Exchange October 2004 pages 29-31 116 K - Exchange Magazine

Vintage
Promotion
BY PAUL KNOWLES
FEATURE STORY
COX CREEK CELLARS – WHERE
THE WINEMAKING IS SUPERB AND
THE MARKETING, NON-STOP
Jerry and Kamil Trochta’s roots are in
the vineyards of their European
homeland, the country known as
Czechoslovakia when they were children
there. But they have grown their
business savvy here in Canada, where
they own two Guelph area businesses –
Cox Creek Cellars Estate Winery,
between Guelph and Fergus, and Kamil
Juices, in Guelph.
Because it is located outside the officially
designated grape-growing districts
of Ontario, only 20% of Cox Creek wines
can be made from grapes; they have
compensated by producing excellent,
sometimes exquisite fruit wines.
Jerry Trochta is the outspoken and
energetic President of Cox Creek Cellars.
She laughs when she says that their
essentially Canadian character was very
evident when they got their results from
a recent American wine competition,
held in Chicago. They entered six fruit
wines, and when their results package
arrived, Jerry was concerned that the
competition staff who packed the
medals had made a mistake. She called
a competition official to admit they
had sent her too many medals – two
golds and three silvers. The American
wine expert told her that she was a
typical Canadian – far too self-effacing –
and congratulated her on Cox Creek’s
five wins!
Those who know the Trochtas should
not be surprised at those kinds of
results. Jerry is a person who goes fullout
at any project – which would explain
why Cox Creek Cellars, founded only in
1998, is a thriving operation only six
years later.
Not that Jerry and Kamil were new to
the wine business in 1998 – they have
owned and operated Kamil Juices,
which imports European grape juice for
clients to make wine at home or at the
Kamil Juices operation, since 1981 –
three years after Kamil produced some
superb wine in his own home winemaking
effort. Today, Kamil Juices
serves about 1,500 clients, annually,
from its Guelph store; in its earliest days,
Kamil Trochta (left) and Jerry Tochta, president of
Cox Creek Cellars Estate Winery (above).
Cox Creek Cellar wines recent won six awards at
an American wine competition (left).
the company was based in Kitchener.
But importing juice is one thing;
growing grapes and fruit and making
your own wine for public consumption
is another. But both Jerry and Kamil
had relatives who owned vineyards in
Czechoslovakia, and Jerry admits,
“once you’ve been in a vineyard, it’s in
your blood.”
They owned the RR5 Guelph property,
at the corner of Highway 6 and Wellington
Road 22, and realized that in many
ways this was an ideal place for the kind
of operation they envisaged. One downside:
since it is not in an officially recog-
OCTOBER 2004 l exchangemagazine.com l 29

nized viticulture district in Ontario, only
20% of their wines can be grape wines.
But while Jerry would love to produce
more grape wines – and to everyone’s
surprise, they even have a small vineyard
on the property which has survived
some harsh winters – she and her winemaker
husband have compensated by
making intriguing and sometimes
deceiving fruit wines.
“Deceiving” because, at least to this
writers’ somewhat untutored taste, while
some of their fruit wines sing with the
flavour of the fruit – raspberry, blackberry,
cherry or strawberry, for example – others
almost defy identification as a fruit
wine. Cox Creek’s oak barrel aged Apple
Dream could be mistaken for an excellent
Chardonnay; and their rich, fullflavoured
Oak Barrel Aged Black Currant
wine (“Back Home”) has the taste and
bouquet of a good Cabernet Sauvignon.
But in wine-making, as in virtually
any business, having a good product is
simply not enough. Jerry Trochta enthusiastically
agrees that marketing is the
key – “it takes a hell of a lot,” she says,
but with a smile – and she launches into
an energetic tour of their facility. And
Cox Creek
Wines are
subtle and
surprising.
she makes sure everyone has something
to sip as we wander, constantly introducing
yet another of their wines. This is
a President who lives and breathes marketing
and promotion.
She says that the key to selling good
fruit wines is to first induce people to
taste them. The only place they can do
that is at the modern and attractive
wood-sided winery and shop at Cox
Creek. So much of their effort goes
toward bringing people in. And while a
few wine-lovers – one would hate to
say “snobs” – might reject fruit wines
out of hand, most, according to Jerry,
are easily convinced once they have
tasted the products.
While she laughs about being “out in
the boonies,” Jerry admits that their location,
on Highway 6 north of Guelph, is a
plus. They have taken advantage of the
location with prominent signage. Not
only can they attract vacation traffic
passing by, they are also an integral part
of an important tourism destination area
– from Guelph to Elora and Fergus – and
Cox Creek happily promotes all the other
attractions of the area.
And the winery operators are quick to
create their own attractions. Jerry’s righthand
person, Vera McClusky, is Director
of Special Events. Cox Creek holds concerts,
gourmet dinners and other special
features, all with their own special Cox
Creek flavour. These events take place,
in summer, in a unique setting on the
winery grounds. A previous owner created
what in Europe would be called a
square or a common – a large lawn
completely enclosed by mature trees.
Cox Creek has large pavilions set up in
C O M M I T M E N T
Since 1951, Schiedel Construction
Incorporated has provided Design
and Construction for Industrial,
Commercial, and Institutional
buildings. It is our continued
commitment to work persistently
and diligently to provide the
highest degree of professional
construction services possible. You
can count on Schiedel Construction
for Quality, Value and Performance
on your project.
405 Queen Street West
Cambridge, Ontario N3C 1G6
(519) 658-9317
www.schiedelconst.com
30 l exchangemagazine.com l OCTOBER 2004

