Recent economic analysis from Deloitte highlights the scale of this ecosystem, describing Canada’s wine sector as a “wine supercluster,” a collection of regional wine economies that collectively function as a powerful engine for national growth.

Today, that supercluster contributes $10.1 billion annually to Canada’s GDP and supports roughly 99,300 full-time equivalent jobs across the country. Yet the most important finding is not the industry’s current size. It is the scale of the opportunity still ahead.

A supercluster built around place

Wine production differs from many other industries because it is deeply tied to geography. Vineyards require years to establish, decades to mature and generations of stewardship to thrive. Once vines are planted, they anchor investment, employment and economic activity in the communities around them.

For this reason, wine regions tend to evolve into clustered economies where interconnected businesses grow together. Vineyards supply wineries. Wineries attract visitors. Visitors create demand for restaurants, hotels, events and local food producers. Transportation services, educational institutions and cultural organizations then expand to support the growing destination economy.

Across Canada, these clusters have emerged in regions such as British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula, Quebec’s Eastern Townships and Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. Together they form an ecosystem that spans grape growing, wine production, distribution, tourism, hospitality and cultural programming.

The economic effects extend well beyond wineries themselves. Of the $10.1 billion in annual GDP contribution, approximately $3.2 billion comes directly from wine production, while the remaining $6.9 billion flows through interconnected sectors such as tourism, hospitality and transportation. In other words, the wine economy is not just an agricultural sector – it is a regional development platform.

The market share opportunity

Despite its economic impact, Canadian wine still accounts for a relatively small share of domestic wine consumption. Canadian wines account for about 28.8 per cent of domestic wine sales. By comparison, wine-producing countries such as France and Italy see domestic products dominate their markets. In France, roughly 83 per cent of wine consumed is produced locally.

Economic modelling suggests that increasing Canadian wine’s domestic market share could significantly expand the industry’s overall impact. If Canadian wines reached 51 per cent domestic market share over the next 15 years, Deloitte estimates that the industry’s total economic contribution could grow from $10.1 billion to $13.7 billion annually.

This growth would not be confined to wineries. Since wine operates within an interconnected cluster, each additional bottle of Canadian wine sold generates ripple effects across the broader economy. A single 750-millilitre bottle of 100 per cent Canadian wine generates an estimated $88.50 in economic activity when accounting for supply chains, tourism, hospitality and related services. Domestic market share growth, therefore, represents more than an industry goal; it represents a regional economic development strategy.

Strengthening the value chain

Wine production sits at the centre of a layered value chain that stretches from agriculture to tourism. At the beginning of the chain are vineyards, which require land preparation, irrigation systems, agricultural labour and specialized equipment. Grape harvests feed wineries, where fermentation, aging, bottling and packaging create additional manufacturing activity.

Beyond the winery gates, distribution networks, logistics providers, marketing firms and retail channels bring products to consumers. At the same time, wineries act as powerful tourism anchors. Visitors drawn to wine regions spend on accommodations, dining, cultural attractions and local experiences.

Economic modelling shows that more than 77,000 jobs are supported annually in wine-related industries, including food services, accommodation, recreation and transportation. In practical terms, a greater domestic market share would likely drive:

• Expansion of vineyard acreage
• Increased demand for Canadian-grown grapes
• Investment in winery infrastructure and equipment
• Growth in hospitality and tourism services
• Expanded distribution and logistics networks

These ripple effects reinforce both agricultural supply chains and service-sector economies.

Wine tourism and destination development

Wine regions have also become some of Canada’s most dynamic tourism destinations. Visitors are drawn not only by vineyards, but by the broader experiences that wine regions offer, such as culinary tourism, farm-to-table dining, cultural festivals, outdoor recreation and scenic landscapes.

Before the pandemic, Ontario wineries welcomed approximately 2.7 million visitors annually, generating significant economic activity across hotels, restaurants, transportation services and local retail. Globally, leading wine regions have embraced this connection between wine production and tourism. Governments in France, Spain and other major wine-producing countries have developed long-term strategies that integrate wine, gastronomy, culture and travel into co-ordinated destination economies. These approaches recognize that wine regions function as economic ecosystems, where agriculture, tourism and cultural identity reinforce one another.

Canada’s wine regions already display many of these characteristics. The opportunity lies in strengthening them further.

Building competitive foundations

While Canada’s wine industry has grown steadily over the past two decades, structural challenges remain. Deloitte’s analysis notes that Canadian producers operate within a complex policy environment that includes relatively high effective tax rates and regulatory fragmentation across provinces.

By contrast, many leading wine jurisdictions pair strong domestic markets with supportive frameworks designed to encourage long-term investment. These often include capital investment programs, market development strategies and policies that reduce internal trade barriers.

Such frameworks help wineries invest confidently in vineyards, facilities and tourism infrastructure; investments that can take decades to fully mature.

A long-term growth story

One of the most striking realities of wine production is how limited suitable vineyard land is. Globally, only about one per cent of the world’s arable land is suitable for wine grapes. Planting vineyards, therefore, represents a generational commitment. The investments made today in land, vines, infrastructure and brand development shape regional economies for decades.

Canada’s wine supercluster already supports nearly 100,000 jobs and more than $10 billion in economic output each year. If domestic market share expands significantly, that economic footprint could grow substantially, bringing benefits that extend well beyond wineries themselves. Those gains would appear in stronger rural employment, expanded hospitality and culinary businesses, deeper supply chains and more vibrant tourism destinations.

