When I first learned of the opening of the Okanagan Crush Pad I thought it was one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” concepts. When I learned the names of the people involved the answer was obvious — they are some of the brightest folks in the B.C. wine business.
I met two of the principles when they visited Creston to consult to the owners of Creston’s second winery. Christine Coletta and Associates has a strong reputation in creating marketing strategies and the company came highly recommended to winery owners Bob Johnson and Petra Flaa. Coletta was joined on her visits to Creston by David Scholefield and LeeAnn Froese. Scholefield happens to be one of Canada’s top wine judges and has a palate that puts him into the superstar category. The team of experts spent time with the winery owners, interviewed some locals and conducted research about the area and its history. The results? They came up with the Baillie-Grohman name, liking its connection to Creston Valley and Kootenay history and folklore. And they designed the very classy label that includes an image of mountain goat. Legend has it that the engineer William Baillie-Grohman first came to the Creston Valley in 1882 while hunting mountain goats with his friend, Teddy Roosevelt, who would later become the US president.
Coletta, her husband, Steve Lornie, and Scholefield have teamed with respected winemaker Michael Bartier (who has been a mentor to some of B.C.’s best young winemakers) to create Okanagan Crush Pad. They also pulled off somewhat of a coup by attracting Italian winemaker Alberto Antonini to the team. Antonini was senior winemaker for Antinori and Frescobaldi in Tuscany and later went to California, where he made wine at three wineries, including Robert Mondavi. He now consults with wineries in Italy, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, California, South Africa, Portugal, Spain and Australia. As Mr. Rogers might have said, “Can you say Air Miles?”
Okanagan Crush Pad is more than a winemaking facility. It has been designed to be a one-stop shop for the wine industry, offering services that run the gamut from establishing new vineyards to vineyard management to creating business plans and marketing strategies to actually making and marketing wines. Imagine being a new (or even established) vineyard owner facing the daunting task of taking the next steps to becoming a full-fledged winery. Okanagan Crush Pad must surely be the answer to many prayers.
The principles and employees at Okanagan Crush Pad offer a vast and impressive array of experience and knowledge. And the group, with its long history in BC, has connections to other experts who can be brought in as needed. It’s a forward thinking, innovative and much-needed addition to a British Columbia industry that now boasts, at recent count, 208 wineries.
Not surprisingly, the owners have used their own services to create a couple of wine labels. Coletta and Lornie (whose background is in the construction business) have established Haywire, as good a name for a winery as I’ve heard recently. And Bartier & Scholefield wines are also reaching out into the market place, too.
Next week: A review of some of the early releases by the two aforementioned labels, and a bit more information about what makes Okanagan Crush Pad such an appealing concept in the wine industry.
Lorne Eckersley is publisher of the Creston Valley Advance. He can be reached atpublisher@crestonvalleyadvance.ca.