Burrowing Owl Estate is a Canadian wine grower and producer. The estate is based fifteen kilometres south of Oliver, British Columbia, in the Okanagan Valley wine region.[1][2]
| Burrowing Owl Estate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Oliver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Appellation | Okanagan Valley |
| Founded | 1993 |
| First vintage | 1997 |
| Key people | Jim Wyse (founder), Chris Wyse (president) |
| Cases/yr | 28,000 to 30,000 |
| Varietals | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Syrah |
| Website | http://www.bovwine.ca/ |
History
edit
The estate was started in 1993 when Jim Wyse, a developer from Vancouver, was looking for new business ideas and purchased a neglected vineyard south of Oliver.[3][4][5] Initial plantings consisted of Chardonnay, Pinot gris, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.[5]
The estate is named after the endangered burrowing owl (A. c. hypugaea or northern burrowing owl) which resides in the area. Tasting fees from the cellar door are donated to a local conservation society.[5][6]
The first vintage of grapes was processed at another winery facility in 1997, prior to the completion of the on-site winery in 1998 which has been used for subsequent vintages.[5][7] The winery was set up to use a gravity flow processing system.[8][9] The original winemaker was Bill Dyer from California,[10] who continued in this role until 2005 when Stephen Wyse, Jim Wyse's son, took over the job.[11] Bertus Albertyn, a South African, took over the senior wine making position in 2010.[12]
Jim Wyse's son Chris Wyse is the current company president.[13]
Burrowing Owl Estate has been described by James Cluer, a Canadian Master of Wine, as a pioneer of the area and one of the iconic wineries of British Columbia.[14]
Wines
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Burrowing Owl owns 140 acres of vineyards and produces between 28,000 and 30,000 cases of wine each vintage.[9][15] Organic viticulture techniques are used by the winery as part of the environmental policy.[6][16]
The estate produces nine wines, entirely from grapes harvested from their own vineyard holdings.[4]
Red wines produced are made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot noir, Syrah, a Meritage blend[9] and a new wine released in 2010, the Athene, a blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.[17]
White wines are made from Chardonnay and Pinot gris.[9]
Other
editBurrowing Owl Estate has a restaurant and accommodation at the winery. The restaurant Sonora Room was opened in 2003 and ten guestrooms were completed in 2006.[4][18]
The cellar door, restaurant, swimming pool and accommodation are powered and temperature controlled by a hybrid Solar energy and Geothermal electricity heating and cooling system that also provides heated water for winery use.[16][19][20]
Quails' Gate Winery and Burrowing Owl formed a partnership called Appellation Wine Marketing Ltd in 2009 to sell and promote a portfolio of local and international wines in British Columbia and Alberta.[21][22]
References
edit- ^ "First time to the Okanagan Wine Festival". Pique Newsmagazine. Retrieved 2011-01-07.(registration required)
- ^ Canada (2009-05-23). "A Canadian cab that's definitely worth hailing". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ Danehower, Cole (2010). Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest: A Guide to the Wine Countries of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Idaho. Timber Press. pp. 246–247. ISBN 978-0-88192-966-9.
- ^ a b c Canada (2010-10-20). "Jim Wyse". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ a b c d Melander, Christina (2007). Pacific Northwest: The Ultimate Winery Guide: Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Chronicle Books. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-0-8118-5529-7.
- ^ a b "Burrowing Owl Estate - Environment". Bovwine.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ "Burrowing Owl Estate - The Winery". Bovwine.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ Johnson, Hugh (2003). Hugh Johnson's Wine Companion. Mitchell Beazley. p. 475. ISBN 1-84000-704-4.
- ^ a b c d "Burrowing owl's Wines take flight". Winetrails.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-04-23. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ Aspler, Tony (1999). Vintage Canada: The complete reference to Canadian wines. McGraw-Hill Ryerson. pp. 214–215. ISBN 978-0-07-086043-8.
- ^ John Schreiner. "Burrowing Owl Winery Is Flying On Its Own". Gismondi on Wine. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ Remy Scalza (Fall 2010). "Fresh Starts". Savour. Prosper Media Group: 28.
- ^ "Burrowing Owl Estate Winery". WineAccess.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ James Cluer (2009-11-12). James Cluer at Burrowing Owl Winery, Okanagan BC (Television production). James Cluer's Wine Route. Archived from the original (swf) on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ "Wine & Vines - Sleeping in the Vineyards". Winesandvines.com. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ a b "Canada Office of Energy Efficiency - CIPEC Newsletter". Oee.nrcan.gc.ca. 2009-04-15. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "John Schreiner on wine - Burrowing Owl reds sometimes pack 12-cylinder torque". Johnschreiner.blogspot.com. 2010-12-11. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ Vancouver, The (2008-07-02). "Vancouver Sun - Guesthouses sprout at Okanagan vineyards". Canada.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ "Ground Source Heat Pump Systems Case Studies". Canadian Consulting Engineer. 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2011-01-07.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Pro Eco Energy recent projects:Burrowing Owl Winery". Proecoenergy.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Eat Magazine - Quails' Gate Winery & Burrowing Owl Team up to start New Wine Agency". Eatmagazine.ca. 2009-07-23. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
- ^ "John Schreiner on wine - Burrowing Owl, Quails' Gate launch a wine agency of their own". Johnschreiner.blogspot.com. 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2011-01-07.