Journal

With the first harvest from the replanted Sharp Rock Vineyard now on the not-too-distant horizon, it seems like the perfect time to look back over the past 30 years and reflect on how this site has changed since the original vineyard was planted in 1996. Climate change is often discussed in broad, global terms, but…

Last month, on the second weekend of June, we had the privilege of welcoming our Wine Club members and guests to Black Hills Estate Winery for a celebration of our flagship wine, Nota Bene. Over three memorable events – the Nota Bene Cellar Dinner, the Nota Bene Soirée, and the Nota Bene Lunch, we gathered…

With the last barrels of our Hiatus Collection now bottled, we find ourselves looking back on what has become a multi-year journey since the freeze that hit our region back in 2024. It’s been a process that challenged us, humbled us, and ultimately made us stronger. At this moment, there’s a sense of catharsis, a natural pause for reflection.  This project brought…

The latest post in our vineyard blog series provides an update on our Black Sage Bench replants and the current growing season. With the first signs of veraison just beginning throughout the Okanagan Valley, we take a look at what we’re expecting from the 2025 vintage. It’s been a lot of hard work to get…

Twenty-five years ago, a bold red blend from the South Okanagan began turning heads. Today, Nota Bene stands as one of British Columbia’s most iconic wines and the flagship of Black Hills Estate Winery. With the release of the 2023 vintage, Black Hills celebrates 25 vintages of Nota Bene and the continuing story of a…

The Black Hills team is proud to announce the promotion of Ryan McKibbon to the role of Head Winemaker. Since joining our winemaking team ahead of the 2022 vintage, Ryan has overseen the cellar under the guidance of Ross Wise MW. This move brought his career full circle, as he first worked for Ross as…

As part of our ongoing vineyard blog series, we discuss the winter trials we’ve started at Double Black Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. After two harsh winters, we’re doing everything we can to ensure a sustainable path forward for our estate vineyards. If you’ve been following our blog series, you know about the winter…

In part two of our vineyard blog series, we explain how we’re changing more in the vineyard than just what grape varieties are planted. We’re adapting our viticultural practices to our changing climate, meticulously considering every variable as we replant our estate vineyards. It starts with the right grape variety on the right site. Previously,…

Ross Wise MW takes us across the border to Washington and Oregon to explore the exceptional vineyards we’ve partnered with for the unprecedented 2024 vintage.  We have an unwavering commitment to the unique terroir of the South Okanagan. We’re past talking about its potential. Our community of local wineries is producing wines that undoubtedly compete…

The history of winegrowing on the Black Sage Bench helps to explain the grape varieties that are planted today. The paradigm shift to Bordeaux red varieties in the early 1990s dramatically increased the acreage of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc over the next decade. By the early 2000s, Merlot was the most widely planted…

The Okanagan Valley is a young wine region in many ways. It was only 10,000 years ago that the valley was carved by a receding glacier. Some regions lay claim to some of the oldest soils on earth. Ours are some of the youngest, a result of an endless number of glacial streams depositing sand…

Our original estate vineyards, Sharp Rock and Double Black Vineyards, date to the mid-1990s, shortly after the first significant plantings of Bordeaux red varieties on the Black Sage Bench. This represented a dramatic paradigm shift for the South Okanagan, as winegrowers transitioned from cool-climate white grapes to late-ripening varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. While…