In the summer of 2005, winemaker Norman Cole decided to leave his job at Tinhorn Creek Estate Winery to launch the Okanagan Valley’s first independent mobile bottling company. It is proving to be the right business at the right time. Artus Bottling, as Cole calls his company, enables the horde of new small wineries popping up -- often on tight budgets -- to save the cost of in-house bottling lines, yet get professional service. With the ability to apply both corks and screw caps, Artus is triggering a major conversion to screw caps among British Columbia wineries. Since the start of the year, at least 40 per cent of Cole’s clients have been demanding screw cap closures.

Born in Montreal in 1971, Cole grew up in Mississauga and studied chemistry at Sheridan College. That led to a laboratory job with a manufacturer of automotive paints. At the same time, he developed an interest in wine and, after he and his wife, Janice, visited the Okanagan, they decided to move to British Columbia “to see if we could get our foot in the door.”

In 1997, he found a job as a cellar assistant at Tinhorn Creek, a producer of about 30,000 cases a year. Within two years, he was assistant winemaker, his advancement having been powered by his knowledge of chemistry. In the 2004 vintage, he was acting winemaker while Sandra Oldfield, the fulltime winemaker, was away on maternity leave.

What follows is a conversation with Norman about his new business and his views on screw caps.