Posted by David Lynch
1730 Mission Hill Road, Kelowna, BC V4T 2E4. Phone: 250-768-7611; Fax: 250-768-2044. Web Site
Welcome to Mission Hill Family Estate, situated in the heart of British Columbia’s breathtaking Okanagan Valley wine country, one of the Pacific Northwest’s undiscovered gems.
Making great wines and providing a special place where people can enjoy them has been my dream and my life’s work. Now, it’s a reality, one that my family and I want to share with everyone who visits us high atop Mission Hill.
We hope you’ll think of our winery as a refuge from the hurried pace of daily life. We invite you to experience the nature and art of winemaking by walking our lush on-site vineyards and visiting our underground cellars. Sample fine wines by the glass, marvel at the vista and reflect on a process that’s almost as old as time itself.
Our Guest Experience section provides detailed information about our tours and wine programs. We look forward to your visit.
Anthony von Mandl
Proprietor
Posted by David Lynch
5445 Lakeshore Road, Kelowna, BC V1Y 7R3. Phone: 250-764-8866; Toll-free: 1-800-730-9463; Fax: 250-764-2603. Web site
CedarCreek Estate Winery was recently named Winery of the Year for the second time at the fifth annual Canadian Wine Awards sponsored by Wine Access Magazine. The repeat recognition was not only an honour but also a reflection of the discipline of the three principles underpinning the winery’s philosophy. The Fitzpatrick family, who founded CedarCreek in 1986, has committed the winery to respecting the land in its viticulture practices; to honouring the rich agricultural tradition of their family rooted in the Okanagan; and to pursuing perfection in the bottle.
The Fitzpatricks, a family of Irish heritage, have lived in the Okanagan Valley since 1913. Senator Ross Fitzpatrick, whose father managed an Oliver fruit packing house, grew up amid orchards. A successful career in business and politics took Senator Fitzpatrick away from the Okanagan but he returned in 1986 to acquire a small winery and apple orchard near Kelowna. As a new Proprietor he found grapes more compelling than apples and soon converted the orchard to vineyard. This was the beginning of developing the highly successful winery that CedarCreek is today.
There are many milestones in CedarCreek’s 18 vintage journey from its modest beginnings to its national acclaim today. The winery now produces over 30,000 cases of premium wines each year and is considered one the elite producers in Canada.
In 1991, eight hectares of apple orchard were replaced with quality European grape varieties, including Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The CedarCreek vineyard, which slopes steeply toward Okanagan Lake 12 km southwest of Kelowna, is in the historic Mission district where commercial viticulture began in the late 1920s. It is a proven site for making wines that are crisp with natural acidity and vivid fruit flavours which pair wonderfully with a wide variety of cuisine.
In the 1992 vintage, CedarCreek produced a Merlot of such promise that the Okanagan Wine Festival created an unprecedented platinum award for it. That inspired the winery’s premium program, begun with the 1998 vintage, to label its best wines as Platinum Reserve.
Greata Ranch, the second vineyard is located between Peachland and Summerland. This historic orchard was settled in 1896 and was purchased by Senator Fitzpatrick in 1994 based on his boyhood memories of tasting sweet peaches from the property. CedarCreek restored its former agricultural splendour by planting 40 acres of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir and Merlot.
In 1996 Gordon Fitzpatrick was appointed President and set out to focus CedarCreek on premium wines. The family commitment to quality culminated in 2002 when CedarCreek was recognized as Canada’s Winery of the Year by Wine Access Magazine.
In 1998 Gordon Fitzpatrick recruited California-trained winemaker Kevin Willenborg, a 14-year veteran of the Louis Martini winery who had a passion for Pinot Noir. CedarCreek also retained Eric Neil an experienced vineyard consultant from Sonoma County California. Regarding his recruitment efforts, Gordon Fitzpatrick says “I knew that if we wanted to be the best, we had to surround ourselves with the best.”
