Sip, Savour and Stay at Hester Creek

Hester Creek Estate Winery offers all the pleasures of a full estate experience in the heart of B.C.’s Golden Mile Bench

Summer in the Interior B.C. beckons staycationers to find beauty and indulgence in their own backyards–first stop, Hester Creek Estate Winery in Oliver. Just 15 minutes from Osoyoos and a short but stunning road trip along Highway 97 from Kelowna, Hester Creek offers a Tuscan-inspired full estate experience that marries old world charm and new world passion.

There is no resisting Hester Creek’s Tuscan-inspired Terrafina Restaurant, led by award-winning Chef Adair Scott who works directly with local farmers to create regionally sourced farm-to-table cuisine.

“Visitors are delighted to come for a tasting at the winery and be greeted with wine as they arrive,” says Roger Gillespie, Hester Creek’s director of hospitality. “It’s the way wine country is meant to be enjoyed.”

“To fully complete your visit, enjoy a leisurely lunch, dinner or light bites in the afternoon on our restaurant patio overlooking the vineyard. The wood-fired oven pizza is a particular specialty, made fresh daily with 48 hour fermented pizza dough.”

Winemaker Mark Hopley has a passion for creating small lot wines that reflect the region’s uniqueness. A remarkable feature of Hester Creek is that many of the wines are made from estate vines planted in 1968.

“We have these incredible tree trunk, gnarly vines that were planted 52 years ago, resulting in more intense flavours in the finished wine,” Hopley says. “The quality is truly exceptional. Our Trebbiano, for example, is a rare old vines white with an abundance of natural acidity. It needs heat and thrives on the Mediterranean climate, which is why it does so well on the Golden Mile Bench, here at the south end of the valley.”

In keeping with Hester Creek’s Italian flair, they have crafted a new Prosecco style wine, which has a Pinot Gris backbone and is blended with other aromatic white grapes for lifted floral notes. Called Ti Amo–I love you in Italian–the wine uses premium handpicked grapes and is made in the classic Charmat-Martinotti method. It will be available only at the winery.

Complete the experience with a stay in Hester Creek’s Villa, luxurious accommodations perched on the hill above the winery with tantalizing views of Mount Baldy and Osoyoos Lake in the distance.

“With our abundant orchards, farms, vineyards and lakes, the south Okanagan Valley is a mecca for those looking for a slow food, agriturismo type of experience close to home,” Gillespie says. “This is a beautiful place to enjoy wine country hospitality here in B.C. We welcome you to come and fall in love with the best our region has to offer.”

Learn more at hestercreek.com