Photo: Hester Creek president Mark Sheridan
The release of these wines – all 2025 VQA wines except one 2024 Washington red – has almost been overshadowed by the announcement that Mark Sheridan, the winery’s president, will retire at the end of this year.
An Australian-born and trained viticulturist, he was recruited to the Okanagan in 1999 as vineyard manager for Vincor. The late Curt Garland, who bought Hester Creek out of receivership in 2004, he hired Mark as general manager in 2010 to accelerate the turnaround at the winery.
“I have a working knowledge of a vineyard but it is not my expertise,” said Rob Summers, Hester Creek’s winemaker at the time. “We have a great vineyard and Mark Sheridan, with his expertise, has taken it up another level.”
Mark was soon promoted to president. Under his leadership, Hester Creek has become one of the most respected wine producers in the Okanagan.
When Mark leaves, he will be succeeded by Roger Gillespie, the current Director of Operations at the winery. In a news release, the winery said: “Roger joined Hester Creek in March 2012 and has a long history in the Canadian wine industry. Roger's deep understanding of Hester Creek's operations, culture, and values will ensure a smooth transition.”
One of Mark’s most consequential decisions for the winery was securing Washington State grapes for the 2024 vintage. The object was to keep Hester Creek in production, its staff intact and its customers needs met despite devastating frost damage to the vineyards in two consecutive years.
“We had a 35% crop in 2023 and will have a zero crop in 2024,” Mark told me in July, 2024. “You have a 17% crop averaged over two years. That is devastating. I have never heard of a wine region in the world that is predicting a 97% crop loss. 97% for the Okanagan valley! Sure, when I was in the Barossa and when I was in Coonawarra, you get a local frost and you might lose 10 or 15% of a crop. But I have never heard of a wine region forecasting a 97% crop loss. I have never heard of that world-wide.”
He moved decisively in February, 2024, when the vineyard damage had become evident in the Okanagan, to line up a supply of Washington grapes. By good fortune, there was a surplus of grapes there, with growers more than willing to sell to Canadian wineries.
Typically, Mark was hands on. “We have been talking with a grower [in Washington] since the very early spring,” Mark told me. “We had a contract in place and they were holding the grapes for us. I have been down there multiple times and have had input into how they grow the grapes. We have our own section of their vineyard that they have allocated to us. I have full input as to how they are growing the grapes on that section. All the viticultural inputs are being directed by myself.”
At the time of that interview, Mark made it clear that Hester Creek would resume making VQA wines from British Columbia grapes as soon as the vineyards were back in production. While Hester Creek has replanted a third of its vineyards, the remaining vines at the estate and at some of its growers recovered well. The 2025 whites just released are among the best ever made by Hester Creek.
It enables Mark Sheridan to leave the B.C. wine industry on a high note.
These are the wines.
Hester Creek Riesling 2025 ($24.99). The fruit is from one of Hester Creek’s Okanagan growers. The handpicked berries were crushed gently and fermented cool for 36 days in stainless steel. The wine has an appealing aroma of lemon and apple leading to flavours of apple, honeydew melon and lemon. The balance is exquisite, with a touch of sweetness on the long finish. 93.
b>Hester Creek Viognier 2025 ($24.99). The hand-picked grapes were pressed gently. After one day of cold settling, the wine was racked into stainless steel for a 37-day cold fermentation. Floral aromas of jump from the glass, followed by intense flavours of mango and Honeycrisp apple. 93.
Hester Creek Pinot Noir Rosé 2025 ($27.99). Made with South Okanagan fruit, the hand-picked grapes (clone 777) were crushed and allowed three hours of skin contact t0 extract the appropriate pink hue. The wine was fermented cool for 30 days in stainless steel and aged another four months in tank. Aromas of strawberry and mingled with hints of rhubarb; these are echoed on the full palate on the long finish. 91.
Hester Creek Cabernet Franc Rosé 2025 ($22.99). The hand-harvested grapes were crushed and left on the skins for three days to achieve the desired deep ruby hue in the glass. There are aromas of cherry, cranberry and pomegranate leading to flavours of ripe strawberry mingled with red plums. The wine is full-bodied and perhaps a little awkward for a rosé but is delicious none the less. 90.
Hester Creek Ti Amo 2025 ($24.99). This is a blend of 50% Gewürztraminer, 41% Pinot Gris and 9% Muscat. Each varietal was cool fermented separately for 25 days. The wine was blended and refermented in a Charmat tank for six weeks to create the lively bubbles. The wine is crisp and refreshing, with spicy notes in the aroma and one the palate. 90.
Hester Creek Petit Verdot Malbec 2024 ($29.99). The fruit for this wine was from Washington State’s Red Mountain region. The blend is 67% Petit Verdot and 33% Malbec. The wine was aged 13 months in French and American oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of spice and cherry leading to flavours of blueberry and fig. 90.
