Speak with Shannon and Remi Cardinal for very long and you get a sense that this affable young couple truly do embrace the “lifestyle” concept of their Red Bird vineyard and winery in Creston.
“It was the lifestyle we were looking, for,” says Remi, while Shannon adds, “We spent a year in France and got nipped with the wine bug there.”
Shannon had previously taken the viticulture certificate program at Okanagan college, and they worked throughout the season in Bordeaux, Burgundy and Beaujolais. They liked what they saw.
“The year we spent working in the industry in France opened our eyes to a different way of doing things,” says Shannon. “We have such fond memories of harvest lunches and dinners out in the fields, where everyone stops to socialize and enjoy themselves with the harvest community.”
With that background they went looking for a place of their own.
“We looked in the Okanagan and price was certainly a factor,” notes Shannon. “I was working in Alberta at the time (she’s an environmental consultant) and we totally stumbled on Creston.”
Farmland was more approachable price wise than in the high-demand Okanagan Valley, and they like the Kootenays. “Creston is a perfect up and coming place and we are super into skiing and hiking.”
The Cardinals purchased a bed and breakfast with a small orchard in 2014 and planted three acres with Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris, along with small plantings of Kerner, Schonberger and Gamaret. “The Gewurztraminer is the best for our site for sure,” says Shannon, and wine judges agree. The off-dry style wine took gold at the All Canadian Wine Championships this August.
“Pinot Gris does well here too,” says Remi. “But it is a bit later in ripening and there is a risk of frost.” Shannon says she finds the Gewurztraminer an easier wine to make. “The Pinot Gris is more challenging but it’s also more fun to play with. We are still experimenting with different ferments. The challenge here is that the acids don’t drop through the fall ripening.”
The Cardinals also purchase Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon for their red blend from the South Okanagan, and Marquette and Muscat from Grand Forks to blend with the Gamaret for their rosé. An adjacent two-acre lease property was planted in Pinot Noir two years ago. “As that comes in we may use it for our red, but right now the plan is to use it for sparkling,” says Shannon. “I think a sparkling wine could be super cool in Creston.”
Photo by Tom Walker
Chickens
Chickens at the Red Bird Winery.
Remi mostly grows the grapes and Shannon makes the wine, “But we do do everything together, which is the fun of being this size,” he says. “We talked to a lot of people who have gone big and they say no, if you want to have fun stay small.”
Red Bird’s goal is to produce a maximum 2000 cases per year. “Definitely garagiste,” quips Shannon. Right now they are both working off farm, Shannon consulting about 10 hours a week and Remi full time as an HVAC contractor. “We had hoped for Remi to dial it back this year but with the uncertainty of COIVID, we weren’t sure,” notes Shannon. “Right now it’s a marathon to balance it all. We hope to just concentrate on the winery for the summer and only work in the wintertime.”
Sales are strong across the Kootenays as well as to tourists from Alberta, Vancouver and the Island. “We are in the middle between Nelson and Cranbrook along Highway 3,” Shannon notes, but it is local support she is most proud of.
“People in the Kootenays are very good about local support,” she says. “We launched a wine club this year and it blew me away how many local people joined it.” They have sold out their previous two vintages and the 2019 rose was gone by the end of August.
Last fall the Cardinals redesigned their Red Bird labels. “We selected birds from the area (there are no Cardinals in BC) and had a local artist draw them,” Shannon explains. “We combined that with a font based on Remi’s handwriting.” Their ‘Atelier’ red (artist’s workshop, a place of creativity) gives a nod to Remi’s roots north of Montreal and describes their winemaking approach. This summer's project was to transition to organic and they have hired sheep to keep back the vegetation between the rows.
The short season in the Kootenays does affect them. “It’s a tight area to grow grapes,” says Remi. “And all the suppliers are in the Okanagan valley. If we want something related to wine we have to go over there.”
They do try to stay connected with Okanagan growers and attended the Enology and Viticulture Conference in Penticton last summer. “What is nice about our little wine community here is that we are helping each other grow,” says Shannon.
The friendly Creston community has lots of programs for their children. “It’s a great place for them to grow up and we try to involve them as much as we can in the vineyard. There will be a job cleaning out tanks soon,” jokes Shannon.
But if there is a confirmation of the “lifestyle” descriptor, it is the poster that their daughter drew earlier this summer of the life cycle in the vineyard. “She has all the steps,” Shannon says.
The six-year old’s stick figures show a seed planted and growing into grapes. A girl comes by and snips off the grapes and they are put in a tank and then the wine into a bottle. There is the tasting room, and someone is giving them money. Overhead is the sun that makes it all happen.
“I’m keeping that poster forever,” Shannon beams.
