Stag’s Hollow Winery has a new owner

Photo: Linda Pruegger and Larry Gerelus

Larry Gerelus and Linda Pruegger, who founded Stag’s Hollow Winery and Vineyard in 1992 and opened the winery three years later, announced the sale of the Okanagan Falls enterprise last month.

The new owner is Eric Liu, the proprietor of Bench 1775 Winery on Naramata Road. Larry and Linda will continue to manage Stag’s Hollow and are completing the planting of 18-acre Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard. That vineyard, just north of Okanagan Falls, has been under development since 2011. A new clone of Pinot Noir will be planted this year.

The Stag’s Hollow estate vineyard, with vines planted as early as 1987, is 10 acres. The two vineyards, along with some purchased fruit, supported the production of 5,500 cases in the 2018 vintage.

Eric Liu, an immigrant investor from China now residing in the Okanagan, entered the British Columbia wine industry when he purchased Bench 1775 in 2014.

While keeping a low profile, he has expanded his wine industry investments significantly in the last two years. The estate vineyard at Bench 1775, with 18 plantable acres, is currently being redeveloped, where required, with appropriate varieties and rootstocks. In addition, Eric has acquired two other Naramata Road vineyards, totalling just under 20 acres.

Last year, he purchased two properties in the Similkameen Valley. One is a 28-acre former orchard near Cawston, which is being converted to vineyard growing Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The other is Ladyhawke Vineyard, near Keremeos.  This is 8.9 acres of vines, most of them planted in 2007, including Zweigelt, Maréchal Foch, Riesling and a little Gewürztraminer. Valeria Tait, the general manager of Bench 1775, made wine from some of this fruit last fall but is expected to redevelop most of the vineyard.

Stag’s Hollow initially made its reputation with Merlot, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. It also developed a cult following for Vidal, a heritage white already in the vineyard when Larry and Linda bought the property.

More recently, the winery planted two Spanish varietals, Tempranillo and Albariño, and two Italian varietals, Dolcetto and Teroldego. Current releases from the winery include the latest vintage of Albariño.

Here are notes on the wines.

Stag’s Hollow Albariño 2018 ($21). The moderate alcohol (12.5%) ensures that the wine is light and refreshing. It begins with aromas of citrus, peach and melon. On the palate, there are flavours of peach, honeydew melon and white grapefruit. The finish is tangy and dry. 91.

Stag’s Hollow Blanc de Noirs 2018 ($25). This is 76% Pinot Noir and 24% Gamay Noir. In the glass, it presents with a golden hue lightly tinged with pink. It begins with aromas of peach and strawberry which are echoed on the palate. Partial barrel fermentation has given this wine good texture and a touch of spice and almond on the finish. 90.

Stag’s Hollow Syrah Rosé 2018 ($22). This is 92% Syrah, 8% Viognier. A portion of the Syrah was from a vineyard in Osoyoos with a block dedicated to rosé. The hand-picked grapes were crushed, with just 30 minutes of skin contact. Another portion was bled from the winery’s Syrah/Viognier co-ferment after eight hours of cold soaking. The color is  pale pink/bronze. On the nose, there are aromas of strawberries and plum, leading to flavours of stone fruit, citrus and strawberry. The finish is dry, with a touch of warmth from the 13.3% alcohol. 89.