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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m N o v - D e c 2 015 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 7 9 The only barrels still in the win- ery belong to custom crush clients, a robust sideline whose revenues support OCP's ambitious develop- ment. (See sidebar on page 83). The winery, built in 2010, has an annual capacity of about 32,000 cases. Under its own Haywire and Narrative labels, the winery produc- es Pinot Noir, Gamay, Syrah, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, rosé and sparkling wine. Currently, half the winery's volume is made for client wineries. Some of that capacity, but by no means all, will be required when fruit from a new OCP vineyard arrives in a few years. INITIAL IMPULSE Okanagan Crush Pad's business model sets it apart as one of the region's most innovative wineries. Coletta and Lornie, who got into the business on a whim, now run a ven- ture in which C$11.5 million ($8.7 million) has been invested, with the help of several silent partners. It began in 2005 when they took a break, while building an Okana- gan home, to explore the bucolic countryside near the town of Sum- merland. They happened upon a 10-acre orchard that was for sale and bought it on impulse. "The orchard was just a money pit," Coletta discovered. "(Steve) said if we are going to have a money pit, we had better grow something that we can consume at the end of it. So we planted some grapes." After taking planting advice from grower friends, they turned the job over to local agriculturists, including Theo Siemens, who remains as OCP's viticulturist. In 2006, Pinot Gris vines replaced the apples and apricots. They intended just to sell grapes until Michael Bartier, then a winemaker at Road 13 Vineyards, talked Coletta into making 168 cases of wine from Christine Coletta stands in OCP's organ- ically certified Switchback vineyard. Orion is an artisan cooperage in partnership with Bayard Fox, Franck Monteau and Christophe Garcia, producing exceptional French oak barrels from the finest wood provenances, with full traceability. BAYARD FOX SELECTIONS 707.812.4554 • bayard@bayardfoxselections.com • www.tonnellerieorion.com O R I O N : T H E N E W H O R I Z O N