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.
Progressive dinner and tasting on Summerland’s Bottleneck Drive
Relax and enjoy a summer evening travelling along Summerland’sBottleneck Drive during a guided three-course progressive dinner and tasting event July 7.
Novel backgrounder
Beneath the whirr and buzz of co ee grinders, I sit with Okanagan author Ashley Little as she tells me about the inception of her most recent novel, Niagara Motel.
Conservation cooperation
2018 OWC COMMUNICATIONS AWARDS WINNER This annual competition recognizes and rewards excellence in outdoor communication. Congrats to Judie Steeves for receiving the Ducks Unlimited Canada Award in Conservation for Conservation Cooperation published in the June 2017...
Helping Syrian refugees find their way in a new world
As seen in our pages. Diddy Evans (centre) felt powerless as she watched the horrors of the war in Syria unfold. “Then I found an opportunity to do something for people who have endured so much,” she says, explaining why she volunteers with a group helping Syrian...
Okanagan Centre for Innovation recognized as Best in BC
Centre awarded Stan Rogers Memorial Award The Okanagan Centre for Innovation was announced winner of the Stan Rogers Memorial Award at the British Columbia Economic Development Association Summit this week in Victoria, B.C. The award recognizes the major project that...
Downtown Vernon: City Centre evolution
Vernon’s historic city centre is buzzing with the kind of renewed vitality that attracts residents and draws visitors.
Recent construction projects update and blend with familiar streetscapes, taking advantage of easy access to the host of retail outlets, restaurants, pro-fessional services, arts and cultural venues already available.