Willenborg returned to California in 2000. His successor at CedarCreek is Tom DiBello, a graduate of the prestigious wine school operated by University of California at Davis. Mr. DiBello’s prior experiences includes winemaking at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa, California, Cape Mentelle in Margaret River, Australia and several other wineries in California, Arizona and Washington State. Tom DiBello made an immediate impact by crafting wines that garnered five awards at the inaugural Canadian Wine Awards in 2001, and 10 awards in 2002.
In 2001 CedarCreek acquired its Desert Ridge vineyard property near Osoyoos. A much hotter site than the Kelowna and Peachland vineyards, Desert Ridge is planted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. These varieties will allow CedarCreek to further enhance its Bordeaux red wines such as Merlot, Meritage and Cabernet Sauvignon.
In 2002, the winery was completely rebuilt and re-equipped. The exterior’s elegant design recalls the attractive white villas of the Mediterranean. The spacious new interior uses gravity wherever possible, not pumps, to move wine. All wines benefit from the gentle handling, none more so than CedarCreek’s signature Pinot Noir.
In 2002 CedarCreek received unprecedented recognition for a BC wines at the Los Angeles County Fair, the largest and oldest wine competition in the United States. Only six gold medals were awarded in the Chardonnay class; CedarCreek won two of them. The winery also won a gold medal for its Greata Ranch Pinot Blanc 2000, confirming Senator Fitzpatrick’s confidence in Greata Ranch as a vineyard.
In 2002 CedarCreek was recognized as Canada’s Winery of the Year by Wine Access Magazine
On October 15, 2005 at a blind tasting held in Ottawa, CedarCreek garnered first place with its 2002 Platinum Reserve Meritage. The tasting, Canada vs. Bordeaux was organized by the Vendange Institute in Ottawa and modeled after the famed 1976 Judgement of Paris, when an English wine merchant in Paris organized a blind tasting of French and Californian wines in celebration of the U.S. bicentennial. In the 100-point system, CedarCreekâs 2002 Platinum Reserve Meritage scored a top mark of 89.32.
On October 28, 2005 CedarCreek was named Winery of Year for the second time at the fifth annual Canadian Wine Awards sponsored by Wine Access Magazine. CedarCreek won medals across an array of wine styles, with three golds, two silvers and three bronze medals. And, its remaining three entries each missed bronze by less than a point. Gold Medals were awarded to the 2002 Platinum Reserve Merlot, 2002 Platinum Reserve Meritage and 2004 Dry Riesling.
Today, CedarCreek is a destination winery that draws thousands of visitors each summer. CedarCreek excels in providing the most intimate of wine-country experiences. Its hospitality ranges from tours and tastings, fine dining to musical entertainment. The Vineyard Terrace is a seasonal restaurant (open mid June to mid September) with an elegantly casual ambiance and postcard view of the vineyards. Its annual Sunset Concert series features artists from around the world providing guests with magical evenings of wine, food and music while the sun rests gently on Okanagan Lake.
The addition of The Pavilion - a Mediterranean oasis set amidst CedarCreek’s stunning rose garden and vineyard, provides an open-air yet sheltered venue for vineyard dinners, receptions and an array of special events.
CedarCreek offers wines in three distinct ranges. The introductory tier is CedarCreek’s Classic Series of wines, all of which have a strong following. The first wines to be sold out are often CedarCreek’s Classic Ehrenfelser and Dry Riesling. Other wines in the series are Gewurtraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Cabernet-Merlot, Merlot and our modestly priced Proprietor’s White and Red.
The Estate Select Series are reserve quality wines which include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris as well as new releases for the Fall of 2005: Estate Select Merlot, Meritage and Syrah.
The most exceptional wines of a vintage are released as Platinum Reserve, handcrafted in limited quantity and hotly sought after among collectors. The releases may include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Meritage and Cabernet-Sauvignon. These wines are made from lower-yielding blocks of vineyard and are hand-selected from our very best barrels.
People often ask if CedarCreek has a secret recipe when it comes to making great wine. In fact, we do, it’s called family heritage. As it goes from father to son to grandchildren, the Fitzpatrick Family will continue to “respect the land, honour tradition and pursue perfection”. It’s a simple philosophy that makes for a proud legacy and a truly remarkable wine.
