Salt Spring Island Harvest

Written by: Rayna Corner

Ten years ago, most of the world was busy worrying about the new millennium. Some, such as Marcel Mercier and Elaine Kozak, had already decided to change careers, and were well immersed in the task of converting a hundred-year old orchard and farm to become a winery. Mercier and Kozak werenít creating this winery in an already established region; rather, they chose Salt Spring Island, part of British Columbiaís Gulf Island chain, and as well known for its artist community as its stunning scenery and pastoral charm.

Salt Spring Island was chosen due to its almost Mediterranean climate, perfect soil conditions and the opportunity to live and work on an island where sustainability, recycling and conservation are revered.

Sustainability is a key factor at Garry Oaks, with Mercier and Kozak practicing a total ecological approach. This philosophy means managing all of the elements in the vineyard, including the soil, water and vine canopy to ensure that they work together to optimize the ripeness of the fruit, minimize pests and disease, and enhance the beauty of the site.

ìBad vintagesî in which weather or other problems plague the development of grapes is virtually non-existent at Garry Oaks, as Mercier and Kozak constantly monitor and adjust the vines to ensure ideal conditions exist throughout the growing season.

The intense concentration in the vineyard helps Kozak to produce some of the purest and highest quality wine available in British Columbia, without resorting to chemicals or over-manipulation of the wines.

Kozak produced Garry Oaks first vintage in 2003, under the tutelage of Okanagan winemaker Ross Mirko, who consulted for the first three years. Since then, the wines have won over 60 medals, and garnered significant consumer and critical praise.
Kozak and Mercer produce two different lines of wines: Classics, so named because of the reliance on French technique and tradition with familiar grape varietals; and Originals, unusual grape varietals or unique blends.
The stars of the Classics series are Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and a Blanc de Noir, made from Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. The Originals series features Prism, a Gewurztraminer-Chardonnay blend; Fetish, a Cabernet Franc-Merlot blend; and Zeta, made from the Austrian varietal Zweigelt.

The varietals were all chosen for the Garry Oaks vineyard because they were calculated to ripen, and they suited the soil conditions, and produced wines noticeably different from one another.