Matt Dumayne is the winemaker for Haywire in Summerland, British Columbia. He is originally from Auckland, New Zealand, began his winemaking career in 1998 after studying at Auckland University of Technology and the Eastern Institute of Technology. He spent eight years under the mentorship of renowned Pinot Noir winemaker Grant Taylor, gaining deep insight into the southern region’s terroirs. His international experience includes harvests in Oregon at Panther Creek, Archery Summit, Patricia Green, and Bergström Wines; in Napa at Pine Ridge Winery; and in Australia at Stella Bella Wines.
Since moving to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley in 2011, Matt has been a leading voice for organic farming and minimal-intervention winemaking. He joined Okanagan Crush Pad in 2013, shaping the styles of Haywire, Narrative, and Free Form wines, and now lives on the 320-acre Garnet Valley Ranch in Summerland. Media Inquiries: Matt@okanagancrushpad.com | https://haywirewinery.com/story/our-wines/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
At Haywire we are all about authenticity. We farm the vineyards organically, we use extremely minimal oak – purely neutral and for it’s aging benefits and rely almost exclusively on concrete fermentation and aging. The wine in bottle must represent a snapshot of that vintage, highlighting it’s purity, coaxing it’s textural elements out and creating thought about a time and a place. A reminder of that season and a reminder of what this earth can create. And from the Okanagan Valley – the best I can describe our wines is akin to a glacial freshness. The wines must taste like the view we see everyday from the crushpad.
Adaptability is key also. We had no harvest from 2024 after the winter events so adapted as best we could. Without relying on out of region grapes. Having a craft distillery on site as well as our Garnet Valley Ranch property with it’s diversity of orchards allows us to make a multitude of beverages to fit most spots in the market.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
With no constraints the biggest luxury I could have is time. More time to focus. More time in the vineyards. More time to contemplate the wine. More time with family becomes increasingly important every day. After 30 years of winemaking around the world, multiple vintages each year in different hemispheres, it becomes more and more about the small things.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
Haywires 2022 Gamay is a must try. The wine is robust, rustic yet intensely aromatic and fruit driven.
Our style for this vintage relies heavily on whole bunch fermentation. Multiple tanks ranging from 0% inclusion to 100% carbonic. Everything is hand picked, hand sorted, gravity fed to 2 ton open tops and then hand-plunged twice daily. Gently, extraction is not the goal. Extended maceration is key for sensuality.
The wine is balanced, deeply garnet and concentration with explosive fruit and savory notes. The tannin structure derived from the whole cluster inclusion provides a mouth coating lush texture backed by a fresh juiciness and exquisite length. Designed for immediate accessibility and also has great aging potential.
The most important thing as with any of our wines is the base product. This particular vineyard is grown by Tony Petretta who is a viticultural wizard and one of the pioneers of the Valley. Perfection comes naturally from Tony’s farming ability and we have worked with him for close to 15 years now. Here’s the Gamay wine review.
Bonus Question: Why Winemaking?
Initially I was heading into the brewing industry before being offered a cellar position in Central Otago, NZ. It took a week before I knew this was the shizzle and expressed my desire to continue in this industry to my mentor and boss, Grant Taylor. Immediately, we had plans for education and travel to the northern hemisphere to start cramming vintages in and work with the best producers. Almost 30 years later and it’s been a whirlwind of travel, discovery, synchronicity with nature, and hopefully providing a sensory experience to a lot of people. It is one of hardest jobs in terms of adapting to nature, creating a stylistic continuity of a portfolio, and of course hours worked. I couldn’t think of anything better.