Wonders of Wine and Food

A Celebration of 30-40-50 at Grey Monk Winery

We are sending congratulations Trudy and George Heiss, founders of Gray Monk Winery.  Fifty years ago they got married, forty years ago they moved from Alberta to
British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley to grow grapes and thirty years ago they opened their winery.  Trudy and George were among the leaders in establishing the rules
and regulations for establishing a winery in BC, resulting in the Estate Winery Program.  Their wines have won more awards than can possibly be listed here.

One of the Okanagan’s original estate wineries, Gray Monk has evolved over the 30 years from a small winery with a modest footprint to a grand winery styled like a European Château.  Today they produce over 80,000 cases of wine a year

The Heiss family has had a profound impact on Okanagan wine growing. They were the first to import clones of Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Auxerrois from Alsace.
They facilitated the Becker Project, an eight-year trial of German vines that, by its conclusion in 1985, proved the viability of varieties now among the most important in the Okanagan. Among all the wine producers in North America, they alone nurtured the hard-to-grow Rotberger grape to make a notable rosé.

Gray Monk built its reputation with unoaked white wines that are expressive, fruit-driven and juicy on the palate. They have also produced a 150 bottles of a sparkling white wine that was served exclusively at the anniversary celebrations last week.