WATCH: Kelowna winery celebrates European harvest tradition

It’s not a common tradition in the Okanagan but it’s one that could catch on.

Summerhill winery in Kelowna gave thanks for the fall harvest Tuesday by pouring a batch of fermenting wine back onto the vines, but what seems like a waste of wine is actually celebration of gratitude.

The tradition is known in Europe as Federweisser, or “new wine”. The fermenting liquid isn’t quite a wine yet, but is said to taste similar to a fruity Riesling. The federweisser is poured onto the vines as a way of thanking Mother Nature and giving back.

The tradition was adopted by Summerhill’s winemaker, Eric von Krosigk, after he spent eight years in Germany.

“The moment is about taking time and saying thank you,” says von Krosigk. “It helps us all stop and take stock of how blessed we really are – to stop and say hey, thanks.”

When Summerhill first began celebrating the tradition, it was a staff-only event. This year, the ceremony was shared with the public and participants think the trend could catch on.

“I hope it sticks around,” says Brad Vaillancourt. “We take so much from Mother Nature and it’s nice to give back whatever morsel we can whenever we can. If we can do that, we can just keep recycling and making the Okanagan more and more beautiful.”

Von Krosigk says Summerhill has even more reason to be grateful this year. This year’s harvest is the winery’s best in the last decade, thanks to an early dry season and an unusually warm fall.

He says the winery hopes to share Federweisser with more Okanagan residents in coming years.