With Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie (L) at Garnet Valley Ranch [credit: Leeann Froese]
As a wine writer, I’ve spent a lot of time in Summerland. It’s where I often stay when I am in the Okanagan Valley and a place I have regularly recommended to readers as a base for exploring the region. Over the years, it has become familiar in a more personal way, through the wineries I return to, the people I have met, and the friends who have made their homes there.
That familiarity makes the events of the past several days particularly difficult to watch. The Bald Range wildfire has forced the evacuation of the entire population of Summerland, a community of approximately 12,000 people. The province has described the fire as one of the fastest and most aggressive wildfires it has seen, and it remains out of control. With hot, dry conditions and wind continuing to challenge firefighters, the situation remains dynamic. Power and water had also been shut down.
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Winemaker Seth Jex [Credit: Fort Berens]
For any winery, succession is one of the most delicate moments in its evolution. Consumers may focus on the name on the label, but behind every bottle are countless decisions shaped by the people guiding the vineyard and cellar. When a respected winemaker departs, uncertainty can often follow.
At Fort Berens Estate Winery, however, the transition from Alex Nel to Seth Jex feels less like a changing of the guard and more like the continuation of a carefully plotted journey.
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Todd Heintz.
Launching a winery in British Columbia in 2026 might strike some as an unusual choice. The province’s wine industry is still navigating the aftermath of devastating cold events, ongoing climate uncertainty and shifting market realities. Yet for the founders of Spacedog Wines, the timing felt less like a warning sign and more like an opportunity.
The new Oliver-based winery, which opened its doors this month at the District Wine Village, is the creation of Todd Heintz, Jason Harding and Dean Prevost. Together, they represent an unlikely trio of founders for a winery making some very ambitious claims right out of the gate.
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Pénélope Roche.
The Okanagan wine industry has never lacked ambitious people, but few arrive with résumés quite like those of Pénélope and Dylan Roche. Before establishing Roche Wines on the Naramata Bench, Pénélope had studied viticulture and enology in Bordeaux, worked at Château d’Yquem and managed her family’s historic estate, Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion.
Dylan’s route was less traditional but equally impressive. A Vancouver native who discovered wine living in Burgundy, he studied winemaking in Beaune before working in New Zealand and several of Bordeaux’s most respected wineries.
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A sneak peek at 2025.
There’s a particular energy that comes with being handed a glimpse of the future, especially in a wine region that has spent the last few years navigating anything but predictable conditions. At the Wines of BC 2025 Vintage Reveal, that sense of anticipation was palpable, but so too was something else: relief.
Held at Vancouver’s Terminal City Club, the exclusive gathering brought together a small circle of media and wine professionals for an early look at what’s already being described as a pivotal vintage for British Columbia.
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