BC A-Z : Winegrowers Series Gray Monk

By: Anthony Gismondi

George and Trudy Heiss modern BC wine pioneers.

British Columbia

In the first of six videos that makeup the 2015 BC Winegrowers Series, I visit George and Trudy Heiss, the founders of Gray Monk Estate Winery and modern BC wine pioneers.

In the first of six videos that makeup the 2015 BC Winegrowers Series, I visit George and Trudy Heiss, the founders of Gray Monk Estate Winery and modern BC wine pioneers. After giving up their hair-dressing business in Edmonton in 1972, they purchased an old orchard in Okanagan Centre at 50 degrees north latitude and planted the first pinot gris vines in Canada. A decade later they launched Gray Monk Estate. Today the winery produces almost 30,000 cases of gris as well as many other fan favourites including a rotberger rosé, ehrenfelser, siegerrebe, kerner and some delicious sparkling wine. Four decades later, they are one of the largest producing wineries in the valley and pinot gris is the number one planted varietal in B.C.
Join me on the deck for glass of wine and a chat with George and Trudy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpQUUOvfp4U&index=4&list=PLqRRaOIZ10cUMSbINQxrJHCegu6q5nN4O

Written By: ag

Anthony Gismondi

Anthony Gismondi is a Canadian wine journalist and one of North America's most influential voices in wine. For over 37 years, he has been the wine columnist for The Vancouver Sun. The twice-weekly column is distributed across Canada through the Postmedia Network to millions of readers. He is also the host of the BC Food & Wine Radio Show, which is broadcast in 25 markets across B.C. and available globally as a podcast on all the major platforms. He launched Gismondionwine.com in 1997, which now attracts more than one million monthly users from 114 countries. It remains a valuable resource, offering tasting notes, insightful wine stories, and videos for the trade and consumers. His extensive collection of videos featuring wine personalities is available on the Gismondi on Wine YouTube Channel.