Robert Bell's
Wines of Canada
Since 1992
Featured Winemaker
Taylor Whelan
You would not expect someone from Campbell River on Vancouver Island to grow up to be the Senior winemaker at One of British Columbia's Largest wineries. However, Taylor Whelan did just that. He is now the man in charge at the world renowned Mission Hills Winery in West Kelowna.
He is a graduate of Brock University in Ontario in Oenology and Viticulture. His first job was it Hillebrand winery in NOTL.
Taylor’s career has taken him from Niagara-on-the-Lake to New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania, working with top wineries like House of Arras and Bay of Fires. In 2011, he returned to British Columbia to join CedarCreek Estate Winery, playing a key role in their transition to organic and regenerative farming. This effort earned them ‘Winery of the Year’ title at 2022 WineAlign National Wine Awards.
Taylor say he is " not a super competitive person by nature but winning something like this is really validating." He was referring to days at Cedar Creek when they were declared Winery of the Year at the 2022 WineAlign National Awards.
Taylor is known to spend extensive time out on the vineyards with the winery’s viticulturists observing sunlight patterns and leaf vigor, exploring soil types and tasting, tasting and tasting as harvest approaches until he determines the grapes have reached their highest potential. He also has a strong interest on building texture in his wine portfolio through the use of varied fermentation vessels such as stainless steel, concrete, oak, barriques, and a custom-made clay amphora. He wants to ensure the grapes reach their highest potential
Taylor Whelan's winemaking philosophy is deeply rooted in sustainability, organic farming, and cool-climate varietals. He believes in minimal intervention, allowing the terroir—the soil, climate, and vineyard conditions—to shine through in the wines he creates. He has a strong interest biodynamic.
As winemaking continuous to evolve the winery has introduced the use of Drones
Drones give us a high-level view of the vineyard’s health while on the ground, a lightweight Geier machine allows us to perform high-density farming. Soil science pinpoints the areas to best plant our varietals then informs us exactly why our grapes taste the way they do. These, along with every other modern advance we use, allows us to better understand how to harness the terroir of the valley.
Mission HillMission Hills is one of the largest and fastest growing wineries in Canada, the winery was founded in 1980 by Anthony von Mandl. Located in British Columbia's Okanagan. Today it produces over 200,000 cases of wine, with a world wide reputation. The Winery was recently rebuilt and features an underground cellar. It sits at the top of Boucherie Mountain with a magnificent view of the lake. Mission Hill was named winery of the year in BC by Wine Press Northwest The winery has numerous vineyards throughout the Okanagan.
Mission Hill is the only five time winner of Winery of the year. Under Whelan they will most likely win again.
Note : both CedarCreek and Mission Hill . are owned by Anthony von Mandl
Other featured pages:
~ Featured Winemakers
~ Featured Wine
~ Featured Winery
~ Women of Wine
~ Robert's Selections