Seen through this lens, wine country is more than a lifestyle destination. It is a form of economic infrastructure, a rooted, place-based industry capable of driving regional growth for generations. As Canada’s wine regions continue to mature, the opportunity ahead may be just as important as the success already achieved.

He says Canadian craft distillers have seen a huge increase in sales since the movement began. “When I was talking to our distillers here in B.C. and distillers within the national association, I think it’s fair to say that since the threat of tariffs came into place, there has been a substantial increase in sales, probably in the realm of 30 to 50 per cent,” Dyck said.

The biggest sales bump occurred after the newly elected American president began referring to former prime minister Justin Trudeau as governor and Canada as the 51st state. “That is when most producers saw a doubling or tripling of sales,” Dyck said.

“Halfway through February, when the real rhetoric started going back and forth, that’s when most producers in Canada say it really started. Imposing tariffs is one thing … but questioning our sovereignty is more of an insult. That’s when you saw Canadians step up and sales of craft liquor really went up, especially for whisky,” said Dyck. He also attributes the sales increase to American products getting pulled from government liquor stores in provinces across Canada. He says that and Trump’s 51st state comments served as a “one-two punch” that encouraged Canadians to actively seek out alcohol alternatives produced in their own backyard.

One of them is BRBN, a bourbon-style whisky made from corn that Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery has been making for the past 15 years or so. Thanks to the U.S.-Canada trade war, sales of BRBN have never been better, having increased by 2,200 per cent, helped by the company’s strong marketing push that taps into the prevailing “Buy Canadian” sentiment.

While it’s probably unrealistic to expect the current pace of sales to last indefinitely, Dyck doesn’t expect to see this trend abate any time soon.

I would call this almost a viral moment for craft producers because people are now searching out authentic products made in Canada, made in Saskatchewan or in Manitoba or B.C.

Tyler Dyck, Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery

“This is something that was long overdue, [and] I think it is here to stay in Canada,” he said. “It’s probably been the biggest, most substantial shift that I’ve seen in the last 20 years toward people actually caring about where their products come from. Now, people are organically starting to ask, ‘Where does my cheese come from? Where does my wine come from? Where does my beef come from?’ They are shifting toward the regional brands that are those farm-to-bottle producers … I always tell our producers, even at the national level, that there are certain trends within our industry, and you have to have your finger on the pulse of those trends. I think that moving forward, the distillers who focus on this new heartfelt pride of Canadians will really benefit from it.

Dyck says enthusiasm toward buying local isn’t limited to Canada, something he and his Okanagan Spirits team saw when they attended the World Spirits Awards, held in Germany in March. “We were talking with Czech producers, Italian producers, French producers, English producers, Scots, guys from the Caribbean, [and] everybody [was] talking about their ‘buy local’ movements and how much this has changed,” he said.

Craft distillers who commit to building a strong online and social media presence stand to benefit the most from the “Buy Canadian” movement.

“I would call this almost a viral moment for craft producers because people are now searching out authentic products made in Canada, made in Saskatchewan or in Manitoba or B.C. They are actively looking for that content, and if you’re active on social media right now and you can draw those eyes in, your audience will expand vastly….” he said. “I think all craft distillers in Canada really need to invest in their social media platforms and also in their online platforms and online sales portals right now. If they don’t have that kind of presence, they’re at a huge disadvantage.”

Dyck says Okanagan Spirits has had a lot of success with its online and social media marketing campaigns that lean into pro-Canadian messaging.

“Our taglines of ‘Unapologetically Canadian’ is a play on Canadians always apologizing for everything, but now it’s time to drop the gloves, using this sort of real Canadiana imagery in marketing,” he said. “We spend a disproportionate amount of money driving home the importance of [being] terroir-specific and local production, and that really ties directly into the ‘Buy Canadian’ and ‘Buy British Columbia’ movements,” Dyck said. “I tell our members all the time, you’re not selling a product, you’re selling an experience. That’s what it really is. And what makes your product different than everyone else’s is that it’s uniquely you, and it should be unapologetically you. It should be a Winnipeg whisky. It should be a North Bay gin.

Dyck says liquor authorities across Canada can do more to support this trend by making locally produced spirits more accessible and affordable in government liquor stores. He says pulling American brands from liquor store shelves hasn’t helped business as much as it could because of steep price markups that continue to be a barrier for many craft distillers in Canada.

“We have made some very good wines, but we haven’t made the best that we can make,” said Taylor Whelan, Mission Hill’s chief winemaker. “We are continually reinvesting to create something better than ever before.”

Mission Hill was founded by Anthony von Mandl, an entrepreneur who self-financed his Okanagan winemaking dream by creating several brands that transformed the global drinks industry, including Mike’s Hard Lemonade and White Claw Hard Seltzer. Born in Vancouver, B.C., von Mandl grew up in Europe, but had a vision for what the Okanagan Valley could become. Working as a wine seller in Vancouver, he risked everything to buy a near-bankrupt winery – one of only five wineries in the Okanagan at the time – and then oversaw its multimillion-dollar renovation in 1996.

