Mission Hill Family Estate Winery

Anthony von Mandl arrived in BC in the early 1970s as a young wine importer; he founded the Mark Anthony Group in 1972 as a Vancouver-based wine and spirits import business. By 1981, after the Canadian wine industry's collapse following the late-1970s federal regulatory changes, the original Mission Hill Winery (founded 1966 in West Kelowna) was bankrupt and abandoned. Von Mandl purchased the property and immediately began the long rebuild that has defined his career: replanting the estate vineyards with vinifera (replacing the older native and hybrid plantings that had been characteristic of pre-Free-Trade BC), upgrading the winery facilities, and recruiting international winemaking talent. Von Mandl's purchase coincided with the broader BC pull-and-replant program triggered 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 (who had been at Montana Wines in Marlborough) to lead the Mission Hill winemaking team beginning 1992. Simes's role at Mission Hill 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 and supported the broader BC premium ascent.

• Anthony von Mandl founded Mark Anthony Group 1972 as Vancouver wine and spirits import business; purchased abandoned Mission Hill property 1981 to begin long rebuild
• Original Mission Hill Winery founded 1966 in West Kelowna; bankrupt and abandoned by early 1980s following late-1970s regulatory changes and pre-Free-Trade collapse
• 1988 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement removed tariff protection; triggered BC pull-and-replant from Labrusca and hybrid to vinifera; ~two-thirds of vineyards replanted by early 1990s
• Von Mandl recruited New Zealand winemaker John Simes (formerly of Montana Wines in Marlborough) to lead Mission Hill winemaking from 1992; Simes's tenure produced 1992 Grand Reserve Chardonnay

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. 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 specifically singles out the top-rated Chardonnay across all entries, an award typically held by Burgundian or premier New World producers (California, 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 (1996-2002 build-out) and the recruitment of winemaking talent that has defined the modern Mark Anthony Group portfolio. John Simes continued as Mission Hill winemaker through 2010; subsequent winemakers Darryl Brooker and Corrie Krehbiel have maintained 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 (2015), Okanagan Falls (2018), Naramata Bench and Skaha Bench (2019), and the 2022 cohort.

• 1994 IWSC Avery Trophy for Best Chardonnay Worldwide for 1992 Mission Hill Grand Reserve Chardonnay; first major international competition win by a Canadian wine
• Reframed international perception of Canadian wine; established BC as serious premium region in international markets; an award typically held by Burgundian or premier New World (California, Australia) producers
• Triggered cascade: national distribution and export interest for Mission Hill Reserve and Grand Reserve wines; halo effect across broader BC industry; reinvestment in Olson Kundig commission
• Catalyzed BC sub-GI framework: credibility tier supported multi-year sub-GI applications producing Golden Mile Bench (2015), Okanagan Falls (2018), Naramata + Skaha Bench (2019), 2022 cohort

Tom Kundig and Jim Olson of Seattle-based Olson Kundig Architects were commissioned in 1996 to redesign the Mission Hill estate. The 120,000-square-foot complex (built 1996-2002) 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 stone work) 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 the Members Lounge; the rotating Members Reserve program rewards wine club members with exclusive bottlings. The 360-seat outdoor amphitheatre hosts summer concerts. The Terrace restaurant (operating since the early 2000s) is a national-recognition 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 over 200,000 annual visitors. The estate's combination of Olson Kundig architecture, sweeping vista views, fine-dining restaurant, outdoor concerts, wine club program, and Legacy Collection allocations has made Mission Hill the most-visited winery in BC and one of the New World's most architecturally significant wine destinations. 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 and Jim Olson of Seattle's Olson Kundig Architects commissioned 1996; 120,000-square-foot complex built 1996-2002 on mesa above Mount Boucherie in West Kelowna
• 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 Members Lounge; 360-seat outdoor amphitheatre hosts summer concerts; Terrace restaurant (early 2000s) is national-recognition fine-dining destination
• Over 200,000 annual visitors; most-visited winery in BC; New York Times called estate 'the Versailles of the Valley'; comparable to Mondavi Napa (1966) and Antinori Chianti (2012) as destination-winery references

Mission Hill's wine portfolio is structured in a five-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, one of Canada's most collected wines, retail $80-100 from 2018-2020 vintages), Compendium (Bordeaux blend, slightly more accessible price point), Quatrain (Bordeaux-Syrah blend), Perpetua (the brand's premium Chardonnay program, named for the Avery Trophy era's Chardonnay heritage), and Prospectus (Cabernet-driven blend). The Legacy Collection wines undergo extended barrel ageing followed by a 24-month in-bottle ageing period prior to release; the production model targets serious collectors and restaurant lists rather than supermarket distribution. The Terroir Collection sits at mid-tier: single-vineyard and small-block Bordeaux variety and Chardonnay bottlings that explore the geographic mosaic of Mission Hill's vineyard holdings. The Reserve and Estate tiers extend the price ladder downward through accessible-but-serious price points. Mission Hill is also the producer of the brand's volume-tier wines (Five Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet-Merlot, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon) that anchor BC restaurant by-the-glass programs and national grocery-channel distribution. The Mark Anthony Group portfolio extends beyond Mission Hill to include CedarCreek Estate Winery (Kelowna), CheckMate Artisanal Winery (Oliver, opened 2014; premium Chardonnay and Merlot specialist with five consecutive perfect 100-point scores), Martin's Lane Winery (East Kelowna, opened 2016; the world's most architecturally radical Pinot Noir winery, a six-level gravity-fed winery carved deep into a steep mountainside), Road 13 Vineyards (Oliver; the Honest John's brand and the structured GSM blends), and Liquidity Wines (Okanagan Falls; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, broad aromatic-white program). The Mark Anthony Group portfolio also includes wider beverage brands: White Claw Hard Seltzer (the dominant US hard-seltzer brand and Mark Anthony's largest growth driver), Mike's Hard Lemonade, Bearface Canadian Whisky, Glendalough Irish Whiskey, and a Mark Anthony Brands Niagara (Ontario) wine expansion launched in 2022 with vineyard purchases in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

• Legacy Collection (top tier): Oculus (Bordeaux blend flagship, $80-100), Compendium, Quatrain, Perpetua (premium Chardonnay), Prospectus (Cabernet-driven blend); extended barrel and 24-month in-bottle ageing prior to release
• Terroir Collection (mid-tier): single-vineyard and small-block Bordeaux variety and Chardonnay bottlings; Reserve and Estate tiers (accessible-but-serious); Five Vineyards (volume tier) anchors restaurant by-the-glass and national grocery distribution
• Mark Anthony Group portfolio: Mission Hill + CedarCreek + CheckMate (premium Chardonnay/Merlot, 2014 open, 100-point scores) + Martin's Lane (East Kelowna gravity-fed Pinot specialist, 2016) + Road 13 (Oliver) + Liquidity (Okanagan Falls)
• Mark Anthony Group also owns White Claw Hard Seltzer, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Bearface Whisky, Glendalough Irish Whiskey; largest privately owned alcohol company in Canada; Mark Anthony Brands Niagara expansion launched 2022