October 7, 2025 • 43 mins
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It was about a dozen years ago when I bumped into Val Tait at a wine event in Vancouver and I was instantly captivated by both her wines and exuberant personality. We chatted. I tasted those wines and in a frantic very few minutes I immediately recognized this was a person I wanted to have in my life and wine circle.
And what a fortuitous meeting that was! In the years intervening, we've shared many more enjoyable + enriching moments together and it was Val who gave me my own first real "boots in the dirt" experience when she had me work directly alongside for her 2017 whites harvest in Naramata for a month. Deep learnings and experiences followed and I am hugely grateful to Val for connecting my academic pursuits of the grape to hands-on work in the vineyards, on the crushpad, in the lab, cellar + barrel room crafting those wines.
Today Val is GM and Winemaker at Gold Hill Winery in Oliver BC presiding over a well-curated albeit smaller portfolio of excellent wines. Working for years with the Gill family faithfully supplying quality fruit, Val relocated herself closer to the vineyards and after nearly 3 decades of work, harvests, highs & lows, she's still as enthusiastic as ever about Gold Hill and her most recent plans as she brings in one of the best harvests in many years!
The Swirl Around BC Wine Expo is a pivotal event on the wine calendar for winemakers across BC to come together and share their latest vintages with industry professionals held at the historic Vancouver Convention Center in the heart of the city.
Hear Val's firsthand accounting of this years' harvest tales, the trials + tribulations of day-to-day winery operations PLUS..
Along with wines are the waves she loves to surf. Once all is brought in to the crushpad and processed, she heads straight to Panama in Central America with winemaker partner Ian after another harvest season comes to a close and everything is perfectly set in the Gold Hill Winery cellar for another year.
https://www.winebc.com | Swirl Around BC Wine Expo
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With Gratitude,
Wine Guy Ty.
P.S. The best wines are those shared with friends.
Let's share my next DROP together!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
WineGuyTy (00:02):
Hi, I'm WineGuyTy.
Welcome to the Barrel Room.
And we're at the 2025 SwirlAround BC Wine Expo.
My guest today is Val Tait.
She's winemaker and a goodfriend.
Hi, Val.
Val Tait (00:13):
Hi, Ty.
WineGuyTy (00:13):
This is kind of our second hello because we were
just at the business of BC Winein the Global Cru seminar, which
was wonderful.
Before we get into it though, Ijust want to make mention for
listeners & subscribers, my lastinterview with Richard Da Silva
from Da Silva Vineyards andWinery.
You know..
Val Tait (00:29):
Yeah, we know Richard.
WineGuyTy (00:31):
Covered so many topics from his deep connections
to his roots going back to1955.
Wow.
When his family immigrated fromPortugal to also to in-depth
real understanding of histerroir, which was a little bit
of what we spoke on in the uhseminar earlier.
Of course, all his variouswines, a couple of unique field
blends that we tasted togetherthat is kind of unique to him
(00:53):
and his Portuguese MexTapa-styled restaurant and very
original menu offering.
Val Tait (00:58):
That's a really good restaurant, by the way.
WineGuyTy (01:00):
Yes, if that sounds of interest to you, head on over
and have a listen.
My lovely guest, longtimefriend, winemaker, and GM of
Gold Hill Winery, located inOliver, BC, around the very
first sub-GI, the Golden MileBench.
Val's a hands-on boots in thedirt, true viticulturalist with
near three decades of experiencein making some top wines I've
(01:23):
tasted coming out of the region.
She has undergraduate trainingin molecular genetics, plant
biochemistry, and a degree inanalogy from UC Davis in Napa.
Her focus laterally is tocreate small lot handcrafted
vinos from fruit grown at theexceptional Gold Hill Estate
Winery.
How long ago did we meet?
(01:45):
It was a dozen years ago.
I think it was the BC Uh WineGrowers Association Bloom event.
Then in 2017, a month-longOdyssey of my own working with
you at Bench1 775 for the Whitesprogram.
..A few dinners, some boating,lots of meetings, uh blending
(02:08):
sessions, tastings, a LOT..
Val Tait (02:11):
Yeah.
WineGuyTy (02:12):
A lot has happened since then.
Val Tait (02:14):
Well, I just have to interrupt and say I remember
meeting you because I could havesworn you were John Malkovich.
WineGuyTy (02:20):
Oh yes well I've had that comparison a few times.
So I mean, since then, worldpandem!cs, uh seven harvests,
..vintages.
Where does the time go?
Does it all become a blur atsome point after so many years
as a winemaker?
Val Tai (02:38):
Pestulants! Plagues!!..
No, it doesn't, but you knowwhat's really scary is I have so
many vintages existing at thesame time in my mind and in the
cellar that I often get confusedand I have to recheck like what
vintage are we in?
Because we've got wine in casethat's aging, like four vintages
aging, two vintages in inbottle, and two vintages in
barrel, and then one in tankready to be bottled, and then
(03:01):
the harvest that's coming in.
So it's kind of like a lot ofvintages that are swirling
around in my head.
WineGuyTy (03:07):
Swirling around in your head and also in tank and
in barrel at any minute when youwalk into the winery, right?
Especially at this time ofyear, because we're we're at
harvest.
Yes.
It it's been a rough couple ofyears in the Okanagan frosts,
complete loss of vineyards, andsubsequently vintages, a lot of
pivoting.
And you um kind of made mentionin the earlier seminar that we
(03:30):
did together some of the bigimpact for you.
How did it affect yourpriorities at Gold Hill Winery?
Val Tait (03:36):
Oh, wow, we'll back it up even before the last two
years, we've just had so manychallenges that are completely
out of our control, includingwildfire events and then
subsequent road closures thatlimited access to the Okanagan
with uh tourism, which is a bigpart of how we do business, is
people directly visiting ourwinery, and then climate events
(03:59):
that have caused widespreadlosses in 2023 of fruit.
Our vines were fine, but theydidn't produce any fruit.
And then subsequently, 2024,about a third of our vineyards
outright died and had to bereplaced, and then the remainder
didn't produce any fruit atall.
So two years back to back withno fruit.
(04:20):
And here we are this year,where our vines that are have
been planted from last year andour vines that survived those
cold events, our bumper croploaded, and we're having an
incredible vintage.
It's one of the nicestvintages.
Everything is getting fullyripe.
We're we're just the ripenessis cascading upon us.
(04:41):
So it's a pretty busy time.
WineGuyTy (04:42):
It's a busy time, and yet you've managed to find a
moment to get into the city ofVancouver for uh for the swirl
event, which is a lot ofjuggling.
Sure.
But you've got Nav at at thewinery.
Val Tait (04:53):
Uh no, Navi's not with us anymore.
He moved on to he married andhe's got two children and he's
living in Vancouver now.
So yeah, we miss himtremendously because he was um
you know very passionate aboutthe winery and the wines and of
course our region, our to ourparticular place in the world.
But his younger brother,Gerginder, who actually just
(05:15):
graduated from university inmarketing, is joining us and he
will be instrumental in salesand marketing for us.
So he's kind of absorbing theworld of the winery and the
vineyards, and he yeah, he willbe the one that'll take over for
his parents.
So we are very thankful.
WineGuyTy (05:33):
Oh, that's great.
Val Tait (05:34):
We need new blood.
WineGuyTy (05:35):
A favorite grape I know is yours, and I too am a
fan, Cab Franc.
Oh yeah.
I just had some in my mouth,and that was lovely.
A couple of years ago, wewalked up to that amazing one
kilometer long vineyard at thetop of the bridge, which was uh
the cab franc, the longest cabfranc um.
Val Tait (05:54):
It's a really long row, yeah, it's like a kilometer
long, yeah.
WineGuyTy (05:57):
So that was all lost and is it being replanted?
Val Tait (06:00):
Everything's been replanted.
You know, we the vines didn'toutright die, but what happened
is we saw a lot of damage.
And instead of chasing thosevines and hoping that they'd
make a recovery, we just decidedthat we need them to be
functional and productive andreally even ripeness in the
fruit, and so we just likereplace the vineyard.
You know, it's just tooimportant to us, and uh we
(06:22):
really need to get beautifulfruit, it has to be productive,
it has to be something that wecan count on with consistency,
and so for us it just madesense.
We're we've already lost thatvintage to just replant it.
And in fact, um the brothers,the owners of the winery, are
such good growers that they wereable to produce enough growth
(06:43):
in the first year that in thesecond year of the vine's life
we were able to get 60% or 70%of a full crop.
So that means we're back inbusiness like that.
WineGuyTy (06:54):
Excellent.
Yeah.
Oh wow, that's very fortunate.
Val Tait (06:56):
That's very fortunate.
And I mean another year, andit's gonna be like, you know, we
didn't have this mishap, youknow, there'll be some new
challenge that we're facing.
WineGuyTy (07:03):
Obviously, there'll be a challenge.
Val Tait (07:04):
There'll always be challenges, yeah.
But I feel we're like we'regetting good at it, you know,
we're getting good at uh dodgingthe bullet.
So yeah.
WineGuyTy (07:12):
Well, 30 years of vintages and work, I guess
you've uh there's a lot ofthings that has been thrown in
your direction.
Val Tait (07:20):
Yeah, bears eating fruit and staff quitting and you
know, people coming, ..
helping.
Yeah, no, it's I mean it's verydynamic, and also where we are
in the world is a challengingplace to grow wine.
But because it's right at thevery limits of where you can
grow wine grapes, the expressionof the fruit is exceptional.
You know, we get so it's a bitof a it's a you know a seesaw,
(07:43):
like you you want to push theenvelope of where you can grow
fruit, but you're gonna have sofor listeners the context.
WineGuyTy (07:49):
So Oliver and Golden Mile Bench, like this is
48, 47 to 48 degrees uhlatitude, which is like you say,
almost at the further reaches.
So going further north, ofcourse, with lake country, we're
we're right at the 50thparallel, which is the same as
Champagne.
Val Tait (08:08):
It is, but you know, they have a really big maritime
influence, so the ocean has abig effect on moderating the
cold temperatures in the winter.
We don't have that.
The further north you move.
WineGuyTy (08:18):
Even with a lake?
Val Tait (08:19):
Yeah, even with a lake, it's not enough when you
start moving into higherlatitudes because you you start
to see a bigger s drop intemperature in the winter, so it
it gets colder.
Speaker 00 (08:29):
Yeah.
Val Tait (08:30):
But um, yeah, that is a that is a bit of a challenge.
And I mean people talk aboutclimate change and that we're
starting to see warmertemperatures, but actually, we
are a hot climate that is also acold climate.
