Hester Creek's Curt Garland: in memoriam

Photo: Curt Garland

The current releases from Hester Creek Estate Winery include one of its flagship Bordeaux blends, a wine called Garland named for Curt Garland, the Prince George businessman who had owned the winery since 2004. Curt Garland, who died November 21 at the age of 88, bought Hester Creek Estate Winery out of bankruptcy in 2004, to see it grow to one of the Okanagan’s best wineries.

An elegant red wine bearing his name is a tribute to his achievement. The first vintage of Garland was 2015 and the wine was released in 2018 to mark the winery’s 50th anniversary. “He didn’t like the name,” says Rob Summers, the now retired Hester Creek winemaker who made the first four or five vintages of Garland. “Curt was very humble … he did not want the name. We had to sell it to him. I said: ‘This is your legacy. It is the best wine I have ever made, the highest style.’ He did not need to be in the limelight. He was a quiet man who liked to be behind the scenes. He would show up at the winery in a nice pair of jeans and an Eddie Bauer shirt.”

The many who admire the profound change at Hester Creek since Curt took it over will want to toast his memory with a bottle of Garland. “Our day-to-day operations will continue as usual,” Hester Creek president Mark Sheridan said in a statement. “A number of years ago, Curt put in place a succession plan for his businesses. Because of his planning and the dedicated team we have today … we will continue to grow Curt’s legacy.”

Curt’s interest in Okanagan wines began in 1998 after he built a new home in Prince George which included his first wine cellar. Already familiar with California and Italian wines, he decided it was time to learn about British Columbia wines. He began looking for vineyard land in the Okanagan. A self-made man, Curt started logging at 17 and trucking a few years later. He once owned a sawmill and a plywood plant; when he sold that in 1988, he invested in a tree farm in Uruguay and ran that until 2007. A trucking company he started in 1979 grew into one of British Columbia’s largest operators, delivering specialized services for forestry and mining companies.

“It was 2004 that I thought I should purchase three or four acres of land and have a viticulturist grow some grapes for me and have someone make some wine,” Curt told me in a 2013 interview at Hester Creek. “Every piece of property I looked at had an expensive house sitting on it. As I had just completed my residence in Prince George, I was not interested in buying another one. I was really just looking for land and there wasn’t any land I could find at that time, on that particular trip, that was interesting.” However, he came across an article in a Penticton newspaper about the pending sale of Hester Creek by a receiver. “So I phoned the receiver and he did not return the call on day one or day two, day three, day four,” Curt said. “He never returned the call.” The probable reason was that the receiver likely had not heard of Curt Garland while he already had in hand four solid offers, including $5,155,000 from Quails’ Gate Estate Winery.

Curt was not about to take no for an answer. At the last moment, he found a way to get a higher bid before the court. He offered $5.2 million including funds to pay off the unsecured creditors who are often left in the cold in bankruptcies. “We went in with basically the same offer, only we agreed to pay all the unsecured creditors,” Curt told me in a 2008 interview. “I felt I didn’t want to operate in Oliver and have a lot of small businesses upset before we even opened our doors. That’s how we usually operate.” “Being the man that he was, Curt ensured that 100% of the bad debt was paid to all people owed money,” Mark Sheridan said.

With plenty of business experience, but none in wine, Curt took over a winery launched in 1968 by an Italian immigrant named Joe Busnardo. He sold it in 1996 to a London-based investment group called Boltons Capital Corp. The local management in the Okanagan ran it into bankruptcy. “I had no idea what I was getting into,” Curt admitted to me. But he tapped expertise, including John and Lynn Bremmer, veteran Okanagan winemakers and winery managers. They had been looking after Hester Creek for the bank and then the receiver. “After I got possession of the winery, they were most helpful in assisting me looking for a winemaker.” They helped him recruit Rob Summers, a seasoned winemaker from Ontario. “I liked Curt right away,” Rob recounted in a recent interview. “I felt he was an honest man. We moved out here pretty much on a handshake. My wife was not overly thrilled about that. I said to her that I trust him. He’s a man of his word ... and he was, the whole time I worked for him.”

Rob like the Hester Creek vineyard site and, during an initial walk among the vines, assured Curt he could make the best wines in the valley from there. Curt believed him and, after hiring him, allowed him to design a state-of-the-art $5 million winery, which opened in 2008, to replace the decrepit winery then serving Hester Creek. There already was a conceptual design for a new winery when Rob arrived. “I was in the office one day with the blueprints across my desk,” Rob remembers. “Curt came in to chat. I said I would like to start over. He said ‘Okay, let’s start over.’ And I came up with the concept to dig the winery into the side of the hill.”

