In 1992 I was the Managing Director of Vernon Tourism and TOTA (during one of their conventions) took us on a little tour of what was then Mission Hill. It seems like a lifetime ago now – my little company Mojo Tours wasn’t even a glimmer in my eye then but as a result of my involvement in the tourism industry in the Okanagan, I have had the privilege of watching the BC wine industry grow.
I have clear memories of going out to Gray Monk and talking to George and Trudy Heiss to get them to participate in our Vernon Visitor Guide and speaking to them about the need for a few more wineries in Lake Country for the region to become a true destination for wine lovers. At the time it was the sole winery in the area.
Flash forward 25 years and we have 8 delightful award-winning wineries here in Lake Country and the North Okanagan. This region now provides exceptional wine touring experiences – from barrel tasting to courtyard tasting. People can enjoy picnics with unsurpassed views of Okanagan Lake and our restaurants are all focused on good farm to table foods paired with our exceptional wines.
We started our company while I had the contract to produce the visitors guide for Osoyoos. Glen Mandziuk, was the GM of Tourism Osoyoos and while we were discussing what he wanted to achieve with the magazine he mentioned the lack of a good tour that would provide no only the dedicated driver for the clients but also be able to provide commentary on its unique history and some of the real challenges that the wine industry in the beginning had to face. From this seed of on idea our tour company developed – this is our 14th year of operation and every year we get just a little bit busier.
Join us for a day that you can’t help but enjoy – “Be sure to go with the people who know”
I really enjoyed this article from Anthony Grimondi – https://news.totabc.org/2018/04/13/4-new-wine-regions-are-being-established-in-b-c/