Posted by David Lynch
The St Hubertus and Oak Bay Vineyards where originally planted in 1928 by J.W. Hughes during a time when good agricultural land was plentiful.
Since 1984, the Gebert Family use sustainable farming practices on their 76 acre vineyard, to produce
wines that reflect the terroir of the north Okanagan valley under the
St Hubertus & Oak Bay label.
Harvest 2008 just ended!
we just harvested the last fruit under a beautiful fall ski. all the fruit show outstanding flavors .
the divergent grape juices are now in the cellar and started there journey to become great wines next year.
Jack Frost also made a visit to the winery and turned the vineyard into a icy wonderland.
Kelowna is situated in the heart of the Okanagan. Surrounded by lakes and mountains Kelowna tends to be the hub of the British Columbia Interior. With regions bordering on deserts and others that are alpine, the scenery around the Okanagan Valley is ever changing. Nestled in a valley situated next to Okanagan Lake, Kelowna is a prime place for agricultural growth.
The Winery itself is located 11km south of downtown, on the shores of Lake Okanagan. Surrounded by wilderness the winery is an excellent place to enjoy the views have a picnic in the vineyard or on the beach.
For Customers who can not visit us in paradise, below are some local telephone numbers and e-mail addresses You can order our Wines from:
Wineshop Hours of Operation
Winter Tues. to Sat. from 12:00 - 16:00
Spring Mon. to Sat. from 11:00 - 17:00
Summer 7 days a week from 10:00 - 17:30 May - Oct.
Cost: Tasting’s are Free Bus Tours (16+ People) Cost 5.50 +Tax with Appointments only !
CANADA:
British Columbia:
Vancouver. (604)274 4720 Victoria. (250)532 5361 Interior. (877) 769 1031 Prince George. (250 392 4641)
24brix@can.rogers.com sasha_mccauley@yahoo.com winemates@telus.net clla@telus.net
Alberta: 1 877 979 9463 Manitoba: 1 877 979 9463
ddola@bid-wine.ca. ddola@bid-wine.ca.
INTERNATIONAL:
JAPAN. www.ogtcanada.com (06)6649-2887
SWITZERLAND. 61 302 21 61 info@alra.ch
DENMARK. klpe@lolland.dk 0045 5478 9002
St Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery
Telephone
1 800 989 WINE (250) 764 7888
FAX
(250) 764 0499
Postal address
5225 Lakeshore Rd., V1W 4J1, Kelowna B.C., Canada
Electronic mail
General Information: wine@st-hubertus.bc.ca
Sales:
Customer Support:
Webmaster: agebert@st-hubertus.bc.ca
Visit their web site at http://www.st-hubertus.bc.ca/
Posted by David Lynch
829 Douglas Road, Kelowna, BC V1Z 1N9. Phone: 250-769-8803; Fax: 250-769-9330. Web Site.
Discover the finest Okanagan Wines from Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery. Located in the heart of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley Wine Country, Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery was established in February 2001, and is a family-owned and operated Estate Winery.
Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery is one of British Columbia’s newest Estate Wineries, producing award-winning red wines, white wines, dessert wines and Icewine. With a 20,000 sq. ft. facility for processing, fermentation and bottling, Mt. Boucherie Estate is poised at the forefront of the Okanagan wine industry. A long time dream of the Gidda family, the winery uses 100% estate-grown grapes from the family’s vineyard holdings, BC’s largest family owned and operated.
The Gidda family has grown winegrapes in the Okanagan since 1968. Vineyard sites now include 80 acres near Cawston in the Similkameen Valley, 40 acres in Okanagan Falls and 55 acres in the Westbank area. Kaldep “Kal” Gidda manages the Cawston and OK Falls vineyards and Nirmal Gidda manages the Westbank locations.
As a family-owned and operated facility, the two brothers take great pride in ensuring that the quality of their wines are maintained right from the vineyard into the bottle.
Our winemaking team is made up of Head Winemaker Robert Thielicke and Winemaker David Frederick.
Jaspreet “Pinki” Gidda is Sales Director and manages on-site sales and marketing.