Blue Mountain Vineyard, located on the shore of
Vaseux Lake
Vaseux Lake is a shallow freshwater lake located along the course of the Okanagan River in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.
Name origin
The name "'' vaseux''" is French, meaning muddy or murky, which is descriptive of the lake ...
in
Okanagan Falls, British Columbia
Okanagan Falls (also known as OK Falls) is a community located on the south end of Skaha Lake in British Columbia.
History
The community was founded in 1893 as Dogtown, which was derived from the name Dog Lake ("skaha" means "dog" in the Okanaga ...
is a
Canadian Winery. Situated near the bottom of
British Columbia's Okanagan Valley
The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is p ...
, Blue Mountain produces over 12,000 cases of wine per year. Blue Mountain's tasting room is open by appointment only.
History
In 1971, Proprietor Ian completed his Agriculture degree and purchased his first parcel of land which now constitutes Blue Mountain's vineyard. Described as "the most radically laid-out vineyard in the Okanagan Valley",
Blue Mountain Vineyard – Okanagan Valley
/ref> Blue Mountain's picturesque view, overlooking Vaseux Lake
Vaseux Lake is a shallow freshwater lake located along the course of the Okanagan River in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.
Name origin
The name "'' vaseux''" is French, meaning muddy or murky, which is descriptive of the lake ...
, is very isolated from the main valley corridor. The local terroir provides Blue Mountain with varying "micro-climates" conducive for grape-growing of differing varietals. It was the unique qualities of the terroir that led Mavetys to establish the vineyard near Okanagan Falls.
For over 2 decades, the Mavetys supplied their grapes by contract to other commercial wineries. In 1991, the Mavetys had sufficiently refined their skills at viticulture and wine making so as to release their first wines under the Blue Mountain label. Shortly after the first release, The Mavetys' son Matt joined the family business. Matt earned a degree in agricultural economics from the University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...
(his father's alma mater) and a post-graduate degree in viticulture studies at Lincoln University in New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. Matt's sister Christie runs the winery's marketing operations.
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.bluemountainwinery.com
Podcast interview with Matt Mavety at BCWineCast
Wineries of British Columbia
Food and drink companies established in 1971