Harry McWatters
Quote: Harry McWatters:
"This is truly a milestone, and it's not just one for me, but for the induscotry. People didn't believe that we'd one day have an industry like we do now, but we survived. Fortunately, there were a number of us that banded together, that were stubborn enough to say that we're not giving up. We created the BCWI and VQA Canada in 1990, which brought about meaningful standards for our industry. My challenge to the industry of today is that we must continue to raise the bar so that we can make sure our customers have great confidence in what's in the bottle."
Harry McWatters Inc. President
Vintage Consulting Group Inc . - President
Okanagan Wine Academy - President
Sundial Vineyard Ltd. President
Sumac Ridge Estate Wine Group Founder
Fortis Inc. Director
Electromotion Chairman
British Columbia Jobs and Investment Board - Director
Past Activities
British Columbia Wine Information Society Founding President
British Columbia Wine Institute Founding Chairman and current Board Member
British Columbia Hospitality Foundation Founding Chairman, Director
Fortis BC Director, Former Chairman
Okanagan Valley Estate Wine Cellars Ltd. - President
VQA Canada Founding Chairman
Okanagan Wine Festival Founding Chairman
British Columbia Progress Board Director
Brock University Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute Co-Chair
Pacific Agriculture Research Centre Advisory Committee Chairman
University of British Columbia's Wine Research Advisory Board Member
Society of Wine Lovers Director
Society of Wine Educators over 25 years, former Director and 1987 Conference Chairman
Cuisine Canada Advisory Committee
Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade (SAGIT) Canadian Sector advising group on international trade for agriculture Members appointed by the Federal Minister of Agriculture
Summerland Chamber of Commerce Past President
Significant Accolades
2017- recipient of the 2017 Spirited Industry Professional (SIP) at the Vancouver International Wine Festival
2013 Awarded the Diamond Jubilee Medal of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
2011-2013 Honorary Chairman for Canadian Culinary Championships
2008 - Award of Distinction Canadian Vintner's Association
2007 City of Penticton names McWatters one of the 20 Most Influential People of the Century
2005 Inducted into the British Columbia Restaurant Hall of Fame
2003 Awarded the Order of British Columbia, for outstanding achievement
2003 - Winery of the Year for the Pacific Northwest
2002 Awarded the Golden Jubilee Medal of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
2001 Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree Okanagan University College
2001 Wine of the Year Sumac Ridge Chardonnay All Canada Wine Competition
1999 Top Winery of the Year (for consistently high quality) Globe & Mail
1998 Winery of the Year Anthony Gismondi Wine Access magazine
1998 Summerland Chamber of Commerce President's Award
1996 Marketer of the Year for North America (first British Columbian and second Canadian) awarded by the North American Agricultural Marketing Officials
1995 Associate Member of the Year Okanagan, Canadian Restaurant & Food Service Association
1994 Associate Member of the Year British Columbia Region of Canadian Restaurant and Food Service Association
In 1993, Harry McWatters and Bob Wareham purchased and planted 115 acres of fallow land on the Black Sage Road. Through one international wine competition after another, the site proved ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and other vinifera vines. Seven years later we dedicated 60 prime acres of this land to become what's now known as the Sundial Vineyard.
The McWatters Collection was launched in 2011 with a Meritage and Chardonnay, crafted from grapes grown at our estate Sundial Vineyard. These two flagship wines represent the entirety of the portfolio and are created as a legacy to the McWatters name, with the ultra low production of these premium wines determined by the low yields in the vineyard.
TIME Estate Winery launched in June 2013 with a select line of wines crafted from the vinifera at our estate Sundial Vineyard. The TIME portfolio includes both a red and a white Meritage blend, plus a number of distinct single variety wines as our vineyard's planned moderate yields permit.
Evolve Cellars opened May 2015 and celebrates the evolution of our British Columbia wine industry with a series of fresh, approachable wines. Fruit-forward and bright, these wines are crafted from our estate vineyard and grapes grown by our grower partners in the South Okanagan. Through Evolve we raise a glass to our collective journey, and what the next step may bring.
Harry McWatters passed away on July 23 2019.
Awarded the BC's Founders award 2019
return to Harry McWalters
Donald Triggs ~ Donald Ziraldo ~ Karl Kaiser ~ The Pioneers