Celebrated leader a force in BC wine sector

OLIVER – Since 2013, the Wine Growers BC Leadership Excellence Award has recognized those whose work in the fields of media, research, policy, regulation, education or advocacy have advanced the sector.

This year, as the BC wine industry faces an existential threat from successive years of weather disasters, Severine Pinte, winemaker, viticulturist and managing partner of Enotecca Wineries and Resorts, was awarded for her dedication to steering the industry through its challenges.

“She’s an absolute force in the BC wine industry and she is so well loved and regarded by everybody here and always lends her time and expertise to various boards and committees,” says Wine Growers BC acting communications director Lindsay Kelm, who chaired the awards committee. “She just always goes above and beyond to support everybody in the industry.”

Pinte’s career began in Southern France, where she graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier. There, she attained a Master’s degree in viticulture and oenology and a National Diploma of Oenology. She then apprenticed and worked in France, Canada and Australia.

In 2010, Pinte and her family moved to the Okanagan where she began working at La Stella winery in Osoyoos and Le Vieux Pin in Oliver.

Pinte was drawn to BC by a desire to be part of a growing and dynamic wine industry.

“I like its dynamism and it’s still very new, so there’s still lots to build, and the climate is very challenging,” Pinte says. “The grapes, the terroir, the soil, they’re excellent. It’s very unique. It’s a very micro-region in the whole world of wine and it has so much potential. That is very motivating.”

With experience leading sustainability projects in France, Pinte brought an eye and drive for moving the needle on reducing the environmental footprints of wineries.

“One of my dreams was to eventually get certification here and so when I came in, I joined the Sustainable Winegrowing BC program. And then I was part of the launch of the certification,” Pinte says, who now chairs the organization.

La Stella and Le Vieux Pin  were certified sustainable in July 2021, and currently participate in a living lab experiment to find the optimal cover crops for the South Okanagan.

“The idea is to increase the soil health and so if the soil is healthy, the plant will be healthier and then the grapes will be more balanced and eventually we will probably be able to decrease our sprays because the plant will be resistant to more disease and fungus,” Pinte says.

The vineyard team also monitors irrigation and records plant response to optimize and ultimately limit water use.

In addition, Pinte inspires, motivates and supports women working in the wine sector.

Mentor

The opportunity to work with Pinte is initially what piqued Ruth King’s interest in applying for her current role of program manager with Sustainable Winegrowing BC.

“Between her legendary winemaking, viticulture practice and her position as chair of the Sustainable Winegrowing BC committee, her name has become synonymous with sustainable BC wine. Our motto is ‘inspired people growing outstanding wine’ and this is Sev all the way,” King says. “Sev is like the Lorax of Dr. Seuss’s story; she speaks for the small producers and the real producers of premium wines in our province, the growers.”

King notes that Pinte is also a successful, hands-on businesswoman who spends a significant amount of time in the vineyard and winery sorting grapes, managing the press, tasting product, writing grants and organizing the team and work for the next day.

“Sixty per cent of my job is planning and organization and then I do a lot of work on the sustainability program that we have now implemented at the two wineries and vineyards,” Pinte says. “And lots of updating and lots of research [about] what’s coming up. There’s a lot of research around creating a carbon calculator for the wine industry, so [I’m] trying to participate in that.”

Pinte’s dedication to sustainability and hard work in the sector resulted in a previous award in spring 2023 when she was knighted to France’s 140-year-old Order of Agricultural Merit by the France’s consul general in Vancouver.

Increased collaboration

Over her 14 years in BC’s wine sector, Pinte has seen increased collaboration take shape. Indeed, it’s been essential to her own success.

“It’s not just because of me that I received this award,” she says. “It is because I am working within the wine industry with people; the collaboration piece and the teamwork is very important.”

This cooperation has translated into broader awareness of what’s needed to elevate the sector overall.

“A lot more people are more and more in tune with the dirt, with the terroir and a lot more growers and winemakers are taking care of the land and then making sure that they are growing balanced grapes, not just seeing dollars on the vine,” Pinte says. “Because of that, we’ve seen a tremendous increase in the quality of the wine.”

Looking ahead to this year’s growing season, patience and planning will be key, Pinte says.

“Not every block will react in the same way. That’s the lesson that we got from last year. So, I think it’s just patience and wait and see,” she says. “We’re trying to cut expenses … [and] save money ahead of time. There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to manage the inventory.”

Pinte isn’t a catastrophist when it comes to the industry’s weather woes. She says it’s still too early to tell if a replant will be needed this year, as no one has a crystal ball that can predict the outcome of January’s frost event.

“Very challenging winters have forced the industry to look at our practices and I think we’ve identified that maybe there’s some varietals that might not be planted in the right spot,” she says. “Sustainability is a big word, but I think there’s a lot more people in the industry that are understanding the importance of being part of that movement and I think over the years we’ll see a lot more people being certified and growing, living, working and managing in that way.”