Poplar Grove Winery

It began as a hobby with a couple of buddies, local grapes stomped with bare feet and stems pulled out by hand. The best thing about the wine in those days was that it was plentiful and free.

Around 1986 I began collecting wines, focusing on the Bordeaux region and with the help of the consultants at the LDB gained confidence, branching out and establishing a decent wine cellar. My dream in those days was to own a little piece of property and to have a few rows of grapes with which to make wines for myself and my friends. Be careful what you wish for.

The scenario unfolded differently from how I imagined, because the idea of growing grapes was largely forgotten when Gitta and I bought our farm in 1991. We were looking for privacy, which the 1600 apple trees provided beautifully. It ws only after meeting Bohumir and Vera Klokocka, our neighbours at Hillside Winery, that we realized our property would be a more than adequate site for a winery.

We ordered Merlot and Cabernet Franc plants from Bordeaux, bought a chainsaw, and began chopping down apple trees. That was 1992, and in the Spring of 1993 we planted our vineyard and began the process of learning grape growing and commercial wine production.

My mantra has always been to find the best in the world and learn from them, and in this regard my wine cellar was an invaluable teacher. The cellar collection held wines considered to be amoung the best in the world, with a large spectrum of styles. Research led me to the Justin Myers (Silver Oaks) and Dr. Paul Pontilliers (Ch. Margeaux) of the wine world, and to their lectures and publications on winemaking.

In 1995 we harvested our first Merlot and Cab Franc, and made the wine in an old garage. The barrels were bought used from Silver Oaks, which I considered an auspicious start. Those wines went on to win top prize at the Okanagan Wine Festival's International Judging, and our careers were launched -- Gitta as viticulturist and myself as winemaker.

Since then we've flown by the seat of our pants, learned heaps, and managed to avoid most disasters. We still distribute our finished product to restaurant and mailing list clients. We make Merlot, Cab Franc, and Pinot Gris. Every year the wines have sold out so quickly that we decided to make small lots of interesting varietials especially for the tasting room. Gewurztraminer, and Gamay, Pinot Blanc and Viogner can be tasted and paired with Poplar Grove's Double Cream Camembert, Naramata Blue, Tiger Blue and Harvest Moon Washed Rind.

Website: Poplar Grove Winery