Have you heard of Priest Creek Family Estate Winery? It is new to me. I recently received this information about the winery that I thought I would pass along to all my readers. If you are planning a trip to the Kelowna area, why not drop by to visit this winery? Here is the winery info, in their own words.
The Story
Priest Creek Family Estate Winery was founded through Jane and Darren’s desire to raise their four kids on a farm, bringing them back to their farming roots. Originally from Saskatchewan, the family bought a 12.5-acre farm on the rolling hills of Southeast Kelowna. The property was predominately tables grapes, with a small block of old-vine Gewurztraminer. After their first harvest farming the table grapes, they quickly realized that the wine grapes were far more profitable. There was no money in table grapes and in order to keep the property they had to change it up. They shifted their business plan and dove headfirst into learning about the wine industry. With the mentorship of esteemed winemaker Jason Parkes, they hand-planted seven and a half acres with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc vines with the help of their four children. Over the following three years, waiting for the vines to mature, Darren worked under the team at Jason Parkes Customs in West Kelowna learning the ins and outs of winemaking. While Jane put her design background to work with the tasting room and branding the business. After three years of putting everything together, the family was ready to open the doors and the final inspection came through in March 2020, the same day the pandemic was declared.
The grand opening took place in May 2020 with 1200 cases. After numerous hurdles over the past several years, the winery production has grown to 3600 cases this year with over 550 wine club members. Darren now takes the lead for all the winemaking, while consulting with Jason Parkes Customs where it’s needed.
The Name
Priest Creek runs behind the Estate and flows into Mission Creek where it is said Father Pandosy planted the first wine grapes in the valley. When Jane & Darren bought the property, it was already called Priest Creek Ranch and the original sign is still at the end of their driveway. In creating the business and the brand, they considered several names before deciding to look into the meaning behind Priest Creek. They spent an afternoon with a librarian in the archives, learning the history of the land and where the name originated. In the mid-1800s this land was farmed by the Priests and the Monks. They were responsible for feeding the gold rush, and for all their hard work they got the creek named after them. They chose to keep the name for the winery to pay tribute to those that farmed the land before them.
Priest Creek Family Estate Winery Decota 2021 (BC $27)
Cases produced: 247
WINEMAKING
The grapes were hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed on a gentle two-hour press. The skin contact was two hours, creating a rose gold hue. Fermentation lasted 31 days in stainless steel and then the wine was cold stabilized. CO2 is injected at bottling. This process presented us with a crisp, aromatic bubbly with complex flavors.
TASTING NOTES
Decota is a bubbly celebration of our family’s hard work, lovingly named after our four children! Decota is a unique blend that even our winemaker won’t reveal. Rose gold in color, with aromas of apple and apricot. The palate opens with soft bubbles in a creamy mouthfeel, exploding with layers of fruit notes from green apple and apricot to raspberry and citrus.
You can purchase this wine through the winery website.
