Our vineyard is comprised of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Agria. These are cool-climate varieties that have proven to grow well in ours and similar climates throughout Europe. Scroll down for more information and interesting facts on each varietal.

Agria
Agria has also found its way into North America via British Columbia, where it is most commonly used as a color-enhancing blend wine. Originally from Hungary, Agria is also known as Turan. Agria's chief attributes are its dark color, high vigour growth, cool climate friendly and ripens early with good sugar content.

Also known as 'Bull's Blood', the tale of Agria wine is among the most interesting in wine lore. It is said that in 1552, the heavily outnumbered defenders of the fortress of Eger drank the local wine prior to battle. The wine, believed to give extraordinary power, dripped down their faces and into their beards. The Turks, upon seeing their enemies, with what appeared to be 'Bull's Blood' coming from their mouths, retreated in fear.

Gewürztraminer
The Gewürztraminer grape is one of the most distinctive of grape varieties. The wine that it produces has a pronounced spiciness, from which it takes its name - 'gewürzt' being the German for spicy and its suffix (Traminer) refers to the Traminer grape, which was widely grown around the northern Italian town of Tramin until the 16th century.

Genetically the Gewürztraminer is related to the Muscat grape, another variety that has pronounced flavors. What both of these grapes share is the capacity to impart their flavors to their resultant wines wherever they are planted. This differentiates them from other grape varieties, which are more inclined to express the 'terroir', or the quality of the soil on which they are planted.

Where the wine really comes into its own is on summer days. It's the perfect picnic wine, as its floral overtones are naturally in harmony with the great outdoors. It's a wine that goes particularly well with smoked salmon, its acidity complimenting the salmon's natural oiliness. It has distinctive notes of roses, cloves and lychees and a full, rich 'oily' mouth feel, with dry, acid finishes.

Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris (Grigio, as it is known in Italy) is probably the best-known white variant-clone of Pinot Noir. Ripe Pinot Gris grapes may be described as having colors from bluish grey to light pinkish brown. Clusters with a variety of colors are not unusual. The variety can attain a very high level of sweetness, but will begin to lose acid rapidly when near to fully ripe. The Alsatians value it as a full-bodied wine that can stand up to food without introducing any flavors of its own.

Winemakers in the United States are putting serious efforts into growing and producing Pinot Gris. Nearly 1,620 acres are planted in California, mostly in the Central and South coastal areas. Many Oregon wineries have had good success and are moving steadily away from making Chardonnay while increasing production of Pinot Gris.

Pinot Gris/Grigio is delicately fragrant and mildly floral with light lemon-citrus flavors. Depending upon ripeness at harvest and vinification technique, Pinot Gris can be tangy and light, or quite rich, round and full bodied. Made in an appropriate style, it is one dry white wine that may even age well.

Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is often described as "heartbreak" grape and reflects all aspects of the grape, from growing to wine making. But fans are passionate about this variety and more and more of what they like is being produced here in BC.

Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grape varieties to be cultivated for the purpose of making wine. Ancient Romans knew this grape as Helvenacia Minor and vinified it as early as the first century AD. Recognized worldwide as a great wine grape, Pinot Noir has many names and is grown all over the world

Growing a quality Pinot Noir depends on a number of factors. The vines like long sun exposure yet avoiding afternoon heat. The soil should be very calcareous and offer good drainage. Well-drained soils have a higher average temperature, which assists ripening. Gout de Terroir, or flavor of the soil, is utilized more in Pinot Noir than other black grape types, making vineyard site selection a critical factor. Here at Carbrea we have these attributes and our Pinots are doing extremely well.

Rubus Procerus (Himalayan Blackberry)
Contrary to its common name, Himalayan blackberry is a native of Western Europe. Himalayan blackberry was probably first introduced to North America in 1885 as a cultivated crop. By 1945 Himalayan blackberry had become naturalized along the West Coast. Himalayan blackberry occurs mainly in areas with an average rainfall greater than 76 cm, at altitudes up to 1800 m. and on both acidic and alkaline soils. Himalayan blackberry tends to prefer wet sites even in relatively wet climates.

An abundance of information is available about the berry on the Internet but mostly pertaining to its "invasive species" qualities and a multitude of eradication processes are featured. At Carbrea we are quite happy to let it grow and flourish as our Wild Blackberry Dessert Wine is a huge success!