Inside the Winemaking
Mission Hill Family Estate was founded with a vision for the future of wine.
Continuing our pioneering history, we use sustainable, organic farming practices. By supporting these practices with modern technology, our varietals thrive in the valley’s diverse soil profiles. Then, they are carefully aged with new and Old World techniques, leaving you with wines that echo the terroir of the valley.
Senior Winemaker
Taylor Whelan
Taylor grew up in Campbell River on Vancouver Island in a family that valued self-sufficiency. His love for food and drink started early, influenced by his upbringing in the Salmon Capital of the World. Initially pursuing fisheries biology, he later found his true passion in winemaking.
Taylor’s career has taken him from Niagara-on-the-Lake to New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania, working with top wineries like House of Arras and Bay of Fires. In 2011, he returned to British Columbia to join CedarCreek Estate Winery, playing a key role in their transition to organic and regenerative farming. This effort earned them ‘Winery of the Year’ title at 2022 WineAlign National Wine Awards.
With Taylor at the helm of winemaking crafting wines of unparalleled distinction, Mission Hill continues to draw inspiration from the valley and vineyards.
Terroir of the
Okanagan Valley
The Okanagan Valley was carved into volcanic rock by slow moving, sediment-depositing glaciers thousands of years ago. Now, the valley offers grape growing subregions with varying soil profiles, long, hot growing days, and diverse microclimates.
These distinct subregions exist shoulder-to-shoulder, all carrying the potential to cultivate wine with unmistakable terroir.
Farmed Organically
If you look closely at our vineyards, you will see life in the land. Bees, falcons, and chickens replace pesticides and insecticides. Cover crops, earthworms, and compost are used in place of chemical fertilizers.
Fostering an ecosystem natural to the region supports quality grape growing, which in turn creates wine of depth and character. For us, it wasn’t the right decision — it was the only decision.
Technology Meets Tradition
As winemakers, our practices are fundamentally rooted in Old World techniques. Now, we can support these techniques with modern technology.
Drones give us a high-level view of the vineyard’s health while on the ground, a lightweight Geier machine allows us to perform high-density farming. Soil science pinpoints the areas to best plant our varietals then informs us exactly why our grapes taste the way they do. These, along with every other modern advance we use, allows us to better understand how to harness the terroir of the valley.
Old World, Modern Options
The winemaking team continuously innovates, combining fermentation and maturation vessel traditions with future trends.
At Mission Hill Family Estate, as with everything we do, our equipment and processes are designed to best serve the wines. Concrete Eggs look forward while our Clay Amphora honours the past, and our wide variety of oak barrels provide a range in texture and flavour.
