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Black Hills Estate has a storied history as one of the oldest and leading estates in South Okanagan.
Its annual release of Nota Bene became a Canadian phenomenon, selling out year after year within hours, similar to what was happening with California's wines. The winery continues to lead the way as it prepares to reset its vineyards in the wake of the devastating freeze that wreaked havoc across the Okanagan. This time, the emphasis is on the future of Black Hills and is more vineyard-focused than any one wine. To that end, Ross Wise a native New Zealander with a Bachelor of Viticulture and an Advanced Diploma in Wine Science from the Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawkes Bay is leading the charge. Ross has worked in winemaking, viticulture, and consulting roles across the wine regions of New Zealand and Canada. He is the General Manager and Winemaker at Black Hills Estate Winery in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley and one of a rare group who are a Master of Wine, a winemaker, and a viticulturist. The latter is something Wise has continued to nurture as the winery expands into organic and regenerative viticulture, given all the potential implications of climate change in the Okanagan Valley. We caught up with Wise, who was dealing with the aftermath of one of the severest cold snaps ever experienced in the Okanagan Valley, which will impact valley vineyards for decades. Wise is implementing a multi-pronged approach to growing grapes, abandoning some, embracing others and changing the way Black Hills physically grow grapes to better protect their vineyards down the road. Thoughtful, ever humble and mindful of his customers, he explains how Black Hills is coping with the many changes they have and will face in the future.
