,” many of which saw grapes sailed over by European colonists from their “home” territory in Italy, Germany, and, mostly, France. The caché of French wine meant the potential for successful business endeavors for many colonists of the so-called “New World,” so these grape types have become the most important internationally.
However, BC’s wine experience with the famous vitis vinifera varieties from Europe began a lot later than most New World regions, with government sponsored replanting programs in the 1980’s responding to the new free trade agreements with the United States. BC’s relationship with European wine, therefore, is somewhat of a newly minted influence as winemakers in the province over the last 30 years have tried to discover what lessons are best learned from which Old World regions. This has been a diverse process and different wine makers have developed different philosophies in this respect. As a lead up to my Olympic themed articles profiling small BC wineries, this article will explore the most important international influences on BC wine production so we can start getting a sense of both the styles of wine that influence BC wine production and the unique directions that British Columbia may take its wine in the future. As much as the Olympics is a celebration of a kind of pre-discovered nationalism, BC’s wine growers are still in the process of trying to find a sense of place and a unique style of expression. To me, it’s these sorts of efforts to explore the meaning of place and tradition that gives our home significance. I’ll leave the dogmatic nationalism for the official sponsors.
Most of the regions that have been influential on British Columbia are cooler climate regions in Northern Europe, particularly those in Germany, Alsace, Burgundy and Friuli. Because of its worldwide brand dominance, Bordeaux has also been a significant influence in BC. In order to contextualize my future profiles of BC wineries, I will look at what it is about these regions that seems to be influencing winemakers here in British Columbia.
1. Germany
In some ways the most important “spiritual” influence on Canadian wine, with their famous dessert Eiswein (Icewine), which of course is what put Canada on the wine map to begin with. Now the connection extends much deeper with the importance of Riesling to BC’s now rising dry-wine star. While most of Germany’s exported Rieslings have been off-dry or sweet, the local appetite for Riesling is for the Trocken, or dry style of wine. Fermented longer and with higher alcohol, global appetite for these steely and mineral driven wines is now increasing.
While BC still predominantly produces Rieslings that are off-dry, some of the best producers are now emulating the Germans’ more palate challenging dry styles. These wines tend to focus on aromatics, clean lines, and a tremendous ability to pair with a diverse range of cuisines, from Thai to sushi. Riesling’s outstanding ability to pair with Asian and asian-influenced cuisines is particularly suited to British Columbia’s food scene, which, of course, is driven by massive pan-asian influence. In some ways, German Riesling is brought home in BC with its marriage to some of the best Asian food in the world.
2. France – Alsace
Alsace itself is a challenging place to sum up in a single style or movement. However, if we can focus on anything it is the fragrance of Alsatian wines, from Pinot Blanc to Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. Those intensely fragrant lychee-styled Gerwurztraminers have clearly influenced many wines in BC. While many in Alsace are making off-dry wines with considerable residual sugar, there are also those who produce very dry styles.
When it comes to BC, so far the predominating influence has been the success of the Alsatian off-dry style. Viscous and aromatic, these wines are easy to appreciate by those craving a little sweetness (as many new wine drinkers do). However, current market trends suggest that sweet-styled white wines are losing favour to the drier styles, so expect BC to start moving more towards the style of producers such as Trimbach and away from those of producers like Zind-Humbrecht or Weinbach.
Alsace is also the home to the most prolific use of biodynamics in France. While yet to catch on fully in BC, some of the better wineries here are starting to take notice of this practice and are adopting some of its techniques. While climate makes it extremely difficult to be fully biodynamic in BC, I have no doubt that many of the best wineries are going to start (if they haven’t already) paying more and more attention to the natural wine movement and what they can learn from it.
3. France – Burgundy
Burgundy is, of course, home to the world’s greatest Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. While only a foolish winery in BC would try to recreate Burgundy, the importance of these two grapes to the British Columbia wine scene should not be underestimated. In some ways these wines have become both the holy grail and the great failure of many a BC wine maker, who seek to produce ‘noble’ wines of distinction, often without the terroir or experience to back it up.
However, while the best wineries won’t seek to emulate Burgundy, the spirit of expressing a sense of place in something delicate, noble, and ageworthy is (and will continue to be) an important motivator for BC wineries. Much emphasis here is put on the aromatic white wines that I discussed above, and for good reason. However, I now also believe that with the right philosophy, boldness, and spirit for experimentation, that some select sites in BC will be able to produce excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a unique sense of being from BC rather than elsewhere.
