The District Wine Village in Oliver grew one size larger with the latest addition to its winery offering – Valley Commons.
The winery opened its doors at the village in August where it offers wine sales and tastings and also offers its wines for sale online.
The Fraser Valley-based winery is featuring its inaugural vintage crafted by Mark Simpson of BC Wine Studio. These first releases include Garden Society, a premium red blend; Harvest Table, a white table blend; a Cabernet Franc, a Pinot Gris, and a Rosé.
Although new to the wine scene, owners Kyla Richey and Rudy Verhoeff – both former captains of Canada’s Women’s and Men’s and national volleyball teams – have previous experience in the hospitality sector.
The pair purchased land in the Fraser Valley at Fort Langley after their return to Canada in 2020 and settled on turning it into a vineyard.
Part of the foundation work in setting up the Fraser Valley vineyard involved trips to the Okanagan to gain insights and learn from others in the industry. It was during these trips that the couple decided it was essential to be part of the Okanagan wine community.
The Verhoeffs also purchased Oliver’s Stoneboat Vineyards in late June but intend to retain the name. Stoneboat’s winemaker Bill Adams and general manager Levi Gogolinski also remained with the winery.
Meanwhile, the District Wine Village is wrapping up construction on the last of its winery outlets. This final wine space will be taken up by an as yet to be named winery start-up. One further space will be filled in with a distillery and construction is set to begin this fall.
Coming up on Oct. 2, the wine village will host a concert featuring Vernon’s Andrew Allen. And in late November or early December, the village will feature a winter market.
