Robert Bell's

Wines of Canada

Since 1992

Summerland's Bottleneck Drive
Wineries

There is a unquie section of the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, which surrounds the small town of Summerland. It of course is a district municipality called Summerland. The district is between Peachland to the north and Penticton to the south. There are over 20 wineries here and four cideries. They call themselfs Summerlands BottleNeck Drive. The region is is known for its stunning natural beauty, vibrant agricultural heritage, and thriving wine and cider scene.

Summerland is home to three unique Sub-Geographical Indications 
These sub-GIs, including the Summerland Valleys, Summerland Lakefront, and Summerland Bench, are distinct regions with unique soil types, topography, and microclimates that make them ideal for growing certain grape varieties.
Summerland Valleys | This sub-GI is an area of approximately 3336 acres in the higher elevation and cool climates of Prairie Valley and Garnet Valley.

The Grand Sommelier Express a historic steam locomotive, paired with the finest selections from Summerland’s renowned Bottleneck Drive wineries, cideries, craft breweries, and distilleries. This enchanting afternoon event features a two hour train journey through the picturesque countryside of Summerland, complemented by exceptional drinks, gourmet bites and live music. 

The Wineries ( of Bottleneck Drive association)

8th Generation

With a passion for winemaking Bernd and Stefanie Schales came to Canada. The Schales family started in the grape business in 1783 in Germany, Bernd and Stefanie Schales are the 8th generation to work with grapes
While Stefanie pursued a career in architectural design, Bernd carried on with his family's craft, and studied viticulture, oenology, and business management at the University of Weinsberg. He worked in New Zealand and South Africa before making the bold decision to move to Canada and the Okanagan Valley to begin their own winery .

Dirty Laundry Vineyards

Dirty Laundry Winery is located just 7km northwest of Penticton off scenic Highway 97. Voted best patio and best place to take visitors in the South Okanagan area. Go for the quaility of the wines and find out where that name came from.

Garnet Valley Ranch

Garnet Valley Ranch is a spectacular 320 acres site cultivated in carefully planned plots surrounded by untouched native habitat. The site is home to vineyards, field crops, a lavender farm, Haskap shrubs, an apple orchard, a small winery, and The Outlook visitor center.
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Haywire

Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie’s impromptu decision to forgo retirement and journey into the wine business. The pair first launched Haywire in 2009 as a tiny virtual wine brand. In 2011a permanent home for Haywire was established on Switchback Vineyard in Summerland with the opening of Okanagan Crush Pad. Haywire offers lively, texture-driven wines, most which are vineyard designated using grapes from their three vineyards. They also own Garnet Valley Ranch.

Heaven's Gate

Heaven's Gate tasting room is located in a log house, The tasting counter is Brazilian granite. A large mural and antique farming and logging tools decorate the interior walls. Outside there is nice patio with a fountain and a panorama of vines in the foreground and Okanagan Lake in the distance . Currently they have just under 6 acres planted

Heaven's Gate Winery is a place where the wines are heavenly but the service down-to-earth. A place where we hope you have a great ‘Revelation’...or maybe even two!

The vineyards are blessed with The volcanic soils of Giant Head Mountain.

Lighting Rock Winery

Lighting Rock released their first wines in 2018. The man behind the winery is Ron Kubek  a successful business man on Vancouver Island With his help his daughter Jordan Kubek and her husband Tyler Knight to open the winery in Summerland.

Perched halfway up a thermal volcanic ridge, this winery gets its name from a large granite rock that was believed to have been split in half by lightning. The name aptly suits this winery’s electric, juicy wines created with organic and biodynamic farming practices.

Since 2016, Ron has purchased two vineyards and established Elysia Vineyard and Winery, the holding company for Lightning Rock. Jordan and Tyler are the winemakers. Jordan gained her experience at Okanagan Crush Pad. Tyler was born in Prince George growing up in the Okanagan. He has a degree in biology, with an ecology major, from the University of British Columbia. He worked in the vineyards for Okanagan Crush Pad

They also own Pamplemousse jus

Lunessence Winery

Opened 2015 owned by Si Zhizhong. Lunessence Winery and Vineyards is a boutique premium winery in Summerland. Since the property was purchased in 2014 they have made a commitment to crafting fine wines which showcase the unique terroir of the Okanagan Valley, and to organic and biodynamic vineyard and winemaking practices

Mr Si is an environmental scientist who fell in love with the uniqueness of the wetlands in the vineyard as well as the presence of all the wildlife that accompany it. Lunessence invokes the owners respect for the essence of nature and the role the moon plays in environmentally sensitive farming.

Sage Hills Vineyards

Sage Hills a family owned and operated vineyard and winery in Summerland BC specializing in premium certified organic natural and low so2 wine. Sage Hills was created in 2006 by Rick and Toby Thrussell. They bought the 11-acre Dickinson Farm in Summerland and began to build their home and reshape the old peach and plum orchard into land suitable for growing grapes. In 2007, they planted Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. 2012 was their first vintage.

