Mission Hill Family Estate Winery

Anthony von Mandl arrived in BC as a young wine importer in the early 1970s and founded the Mark Anthony Group in Vancouver in 1972 as a wine and spirits import business. By 1981 the original Mission Hill foundation (established 1966) had passed through several owners and was operating as Uncle Ben's Gourmet Wines under Ben Ginter, a Prince George brewer with limited wine credibility. Von Mandl purchased the property from Ginter in 1981, inheriting rundown sheds, dirt floors, and a few barrels, and began the long rebuild that has defined his career: replanting the estate vineyards with vinifera (replacing the older hybrid and Labrusca plantings characteristic of pre-Free-Trade BC), upgrading the winery facilities, and recruiting international winemaking talent. The 1981 purchase coincided with the broader BC pull-and-replant program triggered later that decade by the 1988 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement. The agreement removed tariff protection for Canadian wine and forced a coordinated transition from Labrusca and hybrid plantings to vinifera; approximately two-thirds of BC vineyards were uprooted and replanted to vinifera by the early 1990s. The 1990 founding of the BC VQA framework provided the quality-tier identity needed to justify the replant capital and create a premium-tier marketing position for the new BC wine industry. Von Mandl positioned Mission Hill at the front of this transition, recruiting New Zealand winemaker John Simes in 1992. Simes had spent the previous 14 years at Montana Wines in Marlborough (where he was central to the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay programs that established New Zealand's international wine reputation) and brought cool-climate winemaking expertise that translated directly to the Okanagan's continental climate. His arrival produced the 1992 Mission Hill Grand Reserve Chardonnay that won the 1994 IWSC Avery Trophy and the credibility moment that anchored Mission Hill's identity.

• Anthony von Mandl founded Mark Anthony Group 1972 as Vancouver wine and spirits import business; purchased Mission Hill in 1981 from Ben Ginter (then operating as Uncle Ben's Gourmet Wines)
• Property inherited rundown sheds, dirt floors, and a few barrels; original Mission Hill foundation dated to 1966 but had passed through several owners by the early 1980s
• 1988 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement removed tariff protection; triggered BC pull-and-replant from Labrusca and hybrid to vinifera; approximately two-thirds of vineyards replanted by early 1990s
• Von Mandl recruited New Zealand winemaker John Simes from Montana Wines (Marlborough) in 1992; Simes had 14 years at Montana driving the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay programs

The 1994 International Wine and Spirit Competition in London awarded the Avery Trophy for Best Chardonnay Worldwide to Mission Hill for the 1992 Grand Reserve Chardonnay crafted by John Simes. The win was the first major international competition victory by a Canadian wine and became the catalytic credibility moment that established BC as a serious premium wine region in international markets. The IWSC is one of the most prestigious wine competitions globally; the Avery Trophy singles out the top-rated Chardonnay across all entries, an award typically held by Burgundian or premier New World producers from California and Australia. A BC win at this level in 1994 was unprecedented and reframed the international perception of Canadian wine. The IWSC win triggered a cascade of consequences. Mission Hill's Reserve and Grand Reserve wines gained immediate national distribution and significant export interest; the broader BC industry benefited from the halo effect that established Canadian wine as competitive on quality. Von Mandl reinvested the IWSC-era credibility in the Olson Kundig architectural commission (1996 design, multi-year build-out) and the recruitment of winemaking talent that has defined the modern Mark Anthony Group portfolio. John Simes continued as Mission Hill winemaker into the 2010s, and subsequent leadership has continued the Chardonnay-and-Bordeaux-variety quality programs. The 1994 IWSC moment also catalyzed the BC sub-GI framework: the credibility tier created by Mission Hill's premium positioning supported the multi-year sub-GI applications that produced Golden Mile Bench in 2015, Okanagan Falls in 2018, Naramata Bench and Skaha Bench in 2019, and additional sub-GIs in the 2022 cohort. Mission Hill was named 2025 WineAlign Canadian Winery of the Year and was named one of the World's 50 Best Vineyards in late 2025, continuing the international recognition trajectory established by the Avery Trophy three decades earlier.

