The benches above Kelowna, just a stone’s throw from the city itself, are especially photogenic. The sweeping views down to the lake through long-established vineyards and orchards surrounded by mountains all look pretty, almost ideal. It is a view that undoubtedly caught the eye of photographer Brian Sprout, but there is more to these ideally situated benches than just prettiness, and so Brian and his wife, Virginia, along with friends Bill and Marina Knutson and Bruce Hirtle, set about planting vines and taking advantage of the terroir. They created SpierHead Winery and in just a few short years are already turning heads.
It all started with Brian Sprout catching the wine bug. “My very first trip to the Napa Valley was in the mid to late ‘70s. There was something magical about what I was seeing in California, and this was always in the back of my mind,” he says. By the ‘90s, Sprout had become the photographer of choice for many B.C. wineries, including Quails’ Gate, Sumac Ridge, Mission Hill, and CedarCreek. “In the mid-2000s, there were some successful small wineries like Fairview Cellars emerging. It seemed plausible that a one- or two-man operation could make good wine and sell it.”
Sprout and his neighbor at Vaseux Lake, Bruce Hirtle, began looking for property around the South Okanagan. Then, at an annual high school reunion golf trip, he discovered that his former classmate, Bill Knutson, also shared a passion for wine. And so, the SpierHead partnership began.
“As a result of my work as a photographer, I knew many owners, winemakers, and marketing people. Many were friends, so I felt comfortable picking up the phone and getting advice, versus being at the mercy of one consultant,” Sprout explains.
Now, a few years later, and after a lot of hard work, things are starting to go pretty well for SpierHead. After Sprout purchased the property in 2007, 6.5 of the 20 acres were planted in 2008, mostly to pinot noir, according to the guidance of Ben Stewart of Quail’s Gate and Tom Di Bello of CedarCreek. “Ben had some other good advice for me. ‘Make sure that you’re growing and selling the types of wine you like to drink,’ he said. And I like riesling and chardonnay, so that’s why we planted those, too.”
The very first harvest from the pinot noir—the 2010 vintage—was crowned the best pinot noir in Canada out of 94 entries at the 2012 Canadian Wine Awards. Not a bad start. According to Knutson, this is exactly the direction they want to be headed. “We want to hitch our wagon to pinot noir and try to become a pinot noir specialist.” Not surprisingly, to this end they are planting more of the acreage in 2014, mostly to pinot noir. This year, SpierHead will produce 3,000 cases; looking ahead, the plan is for a total of 5,000 cases of wine by 2015.
SpierHead is positioned between two championship golf courses, so the winery has a little incentive program in place for guests. There’s a sand trap and chipping mat on the property; guests who can land a ball within gimme distance of the flag receive a five per cent discount on wine.
After all the grunt work of planning, planting, and establishing a vineyard, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the hard-working partners. “We have hired the experienced Bill Pierson as winemaker, and Dan French currently runs the tasting room and sales in the Okanagan,” says Knutson. All this effort is paying off with their wines gaining respect and winning awards, great validation of the partners’ original dream. For one photographer and his passionate partners, the future looks bright, picturesque, even.
