Imagine taking a deep breath in
Kelowna’s lush Okanagan Valley. The Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Mountains protect the valley from cold
wind and coastal moisture, and provide a majestic backdrop to the serene Okanagan Lake.
It is here where the
Summerhill Pyramid Winery makes its home, and where it produces some of the best organic grapes and wines
in the world.
In 1987, Stephen Cipes moved to
Kelowna from New York with his wife, Wendy, and their four sons after a visit to the Okanagan a year earlier
made him see the potential of the valley to grow quality grapes for sparkling wine.
“We have a passion for sparkling
wine because the growing conditions in the Okanagan are perfect for coming up with small, intensely flavoured
grapes. We have a low waterfall and a semi-desert here,” says Cipes, founder and proprietor for
Summerhill. “These grapes make outstanding sparkling wines.”
On his first day working in the
field, however, Cipes was horrified to find that he had to spray chemicals on his vineyard in a full-body
suit and gas mask.
“I didn’t want to spray anything
because they were going into the lake, and we were drinking water from the lake. I didn’t want these sprays
on my boys or my puppies so I started to go organic right then and there,” he recalls. But with little known
about organic grape-growing and their existing vineyard manager quitting, it wasn’t easy.
“At the time, no one wanted to
try or do [organic] because it was so out-of-the- box. I had to run around and find different things that
would be okay,” says Cipes.
After a rough start, he would
start paving the path for his success three years later with Eric von Krosigk, who had been working in the
German wine industry and shared the same passion for making the best sparkling wine.
As Cipes and von Krosigk
travelled all over France and Germany to visit the Champagne houses, Cipes experienced a “lightness of
feeling” in one of the underground Champagne caves. Wondering how this was possible, he discovered there is
no electricity in the caves, and that the caves are constructed under ancient Roman
arches.
Inspired, Cipes came to the
conclusion that this environment would be unique for sparkling wine. At his vineyard, he constructed a
pyramid to the exact same scale as the Great Pyramid in Egypt, and stored his wine there with the exception
of one control group. In public tours with blind taste tests of the two wines, 90 per cent of participants
choose the pyramid-aged wine over the regular one.
“The pyramid energy affects
liquids and we have documentation that proves all liquids are affected without question,” says
Cipes.
The Summerhill Estate Winery was thrust into the spotlight. It was featured in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Cipes Gabriel 1991, the first wine it every
produced upon gaining a winery license, won a gold medal in 2000 from France’s Chardonnay du Monde
competition, and its Chardonnay Icewine earned the winery this award again in 2008.
“We use minimal intervention
winemaking, which means we let nature speak for herself, and when our wines are approved by the Vintners
Quality Alliance (VQA), then we put them in the pyramid, which accentuates the wine’s goodness. That process
is unique,” says Cipes.
Now celebrating their 20th
anniversary, Cipes himself is still in charge of the winery, while his sons Gabe, Ezra and Ari also help with
the family business. The Cipes’ vision for organic farming and quality wine has not been jaded by their
success. In fact, they have helped many other Okanagan vineyards and growers adopt organic cultivation
methods.
“We’re very proud of the path
we’ve taken to working in complete accord with Mother Nature and we hope to be a model to the world for
others to follow,” Cipes says. “Our dream is to have the Okanagan be a diamond on our emerald
planet.”
In 2009, they were awarded with
the Canadian Wine Producer of the Year title at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London,
England, one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the world. They have also won the Denbies Trophy
from the International Wine and Spirits Competition for the best sparkling wine in the
world.
“I found a paradise here. The
water and air is pristine, there is no industry, and the growing conditions are ideal for growing grapes,”
Cipes says. “It’s a really great story we have here.”
From this award and the
international recognition they have earned over many years, Summerhill proves that a world-famous winery does not have to be the one at the forefront of
technology and farming methods. It is the one that can take a step back, breathe in the fresh air, and
realize that the best things in life come in a package the way nature intended. •
Photo Courtesy:
Summerhill
Pyramid Winery
