Road 13 Vineyards’ Wiener Dog Day a Charitable Success

Winery raises dollars to educate others on local ecosystem

(Oliver, BC) Celebrating theOkanagan Spring Wine Festival and hosted by Road 13 Vineyards’ faithful daschunds Fil and Meg, the 2^nd annual wiener dog day was a great success, raising $450 to benefit the Osoyoos Desert Centre.

At 25 dogs in attendance in all shapes and sizes: eight of which were wiener dogs, (the winery’s favourite breed) the event was well attended, with more than 100 human friends also joining in the fun! The event featured gourmet hot dogs created by Road 13 proprietor and vineyard guy Mick Luckhurst; the “Meg” dogs with fried onions and cheese were the big sellers.

In addition to the gourmet hot dogs, this fun event also served Road 13’s award winning wine, with Road 13’s new blended white called Stemwinder taking top spot as a hot dog wine pairing, followed closel by their Honest John’s Rosé, Honest John’s White, and their other new blend, the red Rockpile.

The money raised from this family-friendly event goes to the Osoyoos Desert Centre led, by the Desert Society of Osoyoos, whose mission is to protect and educate the public about the pocket desert in Osoyoos. For Road 13 Vineyards, who are “All About the Dirt”, the society’s focus on preserving the South Okanagan’s special ecosystem, land, and dirt, really resonates. The preservation of the region is important to Road 13 Vinyeards and the winery is happy to be able to support the Osoyoos Desert Centre with a donation of $450.

The ability to make this donation is icing on the cake for the winery. At the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival Best of Varietal Competition Road 13 took home some huge accolades: Stemwinder 2009 earned Best of Class, the Jackpot Pinot Noir 2007 earned Best of Class and the Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2009 was a Finalist. These wines can be tasted at the winery or found in wine retailers and restaurants throughout BC and Alberta.

About Road 13 Vineyards

Road 13, launched in 2008, was previously named Golden Mile Cellars, and has been owned by Pam and Mick Luckhurst since 2003. The wines express the special character of the South Okanagan’s renowned Golden Mile Bench. Their motto, “it’s all about the dirt” reflects their belief that great wines start in the vineyard. Winemaker Michael Bartier crafts award‐winning wines in three distinct tiers: a rose, and red and white blends called Honest John’s; a varietal series of red and white wines under the Road 13 label; and a premium tier of small lots and blends called Jackpot. New in 2010 is the addition of two premium wines: Rockpile, a blend of red varieties; and Stemwinder, a blend of white varieties.

Road 13 is located south of Oliver, BC on Road 13 off Highway 97. Open year round, the wine shop offers small lots and back vintages in addition to current releases.  A new private wine club tasting room overlooking the vineyard is set to open early fall 2010. To learn how to become a member or to find out more about Road 13, please visit www.road13vineyards.com Twitter is @road13vineyards

-end-

Press Contact: Leeann Froese 604-603-9394; leeann@vonrosencreative.com

Wiener Dogs Among the Vines

Okanagan Wine Fest Highlights Wiener Dogs Among the Vines

Road 13’s Fil and Meg to host 2^nd Annual Wiener Dog Day

In short:

Becoming a “must-do” event at the Okanagan Wine Festival, Road 13 Vineyards announces their 2nd annual Wiener Dog Day barbeque May 2 at 11:30 am. Hosted by resident daschunds Fil and Meg, $3.50 buys a gourmet hot dog created by Road 13 vineyard guy Mick Luckhurst. Wine and non-alcoholic drinks are available for purchase, and proceeds benefit the Osoyoos Desert Centre. This year’s event also features an appearance by radio personality and author Troy Townsin. Pets are welcome of course - especially wiener dogs! For more information, please visit www.road13vineyards.com.

More information:

Anyone who has visited Road 13 knows that while the wines are ‘all about the dirt’, the winery is all about Fil and Meg, the “wienery dogs”. Proprietors Mick and Pam Luckhurst love their daschunds so much that they are even featured on the Road 13 label, always ready at the foot of the tractor. It seems fitting that they host Weiner Dog Day to celebrate their pups and the coming of spring!

On Sunday May 2^nd, join Road 13 at the winery between 11:30 am to 3:00 pm for tasty smokies. The “Classic” dog ($3.00) is a hot dog with ketchup, mustard and relish. Meg and Fil have their own gourmet offerings ($3.50 each). Full-figured wiener dog Meg is addicted to good food, so her “Meg Dog” includes fried onions and cheese. Super fit Fil always eats his vegetables, so the “Fil Dog” features fresh bell peppers and fried onions. All of the delicious dogs can be paired with Road 13 wines, which can be purchased by the bottle or glass (prices vary).

CBC radio announcer and author Troy Townsin will also attend the barbeque from 12pm on selling signed copies of his latest cookbook, WineFeast, which features world-class food with local chefs and products.

Attendees are welcome to bring leashed dogs, and pick up bags will be provided. Proceeds from the sale of the hot dogs benefit the Osoyoos Desert Centre and its programs to conserve the biologically rich and diverse habitats of British Columbia’s southern interior.

Press Contact: Leeann Froese 604-904-9793; leeann@vonrosencreative.com

Winemaker’s Culinary Series with Joy Road Catering

Join Road 13 Vineyards and Joy Road Catering this summer for an unforgettable evening of Okanagan Alfresco Vineyard Dining on Thursday July 29th 2010

Enjoy an inspired menu featuring the freshest regional cuisine expertly paired with wines from specifically selected boutique wineries. Dine with the valley’s leading winemakers in the idyllic setting of Gods Mountain Riesling vineyard, overlooking Skaha Lake.

Reservations are required $105 per person plus HST.

See the full scs         schedule of vineyard dinners and other amazing Okanagan culinary ce               celebrations at www.joyroadcatering.com or call (250) 493-8657

Blending with Road 13 Q & A with winemaker Michael Bartier

View the PDF Press Release Here

Road 13 Switches it Up!

Trust the team at  Road 13 Vineyards  to switch it up.

