Pearl Morissette is not perturbed by the opinions of people
Tucked away off Highway 26 in Jordan Station, sit a series of brooding, matte black edifices. The only indication something curious might lay beyond the lengthy gravel drive is a rooster statue, sitting quietly and regally as traffic passes by.
The buildings house the production facility and restaurant of what otherwise might be known as Canadian wine royalty - Pearl Morissette. Like any icon, their brand - and wines - are polarizing. Any wine professional will attest to this being a marker of quality - the wine can be happily guzzled by unknowing consumers, or it can be discussed over endless philosophical hours that disappear like mere minutes.
A driving force behind the growth of Pearl Morissette is the small-but-mighty Svetlana Atcheva, a former Toronto sommelier turned co-proprietor of the winery. Svetlana gives off an effortless savant like energy those born to be intellectuals and storytellers embody.
I was immediately drawn to Svetlana upon meeting her, as her intelligence and sincerity were refreshing, especially in an industry largely dominated by ego.
Somehow, each time we sat down to chat and taste wine, entire days would pass, and still we’d have a hundred more topics we didn’t get to addressing. It became a no brainer that working together only made sense, and within a few weeks, we had curated a collection of wines to offer Crushable members to try.
Below is an excerpt of some of our conversations.
LM: You could say Pearl Morissette blazed the low intervention trail not only in Ontario, but Canada. You've set the bar high, in spite of so much hate and vitriol thrown your way. How did you remain so steadfast in your vision? What were the guiding lights for you and Francois?
SA: The answer to both these questions is the wines themselves.
We're extremely open to criticism, and never perturbed by the opinions of people, unless of course, the criticisms are valid.
At which point - the silliest thing would be to remain steadfast to a vision that no longer holds. it would no-longer qualify as steadfastness, but as a plain old pig-headedness. What few people know about Pearl Morissette, is that the level of self-criticism and mutual criticism that goes within the walls of the estate far, far outweigh anything that has been thrown our way. Any wine put in a bottle over the years is the honed-in result of many, many, many discussions and arguments and self-doubts and the product of the best of our capacities in the moment. If anyone points out something we've missed at the moment, believe me - the resounding answer will always be: "THANK YOU".
And when the wines through the years continue to show you the beauties they hold that you were not even aware of - well, that's even better than a guiding light, it's a shiny lighthouse.
LM: When drinking the wines the word that comes to mind is distinction. They reminds me of other iconic producers like López de Heredia/Viña Tondonia, whose style is unlike any other, and garnered worldwide respect for this reason. You've achieved the same with your own wines, committing to specific types of vessels via concrete and foudres, along with indigenous yeasts - would you agree this was the goal? To be distinct, not only to showcase local terroir, but a unique expression of your philosophy/vision?
SA: Well, that's quite the compliment - thank You!
I don't believe anyone can achieve true distinction if distinction is one's goal. We never committed to anything in particular, apart from the "No Compromise" within the bottles. So - it's not the vessels, or the yeasts, or anything else on its own. It is all of it together. The vessels we use are only a tool - and we shift from one type to another depending on what we feel will be best suited to highlight the particular harmonies each growing year brings. The indigenous yeasts are nothing new - just part and parcel of the old, traditional, artisanal wine-making craft.
The originality of the wines comes from three places:
- Our full dedication to true craftsmanship and focused work, and to getting more and more precise each year
- Niagara itself and its very unique character
- And our own rule - not to stand in the way, not to mold, just to let the wine be - regardless of how "different" it is to what has been known so far.
LM: Where does the vision come from? Why low intervention, why Niagara?
SA: The vision is nothing more than the vision of any craftsman or artist, regardless of the field - the ability to express what you see in the most nuanced and precise way. It's what drives anyone with creative bones in their body and with spirits that strive to express whatever it is.
Low-intervention is nothing more, but doing it the old way and learning how to dance with Nature.
Modern winemaking is full of tools, and shortcuts - but all of them can barely hold a candle to the diversity and improbable beauties that Nature is capable of. Working this way simply allows one to have the most imaginative and genius dance partner that life can offer.
LM: What is so special about Niagara? Where do you see the region going?
SA: We're still in the process of discovering the particularities of the region. I always say that we're just barely entering the toddler stage when it comes to our understanding of what surrounds us. The technical answer, of course, has to do with the topographical particularities - being deeply continental, but right next to huge bodies of water, the post-glacial landscapes, the diversity of soils. And yet, these are only technicalities. - the true "special" quality of Niagara is something much deeper. It is something to be uncovered and is yet to be defined with precision and confidence, or it may be something that is currently created.
LM: What is your elevator pitch for Pearl, specifically for a natural & Canadian wine neophyte? How do you proselytize your ethos?
SA: I really don't have an elevator pitch. I'm a long-game kind of person. One person at a time and full transparency.
I simply tell our story, explain our methods in detail, speak to our principles, and elaborate on our thinking and what inspires us. Depending on what wines we're pouring, I'll also talk about the vintage and its characteristics, and share how I feel and see any particular wine.
If anything, I just try to make wine - not only ours, but wine in general - more human and not intimidating by empowering people to trust their own palates and not to take all the wine talk out there too seriously. If the wine in your glass is good, you will know it - you don't need to know anything about it.
LM: What's your opinion on the current state of affairs in the wine industry? How can we improve? What's missing?
SA: HONESTY! Conversations, Conversations and more conversations - fueled by honesty and by curiosity. Critical thinking, honest tasting and discussions.
Open Minds and Open Palates, please.
Enough with the need to imitate existing references.
Better craftsmanship is very important, especially in the low-intervention sphere. Learning that ethos in and of itself does NOT necessarily taste good and time, courage - and once again - honesty are essential in growing one's craft.
And, of course, Enough with the fairytales and with sticking to stories that may have been true ten, twenty years, or a century ago - but no longer hold.
LM: What's your advice to other pariahs or outliers?
SA: "Stay on the fucking bus" would be my advice. It's the title of an article I read almost 10 years ago about the Helsinki bus station theory and how it can, and does, translate as an attitude to anyone on a journey of discovery.
Here's the full text:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/23/change-life-helsinki-bus-station-theory
In short though, it's about persistence and the true and deep nature of originality - which happens to be focus.
I quote - but you have to read the article in order to understand the metaphor fully:
"Persistence: in the first weeks or years ( or decades) of any worthwhile project, feedback – whether from your own emotions, or from other people – isn't a reliable indication of how you're doing.(This shouldn't be confused with the dodgy dictum that triggering hostile reactions means you must be doing the right thing; it just doesn't prove you're doing the wrong one.) The second point concerns the perils of a world that fetishises originality. A hundred self-help books urge you to have the guts to be "different": the kid who drops out of university to launch a crazy-sounding startup becomes a cultural hero… yet the Helsinki theory suggests that if you pursue originality too vigorously, you'll never reach it. Sometimes it takes more guts to keep trudging down a pre-trodden path, to the originality beyond. "Stay on the fucking bus": there are worse fridge-magnet slogans to live by."
You can purchase the Crushable x Pearl Morisette pack here.
