Wine Culture Magazine
Wine Culture Magazine
O’Rourke Family Estate is designed to offer a multi-tiered variety of tasting and dining experiences. Jon Adrian photo courtesy of O’Rourke Family Estate
While the Okanagan Valley is hardly lacking for impressive views, Lake Country rewards with more than its share of panoramas. Add to the mix that these steep-sloping, sun-drenched, west-facing shores now encompass part of the Lake Country sub-Geographical Indication and it should come as no surprise that this mountain-wrapped northern extremity is yielding increasingly well-crafted wines.
This corner of the valley used to be something of a wine-touring backwater. In those very early days, pioneering Gray Monk was the sole winery north of Kelowna. It’s now some 50 years since founders George and Trudy Heiss forsook their hairdressing careers and risked everything they owned to grow unproven vinifera grapes. At the time, their hand-planted vineyard was considered to be at the northern limit for ripening, hence the name of their Latitude 50, one of the best-selling whites ever made in BC.
Over the last two decades, a handful of new wineries have blossomed in Lake Country. More recently, though, two significant projects have been taking things to the next level, on a scale not seen before in this region.
Up north, not far from Sparkling Hill Resort and Predator Ridge, O’Rourke Family Estate continues to unveil its vast array of facilities in a series of “soft openings” over the next few months. The production side of the winery is already in operation and the wines (primarily Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) have already won medals and accolades in international competitions.
Meanwhile, to the south, in Kelowna’s McKinley area of north Glenmore, lakeside Azhadi Vineyards is meeting an ambitious construction schedule that should have the winery processing fruit for this year’s harvest.
O’Rourke Family Estate has slowly been releasing its wines, with a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Photo courtesy of O’Rourke Family Estate
O’Rourke may well be the Okanagan’s largest winery project since the Olson Kundig-designed Mission Hill was completed in 2002. The complex, which boasts 300 metres of bored granite cellars (actually, tunnels), sits on 340 acres, with 110 acres under vine on sloping soils of gravelly or sandy glacial till. Prime attractions include a 500-seat outdoor amphitheatre with a stunning lake backdrop, impressive convention and trade-show facilities, and tasting options that range from casual fare to panoramic premium lounges and dining with a view at Row 188 restaurant. The winery also offers limited luxury accommodations in addition to a vineyard B&B and self-hosting opportunities.
In spite of its massive scale, outside of the immediate area O’Rourke Family Cellars curiously somehow remains under the radar. Maybe that’s due, in part, to its slightly remote “off the beaten track” location, but also to owner Dennis O’Rourke’s low-key public persona. He’s very much a hands-on owner-builder, who likes to refer to himself as a “ditch-digger” when talking about his hardly humble, more-than-$100-million project. O’Rourke—who went from actually being a 16-year-old ditch-digger to making his fortune building civil engineering infrastructures—loves to show off the network of tunnels (“Plenty big enough to drive a pickup through,” he notes) that connect the cellars to private club areas and tasting lounges.
While a formal opening date has yet to be announced, a number of exclusive events have already taken place, including a new Rolls-Royce model launch right in the cellars. Most of these special occasions were fundraisers, as O’Rourke continues to give back to the community by supporting several charities and arts organizations, including the Kelowna Symphony.
The design vision for Azhadi Vineyards is inspired by ancient Persian architecture. Photo courtesy of Azhadi Vineyards
Shortly before the pandemic, Ex Nihilo owners (and since 2023, proprietors) Mike and Janet Azhadi fell in love with a 41-acre parcel of land just north of Kelowna. The prime, southwest-facing lakeside promontory with dramatic views up and down Lake Okanagan was the perfect site for the 30,000-square-foot winery and cellars the couple had long dreamt of building. No stranger to the world of such projects, Mike Azhadi has an extensive background in engineering and architecture.
His Iranian-inspired design is without a doubt one of the valley’s most distinctive to date and includes a soaring lookout tower with nods to the ancient Arch of Ctesiphon, Persian fire temples and wind catchers, and Tehran’s celebrated Freedom (Azadi) Tower, which was completed in 1971. It was designed by Vancouver-based architect Manoochehr Azizi, who worked under the guidance of Hossein Amanat, the original architect of the Freedom Tower.
Surrounding plantings include Pinot Noir, Viognier, Merlot and Riesling. The bigger reds will be sourced from plantings of estate-owned Bordeaux varieties located in Oliver and Okanagan Falls. In preparation for opening, Azhadi has maxed out his vineyard production over several years. “In good years, we made a lot of wine,” he says. “But we won’t compromise on quality. If it doesn’t meet our standards, we won’t make it.”
Azhadi is optimistic that the winery will open by the fall of this year. The structure—which he describes as “very complex and high-density, with a lot of curves”—is coming along well, he says.
By harvest 2025, the production areas (including underground tanks and a barrel room cave) will have been completed. The main floor crush pad (which will gravity-feed to a level below) is also home to the main tasting room and restaurant with a spacious patio that takes full advantage of the lakeside setting. On the next level above, visitors will be able to tour an art gallery and enjoy private tastings overlooking the vineyards and lake, while the third-floor grants access to another tasting area and a panoramic observation deck.
Many ideas have coalesced behind his design. “Architecture, to me, is the focal point of the evolution of humanity. Here we combine elements of ancient architecture with modern western influences from America’s Frank Lloyd Wright and Canadian Arthur Erickson,” he says.
“The whole concept is to celebrate Canada; east and west [cultures]; and inclusivity. Canada Strong. It’s our family’s way of saying ‘Thank you.’ When people come here, we want them to feel they can gather together for a great food and wine experience.”
There’ll also be a significant element of “paying it forward,” he says, as partial funds from the sale of every bottle of Azhadi wine will be donated to local, Canadian and international charities.
Meanwhile, one of Dennis O’Rourke’s favourite places is a vantage point atop his 220,000-square-foot. winery that rewards with a commanding panorama looking south down the lake, almost as far as Kelowna.
He says he spends plenty of time there, giving thanks for everything, including the beauty that surrounds him. And he encourages everyone who visits to do the same.
While these two new wineries may offer distinctly contrasting designs, they unquestionably share their owners’ common theme of immense gratitude.
Tim Pawsey writes and shoots at hiredbelly.com as well as for publications including Quench, TASTE and Montecristo. He’s a frequent wine judge and is a founding member of the B.C. Hospitality Foundation.
Tim Pawsey writes and shoots at hiredbelly.com as well as for publications including Quench, TASTE and Montecristo. He’s a frequent wine judge and is a founding member of the B.C. Hospitality Foundation.
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