One of Chile’s leading winemakers starts a new chapter in the Okanagan | Canada Voices

Winemaker Emily Faulconer, who has produced some of Chile’s most iconic red wines, including Seña and Viñedo Chadwick, has embraced a new role as technical director overseeing the Mark Anthony group’s Okanagan wineries. Since starting in June, the 20-year veteran has worked with the winemaking and viticulturalist teams responsible for the company’s seven wineries, which include Mission Hill, Checkmate and Martin’s Lane, to map out plans.

Prior to her first visit to British Columbia’s largest wine region in February, Faulconer says she knew little about the Okanagan, but was quickly impressed by its potential. “The region is so beautiful,” she says. “It attracts a lot of tourists, and a lot of the wine is consumed here. That’s one of the reasons why the Okanagan isn’t well-known outside of this country. If you don’t come here, you won’t know about it.” Faulconer told The Globe and Mail what brought her to the Okanagan and how she is approaching her new role in Canada.

What is your approach to your first grape harvest in the Okanagan?

I think one has to be humble working as a winemaker. I am spending a lot of time in vineyards and with the winemakers to understand what can be done. I have a lot of ideas in my head that I am still validating. When it comes to viticulture and winemaking, I don’t believe in low intervention. Everything we do is intervention. The human factor, the decision making that leads to the final wine, is so important.

How has the recent wildfire in Summerland affected the harvest?

This is a challenging region. With the cold and the smoke, there isn’t much room for mistakes. Since the wildfire, it has rained and the smoke has cleared. Checkmate has picked most of its chardonnay grapes. We are optimistic about the white wines. We’re tasting the fermentations and don’t detect any smoke issues. This region has experienced smoke during harvest before. Few regions know better than this one how to manage that.

What attracted you to the Okanagan wine scene?

When I think of the types of wines that people are looking for today, there’s a huge opportunity here. I can see a balance between high acidity and good fruit ripeness that many consumers are looking for in wine. I am generally very, very interested in what the Okanagan can deliver. This should be a region that everyone is talking about. It’s very exciting. The Okanagan already has very nice wines, but I think there’s the opportunity now to put them on a global stage.

How can you help each in the Von Mandl Family Estates portfolio develop a distinct identity?

I always like to think that you’ve never made your best bottle of wine. There’s that challenge every year of how you fine-tune to get that precision, to achieve the best version of those vineyard sites in the glass. These winemakers are not aspiring to be Bordeaux, the Mosel or Burgundy, they aspire to be best version of the Okanagan. We might look to those historic regions for references, but this is a unique place. The wines, the grapes and the vineyards need to speak for themselves.

This interview has been edited and condensed.