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.
Underground pubs, mountain-high stages: Snowbombing hits Sun Peaks
Europe’s largest and most popular snow and music festival, Snowbombing, is debuting in North America for the first time this week. With the support of Coors Light, this one-of-a-kind music festival will take place at Sun Peaks Resort, British Columbia, from April 6 to...
Cops for Kids Fund Private Room for Recovering Kids at KGH
Cops for Kids, a charitable foundation comprised of RCMP and other regional policing officers, has given a generous $25,000 gift to KGH Foundation to support the acquisition of a private, pediatric patient room at Kelowna General Hospital. The gift was made possible...
Special concert celebrates long relationship between Kelowna and Veendam
The Kelowna City Concert Band will present ‘Celebration of Canada and The Netherlands’ with special guest, the Veendam Winkler Prins Harmonie on Saturday, April 29, 7 p.m. at the Kelowna Community Theatre. The Veendam Winkler Prins Harmonie, a community band made up...
Celebrating seafood: Wines of British Columbia go to New York City
Six wineries from the Okanagan Valley and Similkameen Valley, and acclaimed Executive Chef Ned Bell of Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise, are heading to New York City to whisk, flambé and decant their award-winning wines and culinary talent with distinguished media and...
Young chef heads to Ottawa’s top dining spot
OC Culinary Arts alumnus cooks his way to a spot at Atelier The Okanagan's Carson Bibby was only 16-years-old when he first had the opportunity to cook alongside some of Canada’s finest chefs at the Canadian Culinary Championships’ Gold Medal Plates finale. A year...
Roger Watts Advocacy Debate: Have personalities overtaken issues in politics?
UBC students debate: Have personalities overtaken issues in politics? What: Fourth annual Roger Watts Advocacy Debates Who: UBC's Okanagan student debaters When: Thursday, March 30, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Where: Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421...