April 24, 2019

April 27th, 2019 – Ben Bryant Hosts Mission Hill Winemakers Dinner – at Deane House Calgary

52 minutes

Ben Bryant Hosts Mission Hill Winemakers Dinner – at Deane House Calgary

THE SHOW

Ben Bryant Chief Winemaker Mission Hill

Ben Bryant, an Australian winemaker with an exceptional resumé, has joined

Mission Hill Family Estates as chief winemaker.

Joining the Mission Hill Family Estate <https://www.missionhillwinery.com/>

last summer, Ben Bryant is looking to make his mark on the Okanagan wine

scene.

After growing up and gaining a masterful wine knowledge in New South Wales,

Australia, Bryant refined his skills working throughout Asia before

returning home to Australia where he served as chief winemaker for Jacob

<http://www.jacobscreek.com/> ‘s Creek, St. Hugo <https://www.sthugo.com/> ,

and Wyndham Estate <https://www.georgewyndham.com/> .

On his LinkedIn profile, Ben writes: “Pernod Ricard Winemakers is the global

brand owner and distributor of premium wines from multiple countries of

origin, including Jacob’s Creek, Wyndham Estate and St Hugo (Australia),

Brancott Estate and Stoneleigh (New Zealand), Campo Viejo (Spain) and

Graffigna (Argentina).”

Ben succeeds another Australian, Darryl Brooker, now Mission Hill’s

President , who in turn succeeded John Simes who retired in 2014 after

running Mission Hill’s cellar since 1992.

“I found Ben through contacts in Australia,” Darryl says. “It took me a year

to convince him to come.” He succeeded after flying Ben and his wife to the

Okanagan. Here, Ben was swept away by the Okanagan’s beauty, the winemaking

opportunities and the passion of Mission Hill’s owner, Anthony von Mandl.

“To me, it is endless opportunity that is untapped,” Ben says in an

interview. “There is a fair element of personal challenge to come and put

the place on the map. It is about the wine. You never find a region where

you have two regions in one. You have the classic Bordeaux varieties in the

south and then you have the Burgundian varieties in the north.”

As well, the Bryant’s “have a young family and we want to expose them to

international places. They lived in Asia with us. Canada is a country that

is very similar to Australia in terms of societal values.”

The 2018 vintage in the Okanagan got him off on the right foot. “Super

impressed,” Ben says. “It was such a mild growing season that everything was

able to ripen naturally. The Cabernet Sauvignon is an example: there is no

green, there is no herbaceousness. There is a leafiness. Everything has

amazingly fresh acid structure. There is a brightness and a purity to the

fruit. It is the perfect vintage to start.”

Mission Hill has landed a chief winemaker who, through the winery and its

vineyards, will change winemaking in The Okanagan.

Sal Howell – Owner Deane House and River Café Calgary

Wonderful host and a true culinary visionary.

Sal Howell is a successful restaurateur who has helped shape the culinary

landscape in Western Canada.

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By Terry David Mulligan