Effective this spring, the winery will be moving away from the production of several varietal wines to focus on blends. Joining the popular Honest John’s Red and White and the premium Fifth Element, are Stemwinder , a refreshing white blend (CSPC $21.99) named in honour of the soil of the winery’s home vineyard, and  Rockpile , a red blend (CSPC $24.99) named after Mick and Pam Luckhurst’s most difficult vineyard.

Both wines can be found at the winery, VQA stores, the BCLDB and private wine stores and restaurants. For more information, please read the PDF press release here.

Farm Work

Welcome to the New Year update.  We're through the holidays and have started back to work as of Jan 12.

Unfortunately we have more winter damage at our "Rockpile" Vaneyard (Black Sage Rd).  Unlike the December 22, 2008 cold event (of minus 24C) which killed plants and buds, our October 6, 2009 unseasonal sudden cold snap (of minus 11C) has restricted the damage to buds only.  We will know, as we get into the season, if we will have to face more replanting next year.  We have to wait and see which buds push with each varietal & in each different location.

I marvel at my decision to plant all Rhone varietals when I knew it was a colder area.  Even though the last 2 winter cold snaps were 35 year events, as growers we have to determine what's going to do the best with site parameters, not what varietals we want to grow.  All the literature & science on cool-climate grape growing says plant what will prosper in that terroir.  That's rule #1, #2, and #3! So I plant cold-intolerant plants in a cold area!  Maybe I should let Pam do all the thinking.  This spring I've ordered enough plants to redo 3 acres in Cabernet Franc & Roussanne, both hardy.  Next spring, we'll see, but it will probably be another 1-4 acres out of original total 11 planted.

As for the here & now, we are fully into pruning, starting with the Golden Mile properties.  Now in our 7th year, with every season farming hard to improve the vines, the results have us breezing through plnats that are healthy, vigorous & uniform   Funny about that...pull hard comes easy!

Other random thoughts.....we are a bit apprehensive of all this marvelous weather, because as a farmer you know that things usually come back to bite you & a cold snap in the minus 10 range now would really top off our bud damage.... so we're waiting & hoping.

Keep drinking wine.

Cheers,

Mick

2009 Vintage Report

Vintage Highlights

Cold and Difficult Winter

In a vintage report it is rare that we dedicate much discussion to the preceding winter.  However, for the 2009 vintage, the winter deserves some attention.  As it turned out, one of the defining moments of the 2009 vintage happened in December 2008.  For a full week beginning December 14, 2008, the temperature never rose above -10°C and it dipped as far as -26°C on the Black Sage side of the valley.  When temperatures approach -20°C, this becomes very dangerous for vinifera vines as liquid in the wood tissue freezes and cracks, killing the tissue.  At best, this impairs the vines ability to move liquid and nutrients between the roots and the leaves and canopy during the growing season; at worst, it kills the vine outright.  Many vines suffered some degree of this damage, particularly on the flat sections of the Black Sage bench and the valley bottom where cold air pooled.  Some varieties were more susceptible to damage than others: Syrah and Merlot were hit particularly hard.  Young plantings – 1 and 2 year old vines – were also more susceptible to damage.

A summary of the damage at Road 13 Vineyards:

The Rockpile Vineyard on Black Sage Road 

• Two thirds of this vineyard is quite flat with the Eastern end rising in a slope.  All of the vines are young, planted in 2007 and 2008, all of which predisposes them to potential damage.
• Some Syrah and Viognier vines on the slope received minor tissue damage, but for the most part escaped anything serious.
• Syrah and Viognier on the flat part of the vineyard received significant tissue damage with about 10% of the vines killed.  The dead vines have been pulled and replanted this spring.  For the damaged vines, we cut their trunks about 10 cm. above the graft point to train a new healthy trunk up. 
• The young Roussanne vines on the flat part of the vineyard sustained tissue damage but were remarkably, thankfully, resilient to any mortality.  These vines received the same treatment as above to bring a new healthy trunk up.
• Grenache on the flat was unfortunately obliterated.  These have been pulled and we will be replanting to a hardier variety in the spring of 2010.

The Castle, Home, and Gully Vineyards on the Golden Mile 

• These vineyards all have good air drainage due to their consistent slope and the temperatures stayed an honest 6°C warmer than our vineyard on the Black Sage side.
• A small amount of tissue damage was sustained on our Merlot vines but this only affected our crop yield by about 10%; otherwise, there was no damage of note.

Late Bud Break, Again

Bud break this year started at about May 3rd and was uniform by May 6th, about 20 days behind schedule which was similar to the 2008 vintage.  Like 2008, the weather was excellent with typical May temperatures, and below average rainfall.  Temperatures in June were 1.5°C warmer than average and had below average rainfall again.  These conditions allowed the vintage to catch up significantly as we went into blossom about 3 days behind schedule then into fruit set about 4 days ahead of schedule. 

The type of Summer Vines Love

The important “lag phase” period of berry development was quite dry.  Other than a single thunderstorm that dropped 13 mm of rain on July 6th, there was only another 1.4 mm of rain from June 23 to July 22.  This is significant in that berry cell division takes place during this time, and any water that is fed to the grapes will impact the eventual berry size.  This is especially critical in controlling the skin to juice ratio on the reds.

Mean temperatures for both July and August were slightly above the 12 year average.  Fortunately, the temperatures tended to be moderate and consistent rather than being high and low.  This led to uninterrupted photosynthesis for the vines, with few extremes that would have caused them to shut down.  Veraison started on July 28 and was widespread by August 2.

Although overall precipitation was up and well above average during August, this came during a couple of weather events rather than over a continuous period.  Our annual August desert flash flood occurred on the 14th with 39 mm of rain falling over the course of the day.

Early and Compressed Harvest

Harvest for Road 13 began early in the second week of September, though reportedly there were other vineyards in the area that had started already in late August.  The weather was excellent in September with a little rain but nothing difficult and the temperatures were warm.  The vines continued with their uninterrupted photosynthesis with the good weather.  Grapes that would normally be harvested in late October, like Syrah and the Cabernets, were being harvested in September.  Crush pads throughout this end of the valley had to work hard to keep with the pace of harvest.  This was just as well because the weather was about to change everything. 

