So you Want to Own a Winery!

I hope you like hard work, have patience, and  have a very healthy bank account! It may sound exciting but it takes a great deal of hard work and careful planning. Of course, if you have the money to pay the Help, Luck You!

Starting a winery is widely considered one of the most capital-intensive, high-risk, and operationally complex agricultural businesses you can enter. While it is deeply romanticized, it requires navigating heavy regulations, massive upfront investments, and years of waiting before seeing a return.

 Purchasing land, planting vineyards (which take 3 to 5 years to produce viable fruit), building or outfitting a production facility (tanks, presses, barrels, bottling lines), and setting up a tasting room easily runs into the millions of dollars.

 You will spend money for years buying grapes or land, managing the vineyard, fermenting, aging, and bottling wine before a single bottle is sold. Cash flow is heavily deferred.

Alcohol is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world. You have to secure federal, state/provincial, and local licenses, which involve rigorous background checks, strict facility inspections, and compliance with zoning laws.

Of course you have to make Good wine. Have you the ability. Can you hire a skilled winemaker??

Making good wine is only half the battle; selling it is the other. Establishing a brand, driving tourism to a tasting room, securing restaurant accounts, or building a direct-to-consumer wine club takes intense marketing and hospitality effort.

In the BC Okanagan as of the fall of 2026 it is estmated that a quarter of the wineries are up for sale..

If your winery is up for sale you hope a large conglomerate will buy you out.

 Younger demographics are drinking less alcohol overall or shifting toward ready-to-drink beverages, cider, and craft beer, shrinking the baseline market share for traditional wine.

So please think twice before taking the leap.

 Happy 96th, Peter!

We got invited to a Birthday Party. Our dear friend and wine companion, Peter, was celebrating his 96th birthday! Peter is on top of his game, and by that I mean Golf. Peter can shoot a round of golf and score lower than his age. He is also very particular about his wine selections.

The invitation was for a formal diner at the Fabulous Pat Quin Restaurant. Pat Quinn’s Restaurant & Bar is a well‑known steak and seafood spot located just a short drive from White Rock, in Tsawwassen (Delta), BC. Overlooks the Tsawwassen Springs golf course.

We had a private room surrounded by  glass wine racks...There were 14 of us, including Peter and His lovely wife, June. Our friendly and extremely good server was a young Lady named Noel! Her pleasant manot contributed to the enjoyment of the meal.

The meal started with appetizers selected by June!

Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip 
Three Cheese, Pico De Gallo, Tortilla Chips 

PQ’s Famous Wings 19.95
Honey Garlic, Hot, Salt & Pepper or Whiskey BBQ

Two delicious selections!

There was, of course, wine!

Raymi Cabernet Sauvignons from Chile
Matua  Sauvignon from New Zealand.
Moraine Estate Pinot Gris from BC

There was one other red , however i was enjoying the white wines and did not see what the first red selection was.

The restaurant offeror's a wide menu providing a difficult time choosing! My dear wife Barbara selected the Ceasar salad with Prawns. I selected my favorite a Beef dip. It came with perhaps the best fries I have ever tasted.

Many of the other guests selected the Cabernet Braised Short Ribs. The lady to my right loved her Pesto Cream Grocchi.

A most delicioud Chocolate Cake rounded out the meal.

It was an amazing meal.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Barbara and I were invited to join  group of Ladies for a pre Thanksgiving day celebration. We all decided to try a popular, but small Cafe, called Morrison. They have two locations: one at the Five Corners in White Rock and the other in Ocean Park just a few blocks down the road. Only the Ocean Park Location offered a Turkey Dinner.

There were pros and cons to the diner. First excellent parking. We got the spot right next to the door. Con, although they presented us with a menu , we were told the Kitchen was only offering the Turkey diner and nothing else. They even denied a request by out Vegetarian Friend.

The ladies all ordered strawberry milkshakes, a house specialty! I went with the Jackson Triggs Pinot Grigio. A very good choice. A very good Pinot Grigio is crisp, clean, and beautifully refreshing — the kind of white wine that feels effortless but still shows real craftsmanship. At its best, Pinot Grigio delivers bright citrus, green apple, pear, and a subtle mineral edge, all wrapped in high, mouth‑watering acidity.

