Averill Creek: Achieving the Impossible
by Becky Solomon

“I’ve always said one of my goals is to make the quintessential Canadian Pinot Noir,”says Andy Johnston, owner of Averill Creek Winery in the Cowichan Valley. Great Pinot Noir in the Cowichan Valley? Impossible, according to most, but Averill Creek, which has been flying low under the radar, is well on its way. Andy Johnston’s dream is in motion and his wines – especially the Pinot Noir — are poised to become cult favourites. This Albertan’s wines are now available, back home in Alberta, through Harvest Vintage Imports. Buy them when you can, because they won’t last long on the shelf.

Physician with a Dream
Touring Averill Creek with Andy Johnston makes one thing very clear — Andy is all about quality, insisting that “when you make a top-quality wine you can’t cut any corners.” His eye to detail and perfection has encompassed everything from clonal selection and exact slope of the land, to vineyard and winery design. Andy had a good thing going when he lived in Alberta, having opened Edmonton’s first Medicentres. But Andy’s Pinot Noir dream had taken root deep in his being. By age 35, Andy knew he had to pursue his dream. So Andy crafted his exit strategy from medicine, taking three to four months annually to work intensively in wineries in France, New Zealand and Italy. He immersed. Andy also needed this lead time to get his finances in order. He knew there could be no financial return from the winery for some eight years. Then, with all this knowledge under his belt, it was time to buy land.

“Heat Units” in the Cowichan Valley
Andy didn’t initially intend to pursue his Pinot dream in B.C. All the prime land in the Okanagan was taken. And that was alright with Andy, since in his opinion, “the Okanagan is good for Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay and a few others, but it’s not Pinot Noir terroir.” Andy narrowed down his dream purchase to France, northern Italy or New Zealand, but this was quickly vetoed by his daughters, who wanted Dad closer to home. Andy had one other choice: the Cowichan Valley, a 40-mile swath north of Victoria, on the same latitude as Dijon. Andy says the Cowichan Valley has “great heat units. It gets a lot of sunshine in the summer, and the soil types are fantastic.”

From Physician to Farmer
When Andy planted on the south slope of Mount Prevost in the Cowichan Valley, he didn’t have any romantic notions about starting a winery. Achieving his dream meant hard work. “To make top-quality wines, first and foremost you need to be a farmer,” he says, “because “90% of the quality of a wine comes from the vineyard.” Andy and his vineyard manager prune all 30 acres of the vineyard themselves.

Gambling on the “Favourite Child”
At harvest time, Andy personally oversees the selection of every bunch of grapes. Those grapes are then received at a visually stunning winery structure, built on four levels. The winery’s front is a knock-out expanse of glass, and the sloping roofline gracefully soars above the rolling vineyard. There’s an exquisite, Tuscan-like patio adjoining the winery. But the innards of this building are designed with a single purpose: to produce top-end wines. Those four stunning levels are all about the ‘gravity flow’ process of making wine. Gravity flow means there is no mechanical pumping of grape juice from one stage of vinification to another. Instead, the grape juice gently flows down the various levels of the building as it is turned into wine. Let Andy explain. Pinot Noir is “a very delicate fruit with very delicate flavours,” he says. Andy insists the Pinot Noir grape needs to retain the flavours of the terroir. How to do this? Andy believes that “the least amount of handling the Pinot Noir gets, the better the final product.” Hence, the gentleness of the gravity flow winery. It’s clear that Andy’s passion spills over into all his wines, but Pinot Noir is obviously the ‘favourite child’. And what ifhe hadn’t been able to produce a great Pinot Noir at Averill Creek? He says he would have focused on producing the best possible wines from his other grapes, and then sold the winery to start again on the Pinot dream.
So how have Averill Creek wines been critiqued?

What the Experts are Saying
Renowned chef Umberto Menghi was, at first, skeptical. “Personally, I didn’t think anyone could make a wine in the Cowichan Valley. But I was privileged to taste Andy’s first wines and WOW! You can tell they’re well executed, with clean taste, and very clear expressions of the wine — there’s no pretension. Andy gives the wine personality.” Umberto now carries Averill Creek wines at his Il Giardino restaurant in Vancouver. Peter Jackson, who has worked at the Beringer Winery and is owner of Edmonton’s five-star Jack’s Grill, says: “Andy and Averill Creek have raised the bar in the Cowichan Valley. Andy has raised the bar in the wine itself, and in the structures he’s built. If people don’t know Averill Creek now, they will after this vintage.” Brian Welsh of Edmonton’s Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse agrees. “I’ve never met anyone with Andy’s level of knowledge — even though I grew up in a vineyard. I knew Andy would be in the dirt like a good winemaker should be. The winemakers who are in the vineyard know their stuff.” Brian describes the 2005 Pinot Noir as “legendary. Everyone’s talking about it.”

Averill Creek wines are already at a premium, moments upon release. They are in select stores and high-end restaurants. Snap them up when you can, because they won’t last long. As Umberto exclaims, “The world has a good wine made by an Englishman in Duncan! The world has come so far. Viva Johnston!”

Note from the Editor-in-Chief: Just as Vendor went to press, we learned that the Averill Creek Vineyard 2005 Pinot Gris was awarded a gold medal at the All Canada Wine Championship. Cheers!

Tasting Notes
Tony “Spike” Maynard of Harvest Vintage Imports brought several Averill Creeks wines into Edmonton this spring. Here are his tasting notes from April 2007.

Averill Creek 2006 Pinot Noir
Clear, bright red in colour, the flavour has tones of cedar and leather. A lively mouthful of plum and berry flavours. This is what we have all been waiting for — a true ‘no nonsense’ Pinot Noir.

Averill Creek 2005 Gewurztraminer
This is a light, supple and refreshing white with a very fragrant nose of rose petals and grapefruit. It is acidic and wonderfully crisp. The finish is gentle but lingering, with notes of honey and pears.

Averill Creek 2006 Pinot Grigio
100% stainless fermented, this beauty has very attractive aromas of ripe apples and peaches, with a big fruity medium-bodied mouth, and a smooth and elegant finish.

Averill Creek 2005 Pinot Gris
Pale straw in color and 100% barrel-fermented, this elegant wine smells softly of stone fruit. A fine backbone of acidity, with lush fruitiness, leads the way to a complex and lengthy finish.

Averill Creek 2006 Rosé
This pretty pink gem is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Pinot Noir. It is beautifully balanced with zippy citrus tones and a hint of mint. It’s the perfect Canadian patio wine.

Averill Creek 2005 Merlot
A medium ruby shade, this wine displays soft and fruity flavours, with pleasant raspberry and almond notes that linger on the finish.

Becky Solomon
Becky Solomon learned about wine, beer and spirits while working as a buyer and marketer for Earls, and she worked on the development of the lounge menu for White Spot when they expanded into Alberta. She is enrolled in the WSET intermediate course, and blogs about wine and cocktails at www.beckysolomon.blogspot.com