MyWinePal: Two Terrific Wines from Hester Creek Estate Winery

Here are two more delicious wines that you should buy and enjoy right now while we are drowning in our winter rains, or snow, in BC. The two wines from the Okanagan’s Hester Creek Estate Winery are their Columbia Valley Collection Viognier 2024 (grapes coming from WA state), and their Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (grapes coming from estate fruit). I bought these two wines on my trip to the south Okanagan this past Fall 2025.

The Columbia Valley Collection of Wines

Notes from the winery about the need to bring in grapes from WA state to produce a selection of Hester Creek wines: “Two back-to-back freezing winters left our vines with a deficit of fruit, and we found ourselves looking for an opportunity to source grapes that would match our quality standards.

Our search took us just south of the border to the Columbia River Basin where the climate, soils and varietals are similar to what we have here. We met with growers from seven sub-AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), learned their stories, analyzed their growing practices and built a partnership to import the best grapes possible…

At Hester Creek, we are fortunate to have Mark Sheridan as our President. Not only is he savvy in all manners of business, but his background in viticulture gives him the tools to assess a difficult situation in the vineyard. When faced with the challenge of having to purchase grapes, he looked to the Columbia Valley where the terroir, varietals and viticultural history reflected that of the South Okanagan…

Each block was chosen with absolute discretion for varietal, location, growing practices and quality of the fruit. In essence, he was able to monitor the growth of the vines and speak with the vineyard managers and viticulturalists on a regular basis to ensure everything met our standards…

In the Goose Gap AVA where our Viognier was grown and hand harvested, we met with Taylor Monson-Jackson, the COO at Goose Ridge Estate Winery and part of the Jackson family who owns a majority of the acreage in the AVA – 1,800 acres of which are planted under vine. Taylor grew up in agriculture with the family venturing into viticulture and establishing their own winery over 25 years ago…

Staying true to our Hester Creek brand:

All grapes were hand harvested
Grapes were stacked in recyclable containers and transported in temperature-controlled trucks
The grapes were hand sorted by our team
The grapes were gently destemmed before continuing the winemaking process for white and red wines
100% crafted at Hester Creek “

For more details about the Columbia Valley Collection.

My Wine Tasting Notes

Hester Creek Estate Winery Columbia Valley Collection Viognier 2024 (BC $23.99)

Appearance: A clear, bright, medium-plus intensity lemon colour in the glass.
Nose: A wide range of medium-plus intensity aromas; lemon, peach, apricots, apple, and a touch of floral.
Palate: Off-dry or fruity, medium body and soft, lean mouthfeel. Medium acidity leave a light acidic prickle in your mouth. Peach, lemon, and a hint of lime, plus some stoniness that gets stronger on the finish.
Finish: Medium-plus to long length finishing with soe tart citrus mixed with sweet peach and stoniness. May also have a touch of grape stem.

Rating:

Hester Creek Estate Winery Columbia Valley Collection Viognier 2024 and Hester Creek Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 with wines in glasses

Hester Creek Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (BC $34.99)

Appearance: Clear, opaque garnet, almost to the rim.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas build layer by layer; meaty, red fruits, plums, cinnamon, nutmeg, oak, and black fruit.
Palate: This wine is dry, medium body with a silky smooth, soft mouthfeel. Lower acidity and light, fine grained tannins. Soft flavours of black fruit, black cherries, plums, oak, and light sweet red cherries and cocoa.
Finish: Medium-plus to long length with soft, drying tannins. Red cherries, ripe black fruits, and touches of oak and pepperiness.

Rating: –