So we're seeing extremes in hottemperature, but we're also
seeing extremes in coldtemperature, so it really is
difficult to manage.
Like we're really pushing theenvelope of where we can grow
(08:51):
grapes, and I think that havingthis event that happened last
year really took a lot of thekind of um I don't want to say
it's frivolous, but kind of likeoutside experimental plantings,
you know, that were doing okay,they were struggling, but then
it was like, no, there's nopossibility that we can continue
with these varieties, likesouthern Sicilian, Fran Italian
(09:13):
varieties.
WineGuyTy (09:14):
Is Cab Franc in some ways more winter hardy, even
though you lost it?
Val Tait (09:18):
It is very winter hardy because the um we only
lost Cab Franc in a small area,but most of our Cab Franc
plantings were survived.
Not the ones that we use forour portfolio for the wines,
that home estate, be it, but inother locations they've the
vines survived, and they're likethis year had beautiful crop,
big crop.
So yeah.
WineGuyTy (09:39):
I know this about you.
Okay, you love to surf, andonce all the ducks are in a row
in the cellar, harvest has beenbrought in in the next couple of
weeks as you're scurryingaround.
You and partner Ian dispatchyourselves to Panama and seek
out the waves to rise.
Yes.
What is the correlation ofwaves and wines, if any, and and
(10:01):
how did this all come about?
Val Tait (10:03):
That's a good that's a good question.
Yeah, you know, I guess uhsurfing is very dynamic and
something that you're dealingwith that's moving and
uncontrolled isn't a force ofnature and you're taking it as
it comes.
Much like you are dealing witha vintage, it's completely out
of your hands what the vintageis gonna deliver.
And in over 30 years, I'venever seen a vintage that was
(10:24):
the same.
It's it's so variable.
So I feel like that's kind oftying in with just dealing or or
playing with nature.
You know, you're you're in therealm of nature, and no matter
how big a check you write, or nomatter how much pleading you
do, you're just gonna get whatnature delivers.
Which is kind of I love theauthenticity of that.
(10:45):
I think that that's prettyexciting, actually.
And to the same tune, whenyou're out riding the waves, you
have no idea what's gonna becoming
in. No, you could ride the wave if you catch it, or you can get slammed into the sand!
WineGuyTy (10:58):
There's a lot of metaphors in there!
Val Tait (11:00):
I know.
I've kind of been eating sandin the cellar the last couple of
years, so yeah, that's a goodquestion, actually.
That's a really good question.
WineGuyTy (11:08):
2House
brand created with lots of love,which is so apparent in making
a red and a white uh winespecifically and in harmony.
Yes, which is lovely.
Nice.
What's in the name and andwhat's it all about?
Val Tait (11:26):
Oh, 2House is a project that uh Ian, my partner,
is a winemaker, and uh we'veboth had a lot of years of
experience growing and makingwine from wine grapes in the
Okanagan Valley, and inparticular the South Okanagan.
And so for us, we've um hadsometimes similarities in our
style and other timesdifferences, and we wanted to do
(11:48):
a project together where wecould sometimes celebrate those
similarities and other timescontrast our differences.
And so two houses was born.
Two house meaning the house ofIan and the house of Val, and
sometimes they meet andsometimes they don't meet.
So uh if you look at the label,he has a Scandinavian
background and I have a Spanishbackground.
(12:10):
So there's two dragons on thelabel, and we're dragons from
Chinese astrology, and one ofthe dragons is a Mayan dragon,
Aztec, it's sort of a modifiedAztec dragon, and the other one
is a Viking dragon.
And so if the if whicheverone's on top is the one that led
the decision making in thatwine.
Oh, interesting.
WineGuyTy (12:30):
So you modify the label of the dragon?
Val Tait (12:32):
Modify the label, so it's either the Viking dragon or
the Mexican dragon.
Yeah, so it's very fun.
We've been having a lot of funwith that.
And we do very small amounts,like 50 cases or less, tiny,
it's just a a play, a barrelplay for us.
Yeah, very fun.
WineGuyTy (12:48):
So it's mid-September here, and harvest is happening,
and all the frenzy of the crushpad has ensued.
You mentioned a couple of weeksback when I was in the region
uh having this year a surplus offruit.
Yes.
So uh what is that normal orit's only for this year?
As you said, you've had an overabundance.
Val Tait (13:08):
Yeah, it's actually a really tragic situation because
in an effort to address the lossof fruit last year, the f the
government and our marketingboard collectively decided that
they would relax theregulations.
So to be a BC wine producer,you must be making your wines
from 100% BC fruit.
(13:29):
Well, cut to 2024, there's zeroBC fruit.
So the government and themarketing agency together
collectively worked with uhinput from everyone and decided
that the best course of actionwas to open up jurisdiction for
getting grapes and people couldsource grapes from anywhere they
wanted.
It could be anywhere fromCanada or the United States or
(13:51):
wherever in the world.
So with the relaxing of thoserules, a lot of wineries took
advantage of that, in particularthe bigger producers, and they
brought in a fairly significantamount of fruit, anticipating
they weren't gonna have fruitfor 2024 or 2025.
But 2025 we have a beautiful uhyield of fruit.
(14:14):
And unfortunately, hundreds oftons of fruit is going without a
home because the wineries havealready sourced fruit from other
areas.
Yeah.
And it's really unfortunatebecause the growers had the loss
of revenue from 2024 of fruitthat they couldn't produce,
didn't have money for, and nowthey're in a year where they can
recoup some of those losses,and unfortunately they don't
(14:35):
have a market for their fruitbecause it's occupied by fruit
from another place.
So it's kind of a tragicsituation.
And I mean it it could be anexistential problem for some
growers.
You know, two years that's along time to hold your breath.
Two years without any revenue.
Because they don't have analternative path to generating
revenue.
They're not a winery, so it'slike, yeah, very tragic.
WineGuyTy (14:58):
That's a good point.
Uh the wine program at GoldHill has very strategically
managed to include 65 acres ofvineyards and a three-year
reserve program, which so manywineries haven't been able to
achieve.
And that of course plays intothese hiccups with no vintages.
How did that come about at GoldHill?
And is that part of why you'renot too concerned with the loss
(15:23):
of the recent vintages?
Val Tait (15:25):
Yeah, well, with Gold Hill, all of our fruit is
sourced from one vineyard.
And um, as you say, I learnedvery early on from my partner,
Ian Sutherland, about the valueof holding back your vintages
and releasing them when they'reready to drink, as opposed to
selling a wine that, you know,is is definitely drinkable, but
(15:46):
would benefit from having someaging.
WineGuyTy (15:49):
Yeah.
Val Tait (15:49):
And um for us and for anybody starting out, if you do
that right at the verybeginning, you hold back those
wines, you you know, it's likeyou just don't have anything to
sell, or you make a differentproduct to sell for those first
couple of years, and yourvolumes are really small, so
you're not holding back a lot.
And then once you start on thatrelease program, it's just
every year you're already onthat release program, so you're
(16:11):
already aging your wines.
So for us, we've been for me,because I've seen that happen in
the vineyards, that there's alot of variability and you don't
know for sure what's gonnahappen and if the fruit's gonna
get ripe that year or not.
I've done it with the whitesand the reds, and so we have a
reserve in our gold hill labelof at least two years in the
whites and four to five years inthe reds.
So, you know, it wasn't astragic for us from uh selling
(16:36):
through our wines point of viewbecause the losses that we uh uh
see in 2024 we're not gonnarealize until 2028, 2029 for our
reds.
So we could weather that as awinery, but it still was
devastating financially from thegrowing side of our operation.
Because most of the productionof our fruit is sold to other
(16:57):
wineries.
We just do a very small amountfor our winery.
We were only making 8,000 casesa year, so it's not a big, big
production.
WineGuyTy (17:06):
So, what are your goals for these next wines
currently in the in the cellaruh and what makes you happiest
with them?
I because I know you, ..yourstyle, like you you kind of
you're a brewmaster, uh awinemaker.
Uh um I remember you alludingto uh winemaking being similar
(17:27):
to canning, where you've got allkinds of pots on the stove and
so it's a big, messy canningprocess.
Val Tait (17:35):
That's kind of like that actually.
Oh well, you know, like I'm I'mcognizant of what's happening
with trends.
Like you were in a talk withme, like we were listening to
Barb talking about um just thetrends of what's happening
globally with wine sales andwhat people are drinking, and
you know, personally also whatI'm drinking myself.
Like I'm starting to move awayfrom really big, kind of classic
(17:57):
red wines.
And this year I'm this iscompletely off piece, but I want
to do a very small amount of ared wine that can be chilled.
A true red wine that's chilled,not a rose.
So something that you can drinkin the summer that's a very
light red.
Tempranillo, because I know youused to yeah, like
temperanillo, but I want I wantso I'm gonna do that with a
(18:17):
Pinot Noir.
So it's gonna be we have thislike uh playful label that I
have for just doing those kindsof experimental projects called
um Terlab.
So it'll be under that.
But I I really want to achievethat, which is not a true red
wine that you would drink atroom temperature and then chill
it.
I want to actually createsomething that is meant to be
(18:38):
chilled, purposely chilled,yeah, and then of course, um
continuing to build on the GoldHill portfolio, which I I'm very
excited about because um thisyear we planted some semillon on
our property.
So we took the Temper Neo,Temper Neo died, and so we
replaced it with Semillon.
So I'm very excited now becausenow we can add semillon to our
(18:59):
white portfolio, so it's that'sgonna be really interesting.
WineGuyTy (19:03):
Lovely for ageability too.
Yeah, of course, doing uh thosegorgeous Sem-Sauvs or exactly
barrel age Sem-Sauv.
It's uh one of my favorites.
Val Tait (19:12):
Yeah, I'm very excited about it.
So I'm really letting the fruithang late so I get the really
honeyed and fully you know ripeflavors of the semillon, and
then I'm gonna pair that with avery fresh expression of
Sauvignon Blanc.
So yeah, I'm excited aboutthat.
But I'm always excited at everyvintage because it's like a
brand new, you know, you don'tknow how it's gonna go, you know
(19:33):
what I mean?
Like I'm tasting the fruit asit's as it's developing on the
vine.
I'm very excited about thequality this year, and it seems
like more and more often thevintages are great.
Like it used to be you'd havetwo fantastic vintages in a
10-year period, and I feel likenow it's like half the vintages
in a 10-year period arespectacular.
So we're lucky in that sense.
WineGuyTy (20:01):
Yes.
For phenolic ripening.
Val Tait (20:03):
Like I've seen a shift in September, October.
It used to like all of a suddenget really cool in September,
and now we're getting we'regoing later and later in the
year with 30 degreetemperatures.
