Haywire
Country: Canada
Region: Okanagan
Winemaker: Matt Dumayne
The journey began in 2006 when Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie converted a 10-acre Summerland orchard to Pinot Gris and named the new vineyard Switchback. In 2009, after a lot of trial, error, and labour the vines yielded a tiny crop, enough to make 168 cases of wine. Curiosity won out over practicality, Haywire wines were launched and it appeared there was no going back. Haywire was an obvious name, as an old Canadianism that refers to wires used for baling hay that tended to be tough to manage.
The first two vintages of Haywire were made at other wineries. The experience of being accommodated in borrowed cellars gave Christine and Steve the idea to build a custom crush facility to help people enter the wine industry with less mishaps. Today, their venture includes Okanagan Crush Pad, a 45,000 case winery and Garnet Valley Ranch, a 312-acre organic farm and vineyard, and a shift to crafting pure, delicate wines emblematic of spectacular Okanagan Valley. Home vineyard, Switchback received organic certification in 2015 and the three independent growers for the winery are on a similar path. Haywire is recognized as making game-changing wines with New Zealander Matt Dumayne as chief winemaker, working with internationally acclaimed consultants Alberto Antonini and Pedro Parra.
