Wine Village
Mike Daley, Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA, Kimberley Barnes BCWI and Elen Walker Mathews TOTA.
It has been a truly monumental year for District Wine Village, located just north of Oliver. With construction having just started in February, the team at Greyback Construction have already erected the first six buildings, two of which saw their first onsite crush in October, and construction has begun on the 600-person capacity entertainment plaza and two additional buildings.
This first phase of construction will be completed in spring 2021, with eight producers, as well as the onsite restaurant set to open to the public in late May. There is additional space for up and coming craft wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries to launch their dream brand this spring.
New lessors will join the likes of Gneiss Winery, Wapiti Cellars and Vintners Cove, all of which executed their first onsite harvest this year. Trading Post Brewing, which currently operates a brewery in Langley and two eateries in the Lower Mainland, will be opening an onsite brewery and have also signed on to operate the onsite restaurant. Stay tuned for exclusive introductions to the team from Gneiss and Trading Post in future issues. Today, we are excited to bring you a taste of Vintners Cove.
Eric Mide and father Leo Mide, along with renowned local grapegrower and Osoyoos Indian Band member Sam Baptiste, started Vintners Cove, adopting the name from their resort development and vineyard at the north foot of Osoyoos Lake.
Eric and Sam have been working together as garagiste wine producers for several years, and joining District Wine Village this year has allowed them to take their business to the next level and fulfill a lifelong family dream for Eric and Leo.
“With a love of the land and craftsmanship, my Bestefa [Grandfather] always had a dream of owning his own winery,” Eric remarks. “He emigrated from Denmark to Canada in 1948 and, after finally settling in the Lower Mainland in the 1952, started an orchard and also began growing table grapes. Although he passed away long before this project began, it lives on through my Dad and I. It was amazing to see the glow on my Dad’s face when he came in during harvest and saw our dream becoming reality.”
With assistance from Consulting Winemaker Aaron Crey, Sam, who is also the general manager of Nk’Mip Vineyards, selects only the finest fruit from some of the Okanagan’s oldest and most prestigious vineyard blocks. When they open in May 2021, the team will release their inaugural vintages of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Ehrenfelser as well as their Ignition Red (Merlot dominant blend) and Vintners Cove Reserve Red (Cabernet dominant blend).
For more information about Vintners Cove and to learn how you can start building your dream brand at District Wine Village, visit DistrictWineVillage.com.
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