“Bella”
For their first date Jay Drysdale took Wendy Rose and his dog (their chaperone) truffle hunting just outside Portland, Oregon. It was a daring move to take a gal away for a long weekend but it gave the two ample time to get to know each other.
They discovered they shared rich, deep, culinary backgrounds: Jay as a retired chef, currently working in the wine industry, and Wendy having grown up in a household where her mom was a chef and her dad’s only hobby was wine.
Somewhere on the I-5, after a flurry of eHarmony-esque questions and answers, Jay decided Wendy was the one, and chose to reveal the deal breaker: Jay had always wanted his own boutique sparkling wine house, preferably located on waterfront property in British Columbia. This was non-negotiable and he was already down the path to achieving it. True to her coastal California roots, Wendy’s response was genuine: “Dude, that is so cool! My family has been importing bubbles as our house table wine for decades. I’m so in.”
As their love grew, Jay and Wendy knew they wanted to make bubbles together. Not just to make wine, but to make a product so closely associated with good times and celebrations, that it honours how fortunate they feel to truly find the love of their lives. They want to give thanks, and celebrate each other plus all the little things that happen every day. Things that lead up to two strangers going truffle hunting and all that can follow…
And that is what they do – every day. Celebrate today. They hope you’ll join them. Cheers!
Oh ya … and the dog’s name?
Bella.
Jay Drysdale
Wendy Rose
Jay is passionate about pushing the boundaries of farming an ecosystem (vs a monoculture) that sustains itself. Ask him about integrated soil health and prepare to sit back for an entertaining oral dissertation.
Wendy is passionate about drinking the bubbles Jay makes for her. It helps with the day-to-day operations of a winery, and telling a good tall tale, to sip beautifully crafted sparkling wines. Just don’t mention “the cow”.
A wee sparkling wine house can make a difference …
Here at Bella, we’ve been quietly pushing the boundaries of sparkling products, and our industry, and we have the honour of claiming the following “firsts”:
first dedicated sparkling wine house in BC (2011). Many other wineries include bubbles in their portfolio but Bella was BC's only winery exclusively dedicated to just making sparkling wine. Today there is only one other, on Vancouver Island, Invinity which Jay consulted on when they started up their first vintage in 2018. Also introduced flint glass (over "antique green") as an option for bubbles - as we had to order our glass through OCP, their house brand Haywire decided to adopt this new option too.
For the 2013 vintage, we pushed hard for single varietal, single vineyard expressions with vineyard attribution on the label to educate consumers about our wine regions and how it affects the flavor of the grape (in our case, at the time, either chard or gamay). This vintage we started sourcing fruit from Keremeos, Kamloops, both sides of Oliver, Kelowna, and Naramata to look at the various personalities typicity could provide. At the time, only Orofino and Syncromesh were doing this, for Riesling only.
first to release an Ancestrale Method sparkling wine in the Pacific Northwest (2015). We couldn't say Canada because in 2015 one other winery, Hinterland, was also making ancestrale method and coincidentally doing it with Gamay. Hah! The launch of this product also forced the BC VQA sensory wine panel to add a separate panel to assess natural wines (e.g. unfiltered, unfined, etc.). We eventually declined to be a part of the BC VQA because of this added hassle but the panel still exists today.
first to offer a traditional method sparkling wine (two fermentations) that is all natural (e.g. we did not add sugar and yeast to kick start a second fermentation) in Canada (2018). The goal of this wine is to make traditional method sparkling wine with nothing added. There was uncertainty whether the natural yeasts in the base juice were strong enough to ferment through the addition of the second ferment juice, and whether it would take the finished product to dryness. We’ve been delighted with the outcome. This wine takes two years to make so we don’t produce it every year. We call this wine "trad-nat" for "traditional natural".
first to offer three clonal Gamay expressions in North America (2019): Clone 509 (standard BC clone), Clone 787 (exclusively found at the Mariani Vineyard) and Clone 358 (a hearty red grape varietal typically used for making bold premier cru Beaujolais). As an aside, since 2017, with two clones, we were the only one to offer clonal Gamay specific bubbles in North America;
first to offer North America's first sparkling orange wine (2019) - we left our 2018 estate chardonnay on skins for a year and then made it in the trad-nat style (above) by inoculating with the 2019 vintage of our estate chardonnay. At this juncture the only sparkling orange wine was coming out of Greece.
starting with the 2018 vintage, first winery in BC to start including ingredients list on the back label (released 2019). In 2008 Randall Grahm, of Bonny Doon Vineyard, started including a FULL ingredient list on the label. He said that he was doing it in part to encourage the industry to do more with less and to be more natural while “trumpeting our own virtue.” Further, he said that it is kind of an enforced discipline: “if you have to add it to the label, you think twice before doing anything.” He added, “It makes a better wine.” We believe this too. And we strongly believe in transparency.
first to release Piquette into the market place in Canada (2020). In France, a long time ago, laborers and vineyard hands sometimes got paid in grape pomace (the pressed pulp, skins, seeds, etc that is remaining in the press after we have pressed off the juice to make wine) which they then took home, added water and allowed to ferment. This created a low alcohol wine with a gentle spritz. Think of it as the “wine spritzer” of the 19th century. We make a similar product today.
first to release North America's first sparkling fortified wine (2022). For our sparkling Chinato, we injected gas into a red wine base blended with aromatized spirits. Think: your favorite Amaro, with spritz.
Our approach to farming
Bella Wines incorporates holistic and regenerative farming practices to produce high-quality wines while prioritizing environmental sustainability and ecosystem health. They emphasize soil health as the foundation of their vineyard, employing methods that enhance soil structure and fertility. This includes minimal soil disturbance, cover cropping, and organic composting to nourish the soil without synthetic fertilizers.
Livestock integration is another crucial aspect of their holistic approach. Animals like pigs chickens, and ducks graze between the vines, contributing natural fertilizers and aiding in pest control, thus eliminating the need for chemical pesticides. This practice not only improves soil health but also promotes biodiversity within the vineyard.
Bella Wines also focuses on carbon sequestration, a vital element of regenerative agriculture. By adopting practices that capture and store carbon in the soil, they contribute to mitigating climate change while enhancing soil organic matter. This approach aligns with the broader goal of regenerative farming, which aims to restore and maintain the health of the land, air, and water.
In addition to these practices, Bella Wines is committed to preserving and increasing biodiversity. They maintain habitats for beneficial insects and wildlife and plant a variety of crops to support a balanced ecosystem. Water conservation is also a key focus, with efficient irrigation systems and rainwater harvesting techniques employed to minimize water usage.
Overall, Bella Wines' holistic and regenerative farming practices reflect a deep respect for nature and a commitment to producing wines that are not only of exceptional quality but also environmentally sustainable.