So that makes for justbeautiful late ripening.
WineGuyTy (20:17):
You used to preside over 50 plus skews at Bench
1775.
So you've probably done alittle bit.
I I still remember um as I wasrunning around there that that
year with you, um, a little bitdeer in the headlights and
cross-eyed because it just toomuch to keep track of.
So now it's what sort of 15-ishor 20-ish skews.
Val Tait (20:40):
No, even less than that. Uh, 11 SKUs.
S
WineGuyTy (20:44):
Recently reviewed results of the Wine Align
National Wine Awards of Canada.
And there was uh nearly halfthe gold medals were from BC
Wineries, which was lovely.
Yeah.
To see a couple of golds inthere from Ben 1775 that I
thought you might havecommandeered.
Yeah, oh, for sure.
18 white and the red meritage.
Val Tait (21:03):
Uh well, we did uh our latest results were all of our
2020 reds and Rose won goldmedals.
Oh.
So that was the most recentresults.
Yeah.
WineGuyTy (21:13):
Do you do you submit for Gold Hill?
Val Tait (21:14):
So we submitted for Gold Hill.
Yeah, so that was that was ourmost recent results.
That was last year that we thelast year's results.
This year we didn't submitanything because we, you know,
we're getting ahead of ourrelease schedule.
So we're just working on our2020s now.
But yeah, so we've been doingreally I mean the the vineyard
is an exceptional vineyard.
(21:34):
And Ian and I have been makingfruit from that vineyard since
it first started producing, andit has delivered exceptional
fruit regardless of the vineyardvintage year.
And in a cool year, we've justhad to hang the fruit longer,
and in a warm year we just pickit earlier.
But it's always deliveredperformance.
It's such a fantastic site.
WineGuyTy (21:55):
How or what do you do personally and specifically
that gives you such a clearfocus in such diverse portfolios
and alliances too?
Val Tait (22:04):
Uh yeah.
Uh well, I mean, personallymyself, I love wine and I love
to drink wine, and I kind ofselfishly am, you know,
furthering, like I think BCwines in general I love the
style of.
And you know, from a vineyardproduction side and from the
wine growing, I feel like, youknow, we're producing fruit
(22:26):
that's that iconic wineries areusing and building their
portfolios in a very specificstyle of fruit.
And then ourselves as well atGold Hill, we're just like
really dialed into theproduction from that site, that
vineyard site, and you know,basically the wine style is
really driven by what's beingexpressed in the vineyard, which
for me is really importantbecause you know, we we really
(22:48):
need to set ourselves apart withan identity, especially as we
move forward in the world, andyou know, the world is a busier
place, and you know, just sopeople really identify with a
sense of okay, we're drinking,we're eating, we're doing
locally, you know, and hopefullylike I think more and more
people are sensitive to that andwanting to participate in, and
(23:10):
that's how you build culture.
You know, if you consume what'slocal, it creates a culture,
you create a food culture, wineculture, then it creates a
social culture.
WineGuyTy (23:20):
Markedly different from other places that make
wine.
Um, speaking of UC Davis, doyou ever go back to Napa?
Val Tait (23:27):
Uh no, you know, Napa's a very different beast
than when I was down there.
It's when I like when I wasthere when I was going to
university, it was a very mompop winery-run operations.
And in the last 15 years, it'sjust been hugely capitalized.
Maybe I would say 25 years agothat's that it really started
(23:48):
happening.
And there's just massiveprojects, incredible wines, but
it's not really my scene.
You know, I I mean, it'd be ifI could just like pop myself in
and I could be there for acouple hours and then pop myself
out, I'd love it.
But it's..
I'd be curious.
Speaker 04 (24:02):
I haven't been down for..
Val Tait (24:03):
You haven't been down there?
WineGuyTy (24:04):
Not for 15 years, I think was the last time I was in
Napa.
Val Tait (24:09):
You would be blown away!
WineGuyTy (24:10):
And even then, you know, remarkable amount of
investment going on in certainplaces, so I could see, you
know, better than a decade on,how much more that that is even
growing.
Val Tait (24:21):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, it would be really coolto go and check it out, but
it's a different style of beingin a place very bougie and kind
of like all about being veryimpressive.
And I I always feel like that'sa little bit removed.
Like it's not so intimate.
WineGuyTy (24:35):
Yeah, I was listening to another uh fellow's podcast
on wine recently, and hisinterviewee, Violet Grgich, said
that one of the Grgich is oneof the big one of the most um
asked questions that she getsabout uh you know coming to wine
country is what to wear! Youknow, that kind of made me laugh
(24:59):
because I think of the you knowyou know the boots in the
vineyard and even in thetasting room you've run in from
the cellar or from out in thevineyard and you've got like a a
kind of a down vest on.
Val Tait (25:13):
Oh that's how yeah, like not very stuffy.
WineGuyTy (25:16):
And people are some people are mostly concerned with
what do I wear?
Val Tait (25:22):
Like the consumer who's coming into the tasting
room is asking that.
Oh my god, that is hilarious!Well, that gives you a sense of
like how okay it's very bougie.
WineGuyTy (25:29):
Or being marketed.
Val Tait (25:30):
Yeah.
I mean, also that is very fun.
Like there is a time and placewhere that is very fun to do,
but yeah.
WineGuyTy (25:37):
If I were coming to the Okanagan as a wine tourist
for the first time, what wouldyou say is must do, must see?
Or how would you uh explainsuch a special place?
I've had so many wonderfulmemories and moments there, but
uh characterize that forlisteners.
I would say that it would bereally uh you would have a
(25:58):
really great experience if youkind of went off the beaten
trail and instead of going tothe the bigger wineries, try to
seek out the smaller wineries.
You know, it's a more intimateexperience.
Mix it up, you know, like visita and and because the re the
wine industry has grown so big,pick a region in BC you want to
visit and spend your time there,and then try to mix, you know,
(26:20):
go to a bigger winery and a s areally small winery and see
which style you like just from avisiting winery point of view,
because I think wineries ingeneral are trying to be much
more welcoming and inclusive andand try to make people feel
really comfortable.
So if people feel intimidatedor they feel like they want a
(26:40):
more authentic or lesspretentious experience, you
know, if you diversify where yougo, you can really dial in the
type of experience you want,which is really nice.
But yeah, I would say that picka region first and then um try
not to do too many tastings in aday.
I think a lot of people dothat.
They try to fit into many.
Myself, I'd have two or threewineries at max.
Val Tait (27:01):
Two or three.
Three is even pushing it forme.
I like two, and I always liketo have a sit-down, have a
little bit of food, just becivilized about it.
WineGuyTy (27:08):
You know, yeah, I did that on this last trip where uh
we didn't manage to connect,and um I had a wonderful
afternoon at Red Barn.
Val Tait (27:17):
Oh, Red Barn's gorgeous.
I love the wines.
And lovely uh patio and amazingwinery, those tanks.
WineGuyTy (27:25):
Yeah, I was thinking of you when I walked in, and
they have these uh tanks thatare ex uh like aluminum
polychrome.
Yeah, so like purpley- pinkycolored.
Val Tait (27:37):
They're gorgeous, easy to clean.
They're sexy.
Yeah, very sexy.
Yeah, and you know, like youcan have an experience there
where like people have the timeto talk with you, it's a little
bit slowed down, it's not socrowded with people, and you
know, not to say that I don'twant to take away from the
bigger wineries that are reallywell recognized, but sometimes
they can be a bit zooy in thesummer, you know, like at peak
(27:58):
season.
Especially at peak season,especially at peak season, and
they would probably appreciateas well.
I mean, I'm not gonna say that,but they would appreciate if it
wasn't so mobbish, you know,like if they could just take
down, spread the people out overthe season.
So, yeah, that would be thefirst thing, f pick the region
and then you know, pick adiverse style or size of winery.
(28:19):
And then the other thing that Ithink is really good to do is
pick one wine that you want totaste, like so you really get to
know it, you know, like iftaste Pinot Gris and taste just
Pinot Gris or taste uh CabernetFranc, my favorite, and you
know, every winery just about inBC does a Cabernet Franc,
actually.
So that's a really niceexperience to be able to taste
(28:42):
one wine and then you can reallypick up the different styles
that winemakers are working on,and you people will probably
start to really recognize theOkanagan style.
You know, what's what's beingexpressed, uh not just Okanagan,
sorry.
I I have to keep including allthe regions in BC, but just
what's coming from each region,which is so beautiful to be able
to get that experience whereyou can taste the difference.
(29:04):
And by doing just one wine, itreally focuses your palate, and
then I think it would reallybuild a lot of confidence that
people would get in being ableto taste and discern wines if
they just focus on tasting onewine, and each region has its uh
kind of strengths, I think,too.
WineGuyTy (29:20):
Like I I haven't been over to Vancouver Island for a
while, but um lots of sparklinguh going on there.
And then I um do you knowHeleen um from up in Lilouett at
Fort Berrens?
Val Tait (29:34):
Yeah, Fort Berrens, yeah, they're doing gorgeous
ones.
Beautiful whites and Rieslingand yeah, yeah, like on the
island, they're doing incrediblepinot noirs and like the
sparkling program, like you say,and yeah, so the interesting
thing where everybody had lostfruit in 2024, the island had
lots of fruit.
They didn't have a shortagebecause their vines survived, no
(29:55):
problem.
WineGuyTy (29:55):
Amazing.
Val Tait (29:56):
Yeah, so I would say you know, diversify where you're
going, diversify.
The size and type of wineriesyou're visiting and focus on one
wine.
And if you go in theoff-season, you have very good
opportunity to talk towinemakers or owners.
You know, it's like a way morechill vibe.
WineGuyTy (30:12):
Thanks for sending along the media pack.
Speaker 03 (30:15):
Oh, yeah, no happy to!
WineGuyTy (30:18):
Most wines from um are from your current portfolio.
Uh I've enjoyed a couple sofar.
Oh, nice.
I think I sent a couple ofphotos with uh Chef Ricky's
pairings.
Um I appreciate your reviews,by the way.
I I look forward to reviewinguh the rest and tasting the
others, um including the twohouse.
Um what are you most proud offor the current portfolio
(30:39):
offerings and what would youtell listeners or or new wine
club members to expect?
Val Tait (30:44):
Oh, I'm very proud of the Cab Franc.
I feel like the Cab Franc wereally are dialing in the style
and it's uh we're getting justlike really unique expression
from our vineyards, and yeah, Ifeel like the Cabernet Franc I
would be most proud of.
And then of course the SavignanBlanc because I I you know it's
the summer and I'm drinkingwhites right now.
But as we head into the fall,the Cabernet Franc and Grand Vin
(31:07):
are flagship wine.
