I didn’t know Frank Supernak well. But he was one of those guys you wanted to visit, hang out with, have as a friend.
I met Frank, 41, about a year ago during a visit to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. I’d admired the wines he made at Hester Creek Estate Winery for a few years, and I was eager to meet him.
He didn’t disappoint.
I was with my wine-tasting buddies Coke Roth and Eric Degerman, and Frank was excited to have us there. We explored the winery, tasted fresh-out-of-the-tank whites and sampled several red blends. He was an energetic guy who was genuinely excited about work, life and the wines of the Okanagan Valley.
Getting to know Frank was intoxicating. Even though I knew he’d talk me into tasting wines with him and make me late to my next appointment, I’d always look him up whenever I visited the Okanagan. Over the summer, I talked to Frank after he left Hester Creek and moved to a new winery north of Okanagan Falls called Blasted Church Vineyard.
The winery formerly known as Prpich Hills Vineyard changed its name last summer to pay homage to a church near Okanagan Falls that had to be dynamited off its foundation several decades ago so it could be moved into town, where it still stands.
Frank was excited to be working for a winery with an edgy name and attitude. And we were excited about the wines we anticipated he’d produce.
On Nov. 10, Victor Manola, a dear friend of Frank’s and owner of Silver Sage Winery in Oliver, was scooping a wine sample out of a fermentation tank and fell in the narrow opening on top. Unselfishly, Frank went right in after him. Both were overcome by fermentation fumes and died before the tank could be drained.
Those of us at Wine Press Northwest who knew Frank are stunned and profoundly saddened by the tragedy, but that can’t compare to how his friends and family in British Columbia feel.
“I knew Frank since just after he came to the valley in the ’80s,” said a somber Harry McWatters, president of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland. “We came close to working together on a number of occasions.
“This is a huge tragedy. The whole valley is stunned.”
More than 400 people showed up at Frank’s memorial service in the border town of Osoyoos.
“He was certainly one of the most respected winemakers in the region,” McWatters said. “Frank was full of enthusiasm and bravado. I can’t think of anyone more likely to jump into a tank to save somebody than Frank. That’s just the kind of guy he was.”
Frank was more than just a great person. He was also full of talent. About a year ago, our panel awarded his Hester Creek Chardonnay-Semillon an “Outstanding” rating in a double-blind judging (we didn’t know the producer or the wine). Three months later, the same wine ended up in another judging — and got another “Outstanding.”
For this issue, we blind-tasted 122 Northwest Merlots. Of the 18 that earned our top “Outstanding” rating, one was from the Okanagan. Fittingly, it was Frank’s — the Hester Creek 2000 Merlot, which is reviewed on Page 46.
Not to be forgotten is Victor Manola, a Romanian by birth who risked his life in the 1970s to escape communist Eastern Europe and build a better life in Canada.
I met Victor and his wife, Anna, in October at their winery south of Oliver. They were in the midst of constructing an impressive operation that would include lodging, food and entertainment. The twinkle in their eyes revealed the excitement they had about the project.
I could see how Frank liked helping Victor and Anna. Silver Sage’s flagship wine is a Pinot Blanc ice wine with a chili pepper floating in it. It tastes better than it sounds.
And it reminds me of Frank: a sweet guy who was a real kick.
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