Wonders of Wine and Food

Winery Names

I find it quite interesting how many wineries chose their name. Many simply chose their family name, Di Profio, Kitsch Family Wines, Konzelmann Estate Winery and Norman Hardie. Others go with animals, Nighthawk Vineyards, Skimmerhorn Winery, Soaring Eagle Winery, Wild Goose, Equifera Estate Winery, and  Red Rooster.

Jim and Midge Wyse selected their location based on the Canadian Grape Atlas (Ag Canada 1984), which identified this area as the best grape growing region in the country. Being nature lovers and with a vineyard surrounded by a wildlife preserve that in the past has protected the endangered burrowing owl, the naming of the winery was easy, Burrrowing Owl

There are those that chose landmarks or location for their name, Vineland Estates Wines, Turtle Mountain Vineyards, Township7, Sleeping Giant and Seven Stones.

Some went for the marketing bedazzle such as Dirty Laundry, The Foreign Affair Winery, Blind Tiger Vineyards, Burnt Ship Bay, Contraband Sparkling Wine, Daydreamer Wines, Laughing Stock Winery, Devil's Wishbone Winery and Double Trouble Brewing.

Now what about Elephant Island Orchard Wines.  Bedazzle perhaps but is a location. Miranda and Del Halliday named their winery after Elephant Island paying tribute to Miranda's Grand Parents (Wisnicki) who built their retirement home on the Island. Actually, it is not an island it's an affectionate name for their home on  Naramata Bench the name was originally Eye-Island.

Many wineries go for the historical name. Inniskillin was granted the first estate winery license in Canada. The name Inniskillin is Irish and is derived from the famous Irish regiment, the Inniskilling Fusiliers.

Other with historical names include Black Prince, Harpers Trail and Baillie-Grohman Estate winery

Some of my favourite names include, Dragonfly Hill Vineyards, Blue Grouse Vineyards, Golden Hills, Gray Monk Estate Winery, Half Moon Bay Vineyards , Henry of Pelham and Kraze ¯ Legz, just to name a few.

Another interesting story is that of Okanagan Falls winery Blasted Church.

 On a cool spring morning in 1929, a small crew from Okanagan Falls set off to a deserted mining camp some 16 miles away from home. Their mission: to dismantle an old wooden church and bring it back to Okanagan Falls.

The plan called for a controlled blast of four dynamite sticks inside the church in order to "loosen the nails". Odd as it may seem, the explosion spared the wood from damage during dismantling.

Save for losing the steeple, the plan succeeded. Now, the 120-year-old wooden church stands proudly in its second home of Okanagan Falls.

In naming their VQA wines "Blasted Church", they celebrate the ingenuity of this initiative and honour these pioneers for their vision, steadfastness and craftsmanship