While the outstanding architecture may have made the initial headlines, shortly after that the wines began gaining attention, too. Under the guidance of winemaker John Simes, who joined the team in 1992, Mission Hill began collecting international awards for its wines, a vast portfolio of reds, whites, rosés and sparkling wines.

With breathtaking views of vineyards and Okanagan Lake, the winery features an outdoor amphitheatre, an underground barrel cellar blasted into volcanic rock, a seasonal outdoor restaurant, a tasting room and a wine boutique. A 12-storey bell tower stands high on the estate, with four bronze bells made by France’s Paccard Bell Foundry. Canada’s only five-time winner of WineAlign’s Winery of the Year, Mission Hill has also received myriad other accolades, including the World’s Best Pinot Noir at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2013 and 2017.

The winery grew a range of grapes, including Riesling, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc.

The flagship Mission Hill wine is Oculus, a Bordeaux-style red blend (Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a hint of Petit Verdot) that was first made in 1997 and is part of the winery’s Icon Collection. The 2020 vintage received the first-ever perfect 100-point score for a Canadian red table wine last year from Canadian wine writer John Schreiner.

The Icon Collection is made from the top one per cent of the winery’s estate-grown grapes, and all the fruit is hand-harvested and sorted. Both the Icon Collection and Oculus receive extended barrel aging and spend two years in bottle before release. Next on the list is the Terroir Collection, which features the top three per cent of fruit chosen from specific vineyard blocks. The Reserve Collection wines are made from hand-selected vineyard blocks; depending on the wine, they may spend more time in barrel for added texture and complexity.

Select Mission Hill wines are sold across Canada, a few southern U.S. states, the U.K., Switzerland and, soon, Denmark. The team is also exploring distribution to new global markets, including other Scandinavian countries and Japan.

Born and raised on Canada’s West Coast, Whelan never imagined he’d one day become a winemaker. His parents owned sporting goods stores in B.C. and Whelan studied biology at university, thinking he wanted to be a marine biologist. “I did become one for a few years, but an entry-level marine biologist job isn’t seeing whales. It’s sitting in front of a computer,” he said. “I didn’t like it very much.” So, he quit and became a winemaker instead. He hasn’t looked back. After stints in Niagara-on-the-Lake, New Zealand and Australia, he returned to B.C. in 2011, joining CedarCreek Estate Winery.

The von Mandl family assumed ownership of CedarCreek in 2014, and Whelan stayed on, moving to Mission Hill two years ago. Senior estate manager Charlie Drummond handles hospitality, restaurant operations and the front of house, while Whelan manages a team of 15 or so employees who work in the cellars and the laboratory, and help with bottling and the hands-on side of winemaking.

It’s about that one perfect wine you have in your head. And now we have to figure out how to make it.

Taylor Whelan, Mission Hill Family Estate Winery

In January 2024, the Okanagan Valley was hit with unprecedented cold weather and Mission Hill, like most of the region’s wineries, lost a considerable number of vines.

Typically, the team sources grapes from five sub-regions across the Okanagan: Fritzi’s Vineyard, Naramata Ranch Vineyard, Jagged Rock Vineyard, Border Vista Vineyard and Reed Creek Vineyard. After the severe cold, however, Mission Hill had to pivot to keep wines on the shelves and in customers’ cellars. While many colleagues turned to Washington in the U.S. to buy grapes, Whelan and Mission Hill went a little further, calling on friends and colleagues in New Zealand to source replacement fruit.

They then had around 50 different raw wines shipped from New Zealand, which they tasted and chose from to blend, finish and bottle on-site in the Okanagan. “It was a fun process and I’m proud of the wines,” said Whelan. “In particular, we’re having a lot of success with our 2024 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, which is a Marlborough blend.”

Luckily, there’s good news to report on the home front this year. “We’ve had a beautiful growing season so far and the vines are coming back,” Whelan said. “We’re going to get a harvest this year, which is great.”

Technology is a big part of managing the valley’s changing climate. “We’re really on the cusp of a [technological] revolution in winemaking. A winemaker’s time is valuable, but typically a lot of time is spent doing low-value work: processing data, writing work orders,” said Whelan. That’s why he and his team are setting up pilot projects that automate many of those tasks.

For instance, they have instruments inside their tanks that take readings and then send the data straight to their computers. “It’s in situ analysis, rather than lab analysis,” he said. “It takes a while to set up at first, but then you just open your computer and have all the data on your screen.” They have had an optical sorting system in the winery for a few years now and the cellar is paperless; the team uses tablets to enter data so it can be seen by everyone who needs it, quickly and effortlessly.

The team conducts cold weather mapping to figure out where to place wind machines, and instead of mass irrigation, they’re using special probes to measure exactly what the vines need. Drones monitor vine health from the air, while on the ground, a Geier machine allows them to farm precisely with minimal soil impact.

In the cellar, they have concrete eggs, clay amphorae and oak barrels. They also use an automated pump-over setup that allows the winery to have “many small ferments without a huge number of people to manage them,” according to Whelan. “It’s about getting much finer detail that will trickle right through the winemaking process,” he said. A herd of Scottish Highland cattle spend time between CedarCreek and Mission Hill, adding natural fertilizer and helping to aerate the soil.

While Whelan and his team have relied on machine harvesting in the past, these days, they are mostly hand-picking their grapes. “The idea is premiumization, and that goes hand-in-hand with hand-picking,” Whelan said. “We just don’t get the same quality with mechanization that we do with our team of vineyard workers.”

