Big awards, big wines, big tasting room…even a big dog. Desert Hills Estate Winery (DH) does everything on the grand scale. It’s creating a splash with the wine savvy crowd… big time!
Riding their ongoing waves of success, proprietors Randy, Jesse and Dave Toor have grown their boutique family winery from the root stock up. The two-time recipients of the Lieutenant Governor General Award graced their medal shelf with another trophy this spring at the All Canadian Wine Championships (ACWC) for Best White Wine (Gewürztraminer 2013).
“When you know what you’re doing, you can always make a great wine,” says winemaker George Phiniotis. He’s excited about their most recent win: Best of Class, Double-Gold Medal and 94-points at the L.A. International Wine Competition (Syrah 2009).
DH is well known for their highly aromatic whites, huge-n-smooth reds, and a high-end Port-style blend, The Ambassador. George says, “we’ve had doctors and lawyers compare it to expensive European Ports. We’re at a pretty high level for winemaking here.”
Loyal fans are thrilled with their newly expanded and elegantly designed tasting room. “Wow!” and “It looks amazing!” are commonly uttered exclamations. Randy says, “We don’t have to turn anyone away anymore. We’ve got room to welcome all our guests!”
Customers new and old are signing up for DH’s wine club, taking advantage of immediate savings, first crack at new releases, free shipping (on the full-case shipments) and exclusive members-only events.
Syrah 2009 $34.90
Consistently a favourite, this vintage was their big winner in L.A. Enjoy its huge, sultry mouthfeel featuring lots of jammy notes followed by a lingering vanilla-mocha-spice finish. Perfect with prime rib, beef tenderloin and braised lamb.
~ Sarah Willard