It was one of many occasions when Curt supported his winemaker with quick, decisive moves. “Drip irrigation was coming in and there was some money available through a farm assistance program,” Rob recalls. “Curt and I were in the vineyard and I was telling him about drip irrigation. And he said, ‘Let’s do it.’ I figured we could spread it over two years. He paused and looked at me and said, ‘You just told me it is the way to go. So let’s do it.’” All 68 acres of vineyard was converted that year to drip irrigation.

Curt also surrounded Rob with a capable team of managers including Mark Sheridan, an Australian viticulturist lured from the much larger Vincor. Curt’s management style was drawn from the work of an American management consultant named Edward Deming whose ideas had had a major impact on postwar Japan. “People are everything,” Curt told me in the 2013 interview. “We manage with the Deming philosophy. I don’t know if you are familiar with Dr. Edward Deming. During the war he had developed a management philosophy that he was trying to sell to GM and Ford and Chrysler and they were not interested. General MacArthur sent him to Japan and associated him with Toyota. That says it all – they are the number one car manufacturer in the world.” And Hester Creek went on to become one of the Okanagan’s best producers, getting the distinction in 2023 to be named “Winery of the Year – British Columbia” by Great Northwest Wine Magazine. It was a fitting cap to Curt Garland’s impact on the wine industry.

Here is a note on the current Garland wine: Hester Creek Garland 2022 ($64.99). The blend is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. The wine was aged 24 months in French oak. A hint of oak comes through on the bold palate as cedar, mingled with cloves and dark fruit. The palate delivers rich flavours of plum, dark cherry and cassis. The long, ripe tannins mark this as a wine with good aging potential. 95.

Vasanti wines: limited but impressive

Photo: Vasanti's owners: the Sidhu family

Five of the six wines from Vasanti Estate Winery, reviewed here, will not be released before next spring or summer, aside from a brief and modest releases to the winery’s wine club early in November. Get in line for them if you can. These wines, from the 2022 and 2023 vintages, are among the best wines yet from this winery, which opened its Oliver-area tasting room last year. The quantities are not large and, because of the vine damage Vasanti suffered in the devastating 2024 freeze, there may be a wait for the 2025 vintage release. Most Okanagan wineries are reporting that the 2025 vintage has been a surprising in quality and quantity after the 2024 disaster. “The 2025 vintage is looking like it will be amazing!” Vasanti spokesperson Connor Knapp says.

Vasant is owned and operated by the Sidhu family. The winery name is derived from a Punjabi concept meaning new beginnings and renewal. It was inspired by family scion Harb Sidhu’s decision in 1980 to come to the Okanagan from India. Here, he established himself in agriculture, first with an orchard and later with vineyards. The family now has about 20 acres of vineyard in the Oliver/Osoyoos area of the Okanagan. “We three brothers decided it was a good time to continue on his legacy and start the winery,” I was told last year by Davinder Sidhu, who was born in 1988 and is the middle of the brothers. “We had always dreamt of a winery when we were younger. It has a sentimental value to us because we all grew up as kids at the location where the winery will be.” The brothers all have careers outside the winery. Davinder is an optometrist. Gordie, the oldest brother, is a financial planner while Vik, the youngest brother, is trained as a biologist. Mentored by Jason Parkes, the winery’s consulting winemaker, Vik is assuming many of the winery’s viticultural and cellar duties.

“As per the 2024 vintage, we had a lot of red inventory in the cellar from 2023 so we will make do,” Davinder told me last year. “We have about 150 cases of a Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon blend coming that was co-fermented. This wine turned out spectacular and our winemaking team was very excited about it. We plan on leaving it for 15-18 months to gain even more complexity.” Commenting on the 2024 damage to the Sidhu vineyards, he continued: “We replanted some Syrah and Cabernet Franc last year and had to rip out a lot of Merlot. We are planting some Riesling this year in place of the Merlot and will be adding more Merlot in a different part of our Oliver vineyard likely next year.”

Vasanti did not import any Washington State grapes in 2024. The family seems to have the resources and the determination to hang in there and fulfill the promise of the excellent wines released to date. Here are notes on current and coming releases.

Vasanti Gamay Noir 2023 ($32.90 for 528 cases). This wine has already been released. Made with fruit from the family’s Paradise Vineyard in Oliver, the wine was fermented in stainless steel and aged 15 months, primarily in neutral oak. The wine delivers bright aromas and flavours of cherry and raspberry mingled with spice on the finish. 90.

Vasanti Reserve Gamay Noir 2023 ($41.99 for 147 cases). This wine was made with a blend of the seven best barrels of Gamay from the 2023 vintage. The wine was aged 15 months in French and European oak barrels (57% semi-neutral, 43% neutral). The change in the barrel regime complemented the greater flavour and textural intensity of this selection. There is more dark cherry and raspberry in the aroma and on the palate, with a touch of spice on the finish. The texture is silky. 92.