Down the road, they will expand their focus on heat and water management in summer. “It’s undeniable that the valley is getting hotter and drier,” he said.

A typical day at the winery? Well, there isn’t one, Whelan says, but he is an early bird, starting each workday around six-in-the-morning, six days a week during the harvesting season. “I typically taste all the ferments first thing in the morning and then come up with a plan,” he said. “How many times do we need to do pump-overs? Are the fermentations on track? Then I’m planning constantly for the next few days: taste, manage ferments, figure out the next day and the day after that. Then we do another round of tasting before the end of the day, just to be sure all the decisions we made earlier don’t need to be modified.”

Three days a week, he’s in the vineyards, a highlight of his workweek. “Especially in the fall, the light is really nice,” said Whelan. “I take Chute Lake Road, which has all these larch trees and aspens that turn orange and yellow in the fall. It’s a pretty spectacular time of the year.”

So is the summer, he says, and even the staff get excited about the Summer Concert Series. Now in its 18th season, the series takes place in the winery’s outdoor amphitheatre and is a much-loved tradition in the Okanagan Valley, with visitors attending from around the world. This year’s lineup includes Blue Rodeo, Jann Arden, Andy Grammer and the Gipsy Kings. Attendees can buy tickets for individual concerts or sign up for a dinner and a show package, which includes the concert and a regionally inspired meal from the award-winning culinary team paired, of course, with Mission Hill wines.

Community involvement is important to the Mission Hill team. In addition to supporting causes such as breast cancer research in Canada, the team supports various charities throughout the province. One of the biggest is the annual Festival of Trees, which features Christmas trees throughout the winery – even the cellar – as a fundraiser in support of the BC Children’s Hospital.

As for Whelan, he’s in the cellar one day and combing through vineyards the next, aiming to make Mission Hill’s best wines yet. “It’s about that one perfect wine you have in your head,” he said. “And now we have to figure out how to make it.”

“A collaboration like no other, pairing the Pinot obsessed Stoneboat Vineyards exclusive Pinotage with a single barrel of desert-aged is an exceptional highlight for the south Okanagan wine region and tribute to what this area can produce,” said Glen Neamh Whisky Co. founder, Jamie Crain.

The second drop of this south Okanagan wine and whisky project took place on June 6.

“Stoneboat is a winery with a history of collaboration, partnering with wineries, grape growers and the south Okanagan community to produce handcrafted wines. In the south Okanagan, a region of hard work and strong community spirit, there is no other way,” said Andrew Young, general manager of Stoneboat Vineyards. “So, when Glen Neamh Whisky Co. approached us, we were excited to say the least. We appreciate the whisky they make, but [just] as significantly, we appreciate their quality-focused process. They have demonstrated a commitment to delivering whisky of the highest quality, while celebrating the unique spirit of our home.”

Established in 1989, Quails’ Gate is one of the oldest and most-awarded wineries in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Just as it was in those early years, the winery is still owned and operated by the Stewart family, who have turned their dream into a globally recognized wine and culinary destination.

Ben and Ruth Stewart started Quails’ Gate on a plot of land in West Kelowna, on the gentle slopes below Mount Boucherie. Over the next couple of decades, the entire Stewart family became involved in building the winery into what it is today.

The Stewart family’s relationship to the land in B.C. dates back much further than the winery. In 1908, Richard Stewart, Sr., came to Canada from Ireland and settled in the Okanagan Valley. A horticulturalist, he established one of the largest and most successful tree nurseries in the region and passed his love for the land on to subsequent generations. His son, Dick Stewart, (Ben’s father) planted the first grape vines on the family’s land in 1961.

The family now farms 400 acres of land, including property in South Kelowna and Osoyoos, and two restaurants located on the Quails’ Gate estate, Old Vines Restaurant and The Market at Quails’ Gate.

The corporate structure revolves around, but isn’t exclusive to, family. About 100 people work within the business full-time year-round, and another 100 or so join the team temporarily in summer and early fall, to help with the tasting room, restaurants and harvest. Under the leadership of the new Quails’ Gate CEO Jennifer Cudlipp, the team continues to embody the Stewart family’s dedication to excellence while fostering innovation and growth.

A few years ago, the Stewarts created the company BACAS Family Wines to consolidate their myriad brands; Quails’ Gate is part of that portfolio, as are several other labels including Lake Sonoma Winery and Plume. Jeff Del Nin is senior winemaker for BACAS Family Wines, Kailee Frasch is Quails’ Gate winemaker and she is assisted by Rowan Stewart, who is the son of Tony Stewart, the winery’s CEO for two decades.

The Stewarts have a family council and the family also participates on the Quails’ Gate board. Indeed, Rowan is just one of the fourth generation of Stewarts now actively involved with the winery. Others include Llane Dobbener (Ben Stewart’s daughter) who works in human resources. Benjamin Walker is now on the winery board; mother, Cynthia Walker, is Tony’s sister and Dick’s daughter. Benjamin’s cousin, Rory McFadden (Andrea Stewart’s son), is on the board, too. Confused yet? Don’t be. The takeaway is that many Stewarts are involved in the winery business, in many ways.

