Paul Brunner re-opens his new-look Blue Grouse winery today, and the relative newcomer to the wine-making business knows when the doors open, the pressure is on.
“I like to say all the excuses are gone now,” said Brunner, who bought Blue Grouse in 2012.
Brunner has spent the last three years and no small amount of money upgrading systems, buildings and rooms at the winery near Koksilah Road south of Duncan in hopes of creating the best wine possible.
“At the end of the day, that’s what we’re trying to do, improve the wine,” he said. “We are trying to get all the excuses out of the wine-making process and make the best wines we can make for what we grow on this property.”
Blue Grouse grows Ortega, Bacchus, Pinot Gris, Siegerrebe, Pinot Noir and Black Muscat varietals in its vineyard, which started growing grapes in the late 1970s.
“Effectively we’ve been at this [renovation] for three years,” Brunner said, noting this will be the first year winemaker Bailey Williamson will be able to oversee production without also having to act as a project co-ordinator and construction manager.
Brunner said the winery has continued to produce, with “great difficulty,” throughout the renovation.
The most impressive feature visitors will see is a new tasting room that has been expanded significantly, he said.
The winery has also added a barrel room and a room to make sparkling wine — both are temperature- and humidity-controlled — water-treatment systems and upgraded heating systems.
“We’ve added a series of control elements and some significant upgrades to improve the wine-making process,” he said.
Brunner said the renovation was undertaken with sustainability in mind and used locally sourced construction materials where possible, harnessed geothermal energy and established onsite water collection and treatment. Blue Grouse has also increased its production capacity to 150 barrels annually.
The winery is one of the oldest on the Island. It got its start in 1977 when John Harper planted an experimental vineyard.
Hans Kiltz and his wife, Evangeline, bought the land in 1988 and discovered the experimental vines. They worked to improve the vineyards to the point they could make wine in 1990. A wine shop and tasting room opened in 1993.
Blue Grouse hosted a special sneak peek at the new space for its wine club on Thursday, while media and trades tours were conducted Friday, ahead of today’s grand re-opening.
To mark the re-opening of the winery, Blue Grouse will be releasing Paula, a sparkling wine cuvée named for the Brunners’ daughter.
Brunner said the response to the new winery has been good so far and he’s hoping the reinvention of the space will mean more people coming through its doors this season.
“I like to say, ‘Build it and they might come’ and we’re certainly hoping it will attract more people,” he said.
“We think this should be one of the more attractive winery sites on Vancouver Island.”