Very proud of that.
We're bottling uh Syrah 2022this October, and that's been
percolating.
It's been in barrel aging fortwo years.
Yeah, and it's actually I'mvery happy with that.
WineGuyTy (31:20):
But do you what do you put into the Grand Vin?
Do you actually is it all theBordeaux Varietals, but you put
Syrah in?
Speaker 03 (31:27):
No, no Syrah, but you know what?
It's um we have all the redwines aging in barrels, so we do
Cab Franc, Merlot.
Um, sometimes we do Malbec andCab Sauv, but we're doing a
little bit less of that becausegoing forward, so basically what
we do is we have all thesebarrels, and I'll just taste
through the barrels and I'llselect the best barrels for
putting together the blend forthe grand vin.
(31:48):
And the grand vin a hundredpercent depends on what's
tasting good, like what whatwhat tastes beautiful in the
blend.
So going forward, we're gonnaI'm I would like to try to make
it Cab Franc dominant and thenyou know use Merlot, Cap Sov,
and Malbec as seasoning, youknow, to to um just make it a
(32:11):
bigger wine because Gran Vin ismeant to be a very big wine
compared to the Cabernet Franc,which I would consider a
medium-bodied wine.
So that is always an excitingprocess to build that wine every
year because it changes.
The blend composition changesdepending on what what is
favored in that vintage, butalways Cabernet Franc does well,
(32:31):
every vintage, and so that'swhy I'd like to have that
predominantly in the blend.
WineGuyTy (32:36):
And um, there's a tasting following this in the in
the big room downstairs withabout 60 wineries here at uh
swirl around BC Wine Expo.
Um what have you brought downfor tasting for uh for today?
Val Tait (32:51):
We have our Sauvignon Blanc and our Cabernet Franc
Rose, and then our CabernetFranc and the Grand Vin.
So there's like like a nicecollection, you know, carry you
through the sunny days to thecool, cozy winter days.
WineGuyTy (33:07):
Yeah, and those um some of them are under the
Charisma label?
Val Tait (33:12):
Yeah, Charisma is uh we make Charisma at the winery,
and it's um, you know, I'mdoing I am still involved with
the winemaking of charisma, butcharisma is my daughter, I you
know, I make the wines with mydaughter in mind.
She's in her 20s and she has areally good palate, but she
doesn't have the budget to buythe wines that she's used to
(33:33):
drinking growing up in ourhousehold.
So now that she's on her own,she's got a lower budget.
So I built Charisma for peoplelike my daughter who still have
good taste, but you know, theyjust can't afford the big wines.
So they're just wines that haveless inputs in them, like less
oak, so they're not aged aslong, they don't go into oak
barrels, or a very smallpercentage of the wine is in oak
(33:55):
barrels to keep our input costslow, and then they're put to
market sooner.
So, for example, we're sellingour 2019 Cabernet Franc right
now.
In the charisma line, we'reselling the 2022 Pinot Noir.
The other thing about charismais it's mostly Alsatian
varieties, so northern Europeanvarieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot
Gris, Chardonnay, yeah, that'sit.
(34:18):
Yeah, so we're trying tosometimes we add a gamet, but we
we we don't have gamet thisvintage.
But yeah, those so it's a verysmall portfolio of mostly
northern European varieties.
WineGuyTy (34:29):
Going forward, where do you see yourself in this
amazing career of yours now?
Will you keep making yourbeautiful wines or is Central
America weighing in more thesedays?
More surfing, less winemaking?
Val Tait (34:43):
I thought, you know, last fall when I took a gap
harvest and uh skipped theharvest, I thought, yeah, I
could see more surf, more beach,more surfing in my future, but
I realized uh after five months,I'm not ready to stop making
wine.
It's yeah, I want to keep ondoing it.
I mean, the the projectworking with Gold Hill, it's
(35:05):
very manageable, it's a smallproject.
We're gonna grow the you know,the next generation in the
winery, in the family wants togrow the business, and I'm want
to be there to mentor this um,you know, the newest member of
the family who's joined the winewinery team.
WineGuyTy (35:22):
Yeah.
Val Tait (35:22):
And I feel like, you know, once I've mentored him,
then I I'm very happy to stepaway.
You know, that'll be that'll bea nice last mission.
WineGuyTy (35:30):
And you live fairly close by to really close.
Where it was before when youwere up at 1775 in Naramata, I
remember you kind of thinking itwas getting busier and busier
and uh getting in and out of alittle bit more of a
negotiation.
Val Tait (35:47):
So I'm a bit of a baby.
For young people, it's uh youknow, it's happening, it's very
fun, it's busy.
But yeah, to for me to livethere, you know, it's like
living in a tourist area.
Like it's cute and fun for thefirst couple years, and then
(36:09):
it's like, get me out of here.
Too many people, it's verybusy.
WineGuyTy (36:13):
Well, there's over 40 plus wineries on Narramata
Bench.
Speaker 03 (36:17):
Yeah, and you know, the traffic has changed because
now it's semi's and commercialvehicles and tour buses, and
then of course all the tourists,and then the traffic of people
living there, and yeah, it's umit's gotten really busy.
And I guess that's a you know,we've become a victim of our own
success.
I mean, that that's that speaksvery highly to how successful
(36:39):
the wine industry has been, butalso there's a bit of a lesson
there because it does it doeskind of make it hard to have a
lifestyle.
WineGuyTy (36:47):
Yeah.
Val Tait (36:47):
You know, and it and it's kind of seen as an
entertainment business, really,in a way, which is kind of odd.
You know, it's not like a fooditem, it's it's kind of got this
element of entertainment.
WineGuyTy (36:58):
So that kind of wine tourism happening.
Val Tait (37:00):
Yeah, exactly.
And so that kind of ramps upthat energy too.
So yeah, that so you know, forwhere you live, it's a little
bit much, but you know Oliver ispretty quiet, and so is OKFalls
.
Yeah, Oliver, yeah, you wouldhate Oliver, so like dead.
WineGuyTy (37:16):
In the winter time.
Val Tait (37:17):
It's like so dead.
Well, that's why we go away inthe winter.
That's why you go away.
Speaker 04 (37:20):
It's dead.
So when you get back to thewinery, obviously there's more
uh harvest uh exigencies, thingsto do.
Um when do you kind of getfinished and get yourself
together to go to go away toCentral America?
Val Tait (37:37):
Well this year, you know what?
I actually missed winter lastyear.
I I we left it when it washadn't even got cold yet, so it
was the end of October and wehad a really warm fall.
So left at the end of Octoberand then came back in April, so
I didn't experience cold weatherat all, and funnily enough I
missed it.
Like I missed snow.
So this year we're gonna stayuntil January.
(37:59):
And then yeah, actually, um nowI'm of the age that my friends'
kids are getting married.
So we're going to our friend'skids' wedding in Barbados in
January, and I just found outthat there's a little two-hour
hopper that goes from Barbadosto Panama, so we're just gonna
go to Panama from there.
WineGuyTy (38:15):
Oh, that sounds like a plan.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
If you're gonna stick around inthe fall, maybe that gives me
the impetus to organize a trip,trip up for a later fall visit
or something, hang out and cracksome bottles open.
Val Tait (38:30):
There's all these opportunity to crack open
bottles!
WineGuyTy (38:33):
Some wines, yes.
We don't need any excuse inthat either.
Val Tait (38:37):
It's like, whoops, how did this get open?
We have to drink it now.
WineGuyTy (38:41):
How many fallen soldiers every three or four
days around my little apartment?
It's like,what? We drink this, we drink that.
I yeah, I'm definitely slowingdown, but yeah, I'm not like at
my peak energy, you know, whereI used to be able to just like
down them, but yeah, I stillenjoy wine.
I'm always gonna enjoy wine.
How who could you not?
How could you not?
(39:01):
Yeah, it's one of those things I look forward to
for the rest of my life, if atall possible.
Val Tait (39:06):
Yes, of course.
WineGuyTy (39:07):
And better ones all the time on my radar.
What one can afford.
Val Tait (39:13):
Exactly! Yeah, you can get more discerning, and it's
really fun because now we'vebeen going through our sell
because we have a cellarcollection and we're starting to
go through wines like pullingout bottles from like 2006 and
2009, you know, like tasting.
WineGuyTy (39:27):
So it's very interesting to taste wines that
have like some real history asfor especially local wines,
because there really aren't thatmany library wines of BC around
unless they're in personalcellars like yours.
Val Tait (39:41):
That would actually be a very fun thing to do, like to
put the call out to all thewinemakers and just like have
like pick a vintage and do a2004.
Everybody brings their 2004.
That would be such a fun thingto do.
Like have a table where youhave all the wines and everybody
can just taste like how thewines have aged and where
they've come from, and thatwould be such a fun thing to do.
That and Cab Franc Festival, Iwant to do that also.
WineGuyTy (40:04):
Well, speaking of tasting, um uh that is what's
next for me this afternoon.
What's are you on another panelor?..
Not another panel, but we're in the room. Yeah,in the tasting room.
So we get to meet up withpeople, and it's nice because I
don't get a chance to see otherpeople in the industry.
Funnily enough, I have to cometo Vancouver to see everybody.
And um, yeah, so you know it'sgood to catch up with everyone
(40:29):
and introduce Gorginder to allthe people, like he's the newest
member of the family, theyoungest member of the family
who's joined the winery team.
Yeah, so it's nice to get himto meet people and you know take
in the scene.
For sure.
Val Tait (40:43):
Yeah.
WineGuyTy (40:43):
Well, Val, it's been so fun to sit here and have this
moment finally making ithappen.
Yes.
We were two ships passing acouple of weeks ago.
Yeah, it was a busy summer.
It was a really busy summer.
And I can't believe it's uhwe're already in September, and
I feel like you know, I wascomplaining before I went up to
the Okanagan two weeks ago, uh,that I hadn't dipped my toes in
(41:04):
a river, a pool, or a lake.
I know, you know.
I was like, what?
And uh and you know, and herewe are in this room looking out
at at Coal Harbour and theDisney cruise ship that's just
about to leave.
Val Tait (41:17):
See, you're living in in one of the most iconic
vacation spots in the world, andit's like there it is right
there for you, Ty.
Yeah, I could just But it'syou're right, like this the year
went by so fast, and I rememberJess and I sitting there and
going, you know, in no timewe're gonna be saying, Oh my
god, it's July, and we were theother day going, it's the end of
September.
Like, how did that happen?
(41:38):
That is pretty crazy!
WineGuyTy (41:39):
Well, thank you very much.
Val Tait (41:40):
Yeah, thank you.