“There’s a lot of work that takes place to ensure the family aspect of the business is represented,” said Angela Lyons, vice president of sales and marketing. She isn’t part of the Stewart family, but says she appreciates what they are doing. “It’s about building for the future,” she said. “They have done a really great job of setting things up for the next generation and they have a good long-term view for the industry in the future.”

The quail took flight and found a new field. It’s a tale of discovery and adventure.

Angela Lyons, Quails’ Gate Winery

While Quails’ Gate is primarily about Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, they also grow several other varietals including Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Syrah, Marechal Foch and Chasselas, which is a white grape found mostly in Switzerland. The Chardonnay, in particular, has been recognized internationally over the years, including gold medals at France’s prestigious Chardonnay du Monde awards, most recently in 2024, with the 2021 Stewart Family Reserve.

They’ve experimented with different grapes, too, as well as winemaking techniques and types of oak. The 2022 Quails’ Gate Quorum is a blend of Gamay Noir and Gamaret, an unusual red French grape created in 1970. They’ve fermented Chenin Blanc in concrete eggs and for the past seven years, they’ve released a piquette in cans, a carbonated low-alcohol alternative to beer and wine that has been incredibly popular, Lyons says. “We’re really proud of it and we’ll continue to expand that offering as well,” she said.

In 2013, the Stewarts purchased Lake Sonoma Winery in California and launched a new label called Plume. The primary Plume wines include a Napa Valley Chardonnay, as well as Cabernet Sauvignons from grapes grown in Sonoma’s Alexander Valley and B.C.’s Similkameen Valley. In 2025, they will release a Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

New sparkling wine label

In 2015, the Stewart family saw an opportunity to adapt the 200-acre South Kelowna tree nursery that had been in the family since the 1950s into a vineyard.

Like Quails’ Gate and Plume, the new project would have its own identity and personality, but instead would focus on sparkling wines made using the traditional method, where every bottle undergoes its secondary fermentation in the bottle, the same way that Champagne is made in France.

After some debate, the team came up with the name Ailm Estate. The word “ailm” comes from an ancient Irish tree language and means “pine tree,” which pays a nod to both the family’s roots in Ireland and their history as tree nursery owners and growers in B.C. “They wanted the name to be about family, but didn’t want it to have their name,” Lyons said. “They wanted it to be about the next generation and the Kelowna community.”

The first wine released was the 2020 Ailm Reserve Vintage Brut (82 per cent Pinot Noir and 18 per cent Chardonnay), which was aged on its lees for more than 40 months and undergoes a dosage of Chardonnay and 6.5 grams of sugar per litre. It was followed by the inaugural release of the 2021 Blanc de Blanc, and this year, they will add two more wines to the lineup: a non-vintage Brut to be released in late spring and a rosé sparkler in November.

“This project started long before the COVID-19 pandemic. To see it officially launched now has been especially rewarding,” Lyons said. “It’s been a great journey so far.”

Challenging vintages

The past few years haven’t been without challenges, including the pandemic, a devastating heat wave, wildfires and extreme cold. Like nearly every winery in B.C., Quails’ Gate was hit hard by the sub-zero temperatures in 2023 and 2024. January 2024 was particularly bad, with temperatures below -20°C for days. Many of the vines died, unable to recover from the cold. Very little was harvested in 2024; just Marechal Foch and a little Riesling, which will be released in 2025.

At Quails’ Gate, they’ve chosen to look on the bright side and, like many B.C. wineries, they’ve temporarily set their sights elsewhere, sourcing grapes from the Pacific Northwest. Instead of trying to fit those wines into the estate line, they’ve chosen a new label.

In late-2024, they rolled out Field & Flight, a new range made from grapes grown mostly in Washington, Oregon and California. There are four single-varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Gris. Each is clearly labelled, so that consumers know exactly where the grapes came from. “The quail took flight and found a new field,” said Lyons, with a laugh. “It’s a tale of discovery and adventure.”

They’re also taking the opportunity to replant vineyards with better clones and more suitable varieties. A south-facing Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in West Kelowna has been replanted to Pinot Noir, which the team believes will do better on the site. Some of the Chardonnay has been replanted with top new clones from Burgundy. Forty-six acres were replanted in 2024. Another 72 will be replanted in spring 2025, and a third round of planting will take place in 2026.

“It’s been very challenging,” said Lyons. “But the family believes in this region, and that this replant will help us create even better wines in the future.”

As there is less wine, the team made the decision to pull back from selling nationally. Some wines are for sale in Alberta, and there’s a little Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Quebec market, plus a bit in the U.K., but the focus is on maintaining stock for the winery’s tasting room and restaurants. “We wanted to be sure we had Okanagan Valley VQA wine to sell at Quails’ Gate, so that when people come visit, we have a good supply of wines for them to try from this region,” Lyons said. “That is very important for us.”

Community and caring

The community in B.C. and beyond has long been important for the Stewart family and Quails’ Gate in general. Charities and non-profits that they support monetarily and through volunteer time include the Nature Conservancy of Canada, BC Hospitality Foundation, the Central Okanagan Food Bank and the West Kelowna Firefighters Relief Fund.

During the West Kelowna fires in summer 2024, the winery’s two restaurants were closed so the culinary team pivoted and prepared meals – 600 meals a day at the height – for firefighters working in the region. “We look for opportunities to support our community wherever possible,” Lyons said.