In October on three consecutive days, October 10, 11, and 12, the temperature dropped to at least -8 C.  Even on the well air drained slopes of the Golden Mile, this was too cold and consequently caused all our leaves to frost, effectively shutting down the vines.  Wind machines were ineffective against these extreme temperatures.  Although the weather became nice again after these freezes, no further ripening was possible so it was a matter of getting the fruit harvested and processed while it was still fresh.  With the exception of some late harvests, the vintage was finished by October 18.

Overall

Cool climate viticulture is defined by its compressed growing season, which is possible with the long daylight hours that southern regions miss.  2009 was the most compressed vintage that we’ve ever seen in the Okanagan.  It began with bud break almost 3 weeks late and finished with the killing frost (albeit on generally ripe grapes) about 2 weeks early. 

Obviously the weather conditions will have an impact on the flavours and textures of the wines, which will reveal themselves over time.  Nobody honestly knows if the impact will be positive or simply “different”.  The star wines that we have noticed so far in the cellar are definitely Chardonnay, which is showing excellent intensity and balance, and Merlot and Syrah, which are showing very good intensity as well as excellent tannic structure. 

Michael Bartier

Winemaker

Road 13 Vineyards

Farm Report

What report?  It's break time, except as farmers, we don't recognize the word "Break".

Here's where we're at.  Construction of some new irrigation, replacing old and broken posts & wires, and spreading compost.  And that's it apart from organizing equipment at our new farm.

If you haven't heard the news, we purchased the original vineyard & home of Peter & Helga Serwo (the same people we purchased the winery from over 6 years ago).  They decided to retire to Penticton and offered us the farm because Peter felt he was handing it down, after 28 years, to someone with the same work ethic and outlook on life and that would mean the same respect and care for the land that characterized his way of life.

So yesterday Trevor & Sebastien got to prune the 7 fruit trees on the property.  Today they are insulating the garage and tomorrow I'll think of something.

Pam & I are busy painting and renovating to move into the new house so no shortage of being busy.

And that means I've got to go.

Cheers,

Mick

Fraiche Restaurant and Road 13 - Luxurious Lunch in Whistler

Chef Wayne Martin of Fraiche Restaurant in West Vancouver packed up his spatulas and pots to meet Road 13's winemaker Michael Bartier at a palatial "ski cabin" in Whistler to prepare lunch for 40 very fortunate people.  This sold out lunch was part of Cornucopia, Whistler's Celebration of Food and Wine.

This was a very special meal as it took on the air of a kitchen party, - virtually everyone having a seat at the chef's table.  People were able to lean over the counter to witness Chef Wayne's remarkable skill in the home kitchen and - typical for Wayne - he was unflappable with such a large audience and made it look easy.  His efforts were matched only by Michael Bartier's who easily displayed the winemaker's art of standing around with a perpetually draining glass, solving the world's problems, one glass at a time.

The menu looked like this:

Reception Wine:  2008 Honest John's White

Poached Lobster with truffles:  2007 Jackpot Chardonnay

Roasted Quail, Pear, Bacon, Cauliflower Volute, Jus:  2008 Road 13 Pinot Noir

Roasted Lamb loin, Seasonal Mushrooms, Arugula Pesto:  2007 Road 13 Syrah

Apple Tart Tatin with Creme Fraiche Ice Cream:  2009 Road 13 Sparkling Chenin Blanc

There was not a person in attendance that was not stunned by the food and the way they matched the wines.  We confidently advise anyone to visit Fraiche's dramatic location to try Chef Wayne Martin's creations themselves.  Visit Fraiche's website for more information.   www.fraicherestaurant.ca

Post Vintage Update 2009

Report from Michael Bartier, Winemaker

Now, the vintage is in.  All grapes have been crushed, all red fermenters have been pressed.  All that's left now is the finishing of alcoholic fermentation and continuing into the malolactic fermentations in the case of reds.  Although our vintage started about 10 days early this year, we finished the vintage about 20 days early.  The reason for such a compressed vintage was a killing frost (I think everyone in North America knows about this one) that occurred in early October.  Basically, the temperatures dropped so low that even the "warm" vineyards with good air drainage had their leaves frozen off.  Temperatures reached as low as -9 Celcius and were generally at least -5 Celcius depending on where you were.  None of the traditional frost protection strategies (such as icing up the vines or the use of wind machines) worked on any great scale.  Once those leaves were frosted, no further ripening would occur.  For most vineyards, certainly for ours, the fruit had reached ripeness at the time of frost.  Our big challenge was harvesting, crushing and pressing it fast enough while the fruit was still fresh.

Trevor, Sebastien, Mike, Bailey, Amber and I put in some ridiculously long days.  Plus, we were fortunate enough to get Robert Hodgins out for a week for a working vacation as well.  Poor Rob; the term "worked like a rented mule" sure comes to mind!  It was a heck of a good time though despite the work and long hours.  It was shocking how efficiently we were able to get red fermenters through the press, and have that and several other fermenters full again by the end of the day; - a well oiled machine.  By the ends of those shifts, there were some excellent pizzas enjoyed  either on the crushpad or the barrel room (depending on the weather), washed down with some wonderful  beer.  It is an established fact that it takes a lot of good beer to make good wine.

Now, our task in the cellar is to monitor through the end of the fermentations, making sure all the barrels and tanks are topped up so they are not susceptible to any oxidation.  The white barrel ferments (some Chardonnay) shall begin to receive some lees stirring this week.  Our style is to ferment our reds in barrels which means there will be a lot of heavy lees (inactive yeast cells) dropping to the bottome of the barrels.  We'll start racking (emptying) those barrels soon to separate the clean wine from those sediments.  These techniques are all part of the craft of the cellar and are part of what we enjoy the most; the cycle and the detail of their application.

