I was so impressed with a sample bottle of an Okanagan Valley Gewurztraminer made by Red Rooster Winery that I contacted the winemaker, Karen Gillis, to find out more. You can see the bulk of my interview with her on Foodista. Here are a couple bonus questions, focusing on next year’s Wine Bloggers Conference in British Columbia (BC), what she hopes bloggers will learn about the region, and some thoughts on BC wines becoming more available in my neck of the woods.
With next year’s Wine Bloggers Conference being held in Penticton, what do you think will surprise wine bloggers about wines of the Okanagan Valley?
The vast quantity of quality wines in the Okanagan Valley, and all over BC. How distinct the appellations are, and where the industry is at being such a young growing/winemaking area.
What do you hope they take away from their visit regarding the wines and the region?
I hope that people get a sense of who we are, a small wine region with a simple goal, to make wines that stand out on their own to be recognized as its own growing region that produces great quality wines. In 2011 the growing area was less than 10,000 acres planted; we will always be limited by the mountains and the ocean so our eventual growth will also be limited. We are a beautiful destination region for travel and the warm hospitality. We are a small community of wine folk that love to showcase the best of BC.
Do you see the industry growing to the point that we’ll see more wines from BC available in the United States?
Now that we are making head way on inter-provincial shipping you never know what could happen with cross-border sales. I certainly hope so, and that there could be some reciprocation with all the states.
For more BC wine, head to my extensive interview with Luke Whittall of Wine Country BC. You can also find out what Haywire Winery is doing with concrete eggs in BC.
Photos courtesy Red Rooster Winery.
