2026 brought a hot, dry growing season, a cooler fall, and some important decisions along the way. It was a year that called on our team’s experience, rewarded patience in the vineyard, and showed the value of thoughtful decisions—from the first pick to the final press.

While summer was hot and dry, harvest brought cooler conditions than we experienced in 2025. Picking at our Keremeos vineyard followed a similar timeline to last year, while our Monte Creek Ranch and Lion’s Head sites came in a little later. That extra time worked in our favour. Cooler fall temperatures allowed the grapes more time for flavour development and phenolic ripeness—the development of compounds in the skins and seeds that contribute to a wine’s colour, texture, and tannins.

For varieties that needed more time to develop flavour, we used late-season irrigation to help extend their time on the vine. It was a calculated risk: a turn in the weather could have made that decision more challenging. Fortunately, conditions held, and the fruit benefited from that longer finish.

Wildfire smoke was also part of the 2026 harvest story. This wasn’t our first experience working through a smoke-affected season, and that experience helped guide our response. Fortunately, most of our varieties showed little or no smoke impact, but where smoke impact was too significant, we chose to leave a small percentage of the crop unharvested. We also adapted production plans and drew on techniques developed over several harvests to help manage smoke impact. These adjustments gave us options for managing affected fruit while protecting wine quality.

The 2026 harvest asked a lot of our team, and success came from knowing when to wait and when to change course. Extra time on the vine supported flavour development, targeted irrigation helped fruit reach ripeness, and a flexible approach in the cellar allowed us to respond to what each variety needed.

As the wines continue to develop in the cellar, we look forward to sharing what this season has given us—and the work that helped bring it to the glass