It’s all about the teleprompter

Winery team blow off steam and poke fun at themselves during harvest, while educating customers with web-based video series

In short

Road 13 Vineyards, located in Oliver BC, has launched a series of short humorous online movies in an effort to help wine lovers learn while getting to know the personalities behind the winery. The movies, which will be released in groups, can be viewed via a link at www.road13vineyards.com or by searching YouTube./media.php

The full story

As we head into mid-November, we are wrapping up this year’s grape harvest; the time when BC’s winemaking teams are at their busiest and all hands are on deck. Depending on the winery size, it can be very stressful: determining ripeness of the grapes, mobilizing crews to pick, and then working around the clock at the crush pad to ultimately create excellent bottles of VQA wine.

In the midst of the crush the team at Road 13 Vineyards decided to blow off some steam and have a bit of fun. They filmed themselves doing what they do, talking about their wines, with wise cracks thrown in. The movies star winery owners Mick and Pam Luckhurst, and winemaker Michael Bartier, of course, but the shorts also feature cellar master Bailey Williamson, vineyard manager Trevor Hammond, and his assistant Sebastien Blouin, and visiting wine lover and industry consultant David Scholefield. Ironically, the person at the winery who would have the best talent to star in these movies is Mick and Pam’s son Joe Luckhurst, who is living in Vancouver to pursue his acting career. Joe wisely stayed away to ensure that his acting reputation would not be tarnished.

Road 13 Vineyards has spent the last year carving out a name for itself. In September of 2008 the winery launched after a re-naming from Golden Mile Cellars, and Canadian wine lovers have taken notice. The farming philosophy “it’s all about the dirt” and the resulting basic and unapologetic approach to making quality wines has resonated with critics, wine retailers and the public.

The sought after wines are unmistakeably recognizable by the bold labels with the red letters, tractor and “wienery dog”. Yet with all of the attention on the wines and winery, the team felt it was time to share insights from the personalities at the winery. Actors, they’re not. In fact, some might even say that this cast of players have faces for radio. But the winery team hopes the videos will help consumers get to know the people and efforts behind the wines and to send the message that wine is meant to be fun and enjoyable and not stuffy or pretentious.

Celebrating everything from “The Dirt” to “How We Farm” to “Mike’s Tanks” and “Mr.Oaky” the topics take a light hearted and somewhat nutty look at what happens in the cellar and vineyards at Road 13. Visit www.road13vineyards.com to view the video segments, or search YouTube.

Road 13, launched in 2008, was previously named Golden Mile Cellars. Owned by Pam and Mick Luckhurst since 2003, the wines express the special character of the South Okanagan’s renowned Golden Mile Bench. Their motto, “it’s all about the dirt” reflects their belief that great wines start in the vineyard. Winemaker Michael Bartier crafts award-winning wines in three distinct tiers: a rose , and red and white blends called Honest John’s; a varietal series of red and white wines under the Road 13 label; and a premium tier of small lots and blends called Jackpot. Road 13 is located south of Oliver, BC on Road 13 off Highway 97. Open year round, the wine shop offers small lots and back vintages in addition to current releases.

Press Contact: Kate Crothers 604-904-9792 kate@ccltd.ca

Cornucopia Seminar “Golden Mile – Discovering South Okanagan Terroir”

Presenting Wineries Garnered 25% of 2009 Top 25 Awards

In Brief

On Sunday, November 15, six wineries representing the Golden Mile Bench will showcase their wines at Cornucopia, Whistler’s wine and food celebration. The seminar “Golden Mile – Discovering South Okanagan Terroir” will take an in-depth look at what is quickly becoming one of the Okanagan’s most awarded wine growing areas. As testimony of this claim, out of 75 international wineries, Golden Mile seminar wineries garnered 25% of Cornucopia’s Top 25 awards for 2009.

Tickets ($35.00) are still available at www.whistlercornucopia.com

Full Seminar Details

Golden Mile - Discovering South Okanagan Terroir. Sunday November 15, 2009; 11am-12:30pm.

This seminar looks at the history of the celebrated Golden Mile DVA (a proposed designated viticultural area) in the Southern Okanagan. Farmed since the early 1900s, in recent years the region has become the home of several of BC’s leading wineries because of its enviable climate and fertile soil.

Guests will sample twelve 100% Golden Mile varietal wines from six wineries that illustrate the best the region has to offer: Fairview Cellars, Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, Hester Creek Estate Winery, Inniskillin Okanagan, Road 13 Vineyards and Tinhorn Creek Vineyards.

Winemakers Michael Bartier of Road 13 and Robert Summers of Hester Creek will moderate the session along with Shaun Everest, general manager at Tinhorn Creek; all of whom strive to produce wines that perfectly express the terroir of the Golden Mile.

Taste and see what makes this grape growing area so special! Tickets ($35.00) are still available at www.whistlercornucopia.com

Press Contacts: Kate Crothers 604-904-9792 kate@ccltd.ca or

Sue Alexander, 604-331-0907 sue@alexanderink.com

Additional Information

Cornucopia 2009 – Top 25 Winners listed below

Golden Mile Bench Winners:

Hester Creek Estate Winery - Cabernet Merlot 2007

Hester Creek Estate Winery - Reserve Cabernet Franc 2006

Inniskillin Okanagan Estate - Discovery Series Malbec 2007

Road 13 Vineyards - Fifth Element 2006

Road 13 Vineyards - Jackpot Chardonnay 2007

Altesino - Rosso Di Toscana 2007

Arrowleaf Cellars – Special Select Late Harvest Vidal 2008

Bastianich - Sauvignon "B" 2008

Beringer Founders' Estate Merlot 2006

Bodegas Ostatu Rioja Crianza 2006

Cat Amongst the Pigeons - "Nine Lives” Shiraz 2007

Cristalino Cava Brut

Garnacha de Fuego - Grenache 2008       

Gemtree - Uncut Shiraz 2007

Jacob’s Creek - Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir

NK'Mip Cellars - Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2007

Penfolds – Barossa Valley Bin 138 GMS 2007

Penfolds - Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2006

Pikes Winery - Pikes Traditionale Riesling 2008

Rodney Strong Vineyards - Russian River Pinot Noir 2007

Rodney Strong Vineyards - Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

See Ya Later Ranch - Ping 2007

Stoneleigh - Chardonnay 2007

Sumac Ridge Estate Winery - Sparkling Tribute

Wine of the Year – Jackson–Triggs Okanagan Estate - Proprietors' Reserve Shiraz              

Road 13 Vineyards Shines in the Gold Medal Plates Competition

Gold and Bronze Medals earned with a little help from the Golden Mile winery

In Short
In late October, the Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary Gold Medal Plates competitions took place. Road 13 Vineyards is honoured to have their wines featured with two of the Gold-medal-winning recipes, and one from the Bronze-medal winning category.

