Image Credit: Amandalina Letterio

By Amandalina Letterio

Road Trip

BLOG: Follow the vines to the art

Feb 20, 2022 | 1:15 PM

Okanagan Crush Pad opened in 2011 as a grape-crushing facility for nearby wineries — but it wasn’t long before the owners started producing their own wine. Today, the facility is only used to produce wine for the owners, Christine Colletta and Steve Lornie. It has become one of the most distinct wineries in the Okanagan by finding a way to blend art and wine. However, one of the most exciting parts about a visit to Okanagan Crush Pad is that it subtly immerses wine lovers in the winemaking experience by letting them see the process first-hand.

Image Credit: Amandalina Letterio

I stopped at Okanagan Crush Pad on my way through Summerland with my mom. Driving down the street surrounded by rows and rows of grape vines, Okanagan Crush Pad stands out with its colourful artwork painted along the winery walls, giving it a fresh and modern style. Vancouver abstract painter, Scott Sueme, was invited to OCP in summer 2021 to make the winery vibrant. Sueme updated the entrance of the winery with a mural and added an entirely new one on the 100-foot south-facing winery wall facing the vineyard. It’s Insta-worthy — the perfect balance between visiting a winery and an art show.

Art is not the only unique characteristic at this winery. One of my favourite aspects of visiting Okanagan Crush Pad was the tasting room. While most wineries charge an additional fee for a wine-making tour (if they even offer one), Okanagan Crush Pad’s winemaking happens right before your eyes. This was the perfect place to bring my som’mom’elier. My mom lives in Toronto and loves wine. She looks forward to visiting British Columbia and soaking in all of the wines here, so taking her to Okanagan Crush Pad’s tasting room was part of the exciting experience.

Image Credit: Amandalina Letterio

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The tasting room’s glass casing gives a front-row view to the winemaker at work. While you’re sipping each glass of wine, you can watch the winemaker transfer grapes between concrete tanks and see all the magic happen. It’s very entertaining and makes you feel like you are part of the process. We had the chance to do this while trying some of Okanagan Crush Pad’s four series of organic, Okanagan wines: Haywire, Narrative, Free Form and Bizou + Yukon. Each has its own style and story, told with every glass poured by the well-informed staff. I learned that the winery uses concrete tanks, amphorae, stainless steel and large-form oak to ferment and age the wines. My favourite story is the one behind the Bizou + Yukon brand. I won’t give away too much, but the bottles will give you a good hint.