Kutátás

Kutatás (Koo-Tah-Tash) is a Hungarian term for research, exploration, or quest. Winemakers Mira Tusz and Daniel Dragert found this term inspiring; it relates their venture to a shared Hungarian heritage, describes their approach to winemaking, and represents the continuous journey. After an extensive career on Vancouver Island and experience winemaking in New Zealand, Daniel and Mira began producing Kutatás Wines in 2015.

The winery is located on Salt Spring Island with 8 acres of estate vines. Kutatás also farms 5 acres in North Saanich, Vancouver Island (Patricia Bay vineyard). Both properties are dry-farmed to ensure small berry size and achieve maximal fruit concentration. The Salt Spring estate vineyard is gently south-sloping and is composed of mixed coarse soils over a very deep uniform sand deposit. The Patricia Bay vineyard is composed of 100% clay soils. Fed by a limestone water table above, the soil pH stays elevated without intervention.

The Kutatás is focused on continuous canopy management throughout the growing season to achieve the fruit quality necessary to take a more hands-off approach in the winery. Most of their wines are left to ferment spontaneously, giving them an increased textural dimension; they are bottled unfined with minimal sulphite additions.