SCOUT VINEYARD

October, 2019: I made it breezily through airport security remembering to put my liquids in a clear plastic bag, intentionally not wearing a belt, donning laceless shoes, removing my laptop well ahead of schedule, and so forth. I cheerfully watched my fellow travellers stress sweat and frantically dump expensive toiletries down the drain. I boarded the plane in a timely fashion, finding my seat, quickly moving out of the aisle and putting my appropriately sized carry-on under the seat. I’m not particularly social on aeroplanes but admire those who have the patience to ask about grandchildren and vacation photos. 

Suddenly, a man was waving at me, I removed my headphones, and prepared for the potentially taxing conversation. Fortunately, the intruder was Aaron Godard, proprietor, farmer, and winemaker at Scout Vineyard in the Similkameen Valley. He apparently recognized me from pictures on our social media and assumed I was headed to the same place he was: Montreal for the Raw Wine Festival, an annual celebration of all things natural wine. 

We chatted briefly about his project, his move towards sustainable agriculture, his love of amphora fermented wines, and how they planned on releasing their first vintage in about a year. I watched as his wife Carly, one of four partners in the winery, handed out Haloween candy to the Flight Attendants. Aaron then headed back to his seat, and we flew across the country, preparing mentally for the glut of socializing and consumption we’d be subjected to over the next few days.

Not only did we run into each other at the festival, we also crossed paths on the metro and at arguably our favourite restaurant, l’Express. We had been there the night before at 3:00 am drinking old Sancerre and eating confit duck and had somehow clawed our way back for an early lunch only eight hours later - the hangovers were ferocious. We noticed Aaron and Carly peacefully enjoying their meal, so we decided it was too serendipitous not to invite them out for an afternoon beer. We all got along famously, and a lifelong friendship was formed. 

February 2021: It was the coldest week the Okanagan had seen in decades, and out of an abundance of caution, we wore masks and stood outside in the snow as we caught up, shivering, eyelashes freezing solid. We finally met Murray, who, along with his wife Maggie, have been the custodians of Scout Vineyard. It is this quartet’s dedication to their land that makes the wines sing so clearly.

Their tiny winery is located near Cawston along the Crowsnest Highway. They’ve done basically everything by hand, from building their physical winery to farming their grapes. They practice regenerative agriculture to restore life to the soil. They are incredibly dedicated and insightful, constantly reading and talking with other winemakers from around the world. They aren’t afraid to experiment and understand that patience is a winemaker’s most prized virtue (okay, maybe cleanliness is actually the most prized virtue). In some cases, they have held back barrels of wine for years to allow them to properly develop - it’s a huge economic strain for a new winery, but they believe it is worth the risk.