The vision of Dennis O鈥橰ourke is coming to life along Commonage Road in Lake Country. After blasting through rock and incorporating many natural elements, the future of what will be a world-class one-of-a-kind winery is taking shape.
O鈥橰ourke Family Estate head winemaker Nikki Callaway says it鈥檚 been a long process to get the space ready.
鈥淚 think a lot of neighbours and people that are looky-loos that have been coming up and down the road are eagerly excited and anticipating the opening and what鈥檚 happening on the hill. It鈥檚 still quite a ways away, we have no real definite date and time of opening.鈥�
The facility, however, doesn鈥檛 have to be open to show off its expertise. Callaway produced the 2020 O鈥橰ourke Family Estate Chardonnay which won gold in the Chardonnay du Monde international competition in Burgundy, France.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just fantastic to see the valley, to see Lake Country, to see what we鈥檙e capable of doing and being recognized in an international setting. It鈥檚 pretty neat and pretty exciting.鈥�
The award-winning wine, Callaway says, is particularly special.
鈥淚t didn鈥檛 take very much to make an award-winning wine of this level. This was a brand new facility, we were still under construction and there was construction dust everywhere and workers everywhere. I barely even had the power to the site to get the harvest going.鈥�
Obstacles are just a part of this winemaker鈥檚 life, she also was met with the hurdle of working with young vines, less than 10 years old, and the new site brought uncertainty about how the vines would grow.
鈥淚 also took out a lot of wine-making variables because I wanted to see what the fruit and this land would provide for me, so everything was natural, everything was Indigenous, everything was mostly in neutral barrels all aged in the caves. I wasn鈥檛 playing around with any wine-making tools, I was just depending on what the soil, the climate, and the geology that this site was able to give me.鈥�
The 2020 O鈥橰ourke Family Estate Chardonnay is described as aromatic, soft, and floral. A Chardonnay that Callaway says can鈥檛 be compared to any other region of the world.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think B.C. should be comparing ourselves to other regions. We are distinctly what we are and this wine is definitely an Okanagan Chardonnay.鈥�
The winemaker says her goal is to take on the 鈥渁nything but Chardonnay鈥� wine drinkers.
鈥淭he moment that anybody has tasted this wine or actually put it in their nose, people have converted from never enjoying a glass of chard to 鈥榦h my goodness, this is such a beautiful wine,鈥� she says.
With O鈥橰ourke Family Estate being in its infancy, Callaway had the chance to select her own tools and machines to have on site.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing professional opportunity to build and commission and work in a facility that you designed and had in your mind and then it all comes together. It鈥檚 been fun to work in a new winery as well. It looks big and it鈥檚 a little daunting, but trust me when harvest is here and there are barrels all over the floor and equipment everywhere it鈥檚 not as big as it seems.鈥�
Callaway also loves the natural elements the matriarch O鈥橰ourke demanded in his building plans.
鈥淭he caves, it鈥檚 using old-world technology of aging barrels and moderate cave systems where the weather is kind of temperate all year long and nice and cool and humid. We鈥檙e doing what the Europeans and the Persians have been doing for years.鈥�
It is estimated the caves and underground tunnels span 400 metres and is completely sustainable as it doesn鈥檛 require heating or cooling to maintain the right temperature.
The estimated $100 million winery project will once again put the Okanagan on the map as a must-visit destination. The facility will include over 150,000 square feet of building with a restaurant, offices, tasting rooms, an event centre, a retail centre, and an outdoor amphitheatre overlooking the lake.
O鈥橰ourke Family Estate is partnered with Peak Cellars and will bottle for the sister company at the new site.
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