More detail
Gold Medal Plates takes place in six cities across Canada this fall, and features outstanding wines and leading chefs in each city, paired with Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes, in a competition to crown a Gold, Silver and Bronze medal culinary team in each city, and subsequently nation-wide. The goal of Gold Medal Plates is to raise funds for Canada's high performance athletes, while celebrating Canadian excellence in food and wine as well as in athletics. Road 13 Vineyards is proud to have been among the wineries selected in the competition.

In Edmonton, Bistecca Italian Steakhouse chef Sonny Sung earned the Bronze with a smoked Alberta lamb rack accompanied by the Road 13 2007 Syrah.

In Vancouver, Cactus Club chef Rob Feenie captured the Gold, with a dish that started with a parsnip pear and pineapple sorbet that paired perfectly with the Road 13 Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne 2008. The dish’s main feature was Virginia Jacobs’ duck confit set atop the sorbet, with chicken boudin noir sausage enriched with foie gras, fig and truffle.

At the Calgary event, chef Jan Hrabec of Crazyweed Restaurant from Canmore was the Gold medal victor. Her braised duck leg in a bright, fruity orange curry sauce with notes of ancho chile, cardamom, star anise, and coriander was partnered with Indian spiced sweet potato and wilted chard with a crispy shallot garnish and was an outstanding match to the Road 13 Pinot Noir2008.

Michael Bartier, winemaker at Road 13 Vineyards, is flattered to see his wines alongside the top plates. “I’d like to congratulate all the hard working teams in each city,” he says. “We are proud that our wines could help complement those winning dishes.”

Road 13, launched in 2008, was previously named Golden Mile Cellars. Owned by Pam and Mick Luckhurst since 2003, the wines express the special character of the South Okanagan’s renowned Golden Mile Bench. Their motto, “it’s all about the dirt” reflects their belief that great wines start in the vineyard. Winemaker Michael Bartier crafts award-winning wines in three distinct tiers: a rose , and red and white blends called Honest John’s; a varietal series of red and white wines under the Road 13 label; and a premium tier of small lots and blends called Jackpot. Road 13 is located south of Oliver, BC on Road 13 off Highway 97. Open year round, the wine shop offers small lots and back vintages in addition to current releases.

Download PDF of this article

Press Contact: Kate Crothers 604-904-9792 kate@ccltd.ca

A 'Grunt's Perspective

OK, perhaps 'Grunt' is not so P.C., so, for those who are sensitive, I should say 'A Cellar-Hand's Perspective'.

Well, whatever you want to call me, I've been fortunate enough to take a week away from the hustle and bustle of flogging this acclaimed grape juice in Vancouver to get a behind the scenes look at how they operate here at Road 13 during this glorious time of organized chaos, affectionately referred to as 'Crush'.  Looking back on it all now, I find that what the winemakers say is true... It really does take a lot of beer to make great wine!

Whilst the days are long and the work load is maxed out, it's been great working along side Michael Bartier, Bailey Williamson and, the latest addition to the winning team, Amber Jones.  They share an infectiously inspired outlook on their job...and life, for that matter.  Working in a winery setting as majestic as Road 13, especially at the time of harvest, has been amazing!  The views of a fall sunrise from the Golden Mile, over the South Okanagan, with the smells of grapes fermenting first thing in the morning is more effective for waking one up than even the freshest batch of freshly roasted coffee beans!  It paints a nice picture, doesn't it?  Mind you, there wasn't a lot of time to stop and smell the roses around the winery until this past week, now that the back has been broken on Vintage '09.

If Michael and the cellar-team didn't find their calling in the wine industry, they'd have made one hell of a circus act.  Watching them juggle giant steel containers of fermenting fruit is enough to force even the most talented trapeze junkie to take a long hard look in the mirror!  Jokes aside, it was like poetry in motion around this wine cellar, where experience really needed to come to the forefront for a great performance.  Due to the cold snap in weather that occurred in early October, all of the fruit arrived in the winery much quicker than expected.  As a result, tank space was the immediate concern in this year's Road 13 harvest.  It didn't seem to slow down the winemaker or interfere at all with this cellar crew's agenda.  All the fruit was received in great condition and we have now seen the last parcel of fruit come in for Crush 2009!  All that's left to be done now is select where the wine will comfortably mature in the winery for the  months to follow.  Finally, something that can be done at a more leisurely pace.

Looking forward, we can again expect to see more excellent wines from Road 13.  It just goes to show that when life gives you lemons... You better hurry up, show those lemons the business and make some wine!!  You will need someone to do the grunt work, however... so I'll see you next year!

Grapefully Yours,

Robert "The Grunt" Hodgins

Farm Work

The Logistics of Vintage

At this point in the year I tell everyone that I deal with, business or personal that I’ll be going “underground” for the next 2 months.  Nothing exists but the grapes and making sure that we get them harvested in the best shape possible and into the winery.  This is more than anything a logistics exercise which takes careful planning and the wisdom gained from many vintages.  I get better every vintage at this, understanding the ripening curve of each variety in each vineyard.  So far, the issues that I’ve been dealing with, in no particular order:

-       New cellar staff and training of them.  Each vintage we hire people to help us with the increased workload at the crush pad and in the cellar.  So far the training has consisted of forklift driving certification, familiarization with the equipment, familiarization with the various vineyard blocks, and our procedures for sampling these and analyzing the grapes from these leading up to their harvest.