Many Cox Creek Wines, including fruit wines,
are aged in oak or chestnut barrels.
the common, all through the warm
weather, and this provides a unique, private,
al fresco setting for dinners and
private functions, from weddings to corporate
receptions. Wine can be served
throughout the property, because of the
Cox Creek “Tied House” license; the winery
is licensed for 300 people in the outdoor
area, for 40 in the winery building.
As well, the winery building includes
an interesting space – on two floors, one
a gallery overlooking the other – where
up to 42 people can dine. Jerry notes –
emphatically – that this is ideal space for
Christmas parties for smaller companies.
The special gourmet meals feature
chefs from area restaurants – ranging
from Elora to New Hamburg, from St.
Jacobs to Guelph – who prepare a special,
three or four-course meal, which is then
matched with about four Cox Creek
wines, both fruit wines and grape wines.
The price is right – gourmet meals with
wine range from $28 to $33 – but the
Trochtas know the importance of luring
customers in for their first taste. Once that
is accomplished, believes Jerry, the quality
of the wines will take care of the rest.
There are other dining events at Cox
Creek as well, including informal dinners
like pig roasts, and Jerry’s personal project,
an annual Lobsterfest, with proceeds
going to a facility for women in crisis. Last
year’s Lobsterfest attracted 250 people.
Jerry admits that she takes advantage
of every opportunity for free promotion –
such as event listings in all area publications
– and Cox Creek has an extensive
mailing and e-mailing list. Because their
wine is only available at the winery, they
deliver throughout the Guelph-Elora
area, for a flat delivery fee of $8, no matter
the size of the order.
Jerry says that Cox Creek has grown
to almost full capacity, in production if
not in events hosted. The winery produces
35,000 litres of fruit and grape
wines a year, some sold in bulk, including
to a New England buyer, but most
bottled in their tiny bottling and corking
facility just behind the shop. Because
many of their best wines – grape or fruit
– are aged in barrels, there is a small
barrel warehouse which is included in
the tour. It quickly becomes obvious
that their winery may be relatively
small, but their knowledge – like their
energy – is boundless. Jerry talks animatedly
about the kinds of barrels they
have – oak from France; American lightly
toasted oak; and, apparently unique
FEATURE STORY
in Ontario, chestnut barrels of the kind
used in Spain. Cox Creek Pinot Noir, a
grape wine aged in chestnut, is a unique
wine just begging to be tasted. Nothing
about running a winery is inexpensive,
and the barrels are a good example –
each barrel costs about $1,000.
Promotion of local tourism businesses
is not the extent of Cox Creek’s local
commitment. Jerry says that in addition
to the fruit – apples, and black currants,
and Riesling grapes – grown on their
property, they buy all their fruit locally
that they possibly can. “I do believe very
strongly in supporting local farmers,”
she says. Raspberries, strawberries,
apples and elderberries are all purchased
from local growers. Cherries are bought
in Stoney Creek.
Like other members of the growing
Ontario fruit wine industry, Cox Creek’s
wine-makers talk a lot about quality. In
fact, Jerry is quick to point to the QC
symbol on wines – the fruit wine equivalent
to the well-known VQA of Ontario
grape wines.
And when she talks of quality, she has
the proof – on the walls as well as in the
bottles. Since it opened in 1998, Cox
Creek Cellars has collected 102 awards –
including the five from the Tasters’ Guild
competition in Chicago which she originally
thought must be a mistake.
Cox Creek’s “Country Symphony #9” –
Vidal Ice Wine blended with black currants
– is perhaps a perfect symbol for
Jerry and Kamil Trochta’s winery. It is
unique, complex, strong, sweet and
powerful at the same time. They could
have just named it “Jerry.”
OCTOBER 2004 l exchangemagazine.com l 31