The meal came a little two quickly served on plastic square plates. The turkey was shredded and covered in gravy, The carrots so though even a knife could not cut through them. The mash potatoes cold. A disappointing meal. Even a bigger let down when the bill came. Definitely and over priced meal!!

But the company was good!!

https://grumblegrumple.blogspot.com/

 Oh Mary

Opportunity knocked, and we came running. Our Bonus Daughter Mary called and invited us for lunch.

It just so happens we were dog-sitting in Ladner when the call came, and Mary was nearby in Tsawwassen. 

Bonus Daughter – Warm, affectionate term used for someone you love and treat like a daughter

We decide to meet at Pat Quinn Restaurants a classic West Coast steakhouse and seafood venue located at the Tsawwassen Springs Golf Course in Delta, BC. Named in honor of the late Canadian hockey icon and Vancouver Canucks legend Pat Quinn, it is popular among locals and travelers heading to or from the nearby Tsawwassen ferry terminal.

Led by Executive Chef Sumeet Kurmi, the kitchen serves a mix of classic steakhouse items, local Pacific seafood, and elevated pub-style favorites

Joining us for lunch was Mary's Mother Colleen  and good friend of 30 years from  Calgary. The staff needed a few minutes to set up a table near the door as two of the Ladies had difficulty walking. The wait was short and the fantastic hospitality began.

They have a large menu and took a few minutes to explore to help with this I ordered a Jackson-Triggs Resiling. I had heard that Pat's was the place for Chicken wings I chose the Teriyaki ..hmmmm good. Barbara had the Caesar salad.

The wine meet all expectations with bright notes of green apple, citrus (lemon and lime zest), white peach, and subtle floral or honeyed undertones.

We enjoyed the entire exxperience

 

Villa Marina

It was time to escape from the hundreds of BC wines I have been enjoying and trying something different.

I started in the local Government liquor store. Where for twenty or so minutes strolled through the Aisles  from Germany to Spain to Argentina.

I quickly skipped by bottle's over thirty dollars. That, I am afraid did not leave many choices. When nearing the end of the aisle, the name Villa Maria caught my eye. Without even checking the country. I told myself this was the one.

The one I selected was Villa Maria 2025 East Coast Chardonnay. 

In 1961, at just 21 years of age, Sir George Fistonich leased five acres of land from his father in Mangere, Auckland and started off with just an acre of vines. The first wine under the name Villa Maria in 1962 was made with grapes harvested from this block. Today, Villa Maria is a globally recognized and adored for its bold, expressive and exceptional New Zealand wines.Villa Maria is recognized as New Zealand’s Most Admired Wine Brand by Drinks International in 2015. State-of-the-art Hawkes Bay winery is opened in 2018.

Sadly Barbara and I were not impressed by the wine!

 

Donald Triggs
Pioneer of the Canadian Wine Industry

Donald Triggs is the founder along with his wife Elaine of Culmina Family Estate Winery in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley ( The family sold the winery). Wine consumers will know him as the man whose name appears the very popular Canadian Wines Jackson-Triggs. 

Growing up in rural Manitoba as the sixth generation on a family farm, Don developed a passion for the land and a farming lifestyle very early in life. While Don's career led him into leadership roles in consumer goods marketing, agro business and the wine industry around the world, Don's life has now come full circle as co- proprietor of Culmina Family Estate Winery in the Okanagan.

A marketer, entrepreneur and builder at heart, Donald started his career in marketing at Colgate Palmolive after completing a B.Sc.H in Agriculture at the University of Manitoba and an MBA at the Richard Ivey School of Business. In 1972 he became the marketing manger for Parkdale winery in Ontario. He joined Labatts spending 10 years with John Labatt's wine division, first leading the Canadian and then their U.S. wineries. This sharpened Don's understanding of the wine market from a consumer, a grower and a financial perspective in Canada and internationally. The next seven years saw Don return to Canada and the UK where he and his new team grew a struggling Fison's North American Horticulture business in to a leader in North America

