Retirement is not an option for Donald Triggs, a key player in the blossoming of Canada’s modern wine industry and co-owner of soon-to-be launched Culmina Family Estate Winery.
A native of rural Manitoba, representing the sixth generation on the family farm, Don left the nest to complete a degree in agriculture from the University of Manitoba and an MBA at Western. He started his career in Ontario doing sales and marketing with Colgate Palmolive. In 1972 he moved to John Labatt’s wine division where his experience ranged from fixing troubled sectors of winery operations to running large wine producers in Canada and abroad.
In the hope of staying in Canada with his family, Don joined Fisions PLC based in Vancouver, taking their troubled North American horticultural division from money loser to industry leader. With the 1989 North American Free Trade Agreement around the corner, Don risked everything. He joined forces with Alan Jackson and former Labatt colleagues who pooled their life savings to buy the brewer’s wine division.
Renamed Vincor International with Don as CEO, it grew to become the biggest wine enterprise in Canada and seventh largest in the world. When Constellation Brands US acquired Vincor in 2006, Don resigned and set out to build Culmina with wife Elaine as partner and daughter Sara as sales and marketing manager.
Don has lured Bordeaux-trained Pascal Madevon (formerly winemaker at Osoyoos Larose) to the promising scenario at Culmina.
Read more of the original stories celebrated in our 30th-anniversary issue.
Nature at your doorstep
125 Sky Court, Kelowna Arranged in a tiered style along Wilden’s west ridge, Rocky Point offers homeowners of this new premium neighborhood a panoramic view of Okanagan Lake and the downtown area. Estate-sized lots are tucked away in a natural setting along the quiet...
Edgecomb Builders: Tuscan Twist
Edgecombe Builders 1290 St. Paul Street, Kelowna This stunning Edgecombe Builders showhome on Skyland drive in Wilden was one of the top sales to start off 2015, catching a price of $940,000. Builder Kevin Edgecombe wanted to create a home that was Tuscan in feel, but...
Inspired green living
Brighton> 680 Old Meadows Road, Kelowna Located in the heart of the Lower Mission, Brighton is within walking distance of the city largest recreational park and just blocks from the beach. These English revival townhomes with inviting arched entries, steeply pitched...
Mara Lakeside Resort & Wellness Centre
Upscale spa set on Shuswap shoreline Mara Lake, Sicamous The shores of Mara Lake are the destination for a luxury boutique condo hotel and resort complete with a state-of-the-art wellness centre. The Cape Cod inspired four-storey Mara Lakeside Resort & Wellness...
Fall Okanagan Wine Festival wine awards winners announced
The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society has handed out medals to the winners in this year’s 35th Fall Okanagan Wine Festival wine awards. The Platinum medals showcase the varietals and blends that distinguish British Columbia’s wine region. These were: Kismet Estate...
We’re social at Okanagan Life, top tweets from the summer
Follow us at @OkanaganLifeMag on twitter. Here's our best tweet from August 2015, supporting the arts community in Kelowna. Buskers on Bernard returns to entertain this Thursday #Kelowna http://t.co/qh5yWtwCGj @parksalive @cityofkelowna — Okanagan Life...