BC’s Newest Wine Region Takes Flight

Kamloops Wineries Launch New Wine Association

 

Members include our four Kamloops Wineries:  

Harpers Trail, Monte Creek Ranch, Privato Vineyard and Winery and Sagewood Winery

Purpose of creating the Kamloops Wineries Association was to bring all four wineries together to collaborate and collectively market and promote the Kamloops wine region as a whole.

Our goal is quite simple, we want to put Kamloops on the BC wine map, we want to bring more awareness to the region and bring more people here to discover our winery tasting rooms and taste the Kamloops terroir

Agritourism and the BC wine sector in particular offers a tremendous cultural and economic benefit to our region

BC wine industry generates $2 billion a year for the province

$42 of every bottle of BC wine sold goes back in to our province

$476 million in tourism related business

Having a recognized destination wine region in Kamloops will be a real assets for our local economy, not to mention the Fun Factor….

Wine touring is fun, and Kamloops residents can be tourists in their own city and head out and spend the day touring wineries and tasting the wines from their own back yard.  Likewise they can be proud to show off to visiting friends and relatives the Kamloops Wine experience

Now when visitors come to our city for pleasure, business, conventions, or even sporting events, there will be more for them to do.  Touring the Kamloops Wine Trail will be “a must do” attraction for those visiting the Kamloops region.

Two tour companies in town, Tasteful Excursions and Divine Tours that focus on wine tours – Tasteful Excursions specializing in the Kamloops wine experience

This Spring our Association will launch a public brand, The Kamloops Wine Trail, which will help us to communicate our unique wine tour offering to wine consumers locally, regionally, provincially and beyond.

The Kamloops Wine Trail brand will capture the heart and soul of the Kamloops wine Region and the wineries within

Our roll out will include outdoor billboard advertising, a designated Kamloops Wine trail touring map, an informational brochure about our local wine region and the wineries within.  We also hope to have designated BC Wine route signs on the highways coming in to Kamloops

 

Information about our Members:

Trish Morelli, Executive Director:

Long-time BC Wine Marketer.  25 plus years in the business working on and launching brands such as Calona Wines, Mission Hill, Sandhill, Burrowing Owl.  Previous marketing committee member to BC Wine Institute

I remember when there was only 10 wineries in the Okanagan, now look we are at about 250.  So the vision the vision of seeing Kamloops grow from 4 wineries to 14 wineries in short order is not a big stretch for me.   I am just super excited to be in at the ground level with such a great group of very passionate people

Harpers Trail:  Harperstrail.com

  • First winery in Kamloops
  • Pioneered by Ed and Vicki Collett
  • Winery named after pioneer rancher Thaddeus Harper
  • Located on the outskirts of town on the banks of the South Thompson River
  • Spectacular setting with rolling hills of sage and grass, limestone and majestic hoodoos in the background
  • New winery just opened last summer showcases beautiful barrel room, large tasting room and retail space and beautiful outdoor patio with spectacular view overlooking the vineyard

Monte Creek: Ranch montecreekranch.com

  • Our newest winery, MCR just released their first vintage this year
  • Located 10 minutes east of Kamloops on Miners Bluff road in Monte Creek
  • The brand itself has lots of character – it actually pays tribute to the history in the area and in particular the legendary gentleman bandit Bill Miner who once robbed a train right on their property where the vineyard now sits.  Hence the name for two of their releases, hands up white and hands up red
  • MCR owns about 20 acres split between two vineyards that straddle the South Thompson. Lions Head is south facing slopes and MCR is on the south side plateau
  • Incredible new winery/visitors experience center to open JUNE 1
  • State of the Art Cellar, with a unique mezzanine for viewing during our tours.
  • Expansive patio, with beautiful views of the Thompson River, and Lions Head Mountain, along with an outdoor fire place, where you can build your own picnic with local cheese, bread, and spreads, while you enjoy a glass or bottle of wine.

Privato: privato.ca

  • Family owned and operated by Debbie and John Woodward
  • Privato is the result of years of patience, care and passion
  • It is a premium boutique winery located on Woodward Christmas tree farm in Westsyde.
  • Privato means “private heaven” and truth is,  everything about this place embodies what it means to experience a private heaven
  • serene and beautiful setting with the  vineyard set among the Ponderosa pines and Spruce trees
  • As soon as you arrive on the property you just feel a sense of peace and wellbeing.
  • Offer an elegant and intimate tasting room and Lots of beautiful outdoor space to wonder around and enjoy the setting
  • At Privato they are very focused and specialized in their wine program.  Hand crafted in small batches they produce burgundy styled pinot noir and chardonnay only

 

Sagewood; sagewood.cadoc

  • Sagewood Winery is wonderful family owned and operated boutique winery nestled on the slopes South Thompson River.
  • Originally just a vineyard property Sagewood farms the oldest vineyards in the region
  • Use to sell grapes to a winery but when that winery started winning Gold and double gold medals in Canadian wine competitions they decided to build their own winery and a brand around it.
  • Truly a family run winery operation
  • opened their tasting room at the tail end of last summer
  • A really intimate little tasting room where you can taste wines and enjoy stories about the family, the wines and the passion behind the Sagewood winery.

 

Feature pic courtesy of HelloBC.com

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