Chris with winemaker Andrew Etsell.
If you’ve ever driven through the rolling farmland of Mt. Lehman in Abbotsford, British Columbia, you know there’s something special about this pocket of the Fraser Valley.
Quietly tucked into a hillside, surrounded by forest with Mt. Baker rising in the distance, Singletree Winery feels like one of those places where everything just fits—the land, the people, the wine. It’s clear from the moment you arrive that this is a family affair; and at the heart of it all is the Etsell family, who were farming here long before vines were in the ground.
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Finding the balance…
As Canadian wine lovers, we take great pride in supporting our homegrown industry. From the Okanagan Valley to Prince Edward County, our vintners continue to craft world-class wines, and there’s a deep sense of national pride in choosing a bottle from a local winery.
But wine appreciation doesn’t end at the border. Many of us have also built deep connections with U.S. winemakers, particularly in regions like California, Washington, and Oregon, where we regularly visit, taste, and invest in their wines. With Canada being one of the largest export markets for American wine, the recent threats of increased tariffs on Canadian goods by the U.S. government feel like an alarming disruption that will reverberate on both sides of the border.
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There’s no question that the Okanagan wine industry has faced some tough years of late.
Winemaker Evan Saunders.
Beginning with the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, the region has weathered a heat dome and forest fires in 2021, a major cold snap in late 2022, and now an even harsher cold event to start 2024. For Blasted Church winemaker Evan Saunders, it certainly feels like the Valley is being put to the test, but if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s him.
Evan became the head winemaker at Blasted Church in 2017 after working there for 4 years, following several years as a cellar hand at Osoyoos Larose in the Okanagan, along with working a harvest at Kosta Browne in Sonoma Valley, California. Throughout our conversations with people at the winery and in the industry, it is clear that Evan is highly regarded, with many expressing enthusiasm for the direction he is taking the wines at Blasted Church.
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The Bell Tower at Mission Hill.
The Bell Tower in the distance is unmistakable. As soon as you turn onto Boucherie Road in West Kelowna and drive alongside Okanagan Lake, you see it perched atop a ridge, beckoning you to come have a taste. Head straight for that wine beacon and you’ll arrive at Mission Hill Family Estate, one of the most renown wineries in BC’s Okanagan Valley, and a five-time Canadian winery of the year.
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Okanagan Crush Pad [source: Okanagan Crush Pad]
For many people 2021 won’t be remembered as a particularly auspicious year as the world continues to grapple with a global pandemic. But for Okanagan Crush Pad it is a year to celebrate. 2021 represents the winery’s 10th anniversary, and after a decade of challenges, change and growth, the irony of having it fall this particular year is not lost on owner Christine Coletta.
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