Owners of Kamloops's first winery retiring
The owners of Harper's Trail Estate Winery near Kamloops are retiring after 16 years in the business and have listed the winery for sale.
The award-winning winery owners Ed and Vicki Collett will be opening the tasting room for its final month in May. They encourage everyone to come out and help them celebrate and “savour their final vintage,” according to a media release issued today, Feb. 14.
“To have realized our vision of opening a winery and growing premium grapes in the Thompson Valley is a dream come true,” Ed said in the release. “Despite the hard work and challenges along the way, we wouldn’t change a thing.
"It took a lot of courage to be the first to step up in a new wine region, but to see the Thompson Valley wine industry emerge and grow into what is now - an official wine appellation - has been, and continues to be, beyond gratifying.”
Harper's Trail is Kamloops area's very first winery, opening in 2012. It has since grown to a 5,000-case brand producing 100% estate wines grown on the property’s 25.5 acre vineyard, according to the release. The wines have won top honours in national and international competitions.
“In the creation of Harper’s Trail, the Colletts have been instrumental in the development and credibility of the Thompson Valley wine region,” Kamloops Winery Association executive director Trish Morelli said. “They have proven to the wine world the quality of wines coming from this region and have helped to put the Kamloops Thompson Valley on the wine map. This is the legacy they leave."
In planning for their retirement, the Colletts have listed the winery for sale and hope to find a reputable successor to take it to the next level. The winery is currently on the market and listed with Cushman & Wakefield.
“It's definitely bittersweet,” Vicki said in the release. “Although we are excited to retire and ready to move on to the next stage of our lives, we really enjoy welcoming guests to the winery and take great pride in introducing people to the quality of wines from this region. We will miss that.
"We have immense gratitude for our staff, our loyal customers, and industry stakeholders who have supported us along this journey.”
READ MORE: Why the Okanagan Valley has so many wineries; the Okanogan so few
Located at 2761 Shuswap Road, Harpers Trail Estate Winery will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in May. An exclusive collection of wines will be released and special savings on remaining inventories will be offered.
— This story was corrected at 10:36 a.m. Feb. 15, to say the correct size of the vineyard is 25.5 acres.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
