Mission Hills Family Estate winery

Canada's Grand Estates

Mission Hill Estate Winery - British Columbia's Okanagan

Location:

Ownership:

Anthony von Mandl

Winemaker:

John Simes'

Anthony Von Mandel a graduated University of British Columbia in Economics , but he soon realized that wine and food were his real passion. That led to a European apprenticeship in the wine trade, which in turn, brought him home to Canada as an importer and merchant of fine wines. He purchased Mission Hill in 1981 what was at that time located in the largely unknown Okanagan Valley wine appellation.

The winery is situated high atop Mission Hill overlooking a 145 kilometre lake, mountains and vineyards. Visitors enter through an imposing archway, arriving in a courtyard with a 12-storey bell tower as its centerpiece. Before descending into underground barrel cellars, blasted out of volcanic rock, guests are welcomed in a reception area, home to a special Chagall tapestry

In 1994, Mission Hill Grand Reserve Barrel Select Chardonnay took home the IWSC trophy for Best Chardonnay. This gave winemaker John Simes his second win in five years, making him the only winemaker to win for two different varietals, produced half a world apart. When the judges found out the origin of the wine, they were stunned and insisted on re-tasting. Mission Hill still won. Mission has won awards around the world including Gold at Chardonnay du Monde Competition, in France and Winery of the year at the very first Canadian Wine Awards

Today Mission is know not only for its great wines that reflect the Okanagan so well but for its architecture. Mission Hill Family Estate winery's mission is to dazzle the senses of every guest with tasty Okanagan wine, informative wine tours, engaging music, and entertaining movies every year. Mission was named ‘Winery of the Year' at the 2007 Canadian Wine Awards and honoured as having ‘one of the top five winery restaurants in the world' in 2008 by Travel & Leisure Magazine. Intimate wine tasting and video tours reveal how Mission Hill has adapted winemaking techniques from Bordeaux, France for milking exquisite flavours from the Okanagan, BC, Canada grape.

Mission Hill Family Estate farms vineyards in five distinct growing regions throughout the valley. The family-owned winery’s southern-most vineyards are located in Osoyoos, on the Canada/United States border. There are also estates in east and west Oliver, a magnificent ranch in Naramata and plantings at the winery in West Kelowna

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