WineGuyTy (41:41):
It's uh always a pleasure to sit with you and
have these conversations, andpart of the reason for me uh
doing these podcasts is to bringthose conversations to a
greater group of people and wineenthusiasts uh the world over,
which is which I think is uhthese stories need to be told.
And we need to carry on withour enthusiastic way of being
(42:07):
here in British Columbia andwhat we have in the wine world.
Val Tait (42:10):
Yeah, we have something special here, and you
know, I hope we can likecontinue to grow it and dodge
bullets.
WineGuyTy (42:17):
Dodge bullets.
Hopefully not real ones, but weare in Canada after all!
Val Tait (42:24):
Yeah, they're they're always metaphorical in Canada.
Like we don't have to worryabout the real thing here.
WineGuyTy (42:30):
Well, I'll let you get down to the tasting room and
we'll we'll see you down there.
And uh again, cheers to you.
Val Tait (42:36):
Yeah, cheers to you. Good questions, cheers!
Hi, I'm WineGuyTy.
Welcome to the Barrel Room.
And we're at the 2025 SwirlAround BC Wine Expo.
My guest today is Val Tait.
She's winemaker and a goodfriend.
Hi, Val.
Val Tait (00:13):
Hi, Ty.
WineGuyTy (00:13):
This is kind of our second hello because we were
just at the business of BC Winein the Global Cru seminar, which
was wonderful.
Before we get into it though, Ijust want to make mention for
listeners & subscribers, my lastinterview with Richard Da Silva
from Da Silva Vineyards andWinery.
You know..
Val Tait (00:29):
Yeah, we know Richard.
WineGuyTy (00:31):
Covered so many topics from his deep connections
to his roots going back to1955.
Wow.
When his family immigrated fromPortugal to also to in-depth
real understanding of histerroir, which was a little bit
of what we spoke on in the uhseminar earlier.
Of course, all his variouswines, a couple of unique field
blends that we tasted togetherthat is kind of unique to him
(00:53):
and his Portuguese MexTapa-styled restaurant and very
original menu offering.
Val Tait (00:58):
That's a really good restaurant, by the way.
WineGuyTy (01:00):
Yes, if that sounds of interest to you, head on over
and have a listen.
My lovely guest, longtimefriend, winemaker, and GM of
Gold Hill Winery, located inOliver, BC, around the very
first sub-GI, the Golden MileBench.
Val's a hands-on boots in thedirt, true viticulturalist with
near three decades of experiencein making some top wines I've
(01:23):
tasted coming out of the region.
She has undergraduate trainingin molecular genetics, plant
biochemistry, and a degree inanalogy from UC Davis in Napa.
Her focus laterally is tocreate small lot handcrafted
vinos from fruit grown at theexceptional Gold Hill Estate
Winery.
How long ago did we meet?
(01:45):
It was a dozen years ago.
I think it was the BC Uh WineGrowers Association Bloom event.
Then in 2017, a month-longOdyssey of my own working with
you at Bench1 775 for the Whitesprogram.
..A few dinners, some boating,lots of meetings, uh blending
(02:08):
sessions, tastings, a LOT..
Val Tait (02:11):
Yeah.
WineGuyTy (02:12):
A lot has happened since then.
Val Tait (02:14):
Well, I just have to interrupt and say I remember
meeting you because I could havesworn you were John Malkovich.
WineGuyTy (02:20):
Oh yes well I've had that comparison a few times.
So I mean, since then, worldpandem!cs, uh seven harvests,
..vintages.
Where does the time go?
Does it all become a blur atsome point after so many years
as a winemaker?
Val Tai (02:38):
Pestulants! Plagues!!..
No, it doesn't, but you knowwhat's really scary is I have so
many vintages existing at thesame time in my mind and in the
cellar that I often get confusedand I have to recheck like what
vintage are we in?
Because we've got wine in casethat's aging, like four vintages
aging, two vintages in inbottle, and two vintages in
barrel, and then one in tankready to be bottled, and then
(03:01):
the harvest that's coming in.
So it's kind of like a lot ofvintages that are swirling
around in my head.
WineGuyTy (03:07):
Swirling around in your head and also in tank and
in barrel at any minute when youwalk into the winery, right?
Especially at this time ofyear, because we're we're at
harvest.
Yes.
It it's been a rough couple ofyears in the Okanagan frosts,
complete loss of vineyards, andsubsequently vintages, a lot of
pivoting.
And you um kind of made mentionin the earlier seminar that we
(03:30):
did together some of the bigimpact for you.
How did it affect yourpriorities at Gold Hill Winery?
Val Tait (03:36):
Oh, wow, we'll back it up even before the last two
years, we've just had so manychallenges that are completely
out of our control, includingwildfire events and then
subsequent road closures thatlimited access to the Okanagan
with uh tourism, which is a bigpart of how we do business, is
people directly visiting ourwinery, and then climate events
(03:59):
that have caused widespreadlosses in 2023 of fruit.
Our vines were fine, but theydidn't produce any fruit.
And then subsequently, 2024,about a third of our vineyards
outright died and had to bereplaced, and then the remainder
didn't produce any fruit atall.
So two years back to back withno fruit.
(04:20):
And here we are this year,where our vines that are have
been planted from last year andour vines that survived those
cold events, our bumper croploaded, and we're having an
incredible vintage.
It's one of the nicestvintages.
Everything is getting fullyripe.
We're we're just the ripenessis cascading upon us.
(04:41):
So it's a pretty busy time.
WineGuyTy (04:42):
It's a busy time, and yet you've managed to find a
moment to get into the city ofVancouver for uh for the swirl
event, which is a lot ofjuggling.
Sure.
But you've got Nav at at thewinery.
Val Tait (04:53):
Uh no, Navi's not with us anymore.
He moved on to he married andhe's got two children and he's
living in Vancouver now.
So yeah, we miss himtremendously because he was um
you know very passionate aboutthe winery and the wines and of
course our region, our to ourparticular place in the world.
But his younger brother,Gerginder, who actually just
(05:15):
graduated from university inmarketing, is joining us and he
will be instrumental in salesand marketing for us.
So he's kind of absorbing theworld of the winery and the
vineyards, and he yeah, he willbe the one that'll take over for
his parents.
So we are very thankful.
WineGuyTy (05:33):
Oh, that's great.
Val Tait (05:34):
We need new blood.
WineGuyTy (05:35):
A favorite grape I know is yours, and I too am a
fan, Cab Franc.
Oh yeah.
I just had some in my mouth,and that was lovely.
A couple of years ago, wewalked up to that amazing one
kilometer long vineyard at thetop of the bridge, which was uh
the cab franc, the longest cabfranc um.
Val Tait (05:54):
It's a really long row, yeah, it's like a kilometer
long, yeah.
WineGuyTy (05:57):
So that was all lost and is it being replanted?
Val Tait (06:00):
Everything's been replanted.
You know, we the vines didn'toutright die, but what happened
is we saw a lot of damage.
And instead of chasing thosevines and hoping that they'd
make a recovery, we just decidedthat we need them to be
functional and productive andreally even ripeness in the
fruit, and so we just likereplace the vineyard.
You know, it's just tooimportant to us, and uh we
(06:22):
really need to get beautifulfruit, it has to be productive,
it has to be something that wecan count on with consistency,
and so for us it just madesense.
We're we've already lost thatvintage to just replant it.
And in fact, um the brothers,the owners of the winery, are
such good growers that they wereable to produce enough growth
(06:43):
in the first year that in thesecond year of the vine's life
we were able to get 60% or 70%of a full crop.
So that means we're back inbusiness like that.
WineGuyTy (06:54):
Excellent.
Yeah.
Oh wow, that's very fortunate.
Val Tait (06:56):
That's very fortunate.
And I mean another year, andit's gonna be like, you know, we
didn't have this mishap, youknow, there'll be some new
challenge that we're facing.
WineGuyTy (07:03):
Obviously, there'll be a challenge.
Val Tait (07:04):
There'll always be challenges, yeah.
But I feel we're like we'regetting good at it, you know,
we're getting good at uh dodgingthe bullet.
So yeah.
WineGuyTy (07:12):
Well, 30 years of vintages and work, I guess
you've uh there's a lot ofthings that has been thrown in
your direction.
Val Tait (07:20):
Yeah, bears eating fruit and staff quitting and you
know, people coming, ..
helping.
Yeah, no, it's I mean it's verydynamic, and also where we are
in the world is a challengingplace to grow wine.
But because it's right at thevery limits of where you can
grow wine grapes, the expressionof the fruit is exceptional.
You know, we get so it's a bitof a it's a you know a seesaw,
(07:43):
like you you want to push theenvelope of where you can grow
fruit, but you're gonna have sofor listeners the context.
WineGuyTy (07:49):
So Oliver and Golden Mile Bench, like this is
48, 47 to 48 degrees uhlatitude, which is like you say,
almost at the further reaches.
So going further north, ofcourse, with lake country, we're
we're right at the 50thparallel, which is the same as
Champagne.
Val Tait (08:08):
It is, but you know, they have a really big maritime
influence, so the ocean has abig effect on moderating the
cold temperatures in the winter.
We don't have that.
The further north you move.
WineGuyTy (08:18):
Even with a lake?
Val Tait (08:19):
Yeah, even with a lake, it's not enough when you
start moving into higherlatitudes because you you start
to see a bigger s drop intemperature in the winter, so it
it gets colder.
Speaker 00 (08:29):
Yeah.
Val Tait (08:30):
But um, yeah, that is a that is a bit of a challenge.
And I mean people talk aboutclimate change and that we're
starting to see warmertemperatures, but actually, we
are a hot climate that is also acold climate.
So we're seeing extremes in hottemperature, but we're also
seeing extremes in coldtemperature, so it really is
difficult to manage.
Like we're really pushing theenvelope of where we can grow
(08:51):
grapes, and I think that havingthis event that happened last
year really took a lot of thekind of um I don't want to say
it's frivolous, but kind of likeoutside experimental plantings,
you know, that were doing okay,they were struggling, but then
it was like, no, there's nopossibility that we can continue
with these varieties, likesouthern Sicilian, Fran Italian
(09:13):
varieties.
WineGuyTy (09:14):
Is Cab Franc in some ways more winter hardy, even
though you lost it?
Val Tait (09:18):
It is very winter hardy because the um we only
lost Cab Franc in a small area,but most of our Cab Franc
plantings were survived.
Not the ones that we use forour portfolio for the wines,
that home estate, be it, but inother locations they've the
vines survived, and they're likethis year had beautiful crop,
big crop.
So yeah.
WineGuyTy (09:39):
I know this about you.
