Kamloops Wine Trail
The Monte Creek Ranch Winery and Tasting Room opened in June and we had a chance to stop and check it out in early July. It is part of the four winery Kamloops Wine Trail and is located about 20 minutes East of Kamloops just off the Trans Canada highway. The Kamloops region averages 30 degree summer temperatures which is quite warm for growing grapes. A windmill on the Monte Creek property is actually there to provide air circulation to cool down the vineyard.
View our photo set of Monte Creek Ranch Winery on Flickr.
Monte Creek Ranch
Today livestock share the ranch with grape vines and wildlife. Within the 936-acre ranch there are currently 40 acres of planted vines on either side of the Thompson River with room for expansion. The tasting room building and decor is very modern but the land on which the winery sits has a long history which is incorporated into the bottles. The Monte Creek area achieved fame in 1906 as the site of the last train robbery by the notorious “Gentleman Bandit” Bill Miner. While the room is sleek the bottles have a an old time ‘ranch’ and ‘saloon’ feel, a bit of a strange branding mix.
Monte Creek Wines
There are eight wines on the Monte Creek Ranch tasting menu ($5 per person without a purchase) and we tried them all. We were most interested in the different grape varietals that are planted here. These were our standouts:
2014 Hands Up White – good value at $13.49, blend of 75.5% Frontenac Blanc, 13.5% Viognier, 11% and La Crescent, not too sweet and a great summer sipper. This is the one we bought to accompany our patio snack.
2013 Gewurztraminer – $15.59, Silver Medal 2014 BC Wine Awards, medium bodied, bought a bottle to save until next summer.
2013 Frontenac Gris – $13.49, a new grape for the region designed to survive cold winters and thrive in hot summer temperatures, medium sweet and harvested from September 27th to November 4th, Bronze Medal 2014 BC Wine Awards.
Enjoy the View
You can purchase a bottle of wine to drink on the deck overlooking the winery and the Thompson River. Currently a small menu of cheese and charcuterie is available but we were told that the food offerings will be expanding. We will stop in and check them out on our next trip through the area.
We, Jeff & Tara Ciecko of CK Golf Solutions write two blogs, one is our 19th Hole Blog where we share personal experiences and the other a Biz Blog where we comment on business best practices and give golf industry related opinions. Our 19th hole blog is the places we visit and the things we do because we want to. When we say that we like or dislike something or have a good or bad experience this is our opinion and the truth as we see it. We did not get paid for this blog. We are affiliates of a select few products listed on our resources page. If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact us anytime.
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