Working my first harvest in Oregon 2024.
Last fall, I did something I never thought I’d do, I worked a wine harvest. Not from the sidelines, not as an observer, but right there in the thick of it cleaning tanks, sampling, sorting fruit and even helping with blending trials. I didn’t pick grapes (turns out, that’s its own brutal art form), but I did just about everything else, thanks to the incredible generosity of Tracy Kendall at Folly of Man in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
It was messy, physical, humbling, and absolutely thrilling. I came away with sore muscles, purple-stained hands, and a deeper respect for the craft than any wine tasting could ever offer.
Winemaker Alison Moyes with the just bottled 2024 Chardonnay.
But even as the last tank was pressed off and the cellar began to quiet down, I knew I was only just beginning to understand the life of a wine. So when winemaker Alison Moyes of Solvero Wines in Summerland, BC invited me to join her team for bottling, I jumped at the chance. Their 2022 Chardonnay was recently crowned Best White Wine in Canada at the All Canadian Wine Championships, and this time, they were sealing up the 2024 vintage.
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Alison Moyes.
By our third visit with winemaker Alison Moyes of Solvero Wines, we already knew what we were walking into: an earnest conversation packed with thoughtful insights, layered with the kind of honesty that makes you lean in, and beautiful wines in the glass that over-deliver on every level.
Solvero may still be young in the BC wine scene, but their clarity of vision, precision in execution, and ability to adapt under pressure have quickly made them one of our absolute favourites in the region.
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Solvero winemaker Alison Moyes.
Last year, Solvero Wines burst onto the Okanagan wine scene, instantly winning us over with their inaugural release. Now, just over a year later, a return visit has left us even more impressed. The synergy of Matt Sartor’s clear vision and winemaker Alison Moyes’ craftsmanship in the winery has quickly elevated them to a level of excellence typically seen in seasoned veterans.
Their intensely focused approach, paired with a brand new tasting room featuring one of the best views in the valley, makes it clear that Solvero Wines is destined for a long and successful journey.
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WInemaker Alison Moyes.
If the inaugural release of Solvero Wines is any indication of what’s to come from one of BC’s newest wineries, there is a very bright rising star in the Okanagan wine region. Our visit to the winery marks the first time we’ve been motivated to do so solely based on a sample being sent to us. That sample impressed us so much we immediately made plans to visit. What we discovered was a very personal, uber-focused approach to quality, quite literally built on steely determination, and anchored by an equally passionate and talented winemaker.
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