BC wines and those who love them, have grown by leaps and bounds since Father Pandosy planted the first grapes near Kelowna in 1930. On the cover is The Vibrant Vine, a winery that has gone through some major growing pains since 2010.
The Vibrant Vine began as a retirement project, and today, holds top rankings among BC wineries. This popularity caused some difficulty in the 2017 season. The winery had to close its doors on more than one occasion to incoming visitors as it was already at capacity. Now, with the winery’s expansion complete, they hope they never have to turn away anyone again!
The first renovation was on the 1937 heritage building. In 2014 they built on and expanded the tasting room to twice its size. Within the year, they knew it wasn’t big enough, so they made plans to increase their space so visitors could enjoy the full Vibrant Vine Experience. Co-owner Wyn Lewis said he hopes this new expansion will take them through the next five years.
The Heritage Tasting Room now has three times the capacity as last year. There’s also a new retail area where guests are met and escorted to the tasting area.
In addition to the tasting room, there’s a new Lakeview Lounge on the second floor with its kitchen and large outdoor patio overlooking the Chardonnay vineyard towards the Lake.
Meanwhile the new Cellar, dug underneath the old building and parking area, will provide a breathtaking, candlelit, elegant location for VIP tastings, accessed via a dramatic tunnel entrance.
We wish them continued success in their retirement project.