Chase & Warren Estate Winery
PORT ALBERNI’S FIRST WINERY
Our Story
Chase & Warren sold their first bottle of wine in 2003 but the vineyard was started in 1995 and the first vine planted in 1996.
Initially, John Harper recommended the types suitable for our site and he supplied our first stock. Subsequently, the centre for plant health in Saanichton, Euro Nursery and Don Allen have supplied the remainder of the 38 or so varieties planted. We thought it was necessary to plant so many varieties to establish exactly which varieties would mature most successfully in the Alberni Valley.
After receiving our first 7 rows of grapes from John Harper, we were approached in 1998 by the Historical Society’s Hugh Grist to declare that we were indeed going to have a winery here, so that they could put us down as a stop for the steam train, which was going to be a part of the attraction for people to visit the McLean Mill National Historic Site. At the time we had not had a crop from those first vines so we were not at all sure where we were headed with the experiment, however, for the sake of supporting the Historical Society’s bid for access to the railway, we became a part of the original presentation to Rail America as Grandview Estate Winery. Obviously, the name didn’t stick because when the time came to officially apply for the name, it was refused by the feds. Dan Rowe the general manager, is a voracious reader and happened to come across a quote in one of Rudyard Kipling’s poems about the rights of “chase and warren”. Well, the bunnies had just arrived in the Valley and the dogs were going wild trying to keep their numbers under control and for the most part succeeding. They chased the bunnies who tried to hide in their warrens. Also, Chase is the last name of the owners of the land and they have a son named Warren. Apropos for a name in many ways and so we applied for and were granted right to the name we now have.
Establishing a winery is a daunting task and we needed help. Who better than the guy who made the initial comment of ”This hill would look good planted in grapes.” that started all the planting. So we coerced Ron Crema to join in the silliness.
One of our grape varieties is a Muscat that was given to Orval Chase by his friend and former partner in business, Carl Pedersen. Carl was the city gardener for years but where he got the original vine we don’t know. (Perhaps if Jim, his son, knows and sees this, he will enlighten us.)
Our first partial crop was in 1999 and until 2003 we did test batches of wine to get an idea of the tastes being produced by the numerous varieties, which continued to be planted, and to practise our wine-making skills. Angelo Rizzato, a wine maker with an excellent palate, adjudicated our first attempts and gave us direction in how to properly treat the grapes. His help was invaluable. Don Allen, a wine maker and vineyardist for Cedar Creek before it was Cedar Creek also helped us a great deal. Still the learning curve was a steep one and we continue to try to improve our winemaking skills within the bounds of our monetary capabilities. ( Machines can do practically everything these days but the cost, in our case, is prohibitive.) The result of using a traditional method is that the wines are quite obviously European in style.
We were asked to give a talk at a community agricultural forum in Courtenay a number of years back and to give recommendations to the farmers of the region who were looking to enhance their already strong agricultural base. Unfortunately, like everything else in farming, it takes a considerable commitment both in time and money to enjoy the romantic lifestyle of owning and running a winery. I could not, in good conscience, recommend starting a winery with the object of making a living at it. People do it because they love it. It is as simple as that.
I would love to say the word passion here because it is such a romantic word but I prefer to view wine in the Italian sense rather than the French. Wine is a friend and partner to man in his attempt to live a good life. It is a constituent of life—a reflection of man’s attempt to enhance the experience of life—and in conjunction with good food— it elevates the spirit and makes life more interesting. As such, harvest time is indeed cause for celebration because it necessarily includes others where passion generally hogs all the credit to its disciples.
Neither the vineyard nor the winery would have been possible without the help of many friends and relations who gave unselfishly of their time and effort to help with the clearing, planting, pruning and harvesting.
Our aim is to produce wines of good value that are reflective of our area’s rich natural surroundings and to offer a personal connection to the folks who visit us. We have a deep commitment to our community and are proud to be able to represent it.