Okay, you love to surf, andonce all the ducks are in a row
in the cellar, harvest has beenbrought in in the next couple of
weeks as you're scurryingaround.
You and partner Ian dispatchyourselves to Panama and seek
out the waves to rise.
Yes.
What is the correlation ofwaves and wines, if any, and and
(10:01):
how did this all come about?
Val Tait (10:03):
That's a good that's a good question.
Yeah, you know, I guess uhsurfing is very dynamic and
something that you're dealingwith that's moving and
uncontrolled isn't a force ofnature and you're taking it as
it comes.
Much like you are dealing witha vintage, it's completely out
of your hands what the vintageis gonna deliver.
And in over 30 years, I'venever seen a vintage that was
(10:24):
the same.
It's it's so variable.
So I feel like that's kind oftying in with just dealing or or
playing with nature.
You know, you're you're in therealm of nature, and no matter
how big a check you write, or nomatter how much pleading you
do, you're just gonna get whatnature delivers.
Which is kind of I love theauthenticity of that.
(10:45):
I think that that's prettyexciting, actually.
And to the same tune, whenyou're out riding the waves, you
have no idea what's gonna becoming
in. No, you could ride the wave if you catch it, or you can get slammed into the sand!
WineGuyTy (10:58):
There's a lot of metaphors in there!
Val Tait (11:00):
I know.
I've kind of been eating sandin the cellar the last couple of
years, so yeah, that's a goodquestion, actually.
That's a really good question.
WineGuyTy (11:08):
2House
brand created with lots of love,which is so apparent in making
a red and a white uh winespecifically and in harmony.
Yes, which is lovely.
Nice.
What's in the name and andwhat's it all about?
Val Tait (11:26):
Oh, 2House is a project that uh Ian, my partner,
is a winemaker, and uh we'veboth had a lot of years of
experience growing and makingwine from wine grapes in the
Okanagan Valley, and inparticular the South Okanagan.
And so for us, we've um hadsometimes similarities in our
style and other timesdifferences, and we wanted to do
(11:48):
a project together where wecould sometimes celebrate those
similarities and other timescontrast our differences.
And so two houses was born.
Two house meaning the house ofIan and the house of Val, and
sometimes they meet andsometimes they don't meet.
So uh if you look at the label,he has a Scandinavian
background and I have a Spanishbackground.
(12:10):
So there's two dragons on thelabel, and we're dragons from
Chinese astrology, and one ofthe dragons is a Mayan dragon,
Aztec, it's sort of a modifiedAztec dragon, and the other one
is a Viking dragon.
And so if the if whicheverone's on top is the one that led
the decision making in thatwine.
Oh, interesting.
WineGuyTy (12:30):
So you modify the label of the dragon?
Val Tait (12:32):
Modify the label, so it's either the Viking dragon or
the Mexican dragon.
Yeah, so it's very fun.
We've been having a lot of funwith that.
And we do very small amounts,like 50 cases or less, tiny,
it's just a a play, a barrelplay for us.
Yeah, very fun.
WineGuyTy (12:48):
So it's mid-September here, and harvest is happening,
and all the frenzy of the crushpad has ensued.
You mentioned a couple of weeksback when I was in the region
uh having this year a surplus offruit.
Yes.
So uh what is that normal orit's only for this year?
As you said, you've had an overabundance.
Val Tait (13:08):
Yeah, it's actually a really tragic situation because
in an effort to address the lossof fruit last year, the f the
government and our marketingboard collectively decided that
they would relax theregulations.
So to be a BC wine producer,you must be making your wines
from 100% BC fruit.
(13:29):
Well, cut to 2024, there's zeroBC fruit.
So the government and themarketing agency together
collectively worked with uhinput from everyone and decided
that the best course of actionwas to open up jurisdiction for
getting grapes and people couldsource grapes from anywhere they
wanted.
It could be anywhere fromCanada or the United States or
(13:51):
wherever in the world.
So with the relaxing of thoserules, a lot of wineries took
advantage of that, in particularthe bigger producers, and they
brought in a fairly significantamount of fruit, anticipating
they weren't gonna have fruitfor 2024 or 2025.
But 2025 we have a beautiful uhyield of fruit.
(14:14):
And unfortunately, hundreds oftons of fruit is going without a
home because the wineries havealready sourced fruit from other
areas.
Yeah.
And it's really unfortunatebecause the growers had the loss
of revenue from 2024 of fruitthat they couldn't produce,
didn't have money for, and nowthey're in a year where they can
recoup some of those losses,and unfortunately they don't
(14:35):
have a market for their fruitbecause it's occupied by fruit
from another place.
So it's kind of a tragicsituation.
And I mean it it could be anexistential problem for some
growers.
You know, two years that's along time to hold your breath.
Two years without any revenue.
Because they don't have analternative path to generating
revenue.
They're not a winery, so it'slike, yeah, very tragic.
WineGuyTy (14:58):
That's a good point.
Uh the wine program at GoldHill has very strategically
managed to include 65 acres ofvineyards and a three-year
reserve program, which so manywineries haven't been able to
achieve.
And that of course plays intothese hiccups with no vintages.
How did that come about at GoldHill?
And is that part of why you'renot too concerned with the loss
(15:23):
of the recent vintages?
Val Tait (15:25):
Yeah, well, with Gold Hill, all of our fruit is
sourced from one vineyard.
And um, as you say, I learnedvery early on from my partner,
Ian Sutherland, about the valueof holding back your vintages
and releasing them when they'reready to drink, as opposed to
selling a wine that, you know,is is definitely drinkable, but
(15:46):
would benefit from having someaging.
WineGuyTy (15:49):
Yeah.
Val Tait (15:49):
And um for us and for anybody starting out, if you do
that right at the verybeginning, you hold back those
wines, you you know, it's likeyou just don't have anything to
sell, or you make a differentproduct to sell for those first
couple of years, and yourvolumes are really small, so
you're not holding back a lot.
And then once you start on thatrelease program, it's just
every year you're already onthat release program, so you're
(16:11):
already aging your wines.
So for us, we've been for me,because I've seen that happen in
the vineyards, that there's alot of variability and you don't
know for sure what's gonnahappen and if the fruit's gonna
get ripe that year or not.
I've done it with the whitesand the reds, and so we have a
reserve in our gold hill labelof at least two years in the
whites and four to five years inthe reds.
So, you know, it wasn't astragic for us from uh selling
(16:36):
through our wines point of viewbecause the losses that we uh uh
see in 2024 we're not gonnarealize until 2028, 2029 for our
reds.
So we could weather that as awinery, but it still was
devastating financially from thegrowing side of our operation.
Because most of the productionof our fruit is sold to other
(16:57):
wineries.
We just do a very small amountfor our winery.
We were only making 8,000 casesa year, so it's not a big, big
production.
WineGuyTy (17:06):
So, what are your goals for these next wines
currently in the in the cellaruh and what makes you happiest
with them?
I because I know you, ..yourstyle, like you you kind of
you're a brewmaster, uh awinemaker.
Uh um I remember you alludingto uh winemaking being similar
(17:27):
to canning, where you've got allkinds of pots on the stove and
so it's a big, messy canningprocess.
Val Tait (17:35):
That's kind of like that actually.
Oh well, you know, like I'm I'mcognizant of what's happening
with trends.
Like you were in a talk withme, like we were listening to
Barb talking about um just thetrends of what's happening
globally with wine sales andwhat people are drinking, and
you know, personally also whatI'm drinking myself.
Like I'm starting to move awayfrom really big, kind of classic
(17:57):
red wines.
And this year I'm this iscompletely off piece, but I want
to do a very small amount of ared wine that can be chilled.
A true red wine that's chilled,not a rose.
So something that you can drinkin the summer that's a very
light red.
Tempranillo, because I know youused to yeah, like
temperanillo, but I want I wantso I'm gonna do that with a
(18:17):
Pinot Noir.
So it's gonna be we have thislike uh playful label that I
have for just doing those kindsof experimental projects called
um Terlab.
So it'll be under that.
But I I really want to achievethat, which is not a true red
wine that you would drink atroom temperature and then chill
it.
I want to actually createsomething that is meant to be
(18:38):
chilled, purposely chilled,yeah, and then of course, um
continuing to build on the GoldHill portfolio, which I I'm very
excited about because um thisyear we planted some semillon on
our property.
So we took the Temper Neo,Temper Neo died, and so we
replaced it with Semillon.
So I'm very excited now becausenow we can add semillon to our
(18:59):
white portfolio, so it's that'sgonna be really interesting.
WineGuyTy (19:03):
Lovely for ageability too.
Yeah, of course, doing uh thosegorgeous Sem-Sauvs or exactly
barrel age Sem-Sauv.
It's uh one of my favorites.
Val Tait (19:12):
Yeah, I'm very excited about it.
So I'm really letting the fruithang late so I get the really
honeyed and fully you know ripeflavors of the semillon, and
then I'm gonna pair that with avery fresh expression of
Sauvignon Blanc.
So yeah, I'm excited aboutthat.
But I'm always excited at everyvintage because it's like a
brand new, you know, you don'tknow how it's gonna go, you know
(19:33):
what I mean?
Like I'm tasting the fruit asit's as it's developing on the
vine.
I'm very excited about thequality this year, and it seems
like more and more often thevintages are great.
Like it used to be you'd havetwo fantastic vintages in a
10-year period, and I feel likenow it's like half the vintages
in a 10-year period arespectacular.
So we're lucky in that sense.
WineGuyTy (20:01):
Yes.
For phenolic ripening.
Val Tait (20:03):
Like I've seen a shift in September, October.
It used to like all of a suddenget really cool in September,
and now we're getting we'regoing later and later in the
year with 30 degreetemperatures.
So that makes for justbeautiful late ripening.
WineGuyTy (20:17):
You used to preside over 50 plus skews at Bench
1775.
So you've probably done alittle bit.
I I still remember um as I wasrunning around there that that
year with you, um, a little bitdeer in the headlights and
cross-eyed because it just toomuch to keep track of.
So now it's what sort of 15-ishor 20-ish skews.
Val Tait (20:40):
No, even less than that. Uh, 11 SKUs.
S
WineGuyTy (20:44):
Recently reviewed results of the Wine Align
National Wine Awards of Canada.
And there was uh nearly halfthe gold medals were from BC
Wineries, which was lovely.
Yeah.
To see a couple of golds inthere from Ben 1775 that I
thought you might havecommandeered.
Yeah, oh, for sure.
18 white and the red meritage.
Val Tait (21:03):
Uh well, we did uh our latest results were all of our
2020 reds and Rose won goldmedals.
Oh.
So that was the most recentresults.
