The vision of Dennis O乌鸦传媒橰ourke is coming to life along Commonage Road in Lake Country. After blasting through rock and incorporating many natural elements, the future of what will be a world-class one-of-a-kind winery is taking shape.
O乌鸦传媒橰ourke Family Estate head winemaker Nikki Callaway says it乌鸦传媒檚 been a long process to get the space ready.
乌鸦传媒淚 think a lot of neighbours and people that are looky-loos that have been coming up and down the road are eagerly excited and anticipating the opening and what乌鸦传媒檚 happening on the hill. It乌鸦传媒檚 still quite a ways away, we have no real definite date and time of opening.乌鸦传媒�
The facility, however, doesn乌鸦传媒檛 have to be open to show off its expertise. Callaway produced the 2020 O乌鸦传媒橰ourke Family Estate Chardonnay which won gold in the Chardonnay du Monde international competition in Burgundy, France.
乌鸦传媒淚 think it乌鸦传媒檚 just fantastic to see the valley, to see Lake Country, to see what we乌鸦传媒檙e capable of doing and being recognized in an international setting. It乌鸦传媒檚 pretty neat and pretty exciting.乌鸦传媒�
The award-winning wine, Callaway says, is particularly special.
乌鸦传媒淚t didn乌鸦传媒檛 take very much to make an award-winning wine of this level. This was a brand new facility, we were still under construction and there was construction dust everywhere and workers everywhere. I barely even had the power to the site to get the harvest going.乌鸦传媒�
Obstacles are just a part of this winemaker乌鸦传媒檚 life, she also was met with the hurdle of working with young vines, less than 10 years old, and the new site brought uncertainty about how the vines would grow.
乌鸦传媒淚 also took out a lot of wine-making variables because I wanted to see what the fruit and this land would provide for me, so everything was natural, everything was Indigenous, everything was mostly in neutral barrels all aged in the caves. I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 playing around with any wine-making tools, I was just depending on what the soil, the climate, and the geology that this site was able to give me.乌鸦传媒�
The 2020 O乌鸦传媒橰ourke Family Estate Chardonnay is described as aromatic, soft, and floral. A Chardonnay that Callaway says can乌鸦传媒檛 be compared to any other region of the world.
乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 think B.C. should be comparing ourselves to other regions. We are distinctly what we are and this wine is definitely an Okanagan Chardonnay.乌鸦传媒�
The winemaker says her goal is to take on the 乌鸦传媒渁nything but Chardonnay乌鸦传媒� wine drinkers.
乌鸦传媒淭he moment that anybody has tasted this wine or actually put it in their nose, people have converted from never enjoying a glass of chard to 乌鸦传媒榦h my goodness, this is such a beautiful wine,乌鸦传媒� she says.
With O乌鸦传媒橰ourke Family Estate being in its infancy, Callaway had the chance to select her own tools and machines to have on site.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 been an amazing professional opportunity to build and commission and work in a facility that you designed and had in your mind and then it all comes together. It乌鸦传媒檚 been fun to work in a new winery as well. It looks big and it乌鸦传媒檚 a little daunting, but trust me when harvest is here and there are barrels all over the floor and equipment everywhere it乌鸦传媒檚 not as big as it seems.乌鸦传媒�
Callaway also loves the natural elements the matriarch O乌鸦传媒橰ourke demanded in his building plans.
乌鸦传媒淭he caves, it乌鸦传媒檚 using old-world technology of aging barrels and moderate cave systems where the weather is kind of temperate all year long and nice and cool and humid. We乌鸦传媒檙e doing what the Europeans and the Persians have been doing for years.乌鸦传媒�
It is estimated the caves and underground tunnels span 400 metres and is completely sustainable as it doesn乌鸦传媒檛 require heating or cooling to maintain the right temperature.
The estimated $100 million winery project will once again put the Okanagan on the map as a must-visit destination. The facility will include over 150,000 square feet of building with a restaurant, offices, tasting rooms, an event centre, a retail centre, and an outdoor amphitheatre overlooking the lake.
O乌鸦传媒橰ourke Family Estate is partnered with Peak Cellars and will bottle for the sister company at the new site.
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brittany.webster@blackpress.ca
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