Monte Creek champions the Thompson Valley

Photo: Frontenac Gris grapes at Monte Creek

The Thompson Valley’s Monte Creek Winery, majestically sited on a hilltop east of Kamloops, announced the start of its 2026 vintage on September 2 this year. The winery’s vineyards include Minnesota hybrid grapes – so called because they were developed in Minnesota and Wisconsin for cold climate viticulture. These hardy, early-ripening varietals have proven themselves well-suited to the Thompson Valley, where summer is hot but winter is cold.

“We’re anticipating picking the first of our Marquette grapes later this week, which will be destined for our Living Land Sparkling Rosé,” the winery announced recently, referring to one of the Minnesota hybrids. Perhaps this harvest will be a match for 2025. The notes accompanying sample wines from the 2025 vintage describe that harvest.

“Harvest 2025 was one of the fastest-evolving seasons experienced at Monte Creek. September in particular was exceptionally busy. Once harvest began on August 29th, the vineyard and cellar teams had to set aside all other tasks to focus entirely on the grapes. The rapid onset of harvest was unexpected, driven by warm late-summer temperatures that accelerated ripening across our vineyards.

“One of the most striking lessons of this vintage is how differently the Thompson Valley performs compared to the Similkameen [where Monte Creek has a vineyard]. While grapes in our Keremeos vineyard progressed at remarkable speed, Kamloops’s more northerly location—with cooler nights and shorter days—allowed our fruit here to remain on the vine longer. This extended hang time enhanced physical ripeness, preserved crisp acidity, and delivered a freshness that is rare in a warm, fast-paced vintage like this one. Though the wines are still in development and won’t fully reveal their character for some time, the grapes already point to two distinct styles. The Keremeos fruit shows strength and intensity, while Kamloops fruit is producing wines of elegance and balance, particularly evident in the Riesling from our Lion’s Head vineyard.

“For us, this is the defining takeaway of the 2025 vintage: our northern latitude, which was once considered a disadvantage, has become one of our greatest strengths. By adapting vineyard practices to our unique climate, we’ve not only managed the challenges of recent years but are now seeing our vines and wines thrive in a terroir that once raised eyebrows. This vintage is a clear demonstration that Monte Creek’s location, combined with attentive vineyard management, produces wines of exceptional quality, expression, and balance.”

The only thing I would add is that the Minnesota hybrids have proved themselves as excellent wine grapes in the Thompson Valley. Many of the hybrids were given their names in Quebec, where most vineyards grow them because the varietals are so cold tolerant. That is the reason why the names are French: Marquette, Frontenac, and Le Crescent, for example. Here are some notes on the wines.

Monte Creek Living Land Riesling 2025 ($23.99 for 570 cases). Made from Thompson Valley grapes, this wine, which was aged four months in stainless steel, begins with aromas of citrus mingled with a hint of petrol. The wine has intense flavours of lemon and grapefruit with a long finish. Bright acidity gives it a crisp finish. 91.

Monte Creek Living Land Rosé 2025 ($22.99 for 1,702 cases). This wine, which was aged four months in stainless steel, is a full-bodied, dark-hued rosé with aromas and flavours of cherry and plum. It is a blend of 80.5% Marquette, 12.5% Frontenac Blanc, 4.4 Pinot Noir, 1.8% Gamay and 1.5% Frontenac Gris. 90.

Monte Creek Living Land Sparkling 2025 ($24.99 for 1,110 cases). This wine is made with La Crescent grapes. Primary ferment and four months aging is in stainless steel. The wine does its secondary ferment in Charmat tanks. The result is a crisp and refreshing wine, with aromas and flavours of pineapple and citrus fruits, and a good mousse. 90.

Monte Creek Living Land Sparkling Rosé 2025 ($22.99 for 1,000 cases). This wine is a blend of 85% Marquette and 15% La Crescent. The initial fermentation is in stainless steel, followed by a secondary ferment in Charmat tanks. The result is a crisp and refreshing sparkling wine. The deep rose petal hue is appealing in the glass. The wine has aromas and flavours of raspberry, strawberry and cherry, with a big, frothy mousse. 90.

Monte Creek Living Land Cabernet Franc 2023 ($28.99 for 1,300 cases). This is a bold, ripe red (14.4% alcohol) made from grapes from Oliver and Osoyoos growers. The ripeness of the wine reflects the 2023 vintage: “The generous heat made for concentrated and flavourful wines,” the winery says. This wine is dark in colour, it has aromas of plum, blackberry and spice, with dark fruit on the palate. With breathing, the wine also reveals an appealing hint of sweetness to the fruit. 90.