Yeah.
WineGuyTy (21:13):
Do you do you submit for Gold Hill?
Val Tait (21:14):
So we submitted for Gold Hill.
Yeah, so that was that was ourmost recent results.
That was last year that we thelast year's results.
This year we didn't submitanything because we, you know,
we're getting ahead of ourrelease schedule.
So we're just working on our2020s now.
But yeah, so we've been doingreally I mean the the vineyard
is an exceptional vineyard.
(21:34):
And Ian and I have been makingfruit from that vineyard since
it first started producing, andit has delivered exceptional
fruit regardless of the vineyardvintage year.
And in a cool year, we've justhad to hang the fruit longer,
and in a warm year we just pickit earlier.
But it's always deliveredperformance.
It's such a fantastic site.
WineGuyTy (21:55):
How or what do you do personally and specifically
that gives you such a clearfocus in such diverse portfolios
and alliances too?
Val Tait (22:04):
Uh yeah.
Uh well, I mean, personallymyself, I love wine and I love
to drink wine, and I kind ofselfishly am, you know,
furthering, like I think BCwines in general I love the
style of.
And you know, from a vineyardproduction side and from the
wine growing, I feel like, youknow, we're producing fruit
(22:26):
that's that iconic wineries areusing and building their
portfolios in a very specificstyle of fruit.
And then ourselves as well atGold Hill, we're just like
really dialed into theproduction from that site, that
vineyard site, and you know,basically the wine style is
really driven by what's beingexpressed in the vineyard, which
for me is really importantbecause you know, we we really
(22:48):
need to set ourselves apart withan identity, especially as we
move forward in the world, andyou know, the world is a busier
place, and you know, just sopeople really identify with a
sense of okay, we're drinking,we're eating, we're doing
locally, you know, and hopefullylike I think more and more
people are sensitive to that andwanting to participate in, and
(23:10):
that's how you build culture.
You know, if you consume what'slocal, it creates a culture,
you create a food culture, wineculture, then it creates a
social culture.
WineGuyTy (23:20):
Markedly different from other places that make
wine.
Um, speaking of UC Davis, doyou ever go back to Napa?
Val Tait (23:27):
Uh no, you know, Napa's a very different beast
than when I was down there.
It's when I like when I wasthere when I was going to
university, it was a very mompop winery-run operations.
And in the last 15 years, it'sjust been hugely capitalized.
Maybe I would say 25 years agothat's that it really started
(23:48):
happening.
And there's just massiveprojects, incredible wines, but
it's not really my scene.
You know, I I mean, it'd be ifI could just like pop myself in
and I could be there for acouple hours and then pop myself
out, I'd love it.
But it's..
I'd be curious.
Speaker 04 (24:02):
I haven't been down for..
Val Tait (24:03):
You haven't been down there?
WineGuyTy (24:04):
Not for 15 years, I think was the last time I was in
Napa.
Val Tait (24:09):
You would be blown away!
WineGuyTy (24:10):
And even then, you know, remarkable amount of
investment going on in certainplaces, so I could see, you
know, better than a decade on,how much more that that is even
growing.
Val Tait (24:21):
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, it would be really coolto go and check it out, but
it's a different style of beingin a place very bougie and kind
of like all about being veryimpressive.
And I I always feel like that'sa little bit removed.
Like it's not so intimate.
WineGuyTy (24:35):
Yeah, I was listening to another uh fellow's podcast
on wine recently, and hisinterviewee, Violet Grgich, said
that one of the Grgich is oneof the big one of the most um
asked questions that she getsabout uh you know coming to wine
country is what to wear! Youknow, that kind of made me laugh
(24:59):
because I think of the you knowyou know the boots in the
vineyard and even in thetasting room you've run in from
the cellar or from out in thevineyard and you've got like a a
kind of a down vest on.
Val Tait (25:13):
Oh that's how yeah, like not very stuffy.
WineGuyTy (25:16):
And people are some people are mostly concerned with
what do I wear?
Val Tait (25:22):
Like the consumer who's coming into the tasting
room is asking that.
Oh my god, that is hilarious!Well, that gives you a sense of
like how okay it's very bougie.
WineGuyTy (25:29):
Or being marketed.
Val Tait (25:30):
Yeah.
I mean, also that is very fun.
Like there is a time and placewhere that is very fun to do,
but yeah.
WineGuyTy (25:37):
If I were coming to the Okanagan as a wine tourist
for the first time, what wouldyou say is must do, must see?
Or how would you uh explainsuch a special place?
I've had so many wonderfulmemories and moments there, but
uh characterize that forlisteners.
I would say that it would bereally uh you would have a
(25:58):
really great experience if youkind of went off the beaten
trail and instead of going tothe the bigger wineries, try to
seek out the smaller wineries.
You know, it's a more intimateexperience.
Mix it up, you know, like visita and and because the re the
wine industry has grown so big,pick a region in BC you want to
visit and spend your time there,and then try to mix, you know,
(26:20):
go to a bigger winery and a s areally small winery and see
which style you like just from avisiting winery point of view,
because I think wineries ingeneral are trying to be much
more welcoming and inclusive andand try to make people feel
really comfortable.
So if people feel intimidatedor they feel like they want a
(26:40):
more authentic or lesspretentious experience, you
know, if you diversify where yougo, you can really dial in the
type of experience you want,which is really nice.
But yeah, I would say that picka region first and then um try
not to do too many tastings in aday.
I think a lot of people dothat.
They try to fit into many.
Myself, I'd have two or threewineries at max.
Val Tait (27:01):
Two or three.
Three is even pushing it forme.
I like two, and I always liketo have a sit-down, have a
little bit of food, just becivilized about it.
WineGuyTy (27:08):
You know, yeah, I did that on this last trip where uh
we didn't manage to connect,and um I had a wonderful
afternoon at Red Barn.
Val Tait (27:17):
Oh, Red Barn's gorgeous.
I love the wines.
And lovely uh patio and amazingwinery, those tanks.
WineGuyTy (27:25):
Yeah, I was thinking of you when I walked in, and
they have these uh tanks thatare ex uh like aluminum
polychrome.
Yeah, so like purpley- pinkycolored.
Val Tait (27:37):
They're gorgeous, easy to clean.
They're sexy.
Yeah, very sexy.
Yeah, and you know, like youcan have an experience there
where like people have the timeto talk with you, it's a little
bit slowed down, it's not socrowded with people, and you
know, not to say that I don'twant to take away from the
bigger wineries that are reallywell recognized, but sometimes
they can be a bit zooy in thesummer, you know, like at peak
(27:58):
season.
Especially at peak season,especially at peak season, and
they would probably appreciateas well.
I mean, I'm not gonna say that,but they would appreciate if it
wasn't so mobbish, you know,like if they could just take
down, spread the people out overthe season.
So, yeah, that would be thefirst thing, f pick the region
and then you know, pick adiverse style or size of winery.
(28:19):
And then the other thing that Ithink is really good to do is
pick one wine that you want totaste, like so you really get to
know it, you know, like iftaste Pinot Gris and taste just
Pinot Gris or taste uh CabernetFranc, my favorite, and you
know, every winery just about inBC does a Cabernet Franc,
actually.
So that's a really niceexperience to be able to taste
(28:42):
one wine and then you can reallypick up the different styles
that winemakers are working on,and you people will probably
start to really recognize theOkanagan style.
You know, what's what's beingexpressed, uh not just Okanagan,
sorry.
I I have to keep including allthe regions in BC, but just
what's coming from each region,which is so beautiful to be able
to get that experience whereyou can taste the difference.
(29:04):
And by doing just one wine, itreally focuses your palate, and
then I think it would reallybuild a lot of confidence that
people would get in being ableto taste and discern wines if
they just focus on tasting onewine, and each region has its uh
kind of strengths, I think,too.
WineGuyTy (29:20):
Like I I haven't been over to Vancouver Island for a
while, but um lots of sparklinguh going on there.
And then I um do you knowHeleen um from up in Lilouett at
Fort Berrens?
Val Tait (29:34):
Yeah, Fort Berrens, yeah, they're doing gorgeous
ones.
Beautiful whites and Rieslingand yeah, yeah, like on the
island, they're doing incrediblepinot noirs and like the
sparkling program, like you say,and yeah, so the interesting
thing where everybody had lostfruit in 2024, the island had
lots of fruit.
They didn't have a shortagebecause their vines survived, no
(29:55):
problem.
WineGuyTy (29:55):
Amazing.
Val Tait (29:56):
Yeah, so I would say you know, diversify where you're
going, diversify.
The size and type of wineriesyou're visiting and focus on one
wine.
And if you go in theoff-season, you have very good
opportunity to talk towinemakers or owners.
You know, it's like a way morechill vibe.
WineGuyTy (30:12):
Thanks for sending along the media pack.
Speaker 03 (30:15):
Oh, yeah, no happy to!
WineGuyTy (30:18):
Most wines from um are from your current portfolio.
Uh I've enjoyed a couple sofar.
Oh, nice.
I think I sent a couple ofphotos with uh Chef Ricky's
pairings.
Um I appreciate your reviews,by the way.
I I look forward to reviewinguh the rest and tasting the
others, um including the twohouse.
Um what are you most proud offor the current portfolio
(30:39):
offerings and what would youtell listeners or or new wine
club members to expect?
Val Tait (30:44):
Oh, I'm very proud of the Cab Franc.
I feel like the Cab Franc wereally are dialing in the style
and it's uh we're getting justlike really unique expression
from our vineyards, and yeah, Ifeel like the Cabernet Franc I
would be most proud of.
And then of course the SavignanBlanc because I I you know it's
the summer and I'm drinkingwhites right now.
But as we head into the fall,the Cabernet Franc and Grand Vin
(31:07):
are flagship wine.
Very proud of that.
We're bottling uh Syrah 2022this October, and that's been
percolating.
It's been in barrel aging fortwo years.
Yeah, and it's actually I'mvery happy with that.
WineGuyTy (31:20):
But do you what do you put into the Grand Vin?
Do you actually is it all theBordeaux Varietals, but you put
Syrah in?
Speaker 03 (31:27):
No, no Syrah, but you know what?
It's um we have all the redwines aging in barrels, so we do
Cab Franc, Merlot.
Um, sometimes we do Malbec andCab Sauv, but we're doing a
little bit less of that becausegoing forward, so basically what
we do is we have all thesebarrels, and I'll just taste
through the barrels and I'llselect the best barrels for
putting together the blend forthe grand vin.
(31:48):
And the grand vin a hundredpercent depends on what's
tasting good, like what whatwhat tastes beautiful in the
blend.
