The vision of Dennis OB次元官网网址橰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.
OB次元官网网址橰ourke Family Estate head winemaker Nikki Callaway says itB次元官网网址檚 been a long process to get the space ready.
B次元官网网址淚 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 whatB次元官网网址檚 happening on the hill. ItB次元官网网址檚 still quite a ways away, we have no real definite date and time of opening.B次元官网网址�
The facility, however, doesnB次元官网网址檛 have to be open to show off its expertise. Callaway produced the 2020 OB次元官网网址橰ourke Family Estate Chardonnay which won gold in the Chardonnay du Monde international competition in Burgundy, France.
B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 just fantastic to see the valley, to see Lake Country, to see what weB次元官网网址檙e capable of doing and being recognized in an international setting. ItB次元官网网址檚 pretty neat and pretty exciting.B次元官网网址�
The award-winning wine, Callaway says, is particularly special.
B次元官网网址淚t didnB次元官网网址檛 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.B次元官网网址�
Obstacles are just a part of this winemakerB次元官网网址檚 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.
B次元官网网址淚 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 wasnB次元官网网址檛 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.B次元官网网址�
The 2020 OB次元官网网址橰ourke Family Estate Chardonnay is described as aromatic, soft, and floral. A Chardonnay that Callaway says canB次元官网网址檛 be compared to any other region of the world.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think B.C. should be comparing ourselves to other regions. We are distinctly what we are and this wine is definitely an Okanagan Chardonnay.B次元官网网址�
The winemaker says her goal is to take on the B次元官网网址渁nything but ChardonnayB次元官网网址� wine drinkers.
B次元官网网址淭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 B次元官网网址榦h my goodness, this is such a beautiful wine,B次元官网网址� she says.
With OB次元官网网址橰ourke Family Estate being in its infancy, Callaway had the chance to select her own tools and machines to have on site.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 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. ItB次元官网网址檚 been fun to work in a new winery as well. It looks big and itB次元官网网址檚 a little daunting, but trust me when harvest is here and there are barrels all over the floor and equipment everywhere itB次元官网网址檚 not as big as it seems.B次元官网网址�
Callaway also loves the natural elements the matriarch OB次元官网网址橰ourke demanded in his building plans.
B次元官网网址淭he caves, itB次元官网网址檚 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. WeB次元官网网址檙e doing what the Europeans and the Persians have been doing for years.B次元官网网址�
It is estimated the caves and underground tunnels span 400 metres and is completely sustainable as it doesnB次元官网网址檛 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.
OB次元官网网址橰ourke Family Estate is partnered with Peak Cellars and will bottle for the sister company at the new site.
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