Mission Possible

Mission Hill ensures a green future by carefully managing the present

By Christina Burridge

Five years ago, Anthony von Mandl built a soaring temple to wine atop the Okanagan’s Mount Boucherie as a legacy for future generations. Now John Simes, Mission Hill Family Estate’s New Zealand-born, 57-year-old winemaker, is embarking on a project to make sure that 50 or 100 years from now the vineyards will still be there. Simes calls it a “sustainability objective,” a green plan that took root three years ago and has developed into a complete analysis of every aspect of what goes on in the vineyard and figuring out new ways to do it. Ways that are better for the land, for the people who work it, and the animals they share it with, better for the grapes and ultimately more profitable for the company.

The Okanagan Valley—the northern end of the great Sonoran desert—is one of the most fragile ecosystems in B.C. Winemaking has changed it profoundly—those rows of vines marching inexorably down the hillside make the desert bloom. As Simes says, “vineyards change the balance forever—we’re growing grapes in a low rainfall region, we’re irrigating, fertilizing, spraying, and driving tractors. So we looked at every point at which we interact with the environment to see if we could eventually reduce our impact.”

One change leads to another. Water is a big issue in the Okanagan—there’s barely enough for all the homes, farms, vineyards, and golf courses. So Simes converted to drip irrigation. Water consumption dropped by half; less water meant less grass between the rows, hence less mowing, less tractor work, less soil compaction. The conversion was costly—$1,500 to $2,000 per acre—but operating costs are lower and the quality of the grapes has improved.

Mission Hill is not going completely organic or biodynamic just yet, but Simes is cutting back on when, what, and how he sprays. His technicians monitor the vineyard daily and determine thresholds for spraying. The chemicals are “soft,” low-dose ones that break down quickly, and he’s looking into buying new equipment that has a sprayer on one side and a vacuum cleaner on the other that captures unused spray from the atmosphere and reuses it further down the row. Again, more expense, but fewer chemicals and overall much healthier grapes.

Planting vines means displacing animals, birds, and plants. Mission Hill recently acquired 80 acres of apple orchard. Once they would have cleared the trees, piled them up, chucked on a few cans of gas, and lit a big bonfire—now they’re chipping the trees and using them as mulch for the vines. One of Mission Hill’s new Naramata vineyards backs onto Okanagan Mountain Park. In the past, a winemaker might have hired a hunter to “get rid” of the animals. Instead, Mission Hill spent $200,000 on fencing. Rattlesnakes are another problem—hard to keep out, illegal to kill, unsafe for employees to encounter. Simes has a registered biologist on staff and a new snake specialist to monitor where the snakes go daily and seasonally. A plan will be developed to minimize contact.

Simes reckons it’ll take another decade to fully implement the winery’s green plan but he’s already seeing benefits—“What we’re doing forces us to look at the vine and understand it better.” Healthier vines deal better with annual cold snaps and heat waves and deliver better fruit. Simes sees his wines as inextricably tied to place—as he says of the green initiative, “This is not about growing grapes, it’s about farming wine.”

BEST OF THE BUNCH

Three bottles, reflecting the green approach, that will sustain you


Mission Hill Family Estate 2004 Oculus
1. Mission Hill’s flagship wine is a Bordeaux-style blend, recently re-engineered with the advice of top oenologist Michel Rolland, that shows off the first changes in the vineyard. The new vintage is almost three-quarters Merlot—big, bold plum and blackcurrant fruit, spiced with cocoa and mocha, and a long, many-layered finish. Private wine stores, $70

Mission Hill Family Estate 2005 Reserve Shiraz
2. The premium red wines from Mission Hill’s vineyards in Oliver and Osoyoos are the first beneficiaries of the new approach to irrigation. The 2005 Shiraz is dark purple red with delicious raspberry and blackberry fruit, earthy rather than jammy, with coffee and chocolate adding complexity. Private wine stores, $24.99

Mission Hill Family Estate 2004 Vidal Reserve Icewine
3. This popular Vidal comes from the new Naramata vineyard, backing onto Okanagan Mountain Park, that serves as a trial ground for the new green plan. Lusciously sweet but with a hint of tartness—like a good marmalade—with lots of orange and pear flavours overlaid with toffee and caramel. Specialty listing, $49.99/375 ml bottle. —C. Burridge

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