Connecting with other wineries is also important. They are actively involved with the Wine Growers British Columbia industry group, and in 2023, they were certified sustainable by Sustainable Winegrowing BC. “The land supports us,” Lyons said. “We want to support it, too.”

Tony was on the Wine Growers Canada board for many years, retiring in April 2024. Continuing the Stewart family’s commitment to industry leadership, Cudlipp stepped up immediately and joined the national organization. Her involvement underscores Quails’ Gate’s ongoing dedication to advocating for the wine industry nationally. “Wine Growers Canada is very important for us,” said Lyons. “They represent the industry through government advocacy and sharing information about what’s going on in the industry nationally. It’s an important organization and one we’re committed to supporting.”

Looking ahead

As the Stewart family and the Quails’ Gate team look ahead to the future, one thing is certain: they will continue to push toward making better and better wines, whatever the universe throws their way. “It’s about finding ways to work through the challenges,” Lyons said. “The team is always talking about how we haven’t made our best wine yet. We know there is always room for improvement.”

Key achievements include Platinum Medals for the 2022 Club Consensus Pinot Noir, 2022 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir and 2022 Saddle Block Pinot Noir, as well as a Gold Medal for the 2021 Golden Retreat Pinot Noir.

“They notched unparalleled success in a single category (Pinot Noir) in the history of these awards – winning a total of seven medals for their Pinots including three platinum, one gold, a trio of silvers and a bronze,” said WineAlign judge DJ Kearney. This accomplishment highlights the winery’s meticulous attention to detail that results in consistent excellence in viticulture and winemaking.

“As a judge who’s been part of the WineAlign panel for over two decades, I can confirm two things: SpearHead wines reflect the people behind them who are generous of spirit and rich with experience, and their success is no accident,” said Kearney.

As a judge who’s been part of the WineAlign panel for over two decades, I can confirm two things: SpearHead wines reflect the people behind them who are generous of spirit and rich with experience, and their success is no accident.

DJ Kearney, WineAlign

At the helm is winemaker and general manager Grant Stanley, a dual citizen of Canada and New Zealand, who began his career in Marlborough. After 15 vintages in New Zealand and Oregon, he moved to the Okanagan Valley in 2003 and has been with SpearHead since 2017. Grant is renowned for his Pinot Noir expertise and his collaborative efforts with fellow winemakers and viticulturists.

“Our commitment to staying small and focused on Pinot Noir is paying off,” said Stanley. “Many producers I admire worldwide limit their production to concentrate on quality over quantity.”

SpearHead’s team shares a passion for Pinot Noir, crafting a diverse range from single vineyard to single clone expressions. The precisely curated portfolio by Stanley showcases hand-selected barrels that reflect the winery’s dedication to excellence. A standout wine, the 2022 Club Consensus Pinot Noir, is unique in that it was crafted with input from SpearHead Wine Club members, exemplifying the winery’s community-focused approach.

“Our ambition has been to create a nationally-recognized winery for premium wine, especially Pinot Noir,” said Bill Knutson, co-owner of SpearHead Winery. “Winning Winery of the Year at the 2024 National Wine Awards is a great honour and affirms our progress. This success is thanks to our dedicated team, led by Grant Stanley. We are proud to join the ranks of past award winners and are more determined than ever to secure a place on the world stage for Canadian premium wines.”

The larger-than-life atmosphere continues throughout the property, a dream that, for Vancouver-based entrepreneur Richter Bai, began in 2015 when he visited the Okanagan Valley and fell in love with the region and with its wine.

The winery stands out as this beautiful oasis set within a rugged and untamed landscape.

Mark Beringer, Phantom Creek Estates Winery

Richter, a longtime fan of Bordeaux-style red wines, set out to create one of the Okanagan’s biggest and finest wineries.

“When you arrive at Phantom Creek, you immediately feel a familiarity that resonates with many of the great wine regions and iconic wineries of the world,” said Mark Beringer, Phantom Creek’s director of winemaking. “However, there is a sense that this is something distinctly different and unique. The winery stands out as this beautiful oasis set within a rugged and untamed landscape.”

Phantom Creek had its first vintage in 2016 and then cautiously opened in summer 2020. The wines are now for sale in British Columbia, Alberta, and parts of the U.S. and China. Depending on the next few harvests, plans are in the works to expand to other parts of Canada and beyond.

Located along Black Sage Road on some of the best vineyard land in British Columbia, the estate includes vineyards in both the Similkameen and Okanagan valleys, including the historic Becker, Phantom Creek and Sundial vineyards.

Planted by legendary pioneering viticulturalist Richard Cleave in 1996, the Phantom Creek vineyard is a 10-acre plot renowned for producing some of Canada’s best red wine grapes, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon. The Becker vineyards date back even further, to 1977 when German viticulturalist Helmut Becker planted demonstration vineyards to see how traditional European vinifera vines would fare in the area. The Becker Merlot and Carmenere are both standouts, benefitting from the Black Sage Bench’s long, hot summer afternoons.

Phantom Creek focuses on single-vineyard Bordeaux-style reds and Alsatian-style white wines, primarily Pinot Gris – their most popular white – and Riesling. They also grow some Grenache, Mourvedre, Malbec, Viognier, Carmenere and a scant two acres of Syrah.

