As spring heralds rebirth and inspiration, SpearHead Winery is excited to welcome Grant Stanley, a highly esteemed BC winemaker as the new winemaker/general manager. He’ll be hands-on in vineyard and winemaking operations and will manage the winery.
Stanley launched his winemaking career in New Zealand where he worked for 10 years. During that time, he spent a few harvests in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, working with leading Pinot Noir producers. Since 2003, he has been in the Okanagan establishing himself as a premier BC winemaker.
Proprietor Bill Knutson says, “Well-known as a Pinot Noir specialist and great guy, Grant is perfect for SpearHead. While we’ve had some success with our Pinot Noirs, we believe that with Grant on board we can aim higher and enhance our reputation as a producer of premium single-vineyard Pinot Noirs.”
To that goal, SpearHead’s winemaking operation will move into a newly constructed building, purposefully designed with input from Stanley, for small-batch Pinot Noir production. The tasting room remains where it is while the downstairs will convert to a barrel room.
Watch for special barrel room tastings and wine-paired events. Of note, the winery’s name has changed from SpierHead to SpearHead Winery.
Spring wine releases highlight the 2017 White Pinot Noir ($24 pretax), a rare expression of a red grape using gentle winemaking techniques for pristine clarity and a rich palate with racy acidity and white peach and poached pear aromatics. Featured, too, are the 2017 Pinot Noir Rose ($21 pretax), 2017 Pinot Gris ($19 pretax) and 2017 Riesling ($20 pretax).
For The Wine Festival, Food Truck Friday returns May 4, 4:30-6:30 pm. Enjoy a complimentary glass of select SpearHead wine on the vineyard patio, and purchase food from the onsite guest food truck. Pizzas return late June/early July. Additionally, Kelowna Shakespeare performs at SpearHead’s outdoor stage later in July.