-       Supplies!  I’ve had an “organic” document going since last winter which estimates my crop based on the best information at the time.  This gets updated at critical points in the growing season – bud break, fruit set, veraison – and each time it should get a little closer to accurate.  With this information I’ve been able to figure out our vintage supplies that we need; yeast, malolactic bacteria, cleaning supplies, beer, etc.

-       Harvest scheduling.  As of today, Sep. 12, our harvest had begun and a lot more is about to be harvested.  For us to make sure the fruit is treated well and that we receive it into tanks in good condition we have to balance many things including; the weather forecast (we don’t pick wet grapes! We may have to pick them before it gets too hot!), which grapes are the priority if several ripen at the same time, how many we can harvest at once, and how much can we process through the press and crusher in a day, not to mention the logistics of getting the empty bins back into the correct field in time for the next harvest.  Generally the days range from 10-16 hours per day to get all this done.

-       Personal life scheduling: - No matter what happens in the vineyard a winemaker must always pay attention to the fact when their wedding anniversary falls into the middle of vintage and schedule accordingly.  Also, a winemaker should always honour the fact that they have a ticket to see the Montreal Canadiens whip the Calgary Flames in Calgary on Oct. 6 – Go Habs! – I’ll be the guy in the red jersey.

So these are why I tell everyone, “I’m going underground, see you in November.”

Michael Bartier

Farm Work

In the 10 weeks since my last report I still haven’t convinced Trevor or Sebastien to write this, so as usual, a later update than intended but you’ve heard of the one-armed paper hanger!

We have seen a very hot & long summer and the vines have continued keeping up a faster pace than usual.  On average we are going to pick 10 days to two weeks early.  Our farming chores coincide, so then also finished early, about 2 weeks ago.  Since then, the sugar accumulation in the earlier varieties signaled time to net.  That is now accomplished & our farming is basically limited to housekeeping chores.  This consists of water monitoring, with irrigation as required, emptying and re-baiting wasp traps, a last mow & most important, constant monitoring of the berry/cluster ripening process.  And do you know what? They taste delicious, so I believe we could finish with a superior vintage.  We’ll know at crush.

Also, just to make sure idle hands don’t get into trouble, we are using the few days before we start harvest, to install some new irrigation main lines.  One is the replacement of an existing line that is not only 40 years old, but poorly located & placed.  The other is to connect the drip lines we installed this summer in our castle Chardonnay & Pinot Noir blocks.  We’ve only now had any slow-down to complete the job.  These blocks have always been on overhead irrigation which is both inefficient & hugely wasteful.  With the drip we place water directly on the root zone, don’t lose any to evaporation & none to wind.  Costly as hell, but effective & the right thing to do. And after all, we will be doing this forever so might as well do it right. The last small block (2 acres of Merlot) will be changed out either next year or year after.  That’s it. 

Picking our new Pinot Noir acreage (2.2ac) Sunday or Monday & then rolling thru to November 1 or so to the last which is our Chenin Blanc.  I will write again in 2-3 weeks.

Cheers,

Mick

PS:  Pam (aka “The Boss” “Commandant”….) brought to my attention that the basil leaves are not yellowing, dying & dropping, still green & working.  Yellowing signals the start of the plant slowing down to ease into the winter, but for some reason they are still snorkeling along.  I think their late spring start programmed the vines to go into overdrive & our fabulous summer weather has lured them into thinking it’s never going to end.  This could give us some really spectacular grapes (biased?) but we do need the plants to start slowing down for winter or we could reap the consequences of an early &/or hard winter.

Extra Extra Extra

Just heard.  A break-in at one of our BC VQA stores.  It was a smash & grab & all the nefarious thieves took were… Road 13 Jackpot wines.  At least the thieves have good taste.

Lucky Third Red Strike for Road 13

Today we were honoured to receive The Lieutenant Governor's Award for Excellence in British Columbia Wines for our 2006 Fifth Element.

His Honour, Steven Point and his delegation visited the winery to make the presentation.  This year there were twelve awards from the 248 wines submitted from 68 wineries across the province.

In 2007 we received the same award for our 2005 Black Arts Pinot Noir and in 2008 for our 2006 Black Arts Syrah, making this our third red wine in as many years to be recognized.

The 2006 Fifth Element, $35.99 is available winery direct, VQA stores, private wine stores, select fine dining restaurants across BC and in Alberta.

Farm Work

So where have you been?  One of us obviously has not been updating the farm report on our web site.  I know if I hadn't got so lazy, I would have!  Four busy months have gone by, lets see if I can recall what's been happening.

Number one is the result of the Christmas '08 cold event that we've been waiting to see the results of.  On the Golden Mile (west side of the valley) as we knew, next to no damage & no lost crop.  Merlots & Syrahs have some secondary cane & bunches which are no good for us, but the rest of the plants have as usual produced an overabundance of fruit that (there's that "as usual" again) we'll be dropping on the ground.  Expensive in labour & in lost fruit but lesser crop volume = better wine.  This bring us to our Rockpile Vineyard on Black Sage Road (east side of the valley).  The cold snap that we knew was going to cost us there, has done so severely.  Specifically one clone of Syrah, all the Grenache, all the Tempranillo and most of the Mouverdre are coming out.  More than half of these plants are alive but interplanting in the spring will have us trying to water 4 year old & new plants in the same rows.  Their water needs are respectively lite & heavy and as such risk "bull cane" (unhealthy & winter tender) in the established plants & not enough water for the new plants, either stunting & therefore weakening them for the winter or killing them outright for lack of moisture.  The goal was for 75% to fullish fruit harvest in fall '09, say 25 -40 tons.  The goal now will be about 25% harvest by 2010, 50% 2011, 75%  2012 & full harvest 2013.  We are going to stay with Rhone varietals, but replanting the Syrah with a heartier clone/rootstock & the others with a combination of Roussanne & Viognier.  About 7000 new plants by hand.  C'est la vie.

