Okanagan Crush Pad Opens in Summerland

Summerland, BC (March 8, 2011)

Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie are pleased to announce the formation of a custom crush winery, Okanagan Crush Pad, at their 10-acre Switchback Vineyard in Summerland, BC. Construction is underway on a new 7,750-square-foot facility, which will be ready for the 2011 harvest. Winemaker Michael Bartier will head cellar operations aided by internationally renowned consulting winemaker Alberto Antonini and wine advisor David Scholefield. Okanagan Crush Pad Winery will ultimately have the capacity to produce 25,000 cases annually. The licensed winery has been designed to facilitate production of multiple small lots of wine from many different sources. In addition to being the home of Haywire Winery, Okanagan Crush Pad is home to a new wine, which is a partnership between Bartier and Scholefield and set to release June 2011. Okanagan Crush Pad's first client is Rhys Pender, a Similkameen grape grower, wine instructor, and Master of Wine, who will be using Okanagan Crush Pad to make the first wine from his Cawston vineyard.

Okanagan Crush Pad clients can choose from a shopping list of services ranging from vineyard management and winemaking to branding, marketing, media relations, and sales distribution. Bartier notes that Okanagan Crush Pad welcomes both grape growers who wish to try their hand at making and selling small lots of wine and wineries seeking to use the facility's specialized equipment. "Our services are flexible and we look forward to the opportunity to work with other winemakers in the valley. Each client will set his or her own winemaking protocol and guide the process to ensure that the finished wine is reflective of his or her own style. This is an exciting new venture for me and what is most appealing is the collaborative nature of the concept."

"This is a vision I have had for the Okanagan Valley for many years," remarks David Scholefield. "Our wine industry can never be big, but we can be a lot better at being small. Obviously we don't have enough vineyard land to compete with the mass producers on quantity or price. But if our potential for greater quantity is strictly limited, our potential for greater quality isn't. The Okanagan Valley is a very special place for winegrowing, which is why someone like Alberto Antonini is committed to making wine here."

There is precedent for what Okanagan Crush Pad will offer. Scholefield's inspiration came from what he saw happening in the early days of the New Zealand wine industry, where wineries were sharing space and equipment and making wine in a facility run by consulting winemaker John Belsham in Marlborough. Similar conditions exist in places like Walla Walla, Washington and the Lompoc 'Wine Ghetto' in California's Central Coast--both tremendously inspiring examples of less-is-more winemaking communities producing wines that have a distinctiveness that only truly handmade wines can have.

"For those who know me and have heard my 'Wine is Narrative' mantra, you know that the focus for Okanagan Crush Pad will simply be to make wines that are the purest possible expression of where they come from," adds Scholefield.

Okanagan Crush Pad will not be open to the public, but will be a meeting place for the Okanagan's wine industry. A winemaker workshop room and fully equipped laboratory will be constructed adjacent to the crush platform with an open view to the winemaking facility. The winery, designed by Brad Tone and constructed by Steve Lornie's company Stonecroft, has, according to Tone, "a distinct, modern, and engaging personality of its own. The architecture is best described as simple, elegant, and natural to the unique processes of making wine." Tone continues, "The design integrates elements of concrete, glass, and steel into the hillside--a subtle and understated 'jewel box' set within beautiful Switchback Vineyard."

Okanagan Crush Pad Winery, set in Summerland, BC at Switchback Vineyard, offers a wide range of services for people new to the wine industry or those seeking fresh ideas. The facility will be the new home of Haywire, which launched in 2009.