• 1994 IWSC Avery Trophy for Best Chardonnay Worldwide for 1992 Mission Hill Grand Reserve Chardonnay (winemaker John Simes); first major international competition win by a Canadian wine
• Reframed international perception of Canadian wine; established BC as serious premium region; an award typically held by Burgundian or premier New World (California, Australia) producers
• Cascade of consequences: national distribution and export interest for Reserve and Grand Reserve wines; halo effect across BC industry; reinvestment in Olson Kundig commission
• Catalyzed BC sub-GI framework (Golden Mile Bench 2015, Okanagan Falls 2018, Naramata and Skaha Bench 2019); Mission Hill named 2025 WineAlign Canadian Winery of the Year and one of the World's 50 Best Vineyards

Tom Kundig of Seattle-based Olson Kundig Architects was commissioned in 1996 to redesign the Mission Hill estate. The 120,000-square-foot complex sits on a high mesa above Mount Boucherie in West Kelowna with sweeping views east across Okanagan Lake to the Naramata Bench and south to the southern Okanagan. The architectural composition combines modern sensibilities (clean geometric massing, exposed concrete, geometric stonework) with Old World gravitas (the central courtyard, the cloistered walkways, the underground cellars). The 85-foot belltower above the central courtyard has become the estate's visual signature and a recurring image in Canadian wine marketing. The underground caves carved into the bedrock house the barrel program and member tasting spaces; the rotating Members Reserve program rewards wine club members with exclusive bottlings. The 360-seat outdoor amphitheatre hosts summer concerts. The Terrace restaurant is a nationally recognized fine-dining destination paired with Mission Hill wines; the restaurant and tasting room support the wine-tourism business model that has scaled the estate to one of the most-visited wineries in BC. The estate's combination of Olson Kundig architecture, sweeping vista views, fine-dining restaurant, outdoor concerts, wine club program, and Legacy Collection allocations made Mission Hill one of the New York Times's 'Versailles of the Valley' references and one of the World's 50 Best Vineyards in 2025. Architectural critics have compared the estate to Robert Mondavi's Tuscan-influenced 1966 Napa Valley winery (the architectural precursor to high-budget New World destination wineries) and to Antinori nel Chianti Classico (the 2012 Marco Casamonti underground-vaulted Tuscan reference).

• Tom Kundig of Seattle's Olson Kundig Architects commissioned 1996; 120,000-square-foot complex on mesa above Mount Boucherie in West Kelowna with views east across Okanagan Lake
• Composition combines modern (clean geometric massing, exposed concrete) with Old World (central courtyard, cloistered walkways, underground cellars); 85-foot belltower is visual signature
• Underground caves house barrel program and member tasting spaces; 360-seat outdoor amphitheatre hosts summer concerts; Terrace restaurant is nationally recognized fine-dining destination
• One of the most-visited wineries in BC; New York Times called estate 'the Versailles of the Valley'; named one of the World's 50 Best Vineyards in 2025; comparable to Mondavi Napa (1966) and Antinori Chianti (2012) as destination-winery references

Mission Hill's wine portfolio is structured in a multi-tier price ladder. The Legacy Collection sits at the top: Oculus is the brand's flagship (a Bordeaux blend from premium Osoyoos and Black Sage Bench vineyards and one of Canada's most collected wines), Compendium (a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux blend typically built around roughly 62 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc), Quatrain (a four-variety blend interpreted as the four lines of verse the name evokes, built around Syrah with equal portions of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and a smaller Cabernet Sauvignon component), Perpetua (the flagship Chardonnay and lineal heir to the 1994 Avery Trophy lineage), and Prospectus (the newest Legacy bottling and the collection's Pinot Noir, sourced from cooler Okanagan sites and showing the savoury spice, flint, and dark cherry signature that has drawn recognition as one of the top Pinot Noirs from the valley). The Legacy Collection wines undergo extended barrel ageing followed by a 24-month in-bottle ageing period prior to release; production is small-lot and limited, targeting serious collectors and restaurant lists. The Terroir Collection sits at mid-tier and showcases single-vineyard expressions drawn from the top three percent of estate fruit, with each parcel selected and tasted throughout the winemaking process to maintain the single-vineyard identity. The Reserve tier and Estate tier extend the price ladder downward through accessible-but-serious price points. Mission Hill also produces the volume-tier Five Vineyards range (including the Cabernet-Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and other varietals) that anchors BC restaurant by-the-glass programs and national grocery-channel distribution. The estate farms 32 family-owned vineyards across all five Okanagan sub-regions (West Kelowna, East Kelowna, Naramata Bench, Black Sage Bench in southeast Oliver, and Osoyoos), giving the winemaking team a complete cross-section of valley fruit to draw from. The Mark Anthony Group portfolio under Anthony von Mandl extends beyond Mission Hill to CedarCreek Estate Winery in Kelowna, CheckMate Artisanal Winery in Oliver (a premium Chardonnay and Merlot specialist), Martin's Lane Winery in East Kelowna (a six-level gravity-fed Pinot Noir specialist carved into a steep mountainside), Road 13 Vineyards in Oliver, and Liquidity Wines in Okanagan Falls. Chief Winemaker Taylor Whelan joined Mission Hill in 2023 after serving as CedarCreek's winemaker from 2016 (where he drove the regenerative farming transition that earned CedarCreek the 2022 WineAlign Winery of the Year title), bringing internal Mark Anthony continuity to the winemaking team. The broader Mark Anthony Group brand stable also includes White Claw Hard Seltzer (the dominant US hard-seltzer brand), Mike's Hard Lemonade, Bearface Canadian Whisky, and Glendalough Irish Whiskey, making Mark Anthony one of the largest privately owned alcohol companies in Canada.

