342: How is Niagara-on-the-Lake's On Seven Winery Making Montrachet-Style Chardonnay? with Ann Sperling and Peter Gamble

What were the key challenges and breakthroughs that shaped the BC and Ontario wine industries in the 1980s and 90s? What makes or breaks a new wine project, and why is finding the right vineyard often the most time-consuming step? What made Peter believe that Niagara-on-the-Lake could produce exceptional Chardonnay?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Ann Sperling & Peter Gamble.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks

 

Highlights

What was Ann’s best memory from growing up on the farm?

When did Ann and Peter know that they wanted to work in the wine industry?

How did Ann and Peter meet?

What was the first bottle of wine Ann and Peter shared?

How do Ann and Peter navigate their interwoven personal and professional lives?

How do they negotiate professional disagreements, and who chooses the wine for dinner?

What were the major challenges and opportunities in the BC and Ontario wine industry in the 1980s and 90s?

In the early days, how did Peter envision the future of Ontario wines?

What are some of the reasons certain vintages almost didn't make it into the bottle?

What do you look for when considering a new project?

What makes Ann and Peter different from the stereotypical flying winemakers?

What were the signs that Niagara-on-the-Lake could produce exceptional Chardonnay?

How has working on a small, focused vineyard impacted Ann and Peter’s winemaking choices?

Why must you suffer to make top-notch wines?

 

Key Takeaways

It was in the early 80s in BC and maybe slightly before that in Ontario, that estate wineries became a thing. Prior to that, that meant there were a few really large wineries, not really making estate or single vineyards. Vineyards were a source of bulk wine for the most part.

The hunt for the vineyard became a very important one. We looked at over 230 vineyards before we found one. I think everyone there was on the verge of giving up on this, thinking “Well, they're not really going to buy anything.” Because we'd get it to a certain stage, then we do soil analysis, and we weren't quite happy, or we talked to people who had made wine from the vineyard or something would come up, and we just wouldn't quite be where we wanted to be with the quality of the vineyard.

I often work on the basis of paradigms, where I'll take a look at a wine sold throughout the world and say, you know, I think this could be done really well in this area. You know what it is you might be able to accomplish within the parameters that you have - the obvious things, the terroir, the exposures to soils, the temperatures in general.

 

About Ann Sperling & Peter Gamble

Often referred to as the “power couple” of the Canadian wine industry, Peter Gamble and Ann Sperling have long pursued the pinnacles of wine quality in Canadian vineyards and wineries. Following her upbringing on her family’s Okanagan Valley vineyard, Ann turned to the soil for the character and complexity of her wines. Acknowledged as a Canadian pioneer of organic and biodynamic viticulture, ‘terroir’ was at the centre of her philosophy and she is renowned for her head winemaking roles at Malivoire, Southbrook, and Sperling Vineyards. Peter, a lifetime wine industry professional, has worked alongside Canada’s most passionate winemakers to achieve greater heights with our finest appellation wines. Since 2000, Peter has provided expertise in ultra-premium winemaking operations, including: Stratus, Ravine, Benjamin Bridge and Lightfoot & Wolfville. With the purchase of a top-flight ancient Malbec planting in Mendoza, Argentina, in 2008, Ann and Peter broadened their winemaking activities, but Niagara remains their che