Forget the styles of Pinot Noir that try to emulate a California blockbuster wine, or the Chardonnays that taste like they’ve been drowned in coconut and vanilla custard – those are wines that are trying to be like somewhere else. The best BC Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs will not shy away from the challenges of our climate and soils. They will rarely, if ever, be perfect. And, they will never be Burgundy. But, such wines certainly have the potential to be high quality, local, artisanal products.
4. France – Bordeaux
Bordeaux’s influence on BC is a bit of a bug-bear for me. Most of the super-premium blends you see such as Oculus or Note Bene seek to reproduce a big Bordeaux blend. This is not easy to do in BC as most Cabernet and Merlot here cannot ripen the same way it can in Bordeaux, California, and even Washington. That said, it is possible to gather together enough ripe grapes to make the occasional super-cuvée. But, my question is, are they worth it?
To me the biggest influence Bordeaux has had on BC is in BC’s attempt to mimic the prestige market of Bordeaux. Lower your yields, sort your berries very carefully, slam on some glitzy name and packaging and out comes an $80 wine. Never mind that most of the vines in BC are still very young, or that BC just doesn’t have the length of ripening season to get proper aromatic complexity out of its Cabernet and Merlot based blends.
Undoubtedly, some of these wines do taste good; however, they also don’t tend to taste like anywhere. It is this lack of personality that tends not to excite me, even if a wine is decent.
Again, as with any claim I make, I remain open to be proven wrong.
5. Italy – Friuli
Friuli is probably an afterthought to many BC wine drinkers, and even wine makers. However, Friuli has been an influence on BC simply because not all Pinot Gris (or Grigios as the Italians say) have to be on the sweet side of things. Friuli, as opposed to Alsace, tends to make leaner, sharper, and cleaner Pinot Grigios, although the wines retain the intense aromatics.
While not a lot of wineries are emulating this style yet, as mentioned above, I think this will become a more important influence in the future and that, if it does, Pinot Gris in BC will start to get a lot more interesting.
I hope this little relay lends some context to the BC winery profiles that I will be writing in the next couple of weeks. I’m also curious to hear your comments – what wine regions and styles do you think are most influential in BC?
I would be very interested to survey Okanagan winemakers and see what they have to say with regard to the major influences on the styles of wine they produce. I would imagine that a lot of them would quote California and Australia as their inspiration rather than the classic regions of Europe. In the Okanagan, grapes tend to be picked as ripe as possible (longer hang-time the better) and there is an emphasis on use of new wood in the cellar – techniques more in common with the New World than Old
As far as what could and should be grown here is a hot topic and open for much debate. Ultimately, the market is the major dictating force. Hence the ghastly examples of BC Sauvignon Blanc and misguided attempts at Pinot Grigio (all of which no doubt sell very well)
In my view the future rests on the whole with the Alsasian varieties and hopefully growers will aspire some day to produce fruit of Alsace Grand Cru quality. The potential in the terroir is there.
The Burgundian grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Gamay certainly have a place and as you suggest Shea, site selection is critical but the potential for high quality and expression is huge.
The Bordeaux varieties (with the possible exception of Cabernet Franc) should be systematically grubbed up or head-grafted over to more suitable vinestock. The only thing that keeps hope for these grapes alive is the Canadian consumers apparent unending desire to drink them. Merlot is either thin and flavourless or excessively concentrated, hot and bitter. Cabernet Sauvignon is a sqaure peg in a round hole and rarely schieves true phenolic maturity, Cabernet Franc is mostly over-ripe, hot and charmless. Sauvignon Blanc astringent and unripe or over-ripe and flabby. Semillon could stay (if anyone would drink it that is!)
I think that a bright future could certainly be in existence for Chenin Blanc with those who grow it are making fine balanced examples. Viognier in the hotter south Okanagan could be a star and experimentation with the other northern Rhone whites, Marsanne & Rousanne is looking promising.
In actual fact, the fastest growing variety in recent times is another famous Rhone grape, Syrah. Syrah is a black grape that seems perfectly suited to the length of growing season and thrives in the heat of the south. Perhaps its only drawback is its lack of winter hardiness and substantial vine kill in 2009 has make growers think twice about its log term viability. Shame, because the wines it produces can be truely stellar.
Thanks for the fantastic comment Mark. I agree on the New World influences. Most growers are pushing California over-ripe styles. I’d like to see more of the old world influences come through. I’ll be keeping my eye out for and carefully considering any BC Syrah I come across. Cheers.