Hours of Operation: May 1 - June 30: 10am-7pm daily, July 1 - August 31: 9am-9pm daily, September 1 - October 31: 10am-8pm daily, November 1 - April 30: 10am-5pm daily
Tour Hours: April 1 - October 31: 11am-4pm hourly, November 1 - April 30: 2pm daily
DATA COPIED FROM NATALIEMACLEAN.COM
Gray Monk is Okanagan Valleys' only original winery that is still operated by its founders. From the original holdings of 20 acres planted in 1972, the Heiss family now owns an farms 100 acres strategically planted throughout the Okanagan Valley. Intuitively, they purchased land in the deep South Okanagan near Oliver and Osoyoos for the red wines in their portfolio. The various locations of their vineyards provide an opportunity for the terroir to express itself in the wine therefore building complexity and originality in all the wines.
The winery's name, Gray Monk was chosen because colloquial names in Austria and Hungary for Pinot Gris mean gray monk. One of their key accomplishments was the introduction of high quality vines into Canada. In 1972, George Heiss obtained 2000 vines of Pinot Auxerrois, 10 vines of Gewurztraminer and of great importance, 50 vines of Pinot Gris from a nursery in Colmar, Alsace, France. Today, Pinot Gris is reputed to be the white signature grape; not only for Gray Monk Estate Winery but for the Okanagan Valley. The grape thrives in this sun drenched valley, consistently delivering a terroir driven, fruit forward benchmark wine. Most notable, as reported in the 2011 Crop Report, Pinot Gris is the number one planted grape in British Columbia - surpassing Chardonnay.
Perched above the Okanagan Lake with stunning panoramic views of mountains, vineyards and the lake, Gray Monk Estate Winery offers guests a true taste , "or sip" , of the Okanagan lifestyle. With a bustling wine boutique, a full service banquet facility and a world class restaurant, the winery is equipped to host guests for all occasions.
The Heiss family is proud to remain as British Columbia's oldest family owned and operated winery. In 2012, the founders, George and Trudy celebrated three monumental milestones: 30 years of wine making, 40 years of grape growing and 50 years of marriage. From their cherished Home Vineyard near the 50th parallel - a trail blazing family winery has led the way, shaping the "BC Wine World" enjoyed today.
DATA COPIED FROM NATALIEMACLEAN.COM
Twitter:
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