Over the last decade Kamloops has also emerged as the anchor of one of BC’s newest of 9 designated wine regions (Geographic Indications). The Thompson Valley is currently home to four established producers and six vineyards totalling 125 acres.
Newcomer Valley Commons recently opened in District Wine Village. It joins a number of other (mainly) neophytes who are taking advantage of all that DWV has to offer. Husband and wife duo Kyla Richey and Rudy Verhoeff Valley Commons owners, husband-wife duo Kyla Richey and Rudy Verhoeff, worked with Mark Simpson of BC [...]
There was a time when ‘bag in box wines’ were viewed with a degree of disdain—and generally with good reason. The formula was pretty straightforward. Big wineries took their ‘also-ran’ grapes (or whatever they could buy on the bulk market), dumped them into a nondescript blend and came up with a clever name. […]
Ten years since opening Okanagan Crush Pad, owner Christine Coletta oversaw a minor facelift. This summer the giant, abstract mural on the winery’s 100 ft. south facing wall was reworked by artist Scott Sueme. Scott painted the original mural ten years ago.
Updated August 25th, 2021... I recently caught up with Youri Lebault, by phone. During the pandemic the owner of Bourgogne Gold Tour has been rethinking what he’s been doing since he started in 1999. In June he purchased a Mercedes Marco Polo luxury camper van, to offer a truly unique kind of tour. Youri [...]
‘Our roots run deep,’ says Hester Creek’s motto. Too true. Indeed, scratch the surface and it doesn’t take long to find out what makes things tick. The winery traces its origins to some of the very first vinifera plantings in the Okanagan. They date back over 50 years, to 1968, [...]
Campbell truly relishes the ride of just over 19 years, which started when she and her now former husband Chris took over struggling Prpich Hills Winery and Vineyard in 2002.
Burrowing Owl has announced it has acquired “the tremendously popular Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery located in Okanagan Falls, just South of Penticton, BC.” […]
Updated: July 8th, 2021 1 Mill Road Pinot Noir 2019 Naramata Bench The current release invites with cherry, leather and some earthy aromas, bright red berry notes followed by a plush but precise palate of dark cherry and strawberry. Wrapped in silky and beautifully integrated tannins with a touch of spice and a definite savoury [...]
I am saddened by the loss of George Heiss Senior, who passed away on June 29th, from cancer. Where to begin? For me the BC industry has never been quite the same since George and Trudy Heiss (deservedly) retired after selling Gray Monk Cellars to Andrew Peller, in 2017. A Big Hearted Legend Three things [...]