Styles cover the gamut: A sparkling brut made in the traditional method, dry red table wines, blends and single-varietal reds, whites and a rosé. Recognizing the founding family’s roots, they also released a special edition Lunar New Year magnum package earlier this year. All the vineyards are organic and the team is in the process of getting biodynamic certification, too.

Then there are the actual winery facilities, designed by John Taft of California’s Backen & Backen Architecture, longtime winery architects whose other projects include Cliff Lede Vineyards, Larkmead Vineyards, Dana Estates and Lokoya Winery in Napa Valley. The first Phantom Creek vintage was created in 2016 in a temporary facility created on site, while Taft and his team built. Due to construction delays and the COVID-19 pandemic, the grounds opened in 2019, but the primary winery space didn’t officially open its doors to the public until June 2020.

The 78,000-square-foot facility features an imposing tasting room and a massive, custom, starburst-like chandelier artwork by renowned American sculptor Dale Chihuly. Private tasting rooms are also available, and there is a 200-seat patio and a restaurant. With seating for 130, the restaurant was named one of Canada’s best new restaurants in 2022 by Canada’s 100 Best. A 500-seat outdoor amphitheatre allows the winery team to hold concerts overlooking the vineyards, too.

Public and private tastings are available; depending on the option chosen, customers may receive tours of vineyards, art installations and the Founder’s Cellar. Mark became Phantom Creek’s director of winemaking in 2021, drawn by the opportunity to work with a brilliant international team (with team members from France, Australia, Mexico, the U.S. and India), the lengthy list of award-winning, globally-recognized and family-owned wineries in the region, and the challenges and the potential for the future.

“I had been making wine in Napa for 35 years and I was at a point in my career where I was ready to try something different,” he said. “This [was] an incredible opportunity.”

From a winemaker’s perspective, Phantom Creek has much to offer. The gravity-fed winery has open-top wood tanks for the reds and Austrian oak casks (Stockinger foudres) for gently aging some of the whites. They also have one of Canada’s only optical sorting lines for grapes, which helps to increase quality and yields. “We have every toy a winemaker would want here,” Mark said.

As long-time California wine fans will know, Mark is no stranger to top wineries. In fact, the news of him joining the Phantom Creek team made headlines around the world. The great-great-grandson of Jacob Beringer, Mark grew up in the Napa Valley wine industry. He holds an enology degree from California State University and worked at Benziger Family Winery, where he climbed his way up to become vice president of winemaking. He returned to his roots in 2015, joining Beringer Vineyards as chief winemaker and now, Phantom Creek.

These days, Phantom Creek’s director of viticulture, Mike Anderson, who took over for Amy Richards, works closely with Mark, as well as white wine maker Karin Grosstessner-Hain and lab manager Stefanie Galicia Hernandez. Sarah Bai, Richter’s daughter, is the managing director, splitting her time between Vancouver and the winery.

Since Day 1, the team has also worked closely with consulting winemaker Olivier Humbrecht, who visits a few times a year to advise, especially on the Alsatian-style white wines. The team has been focused on making terroir-driven wines with minimal intervention – pure expressions of each unique vineyard.

It’s bad. Really bad. We’re thinking if we get anything at all, it’ll be very little. We’re just hoping we’ll see some growth in the spring, so we don’t have to do an entire replant. We’re going to lose vines, though.

Mark Beringer, Phantom Creek Estates Winery

That isn’t always easy, especially over the past couple of years. As of March 2024, most of the Okanagan wine conversation had been focused on frost and the vineyards. The 2022-2023 winter was hard enough, with an estimated 54 per cent of vineyards lost, but January 2024 was even worse. Talk is everywhere of catastrophic crop losses and, according to Vancouver’s Cascadia Partners, for many, if not all wineries, “an almost complete write-off of the 2024 vintage.”

The revenue losses to vineyards and wineries is estimated to be $340 million to $346 million. “It’s bad. Really bad,” said Mark. “We’re thinking if we get anything at all, it’ll be very little. We’re just hoping we’ll see some growth in the spring, so we don’t have to do an entire replant. We’re going to lose vines, though.”

However, he is trying to remain optimistic and find a survival plan for the next couple of seasons – not just for Phantom Creek, but the region as a whole. “If we don’t have enough wineries functioning, we’re going to lose a lot of our talent in the valley. They’ll go elsewhere for work, and it’ll be hard down the road to get people to come back,” he said. “We’re trying to just support the industry and find a way to move forward.”

“In our forests, we nurture nature,” said Bruno Alexander Gantenbrink, owner of Auric Barrels, a company that balances its barrel-making operations with preserving the forest. “We only take what the forest naturally gives us.” 

For Auric Barrels, having patience for natural processes and prioritizing natural habitats is essential to their business operations. “Proof of this is a very healthy forest,” said Gantenbrink. “It’s full of a growing number of very large animals such as deer, wild boar, turkeys and partridges, wolves, foxes and plants that can no longer be found in other European forests.”

Auric Barrels has also positively impacted the local community, in addition to the environment. “It has been a positive example of good practices and co-operation through the provision of scholarships to students who want to learn a skilled trade in barrel cooperage,” said Gantenbrink.

While Auric Barrels can trace the use of Slavonian oak in architecture back centuries, its use for barrel-making began in the late-18th century. The Auric Group of Companies purchased the forest in 2011 and employed coopers from Đurdenovac, a municipality in Croatia, to create Slavonia Cooperage – now Auric Barrels – a few years later.