Getting back to the cheerier side, we had a late start to the year that turned in 2 months to an earlier schedule.  The cold had bud burst 10-14 days late in the South Valley, but once that happened the pace has quickened at every turn.  Cane growth has been super-fast along with earlier flowering & now early set.  One week ahead of the last 2 years.  Not as balanced a growing season as we would like to see, but certainly in not-frozen-out areas, the plants are vigorous and happy.  We are getting to know our farms better every year & the results have shown & will get, barring weather events, better every vintage.

Cheers,

Mick

Farm Work

Greetings from the great frozen north.  Just so you know there are dire predictions as to what is going to be inflicted on the sorry sod who is responsible for this weather (and I wouldn't wish an angry Pam on anyone!)  Richard Cleave (our viticultural advisor & longtime grower/resident) tells me this is the latest the snow's been on the ground that he can recall. 

We started this year's farming on January 12.  Pruning is the first function and myself, Trevor, Sebastien and a young Quebecois couple, Rock & Melanie, who worked the season with us last year, complete this quintet of snowbunnies.  We will be complete in another 2 weeks, then it's tying cordons and transferring tucking wires to the bottom of the posts.

In the meantime we have wine festivals & tastings, spring bottling & various improvement projects to undertake.  This will take us to mid April, which is the potential start of bud burst & away we go in a lather for another year.

So now that I've got us into April, I'll take you back to Christmas 2008.  Pam & I were actually in New York visiting our oldest starving artist son Matt, when the South valley weather sunk to the low -20's on the Golden Mile Bench and as low as -26/27 on Black Sage.  Our new plantings (spring 2007 & 2008) really  suffered.  This, our Black Sage "Rockpile" vineyard is all Rhones, which are of Mediterranean origin, therefore not typically  "cool climate" plants.  We've experienced a tremendous amount of bud damage which while we're hopeful the plants should survive, sets back grape production 2 years.  This is a big financial hit, but if we get only a small percentage of dead plants & no repeat weather for at least a couple of years, we will have a healthy & robust vineyard able to withstand greater stresses. That's the hope - typical farmer outlook.

That's all for now, we'll update after bud burst & we'll see how the "Rockpile" is faring.

Regards,

Mick

In The Cellar

In The Cellar, December, 2008

This is a good time of year for a winemaker.  The vintage is in, there is still a long list of work to do, but unlike during vintage it is simply a long list rather than a long list that has to be done today before tomorrow's fruit arrives!  Currently we have finished evaluating the quality of the 2008 Whites and have already assembled these blends.  These will be bottled in February of 2009.  The Chardonnay's are currently ageing in barrels with a portion in Stainless Steel tanks as well.  We have begun the process of "battonage" on these Chardonnay barrels; the practice of rousing the yeast lees up from the bottom of the barrel, bringing them into contact with the wine.  This brings an excellent texture and nutty, or "biscuit" quality to the wine after a few months.

The red wines from the 2008 vintage are just finishing up their malolactic fermentations in barrels.  As they finish, we are racking the wine from the barrels and then returning them for long term ageing.  No commitments have been made on the blends of these yet as it is difficult to get a firm grip on their character and quality at this tender age.  The barrels of 2007 Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc on the other hand, are ready for evaluation and we are currently working on the various blending options for their homes.  Early indications are that we will have a 2007 Fifth Element, and the 2007 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon releases will live up to expectations generated by the 2006 releases.

I've been asked often on my overall impressions of the vintage: It reminds me very much of the 1997 vintage; relatively cool, with a fantastic long fall to allow late ripening, - very solid.  The stars from the vintage that I see so far are Syrah and anything white.  This is not to put down the rest by excluding them, but these are the stars.  Generally I think the wines from this vintage will age well as their acidities and tannins are pronounced and well balanced.

Michael Bartier,

Winemaker

Farm Work (End of Year)

This is the last intallment from the vineyard for 2008.

All grapes came in on schedule.  Our last was, as usual, the old block of Chenin Blanc and that was November 3rd.  The final result for our grape quality this year - fantastic.  I use the descriptor with all honesty.  Our farming attitude and methodologies coincided with a cool and balanced growing season, and overcame a late start to the season which resulted in an ideal growing year.  I asked Mike (the godlike winemaker-according to him) how he felt as he's had some of the juice since mid September and he told me he was thrilled.  He added that the whites for this vintage are especially outstanding.

This result and response are extremely gratifying as it confirms our beliefs which incorporate tons of hard, repetitive manual labour, a no-compromise attitude, lots & lots of crop dropped and last but far from least, constant walking through the rows, checking, monitoring and observing.

So right now myself, Trevor & Sebastien are feeling pretty good. Of course it doesn't hurt that our current duties mostly include only bum warming & flattening.

With that we will say goodbye for the year before your snoring starts to bother others.

Merry Christmas, the best over the Holidays and cheers for the New Year.

The Vineyard crew 2008

Farm Work - Harvest ,October 2008

Well here we are, clipping along as usual at this time of year.  Harvest is well along & starting to crest.  We started with Pinot Noir mid September, one week later than last year, followed by Chardonnay two weeks later than last year.

That is the common refrain on this year's harvest & some fruit is suffering the consequences.  Those areas, farms and varietals that are borderline for ripening and those growers who have hung too much crop or not done enough work in the vineyard are seeing a lot of poor fruit, ie: unripe, unbalanced, rotten.  We are not one of those growers.  We were taught by Richard Cleave of Phantom Creek Vineyard fame, (Sandhill's, small lots is where most of his grapes go and arguably he is the dean of viticulturists in the valley) to farm hard and to a high standard.  That standard demands low cropping levels, thorough and aggressive pruning and multiple leaf removal and shoot and bunch thinning passes.  All this means tons of hard, repetitive work under a hot sun and never losing  concentration.  This results in a greater potential for the best fruit that the year's weather will allow.  So the rules and methodology that Richard continues to guide us through, has let us escape the consequences that are plaguing a lot of vineyards this year.  Earlier this week we picked our third-leaf Riesling and Syrah blocks at the Home Vineyard and the grapes were spectacular.  The Riesling was lite yellow and translucent, the Syrah dark purple to black and both packed with character.  Apart from due diligence with our farming practices, the major determining factor in getting this quality - 4 bunches per plant.  That is a lot of expensive fruit to not produce, but the quality has to be there if Mike is expected to do his job in the cellar and continue to be nice to us peons.

