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.
Top Okanagan artists to be honoured this Saturday
Nominees from across the arts spectrum with be honoured at the 8th Annual Okanagan Arts Awards to be held at the Mary Irwin Theatre, located in the Rotary Centre for the Arts on March 28. The Arts Council of the Central Okanagan has established this award program in...
Kitchen Confidential with Chef Nikos at Theos Restaurant
[downloads category="current-issue" columns="1" excerpt="no"][downloads ids="127457" columns="1" excerpt="no"][downloads ids="120272" columns="1" excerpt="no"] Nikos Theodosakis and Nikos Kazantakis share a common heritage. Both come from the Greek Island...
Penticton’s $250 Million Community Launches Phase Two
After selling out its first phase of 47 homes in six months, the Skaha Hills Development Corporation announced today the launch of its second phase of homes at Skaha Hills, Penticton’s newest $250 million master-planned community. Skaha Hills a partnership between the...
April Preview
The April issue of Okanagan Life Magazine is in production. Don't miss out Your ad message will reach over 490,000 exposures over three months. Email: paul@okanaganlife.com Ad space deadline: Mar 25 See our Media Kit.
The Addams Family musical opens at the Kelowna Actors Studio
There goes the neighborhood. The creepy, mysterious and spooky The Addams Family Broadway musical sensation takes stage at the award-winning Kelowna Actors Studio April 8 to 25, 2015. Randy Leslie and Lyndsey Wong star in this musical comedy that brings the beloved...
Extraordinary season closes for Ballet Kelowna
Leading Canadian contemporary ballet choreographers to showcase the immense talents of Ballet Kelowna’s gorgeous dancers in an evening of premieres Ballet Kelowna closes its 2014/15 season with two world premieres and one company premiere from some of Canada’s leading...