Vasanti Cabernet Franc 2023 ($37.99 for 196 cases). The grapes are from what Vasanti calls Neighbour’s Vineyard in Oliver. The wine was fermented in stainless steel and aged 18 months in oak (50% new American and European oak, 50% in neutral oak). Aromas of black cherry and blackberry are echoed on the palate, with a hint of plum on the finish. The wine is full on the palate. 92.

Vasanti Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 ($49.99 for 96 cases). The fruit was from vineyards on the east and west benches of the South Okanagan. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel and aged 30 months in neutral French and European oak. There are aromas of spice, cassis, dark fruits and oak. On the palate, there are flavours of dark fruits mingled with spicy oak. 93.

Vasanti Canvas 2022 ($51.99 for 96 cases). This is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon (aged 30 months in neutral oak) and Syrah (aged 24 months in new American oak). The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits, pepper and spicy oak. On the palate, there are flavours of plum, fig, dark chocolate and tobacco. 92.

Vasanti Syrah 2022 ($59.99 for 88 cases). The fruit is from Vasanti’s East Bench Vineyard, aged 24 months in new American oak. This is a rich, full-bodied red with aromas of plum, dark cherry and spice. On the palate, there are flavours of dark cherry and fig mingled with pepper on the long finish. 93.

Ailm intends to challenge Champagne with Okanagan sparkling wines

Photo: Winemaker Rowan Stewart

The newest sparkling wine producer in the Okanagan is Ailm Estate, a label that has been launched by the Stewart family, owners of Quails’ Gate Estate Winery. Ailm is shooting high. “Our intention is to compete with the best sparkling wine in the world,” winemaker Rowan Stewart says. “As people taste it, there will be a recognition of the Okanagan’s potential for sparkling wine.”

Ailm is a letter in the Irish alphabet. It was chosen for the winery in tribute to the Stewart family’s Irish roots. The first member of the family to emigrate to the Okanagan in 1908, Richard Stewart, was a horticulturist who started a tree nursery near Kelowna. In the 1950s, his son – also named Richard – developed the West Kelowna vineyard, now home to the Quails’ Gate winery, which was started by Ben and Tony Stewart, grandsons of the first member of the family to settle in the valley. Rowan is one of several great-grandchildren behind Ailm.

The sparkling wine project is based in East Kelowna, on a large property which the Stewarts acquired in 1950 and operated as a tree farm. In 2014, the family decided to plant grapes instead. Because the site is cool, it was planned to be a sparking winery, based on traditional Champagne grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Ailm’s first three vintages of traditional method sparkling wine were laid down in 2020, 2021 and 2022 while plans were made for an onsite winery, complete with a tasting room and a restaurant. That was derailed, at least for the time being, by the devastating freezes in the winters of 2023 and 2024. These caused serious damage to East Kelowna vineyards. While the surviving vines recovered to produce about 100 tons of grapes in the fall of 2025, including 35 tons for sparkling, some of the property also has had to be replanted.

“So the vineyards have recovered,” Rowan says. “We did lose some vines but most of the Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay came through.” The Stewarts decided to press on with the Ailm project but to delay building a winery and tasting room until replanting has been completed. There may be a pop-up tasting room next summer in East Kelowna but the limited volumes of sparkling wine cannot yet support the original grand plans.

While the launch wines are almost exclusively bubble, there is one red wine in the portfolio, an $80 wine previously released in the Quails’ Gate portfolio.. “We have one other wine under the Ailm label: Connemara,” Rowan says. “This was a Quails’ Gate wine but there are reasons why we pivoted it. My grandfather said the only place in Ireland he liked was Connemara. When the farm [in West Kelowna] was named in the 1950s, it was called Connemara Farms. The part that is still called Connemara is the highest point of the vineyard. The Merlot that was in our old Connemara came from that site … one of the few places north of Penticton where you could ripen world-class Merlot. The blend of this wine is Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.”

Rowan has come to his role at Ailm with considerable experience. He has a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and enology from the Nelson Marlborough Institute in New Zealand, where he graduated in 2016. While there, he worked as a vineyard hand and in the cellars are several New Zealand wineries. When he returned to Canada, he spent three years with two large producers in the Niagara region in Ontario. He has been at Quails’ Gate and Ailm for the last six years.

Here are notes on the sparkling wines, available at the Quails’ Gate tasting room.

Ailm Brut N/V ($45). This wine is 57% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier, each fermented separately in stainless steel. The wine was on the lees for 24 months. The active mousse gives the wine a good texture and an appealing presentation in the glass. There are notes of citrus in the aroma and the palate. The finish is crisp and clean. 91.

