The name Church & State symbolizes a balance between the many elements involved in creating the highest quality wine we can produce.
This concept of balance permeates everything we do, a balance between the head and the heart, between change and tradition. We find balance in the climate of this region, in the growing of our grapes, the aging of our wines in French oak barrels in our cellar and in the premium vintages we produce.
Our goal is to become one of the top three wineries in British Columbia and considering the comments of our customers and of judges at international competition and wine ratings, we feel we’re well on our way.
In the Okanagan Valley near Oliver we farm 60 acres on estate land, mainly on the renowned Black Sage Bench, and a further 30 acres through our partnerships with growers in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. We also have 11 acres of planted grapes on the Saanich Peninsula. We pay close attention to our grapes, from preparing the land to choosing the right clones and rootstock, to careful hand pruning and harvesting.
Our guiding principle is that you can make great wine only if you have great grapes. Great grapes are produced on the best land, most suitable to the varietal planted and with great attention to detail and timing throughout the planting, growing and harvesting process.
We offer our signature Church & State label, which encapsulates only the very best vintages we produce, creating our ultra premium wines, and our Church Mouse label, which is our “surprise in a bottle”, still very much a premium wine. Our new elite label is Quintessential, which graces our full five varietal Bordeaux blend; the most recent, 2006 vintage receiving the great honour of “Best Red Wine in Canada” at the 2009 All-Canadian Wine Championships..
If you’re looking for an assortment of VQA wines for your own cellar, just the right wine gifts for friends or family, or a spectacular west coast setting for your next celebration or corporate event, come visit us at Church & State Wines.
