Wineries of Osoyoos Lake Bench

La Stella Winery

8123 – 148th Street
Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V0

 

LaStella was created to be the embodiment of the Tuscan way of life. Simple, yet refined. Humble, yet proud. For us, we are making more than wine. We are making a statement. We are making our own fun. We are making something different yet reassuringly familiar. The winery was named after the owners daughter LaStella the name is Italian for little star

LaStella's impressive architecture – including the main building with tower, a patio, wine shop and tasting room – features Venetian hand-blown light fixtures, Italian herringbone tile, and antique furniture, and a rare blue granite bar top that fairly glows with its satiny natural hue of navy blue. It is the only waterfront winery in Osoyoos with a dock designed for visitors.

Wines already available include Vivace (a Pinot Grigio), La Stellina (a Merlot rosé), and Allegretto (a Merlot). LaStella's flagship wine, Maestoso (a Merlot), will be available starting this fall.

In the vineyards they do a blend of organic and biodynamic practices which we call 'non-interventionism'. Along with their Sister Winery; Le Vieux Pin, they have around 50 acres of small parcel, prime vineyards in Oliver's Golden Mile and Black Sage Bench District as well as vineyards in Osoyoos Lake District. They have very distinct soil composition between their vineyards from very sandy to high gravel content to heavy clay with loam that result in very unique and distinctive wines. LaStella is a two level winery that uses gravity to transfer the wine through its evolution from grape to bottle.

After the multiple sorting and quality control, the grapes then slide down a stainless steel chute to fermentation vats on the next level for a temperature controlled fermentation. They use a combination of small batch temperature controlled stainless steel fermentors and small open top oak fermentors. They then let their wines comfortably rest in some of the finest French oak barrels which are kept in their temperature and humidity controlled cellar to ensure optimum aging.

Signature wine: Merlot; Maestoso, merlot Rose LaStellina

Winemaker : Daniel Bontorin
Philosophy: 80% of the wine is made in the vineyard using low input viticulture Followed by whole berry fermentation with a healthy pre-fermentation maceration

Owned by Enotecca Winery and Resort

Moon Curser Vineyards

 

3628 Highway 3 E.
Osoyoos, B.C. V0H 1V6

Originally launched as Twisted Tree by Chris and Beata Tolley Having concluded that name is bland, they engaged Vancouver market Bern ie Hadley-Beauregard (who created Blasted Church and Dirty Laundry) to rebrand the winery. He came up with Moon Curser, a reference to gold rush-era smugglers cursing the full moon when it stopped them sneaking over the border at night to avoid duties on their gold.

They grow tannat (the red of Uruguay ), carmenère, tempranillo, roussanne, marsanne, and viognier.

Winemaker: Chris and Beata Tolley

NK'Mip Cellars

1400 Rancher Creek Road
Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V0

Nk'Mip (pronounced ñk-meep) Cellars, North America's first aboriginal owned and operated winery, is a joint venture between the Osoyoos Indian Band and Vincor International, opened in August 2002. NK'Mip, in the Okanagan Language means "where the Creek (Wolfe Creek) meets the Lake(Lake Osoyoos)"

Nk'Mip wines include a Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Merlot. The age of the vines is reflected in the depth and complexity of these wines. The grapes were sourced from the Bands' 243 acre Inkameep Vineyard, first planted in 1968. A newly planted vineyard, surrounding the winery, includes Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The winery is the second phase of a $25 million Nk'Mip project that will see the development of the winery, an all season RV park, an executive nine hole golf course, and an accommodations and conference hall on a 1,200 acre parcel of the Band's land that adjoins the town of Osoyoos and fronts onto Osoyoos Lake. The lakeside property is as beautiful as any in the Okanagan and enjoys long, hot summers and relatively short, mild winters with minimum rainfall. Those who grew up spending summers in Osoyoos will likely remember the original campsite location, which has now been transformed.

Signature wines are Qwam Qwmt Varietals. Qwam Qwmt in the Okanagan language translates to "achieving excellance"

Winemaker: Randy Picton
Philosophy: It is a point of pride for the band to produce top quality wines

Osoyoos Larose

PO Box 1650, Highway 97
Oliver, BC V0H 1T0

Groupe Taillan of Bordeaux, France, and Vincor International, based in Ontario, Canada, formed a joint venture partnership in 1998 to develop vineyards and a small winery dedicated to the production of Canadian VQA wines, that would meet if not exceed the rigorous standards of their Bordeaux counterparts. Wines would be made from the classic Bordeaux varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

The wine’s name, Osoyoos Larose, reflects the partners’ roots in France and Canada. “Osoyoos” refers to the location of the vineyards in the Okanagan Valley, on the mountain slopes above Lake Osoyoos. “Larose” refers to one of Groupe Taillan’s most prestigious estates in Bordeaux, the “deuxième cru” (second growth), Château Gruaud-Larose, which in itself reflects the centuries-old winemaking traditions of the world famous wine region.

The Osoyoos Larose 60 acre vineyard located in the centre of Canada’s western province, British Columbia,which the partners started to plant in 1999. Lake Osoyoos lies within the southernmost part of the Okanagan Valley, located on the 49º latitude, just north of the US/Canada border. The vineyards are ideally located on the western slopes of a north-south ridge facing east. Here they enjoy intense sunlight, minimal rainfall, and good air drainage. The proximity to the lake provides cooler temperatures in the evening which promote better photosynthesis for the vines, and a warming effect during the colder winter weather.

No tasting room.

Winemaker: Padscal Madevon

The Wine Le Grand Vin 2003 – Merlot (75%), Cabernet Sauvignon (11%), Malbec (6%), Petit
Verdot (5%) and Cabernet Franc (3%)

Twisted Tree

3628 Highway 3 East
Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V6

Located on the east bench above Lake Osoyoos in the South Okanagan with spectacular panoramic views of Osoyoos Lake and the surrounding town of Osoyoos. The winery is owned by Beata and Christoper Tolley. The name comes from the numerous cherry trees located on their property before the land was cleared establishing the winery in 2004.

The winery obtains the more common Okanagan grapes from local vineyards and grows varities less common to the Okanagan. This included Carmenere,Tempranillo,Tannat, Roussanne, Marsanne, Corvina and Vognier. They are the first to plant Corvina and Tannat in the Okanagan. Current production is about 4000 cases.

Signature wines 'Viognier Roussanne' and 'Six Vines' ( a Bordeaux or Meritage blend)

Winemakers: Chris and Beata Tolley

Young & Wyse Collection

9503 12th Avenue
Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V1

The winery is a new project for Stephen Wyse former winemaker at Burrowing Owl Winery They are currently planting four hectares (10 acres) primarily with Malbec, Zinfandel, and Viognier. The winery is owned by Steve and his partner Michelle Young

The vineyard is located on the East bench, overlooking beautiful Osoyoos Lake. The planting is on sloping terraces and consists primarily of sandy loam soil. The southwesterly exposure offers long days of sunlight hours. The cooling effect from the lake balances the heat from the day, which is optimal for grape and vine growth.

Wines produced handcrafted Merlot, Syrah and 33•30•24•13 Black Label, a Proprietary blend.  Future varietals in include Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Malbec, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winemaker: Steve Wyse