Ailm Blanc de Blanc 2021 ($65). The Chardonnay for this wine is from the winery’s Westpoint Vineyard in East Kelowna. The wine had 28 months on the lees, resulting in a fine stream of bubbles and delicate notes of brioche in the aroma and the palate, along with refreshing touches of citrus. 93.

Ailm Brut Rosé 2022 ($65). This is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 20% each of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. There is a light blush in the glass, accentuating the active mousse. The wine has aromas and flavours that hint at strawberry. The finish is crisp and refreshing. 94.

Ailm Brut Reserve 2020 ($85). This is 82% Pinot Noir and 18% Chardonnay. Extended time on the lees (40 months) has given this wine a rich texture, with aromas and flavours of brioche. This is a sophisticated sparkling wine that could well have been made by a leading Champagne producer. 96.

Rust Winery plans to winter-proof its vineyards

Photo: Winemaker Ryan de Witte (courtesy Rust Wine Co.)

Rust Wine Co. is a sister winery to Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery but has concentrated on different varietals to set itself apart. These included a quartet of Syrah wines and a Zinfandel. Unfortunately for Rust, the January 2024 freeze devastated the winery’s sources of Syrah and Zinfandel. Winemaker Ryan de Witte has begun to make major changes in the portfolio, adding Pinot Noir and soon Sangiovese, Mondeuse and Barbera.

“Planting Sangiovese was a way of future proofing the vineyard to warmer summer temperatures as well as being hardier than the Zinfandel it is replacing,” Ryan explains. “It is mostly intended as a blending component for Solus, our halo wine but, if the vintage is good and the crops are equally generous, then we will bottle a varietal Sangiovese. It’s hard to decide what to put in premium sites as the variety needs to be one we can get a good price for (i.e. we don’t plant Pinot Gris there, but Sangiovese can fetch a fair price and is known by consumers – another problem as well). We talked about Tempranillo and some others but they were either too obscure or unlikely to make it through a severe winter.”

Ryan continues: “Mondeuse is an alpine red variety from the Savoie region of eastern France. It hits a bit like Syrah in that it ripens around the same time and can have a similar colour and weight, but it is a bit more delicate and tends to have higher acidity. Again, the hope with this is that this helps with warmer summers with its ability to retain acidity and, because it’s an Alpine grape, it will have some winter hardiness. It’s also a vanity project for me. I love the grape and have always wanted to plant it.”

As devastated as the vineyards were in 2024, they have “rebounded with aplomb” this year, Ryan reports. “We are awash with fruit and are excited to be making 100% BC wine again. We have not elected to purchase grapes from elsewhere this year but do not pass judgement on those who have elected to. We will be releasing an Oregon Pinot Noir from the 2024 vintage from the Laurelwood AVA in the coming year.” The current releases from Rust are from the 2022 and 2023 vintages. While 2022 was thought to have been the stronger vintage, Ryan did a great job with 2023. Here are my notes.

Rust Chardonnay 2022 ($N/A). This is a crisp and disciplined wine, with notes of citrus and apple mingled with minerality on the backbone. The wine was aged in French oak (20% new). 90.

Rust Chardonnay 2023 ($35). Ryan has been fine-tuning Chardonnay since joining the winery in 2019. He believes the 2023 is his best so far. The wine was aged 15 months in French oak (none new). The wine begins with aromas of apple, peach and vanilla. The creamy palate delivers rich stone fruit flavours mingled with oak. The finish is persistent. 93.

Rust Pinot Noir 2022 ($55). This is a robust wine that was aged in French and Hungarian oak (20% new). There are aromas and savoury flavours of dark cherry wrapped around a sturdy texture. 90.

Rust Pinot Noir 2023 ($N/A). Aged in neutral French oak, this wine begins with bright aromas of cherry and spice which are echoed on the lush, fruity palate. The texture is silky and the finish is long. This wine, along with the previous vintage, is made with grapes from the winery’s Three Mountain Vineyard in West Kelowna. 93.

Rust Merlot 2022 ($35). The grapes for this wine are from the winery’s Lost Horn Vineyard at Okanagan Falls. The 2022 vintage was exceptional, showing in this wine good concentration and long tannins. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak (20% new). The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits and spice leading to richly textured flavours of dark fruits. 92.

Rust Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 ($55). This wine is a tribute to the late Kane Morgan, Rust’s wine shop manager who died in a traffic accident a few years ago. It is a very fine wine – big and ripe, with a dark colour and aromas of black currant and dark cherry that are echoed on the palate. 92.

Rust Golden Mile Syrah 2022 ($44). This is the last Syrah from Rust’s home vineyard because the varietal did not survive the 2023 and 2024 freezes; and other varietals have been planted in its place. A pity, perhaps, because Rust made glorious Syrahs. This wine has aromas of plum, dark cherry and pepper which are echoed on the palate. The ripe tannins give the wine body and length. 93.