So we still have fruit to come in, both from our own farms and from the few friends we contract with.  For ourselves we have one small block each of Chardonnay and Syrah then it's only Riesling and Chenin Blanc, both of which are late, hopefully by November 5 - 10th as freezing temperatures shut down the ripening and dampens our enthusiasm for being out there.

Cheers,

Mick, Trevor & Sebastien

2008 Okanagan Fall Wine Festival Awards

Three Gold and Six Silver Medals for Road 13!

Gold:

2007 Old Vines Chenin Blanc

2006 Merlot

2006 Fifth Element (December Release)

Silver:

2007 Chardonnay

2007 Jackpot Viognier

2007 Jackpot Chardonnay (December release)

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Jackpot Syrah (December release)

2007 Jackpot Pinot Noir (December release)

(We are taking orders for December releases: call toll free: 866.498.8330)

FARM WORK

This is the first update from my year opening March 1/08 Farm Report. I have delayed updating sooner, as was my intention, because the weather has not co-operated in moving us along. We have been experiencing unseasonably cool temperatures and what was expected 2-3 weeks ago is just happening now.

So the days are finally getting nice, in the 20 C. range, and the nights as of last week getting above freezing. On the Golden Mile Bench we’ve been 3-5 C. warmer as usual, which gives our plants an edge with less frost damage and a quicker start to the season versus all the other parts of the valley. This week there has been a noticeable increase in the number of swelled buds and we’re seeing the first buds bursting just the last few days. This means we are now about to start hopping. Starting in a week to 10 days we’ll be shoot thinning and won’t stop to take a breath until into July.

Other Happenings:

COMPOST- Have spread initial treatment, in lieu of granular fertilizers.

• Took delivery of chicken manure and will compost into the late summer before using as a nitrogen supplement.
• Are shipping grape pumice/must (skins, stems etc from the crush pad) from Andres site, for composting and inclusion in this falls program. Pumice has some unique properties and results when used as compost. Like all compost it adds humus to the soil (for nutrients like nitrogen), for groundcover (to limit transpiration/evaporation), for pest management (habitat), for weed control (high acidity poisons weeds and herbicides are not required), and to decrease soil PH (and therefore grape PH which requires balance with grape acidity). It’s our magic ingredient and our road to being “green”.

PLANTINGS- Seems the endless task. We farmers are just not happy unless we’re pulling stuff out and making changes. So we replaced 2.25 acres of Ehrenfelser at the Castle with Pinot Noir. The Ehrenfelser makes a wonderful wine and is easy to sell, but it is labour intensive to farm and is more of a sipping/beverage wine than the more serious food pairing wines we are trying to create. So not as much challenge for Mike in crafting the wine and a superb site for the clone 115 Pinot Noir that thrives and soars on our soils at the Castle. We also completed the last acre planting at the “Rock Pile” on the Black Sage side of the valley. This is our Rhone vineyard, planted last spring, but we had to wait for 2 varietals because we couldn’t get the nursery plants we wanted last year. So an acre of Mourvedre (for a total of 2+ acres) and 1/3 of an acre of Rousanne complete the picture. We plan our first Rhone blend, heavy to Syrah, from our 2009 vintage, so released in 2010/2011?

I have one last bit of education for you and will then go away. We had a soil scientist, Scott Smith, from the Summerland Research Station, come to the farm to discuss the specific soils and their content/character. He prefaced the details with the fact that the Golden Mile has the only native soils in the entire Okanagan valley. It turns out that our ground originated on Mt Kobau and slid down the hillside to form our current configuration. The rest of the valley is alluvial material that has been pushed, pulled and dragged by glacial action from northern BC. So if you are trying those “other” wines, keep in mind Chetwynd, Ft. Nelson etc!

Regards,
Mick

FARM WORK

Where have I been? This is my belated farm report, initiated when I realized the growing season is in full swing & then some & I hadn't updated this. I commented in the second paragraph of the May report that we wouldn't be stopping to take a breath 'til into July. Well, I'll take that back, because this is that break now. So...

We finally got caught up & can stay current with a 5 day week. We also just changed from a 5am to 6am start as it's staying darker later and we can accomplish what we need to by 2pm & still miss most of the heat.

While we had a late start to our season, we have now mostly caught up & might be one week behind at most. Veraison has begun in our Pinot Noir & one of our Syrah blocks, which signals a new round of functions for us & for the plants.

For the plant this is the turnaround from vine & bunch growth to bunch ripening. So the canopy pretty well quits growing to concentrate on the fruit.

For us, we are completing one function while gearing up for several more. Any fruit thinning needs to be accomplished by the end of veraison, for us say 2 weeks. We are completing that now & could be done today (depends how fast I write). Next is a final lateral (cane) & secondary (bunch) pull, followed by our tractor-mounted leaf cutter. This thins & airs out the canopy prior to netting.

Ah, netting! Veraison not only colours the grapes it signals the start of the sugar build-up that attracts all the wildlife - birds, bears & bees. If the bees are bad we put out traps, but it is the birds whose larger volumes & appetites can cause significant loss. So we net.

When our Black Sage "Rockpile" vineyard is in full production next year we will be hanging 30m/42km of nets by hand, on each side and going around again to secure the bottoms. And may I say "and" again... we take them down the same way! Sounds inefficeint & hard, but no and only a bit. Did I leave out the bears? that's when I like to go inside.

The nets will complete the crew functions for us until harvest, leaving us with all the general housekeeping functions. Things like scheduled organic mildew sprays, irrigation status and fruit development monitoring.

What takes a lot of time & is the most important thing a grape farmer can do, is to get in the vines & look. Constant monitioring is required for assessing pests, water stress, fruit development & the general health & vigour of each block & variety to catch problems early.

So that's it for thes edition, I'm now out to complete the Chenin thinning & play with the rattlesnakes!

Cheers,
Mick