In 1989, three partners, 26 fellow employees and Don pooled their life's savings to purchase the wine business of John Labatt. With the impending North American Free Trade deal's elimination of all protective barriers and an often questioned potential for the quality and future of Canadian wine, much of the banking and financial community thought that Don and his partners had “totally lost it”. The team only saw opportunity and with partner Alan Jackson they co-founded the Jackson-Triggs brand which went on to drive the growth of the new company, renamed Vincor International Inc., through 12 acquisitions to become the largest winery in Canada, and the 7 th largest in the world with 14 wineries and 2,250 employees located in Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Feeling the pull of their farming roots and love of wine, in 1998, Don & Elaine purchased a 100 acre apple orchard on the Niagara Parkway in Niagara-on-the- Lake, Ontario and over the next three years, planted eight vinifera varietals, with each of the two or three selected clones grafted onto two or three different rootstocks. Delaine Vineyard became their first research project to develop the best possible viticultural practices in order to produce the highest quality wine grapes . June 2006, Delaine Vineyard was sold as they prepared for their next adventure. 

In June of 2006, Vincor International was acquired by Constellation Brands. Don immediately resigned so that he could once again pursue his entrepreneurial passion in the business he loved. Don and his wife Elaine then re-shaped their life's vision to start a new venture, Culmina Family Estate Winery.

At an age when most people retire, Donald and Elaine have ploughed their considerable life savings into a major new Okanagan winery. “Retirement to me is a nasty word because it implies stopping,” Donald says. “I don’t think life is about stopping. It is aboutcontinuing and doing what you love.” (1) 

As a Canadian business entrepreneur and as a champion of the Canadian wine industry Don's contribution has been recognized in Canada and abroad.

January 2026 - Donald Triggs appointed to the Order of Canada

 Do Not Let The Smoke Get in Your Vines!!

Don’t let the Okanagan smoke get in your vines!
If you do I’m tellin’ you
You’ll wan’t tosss the wine
If Okanagan  smoke gets in your vines!

It has been a difficult few years for many Okanagan wineries.   Since the late 70s, Okanagan wineries have steadily grown in quality. Becoming a leader among the world's best.

In 2003, a Forest fire destroyed the St Hubertus Estate Winery.  It was a major setback for the winery but their neighbouring wineries came to their rescue, and they continued to produce world-quality wine

The 2024 growing season for BC wineries was one of the most difficult in provincial history. Interior regions (Okanagan, Similkameen, Thompson, Shuswap) suffered catastrophic crop losses of 90–99% due to a January deep freeze, while coastal regions (Vancouver Island, Fraser Valley, Gulf Islands) had a cool, wet but mostly normal‑volume season. 

The 2025 growing season in British Columbia was widely described as a remarkable rebound year—one of the strongest, most balanced, and most optimistic vintages BC has seen in years.

Across the province, winemakers expressed a “renewed sense of optimism” and called 2025 a genuine turning point for BC wine.

   

 But for the Summerland region and other  Okanagan regions, 2026 may be a disaster due to a horrid forest fire season. Early season reports from 2026 showed vines ahead of schedule, healthy. growth and a possible great harvest producing quality wines. 

However, extremely dry conditions have greatly aided the fires, and smoke will be reaching the vines of far too many wineries. Although no winery buildings have at this time been damaged , evacuating, crop loss, and a lost tourist season will greatly affect the wineries.

 

Forest‑fire smoke can significantly affect grapevines, especially the berries, by introducing volatile phenols that later create smoke taint in wine. The key issue is not vine health but wine quality: smoke compounds absorbed by grapes become bound to sugars, then release harsh smoky, ashy flavours during fermentation.

There is really nothing the winemaker can do. Current science shows that no spray, barrier, or vineyard practice reliably stops volatile phenols from entering grape skins, and even “clean‑looking” grapes can later develop smoky, ashy flavours during fermentation.

Wildfire smoke contains volatile phenols (VPs) such as guaiacol and cresols. Grapes absorb these compounds through their skins, then bind them to sugars as glycosides. These glycosides are odorless at harvest but break apart during fermentation, releasing harsh smoky flavours.

You cannot detect the smoke in the vines untill the wine is made!!! 

The BC Grape Growers Association States: The most important message is that wildfire smoke does not automatically mean smoke taint.

Comments are welcome. 

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