So going forward, we're gonnaI'm I would like to try to make
it Cab Franc dominant and thenyou know use Merlot, Cap Sov,
and Malbec as seasoning, youknow, to to um just make it a
(32:11):
bigger wine because Gran Vin ismeant to be a very big wine
compared to the Cabernet Franc,which I would consider a
medium-bodied wine.
So that is always an excitingprocess to build that wine every
year because it changes.
The blend composition changesdepending on what what is
favored in that vintage, butalways Cabernet Franc does well,
(32:31):
every vintage, and so that'swhy I'd like to have that
predominantly in the blend.
WineGuyTy (32:36):
And um, there's a tasting following this in the in
the big room downstairs withabout 60 wineries here at uh
swirl around BC Wine Expo.
Um what have you brought downfor tasting for uh for today?
Val Tait (32:51):
We have our Sauvignon Blanc and our Cabernet Franc
Rose, and then our CabernetFranc and the Grand Vin.
So there's like like a nicecollection, you know, carry you
through the sunny days to thecool, cozy winter days.
WineGuyTy (33:07):
Yeah, and those um some of them are under the
Charisma label?
Val Tait (33:12):
Yeah, Charisma is uh we make Charisma at the winery,
and it's um, you know, I'mdoing I am still involved with
the winemaking of charisma, butcharisma is my daughter, I you
know, I make the wines with mydaughter in mind.
She's in her 20s and she has areally good palate, but she
doesn't have the budget to buythe wines that she's used to
(33:33):
drinking growing up in ourhousehold.
So now that she's on her own,she's got a lower budget.
So I built Charisma for peoplelike my daughter who still have
good taste, but you know, theyjust can't afford the big wines.
So they're just wines that haveless inputs in them, like less
oak, so they're not aged aslong, they don't go into oak
barrels, or a very smallpercentage of the wine is in oak
(33:55):
barrels to keep our input costslow, and then they're put to
market sooner.
So, for example, we're sellingour 2019 Cabernet Franc right
now.
In the charisma line, we'reselling the 2022 Pinot Noir.
The other thing about charismais it's mostly Alsatian
varieties, so northern Europeanvarieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot
Gris, Chardonnay, yeah, that'sit.
(34:18):
Yeah, so we're trying tosometimes we add a gamet, but we
we we don't have gamet thisvintage.
But yeah, those so it's a verysmall portfolio of mostly
northern European varieties.
WineGuyTy (34:29):
Going forward, where do you see yourself in this
amazing career of yours now?
Will you keep making yourbeautiful wines or is Central
America weighing in more thesedays?
More surfing, less winemaking?
Val Tait (34:43):
I thought, you know, last fall when I took a gap
harvest and uh skipped theharvest, I thought, yeah, I
could see more surf, more beach,more surfing in my future, but
I realized uh after five months,I'm not ready to stop making
wine.
It's yeah, I want to keep ondoing it.
I mean, the the projectworking with Gold Hill, it's
(35:05):
very manageable, it's a smallproject.
We're gonna grow the you know,the next generation in the
winery, in the family wants togrow the business, and I'm want
to be there to mentor this um,you know, the newest member of
the family who's joined the winewinery team.
WineGuyTy (35:22):
Yeah.
Val Tait (35:22):
And I feel like, you know, once I've mentored him,
then I I'm very happy to stepaway.
You know, that'll be that'll bea nice last mission.
WineGuyTy (35:30):
And you live fairly close by to really close.
Where it was before when youwere up at 1775 in Naramata, I
remember you kind of thinking itwas getting busier and busier
and uh getting in and out of alittle bit more of a
negotiation.
Val Tait (35:47):
So I'm a bit of a baby.
For young people, it's uh youknow, it's happening, it's very
fun, it's busy.
But yeah, to for me to livethere, you know, it's like
living in a tourist area.
Like it's cute and fun for thefirst couple years, and then
(36:09):
it's like, get me out of here.
Too many people, it's verybusy.
WineGuyTy (36:13):
Well, there's over 40 plus wineries on Narramata
Bench.
Speaker 03 (36:17):
Yeah, and you know, the traffic has changed because
now it's semi's and commercialvehicles and tour buses, and
then of course all the tourists,and then the traffic of people
living there, and yeah, it's umit's gotten really busy.
And I guess that's a you know,we've become a victim of our own
success.
I mean, that that's that speaksvery highly to how successful
(36:39):
the wine industry has been, butalso there's a bit of a lesson
there because it does it doeskind of make it hard to have a
lifestyle.
WineGuyTy (36:47):
Yeah.
Val Tait (36:47):
You know, and it and it's kind of seen as an
entertainment business, really,in a way, which is kind of odd.
You know, it's not like a fooditem, it's it's kind of got this
element of entertainment.
WineGuyTy (36:58):
So that kind of wine tourism happening.
Val Tait (37:00):
Yeah, exactly.
And so that kind of ramps upthat energy too.
So yeah, that so you know, forwhere you live, it's a little
bit much, but you know Oliver ispretty quiet, and so is OKFalls
.
Yeah, Oliver, yeah, you wouldhate Oliver, so like dead.
WineGuyTy (37:16):
In the winter time.
Val Tait (37:17):
It's like so dead.
Well, that's why we go away inthe winter.
That's why you go away.
Speaker 04 (37:20):
It's dead.
So when you get back to thewinery, obviously there's more
uh harvest uh exigencies, thingsto do.
Um when do you kind of getfinished and get yourself
together to go to go away toCentral America?
Val Tait (37:37):
Well this year, you know what?
I actually missed winter lastyear.
I I we left it when it washadn't even got cold yet, so it
was the end of October and wehad a really warm fall.
So left at the end of Octoberand then came back in April, so
I didn't experience cold weatherat all, and funnily enough I
missed it.
Like I missed snow.
So this year we're gonna stayuntil January.
(37:59):
And then yeah, actually, um nowI'm of the age that my friends'
kids are getting married.
So we're going to our friend'skids' wedding in Barbados in
January, and I just found outthat there's a little two-hour
hopper that goes from Barbadosto Panama, so we're just gonna
go to Panama from there.
WineGuyTy (38:15):
Oh, that sounds like a plan.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
If you're gonna stick around inthe fall, maybe that gives me
the impetus to organize a trip,trip up for a later fall visit
or something, hang out and cracksome bottles open.
Val Tait (38:30):
There's all these opportunity to crack open
bottles!
WineGuyTy (38:33):
Some wines, yes.
We don't need any excuse inthat either.
Val Tait (38:37):
It's like, whoops, how did this get open?
We have to drink it now.
WineGuyTy (38:41):
How many fallen soldiers every three or four
days around my little apartment?
It's like,what? We drink this, we drink that.
I yeah, I'm definitely slowingdown, but yeah, I'm not like at
my peak energy, you know, whereI used to be able to just like
down them, but yeah, I stillenjoy wine.
I'm always gonna enjoy wine.
How who could you not?
How could you not?
(39:01):
Yeah, it's one of those things I look forward to
for the rest of my life, if atall possible.
Val Tait (39:06):
Yes, of course.
WineGuyTy (39:07):
And better ones all the time on my radar.
What one can afford.
Val Tait (39:13):
Exactly! Yeah, you can get more discerning, and it's
really fun because now we'vebeen going through our sell
because we have a cellarcollection and we're starting to
go through wines like pullingout bottles from like 2006 and
2009, you know, like tasting.
WineGuyTy (39:27):
So it's very interesting to taste wines that
have like some real history asfor especially local wines,
because there really aren't thatmany library wines of BC around
unless they're in personalcellars like yours.
Val Tait (39:41):
That would actually be a very fun thing to do, like to
put the call out to all thewinemakers and just like have
like pick a vintage and do a2004.
Everybody brings their 2004.
That would be such a fun thingto do.
Like have a table where youhave all the wines and everybody
can just taste like how thewines have aged and where
they've come from, and thatwould be such a fun thing to do.
That and Cab Franc Festival, Iwant to do that also.
WineGuyTy (40:04):
Well, speaking of tasting, um uh that is what's
next for me this afternoon.
What's are you on another panelor?..
Not another panel, but we're in the room. Yeah,in the tasting room.
So we get to meet up withpeople, and it's nice because I
don't get a chance to see otherpeople in the industry.
Funnily enough, I have to cometo Vancouver to see everybody.
And um, yeah, so you know it'sgood to catch up with everyone
(40:29):
and introduce Gorginder to allthe people, like he's the newest
member of the family, theyoungest member of the family
who's joined the winery team.
Yeah, so it's nice to get himto meet people and you know take
in the scene.
For sure.
Val Tait (40:43):
Yeah.
WineGuyTy (40:43):
Well, Val, it's been so fun to sit here and have this
moment finally making ithappen.
Yes.
We were two ships passing acouple of weeks ago.
Yeah, it was a busy summer.
It was a really busy summer.
And I can't believe it's uhwe're already in September, and
I feel like you know, I wascomplaining before I went up to
the Okanagan two weeks ago, uh,that I hadn't dipped my toes in
(41:04):
a river, a pool, or a lake.
I know, you know.
I was like, what?
And uh and you know, and herewe are in this room looking out
at at Coal Harbour and theDisney cruise ship that's just
about to leave.
Val Tait (41:17):
See, you're living in in one of the most iconic
vacation spots in the world, andit's like there it is right
there for you, Ty.
Yeah, I could just But it'syou're right, like this the year
went by so fast, and I rememberJess and I sitting there and
going, you know, in no timewe're gonna be saying, Oh my
god, it's July, and we were theother day going, it's the end of
September.
Like, how did that happen?
(41:38):
That is pretty crazy!
WineGuyTy (41:39):
Well, thank you very much.
Val Tait (41:40):
Yeah, thank you.
WineGuyTy (41:41):
It's uh always a pleasure to sit with you and
have these conversations, andpart of the reason for me uh
doing these podcasts is to bringthose conversations to a
greater group of people and wineenthusiasts uh the world over,
which is which I think is uhthese stories need to be told.
And we need to carry on withour enthusiastic way of being
(42:07):
here in British Columbia andwhat we have in the wine world.
Val Tait (42:10):
Yeah, we have something special here, and you
know, I hope we can likecontinue to grow it and dodge
bullets.
WineGuyTy (42:17):
Dodge bullets.
Hopefully not real ones, but weare in Canada after all!
Val Tait (42:24):
Yeah, they're they're always metaphorical in Canada.
Like we don't have to worryabout the real thing here.
WineGuyTy (42:30):
Well, I'll let you get down to the tasting room and
we'll we'll see you down there.
And uh again, cheers to you.
Val Tait (42:36):
Yeah, cheers to you. Good questions, cheers!
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