Sleeping Giant Fruit Winery

Ted Atkinson founded Summerland Sweets in 1962 after having received a Bachelors Degree in Food Science at Oregon State University in Corvallis in the 1920’s. He also worked at the Federal Agricultural Research Station in Summerland and acted as head of the food processing lab there for many years. Sleeping Giant Winery is owned by Summerland Sweets.

They produce 21 fruit wines. Thirteen table wines and eight dessert wines. Winemaker Ron Taylor spent 22 years making wines at Andres Winery, he left in 1992 to focus on smaller wineries and developed a reputation as a fruit winemaker.

Solvery Winery

Opening in 2023 Matt Sartor is the Founder and Vineyard Manager. He and his family live on the Garnet Valley Vineyard site and he farms the land meticulously. Bob and Andrea Sartor are the owners. The planning for the winery began back in 2012. The Garnet Valley vineyard is home to seven premium clones of Pinot Noir. Each clone was carefully selected for a variety of organoleptic properties and compatibility with this narrow valley, rocky soils and extreme elevation. 

The Sartor family purchased the property in Garnet Valley in 2014 with a specific vision for Pinot Noir & Chardonnay. The steep mountainside, that was covered in Ponderosa Pine, took two years to prepare for planting. Planted in 2016, the vineyard now boasts 7 clones of Pinot Noir, 3 Clones of Chardonnay and a block of Gamay. A state-of-the-art winery was completed this year, in time for the 2023 harvest.

They have three vineyards one in the Garnet Valley one in Happy Valley and one leased in the Garnet Valley.

The name is inspired by the Latin translation Truth in Soil.

Summergate Winery

Mike and Gillian Stohler started SummerGate Winery in 2009 and right from the start, it has been about the creation of premium wines using estate-grown grapes. SummerGate Winery uses natural techniques such as reduced crop yield, special canopy and vineyard management practices, and working – as nature intended – withoutpetro-chemical pesticides,  herbicides, or fertilizers, to ensure the production of high quality certified organic fruit. 

Vows & Vines Vineyard Ltd

One of the regions newst wineries in a magnificient location. Owned by seven families. They also own We also own The Lodge on Harrison Lake, 

The Cider Houses

Domaine Cider CO

Located in the heart of Prairie Valley, and sandwiched between vineyards and heritage orchards, Dominion Cider was founded by three friends, Mike, Luke and Robin.

They named their cidery after the Dominion Experimental Farms – many familiar with Summerland now know it as the Summerland Research Station. All of our cider is produced in small batches on our family farm using a careful selection of local apples, and employing various methods of spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts and single heritage apple varietals. One of our overall goals is to honour our namesake and the methods of those who’ve come before us, whilst experimenting with some novel ingredients.

Millionaires' Row Cider Co.

Millionaires' Row Cider Co. is a family-run cidery located on an apple orchard in Summerland with a rich history. In the early 1900's land areas in the Prairie Valley area of Summerland were known as Millionaires' Row. Each bottle of our fine hand-crafted cider tells a part of the inspiring story of Summerland's early days.

Brett and Janet Annable are the owners - after purchasing the property in 2016 they were biking the KVR trail above the property, stopping to read the signs that had been posted.  They were surprised to see one that said “Millionaires’ Row” and had pictures of the “Notable Millionaires” and a brief description of why this area was nicknamed “Millionaires’ Row”.  And this sign was placed just above their property. 

The property provides great views of Giant's Head and Conkle Mountain. The Kettle Valley Steam Railway runs by the orchard.

 

Normad Cider

A craft cidery based in Summerland, British Columbia, known for its artisanal, farm-to-glass approach to cider making.

"We are nomads, endlessly exploring food, drink and culture. Our thirst for knowledge and new experiences continually inspire us to create great tasting ciders."

Wineries -( Non Association)

Backdoor Cellars - Back Door Winery is owned and operated by Jesse Gill. Located north of Summerland

Giant Head Estate Winery overlooks Okanagan Lake from the sandy benches below Giant’s Head Mountain in Summerland.

Observatory Wines -The new home of winemaker  Blair Gillingham. Observatory Wines and Villa looks east over Okanagan Lake at 400 meters of elevation.  Views north to Peachland, east to Okanagan Mountain and south to Naramata.

Savard Wines - With stunning lake and mountain views, it offers a charming and intimate wine experience that reflects the passion of its founders, Lori and Michael Savard.

Silkscarf Winery - The winery has a panoramic view of the blue Okanagan Lake and the spectacular Giant's Head Mountain
The wineries name is a special salute to the first pioneer pilots who used to fly in open cockpits with their 'colourful silk-scarves flowing in the wind'

 

 

Sources include the wineries, Cideries and Bottleneckdrive.com

Summerland Wineries

The Okanagan