• Legacy Collection (top tier): Oculus (Bordeaux blend flagship), Compendium (Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux blend), Quatrain (Syrah-led four-variety blend), Perpetua (flagship Chardonnay), Prospectus (Pinot Noir, newest Legacy bottling); extended barrel ageing plus 24 months in-bottle prior to release
• Terroir Collection (mid-tier): single-vineyard expressions drawn from top 3 percent of estate fruit; Reserve and Estate tiers extend the ladder; Five Vineyards (volume tier) anchors restaurant by-the-glass and national grocery distribution
• 32 family-owned vineyards across all five Okanagan sub-regions: West Kelowna, East Kelowna, Naramata Bench, Black Sage Bench (southeast Oliver), and Osoyoos
• Mark Anthony Group portfolio: Mission Hill, CedarCreek, CheckMate, Martin's Lane (gravity-fed Pinot specialist), Road 13, Liquidity; Chief Winemaker Taylor Whelan joined Mission Hill 2023 from CedarCreek; broader brand stable includes White Claw, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Bearface Whisky

Mission Hill's winemaking leadership has continuity across the von Mandl era and the Mark Anthony Group portfolio. John Simes set the foundational style from 1992 through the 2010s, establishing the Chardonnay focus that produced the 1994 IWSC Avery Trophy and shaping the early Legacy Collection bottlings (Oculus debuted in 1997). Subsequent winemaking leadership maintained the Chardonnay-and-Bordeaux-variety quality programs through the 2010s and early 2020s. Taylor Whelan joined as Chief Winemaker in 2023 after a path that took him from his Vancouver Island upbringing through Brock University's grape and wine technology certificate (2009-2010), winemaking stints in Niagara-on-the-Lake, New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania (including time at sparkling specialists House of Arras and Bay of Fires), and a 2011 return to BC that led to his appointment as CedarCreek's Assistant Winemaker from 2013 and Winemaker from 2016. His CedarCreek tenure drove the regenerative and sustainable farming transition that earned CedarCreek the 2022 WineAlign Winery of the Year title. Whelan's appointment at Mission Hill in 2023 brought internal Mark Anthony continuity to the winemaking team and applied the regenerative farming approach across Mission Hill's broader vineyard holdings. Under Whelan's direction Mission Hill was named 2025 WineAlign Canadian Winery of the Year and named one of the World's 50 Best Vineyards (announced December 2025), continuing the international recognition arc established by the 1994 Avery Trophy. The estate's contemporary positioning within Canadian wine is as the established premium leader with deep vertical integration across all five Okanagan sub-regions, an architecturally significant destination experience that supports the wine tourism business model, and a Legacy Collection that anchors the country's collector market alongside the broader Mark Anthony portfolio's Chardonnay (CheckMate) and Pinot Noir (Martin's Lane) specialization. Comparable estates in scope and ambition include Robert Mondavi (Napa Valley, the architectural and brand precursor), Penfolds (Australia, the broad portfolio plus flagship collector reds), and Antinori (Tuscany, the architecturally distinctive destination winery plus historic family continuity).

• John Simes (1992 to 2010s) set foundational style: Chardonnay focus, 1994 IWSC Avery Trophy, early Legacy Collection bottlings (Oculus debuted 1997)
• Taylor Whelan joined as Chief Winemaker in 2023; path through Brock University (2009-2010), Niagara, New Zealand, Australia, Tasmania (House of Arras, Bay of Fires), and CedarCreek (Assistant Winemaker 2013, Winemaker 2016)
• Whelan's CedarCreek tenure drove the regenerative and sustainable farming transition that earned CedarCreek the 2022 WineAlign Winery of the Year title
• Under Whelan: Mission Hill named 2025 WineAlign Canadian Winery of the Year and one of the World's 50 Best Vineyards (December 2025); contemporary positioning as established premium leader with deep cross-Okanagan integration