“About 50 per cent of the Republic of Croatia is a forest and the state owns almost 80 per cent of it,” said Gantenbrink. “So, this fact brings awareness to natural resource conservation. I should also note that the Republic of Croatia is the first country in the region to receive the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate precisely because of their impressive sustainable forest management.”

The Auric Barrels’ forests are also FSC-certified. “We respect all the rules of forest management,” said Gantenbrink. “Our goal is to increase the percentage of forest quality areas through natural cultivation. The Auric Group of Companies is dedicated exclusively to the process of natural rejuvenation of our forest as a basic requirement to our sustainability and principles.”

Auric Barrels harvests it’s logs from over 15,000 hectares of the Auric Group of Companies’ privately-owned forests, including the Našice lowlands, Papuk mountain slopes and the Krndija Mountain Peaks. “All three areas are within a 50-kilometre radius of the cooperage, which helps lower our carbon footprint,” said Gantenbrink. “It also ensures a higher quality of product because it makes it easier to trace each log back to the Slavonian forest.” 

In our forests, we nurture nature. We only take what the forest naturally gives us.

Bruno Alexander Gantenbrink, Auric Barrels

However, not all logs from the Slavonian forest will produce the same results. “We divide our barrels into categories based on grain density that is influenced by the growth rate of trees,” Gantenbrink said. “The faster the tree grows, the lower density you will have.”

Grain density refers to the annual growth rings that become denser in wood from slow-growing trees and wider from fast-growing trees. “Trees that grow in the lowlands have a more fertile environment and grow much faster than trees on depleted soil or from more steep soil,” Gantenbrink said.

He says pedunculate oak grown in the lowlands produces a slightly lower grain density and sessile oak near the hilly, sunlit slopes produces a very high grain density. “We handpick the oak timber used for our barrels, so we’re quite familiar with their micro-climates,” he said. Auric Barrels offers four barrel types: standard, excellence, premium and premium plus. “The difference between each barrel type lies within the air drying process of the staves and where that narrow strip of wood came from,” said Gantenbrink.

According to Auric Barrels, regardless of the type of oak, the Slavonian micro-climate is one of the best regions in the world for growing oak suitable for producing wine barrels.

Papuk, the highest Slavonian peak, produces a high-quality sessile oak while Krndija, another mountain to the east, yields an exceptionally tight-grained sessile oak. The Našice lowlands, lying within the Pannonian Basin of the Drave River’s widest meander, bear a highly favourable area for pedunculate oak to mature.

Auric Barrels also toasts their barrels with barrel-specific terroir accents to flavour the wine. “Toasting is one of the most important factors in barrel-making,” said Gantenbrink. “More then 70 per cent of the flavour of the barrels comes from toasting.” He says it’s why special care is taken during this step of the production process.

“Each of our barrels has a specific toasting profile where you can measure the time and temperature that the barrel is being toasted for,” said Gantenbrink. “The whole process of toasting is computer automated, so it’s digitized for total control.” With this system, there is no chance of deviation from the default parameters. “Along with total traceability for each log, we can claim 100 per cent accuracy that guarantees our customers will have barrels with consistent characteristics on each order,” he said.

According to Gantenbrink, every temperature and duration of toasting forms different aromatic compounds in the wood. “Low toasting temperatures and shorter times yield just slight changes in primary oak compounds,” he said. “While the light toasted barrel is the most neutral barrel, allowing the primary varietal aromas of the wine to stand out more, the higher temperature and longer toasting time will start to form compounds like vanilla, sweetness, pepper, caramel, chocolate, coffee, brioche, and many other spices and aromas.”

Gantenbrink says not every toasting level will compliment every wine, though. “It’s similar to serving wine at the right temperature or decanting; choosing the right barrel and toasting level will compliment your wine and enhance its quality,” he said.

Auric Barrels extended its product to Canada in the last year. “We want to expand globally to every market where wine is produced,” said Gantenbrink. “Our authorized agent for Canada is Steve Kovacevic, who runs Wood Products of Croatia and supplies our Slavonian oak barrels. At the moment, we’re the biggest cooperage in Croatia who can supply the North American market with high-quality barrels made from 100 per cent Slavonian oak.”

So far, Auric Barrels has sold barrels to several wineries in the Niagara region of Ontario, along with many inquiries from neighbouring Prince Edward County and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.

“Each winery needs six to 12 months or longer for testing the barrel to see what the impact will be on their wine,” said Gantenbrink. “So, 2023 is our first harvest in the Canadian market, and we need a bit more time to get first impressions from the winemakers who gave us a chance and put their wine in our barrels.”

Gantenbrink says Canadians can also look forward to new and innovative products from Auric Barrels. “We are developing one revolutionary product called Auric Infinity,” said Gantenbrink. “It will be a specially-made barrel that will let winemakers produce wine in wooden barrels in totally controlled conditions – no oxidation, evaporation or contamination.”

It’s a new approach in winemaking that allows the client to produce wine without preservatives or additives.  “We have begun test trials with Croatian wineries for the 2023 harvest and we plan to do the same with our foreign markets next season,” said Gantenbrink. “Hopefully, we will be able to present it to the Canadian market for the next harvest season as well.”