The year 2012 will be a memorable year for Eau Vivre Winery in Cawston. Not only was it presented with one of the biggest prizes in BC wine making – a Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in BC Wines for their 2009 Pinot Noir, it introduced some new varietals this year and 2012 will also be the first vintage with new Winemaker Anthony Buchanan.
After winning such a prestigious award, owners Dale Wright and Jeri Estin are not looking for any drastic changes. “This award shows us we are on the right track,” explains Dale. Anthony echoes these comments, “I really like the style of the wines here,” says Anthony. “There might be some slight tweaks but the portfolio should stay fairly consistent.”
For red wine lovers, new vintages of Cabernet Franc and Malbec were released in the fall and are available online and at VQA stores. White wine lovers will be pleased to know that a new blend on par with their recently debuted Buddhafull red is in the works. “We’ll have a new white blend, a Riesling, and a Gewürztraminer,” says Dale about their portfolio of whites. “We’ll be bottling fairly early in the spring.” The unnamed new white blend will showcase the terroir of the vineyards that grow for Eau Vivre.
They haven’t forgotten about Pinot Noir either. With the 2009 vintage sold out, the 2010 Pinot Noir will be released early in 2013. The buzz for this new release will likely be much bigger now that it has a distinguished history that includes the Lieutenant Governor’s Award. It should grow in importance in the future of Eau Vivre since it is Anthony’s favourite grape. “I love Pinot Noir,” Anthony told me with a grin as he punched down the cap on the fermenting tank of what will become the 2012 Pinot Noir.
~ Luke Whittall