Gray Monk Estate Winery

Little did the drivers and thousands of spectators of the early 1960's Okanagan Sports Car Hillclimbs know, when they raced or gamboled through the orchards of Camp Road, Okanagan Centre – that it would later become the site of one of B.C.'s most successful and earliest family estate wineries.

Then along came the Heiss family, new to farming, but with a dream to grow grapes that made wine the equal of their European heritage. First, they had to grub out the old orchard trees, and then plant "Government Approved" Hybrid varietals - which never did achieve the objective. In frustration, they later re-grafted to European vinifera "noble" varietals, which few, at the time, believed would survive that far north - the 50th Parallel.

With the 1990 vintage, Gray Monk upgraded their label and eventually bottle package to a fresh, clean, international style, and at the same time introduced a premium proprietor's cuvee, appropriately named "Latitude Fifty" - all of which led to their becoming the best selling B.C. VQA winery - a title they held until recently.

Website: Gray Monk Estate