A vertical tasting is always an interesting basis on which to assess a winery. Several pioneers of the Okanagan now have at least 10 vintages or more of history. Going forward we hope to update you at www.gismondionwine.com. With more landmark tastings
Just south of Creston, Al and Marleen Hoag will open their Skimmerhorn Winery, the eastern-most winery in British Columbia, in June. This is also the second winery in the Kootenays. Columbia Gardens Vineyard & Winery opened six years ago south of Trail.
The fresh and vibrant flavours in the newly released wines from Blasted Church show that the winery's switch to screw cap closures was the right decision. The Okanagan Falls winery, known for its sometimes irreverent labels, began switching
It seems improbable that anyone would start a new Okanagan winery on the Naramata Bench with a business plan as unconventional as that of Joie Wines and Farm Cooking School. The unofficial Naramata sub-appellation has a rising reputation for
The newest of British Columbia's fruit wineries, Forbidden Fruit is the only winery in the Similkameen Valley that makes fruit wines exclusively. It is an outgrowth of the Similkameen's tremendous dedication to organic farming. About 40 per cent
Acquisition-minded Andrés Wines Ltd. is adding another British Columbia winery to its stable with the purchase of Red Rooster Winery from founders Beat and Prudence Mahrer. The acquisition is expected to close by October 31. No price has been disclosed
Even before the formal September 10 launch of its wines, Laughing Stock Vineyards has become an instant cult winery, with most of its initial 800 cases already pre-sold. The buzz around this new Naramata Bench winery is widespread. Here is one example:
Wine is a serious business but not always an earnest business, as Red Rooster Winery's Beat and Prudence Mahrer illustrate. They have adopted Frank the Baggage Handler, the gangly nude statue that was initially erected last fall in nearby Penticton and
Salt Spring Island's Garry Oaks Winery avoided using Meritage when it released its first Bordeaux blend last year under the name, Fetish. Elaine Kozak and Marcel Mercier, the two-year-old winery's owners, think Meritage is a "stuffy" word lacking resonance
Few people have salvaged opportunity from adversity like Leo and Andy Gebert, the brothers who (with their wives) run St. Hubertus Estate Winery at Kelowna. In the summer of 2003, the huge forest fire that consumed hundreds of homes in East Kelowna also
Perhaps the lowest profile winery south of Oliver, Golden Mile Cellars is preparing to re-launch itself this spring with a new winemaker and with a new label. Golden Mile is the winery ensconced in a building resembling a small castle in Bavaria, with
Last fall, when Burrowing Owl wound up its consulting agreement (amicably) with California winemaker Bill Dyer, Jim Wyse assured me that "we are going to keep Bill's recipes." The winery has recently released some of the wines from Dyer's last two vintages
Calona Vineyards winemaker Howard Soon received a fine accolade recently from a mechanic working on his car. The mechanic had discovered that Soon worked for Calona, although he did not know that Soon is the senior winemaker. The mechanic volunteered
There has seldom been a more successful winery debut in the Okanagan than that of Nk'Mip Cellars, North America's first aboriginal-owned winery which opened in 2002. Consider the awards that the winery has won just in the eight months:
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