Wayne Gretzky Estates Niagara
The story starts with the larger Wayne Gretzky Niagara operation. Crafted in the celebration of diversity and excellence of vineyards on the Niagara Peninsula, the wines of Wayne Gretzky Estates are a great introduction to the true taste of Niagara. The collection combines the approachability of an exceptional everyday wine at a great value while showcasing a winemaking style reflective of its regional identity – just like the Great One himself.
The Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake was opened in 2015. Nestled among the vineyards, the distillery is home to a state of the art distilling equipment, while the winery features a beautiful barrel fermenting and ageing cellar and tasting room. The 23,000 square foot facility is the first of its kind in the region, featuring both wine and distilling production. The summer water feature next to the Great Lawn will become an ice rink in winter, complete with a ‘loonie’ buried at centre ice, dropped by The Great One himself at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Wayne Gretzky Estates Okanagan
Wayne Gretzky Estates Okanagan is located in downtown Kelowna.
In 2011, Andrew Peller Ltd. entered into a 10-year licensing agreement with Wayne Gretzky Wines Estates to make and sell wines under the Gretzky brand.
Other BC Estate Wineries owned by Andrew Peller Ltd. include Sandhill, Red Rooster Winery, Calona Vineyards, Black Hills Estate, Gray Monk Estate Winery, and Tinhorn Creek Vineyards.
Okanagan Winemaker
Sydney Valentino was named the head winemaker for Wayne Gretzky Okanagan in 2019 but has been working closely with the winemaking team in Kelowna for over 10 years. She was previously the head winemaker for the Conviction Wines portfolio. Sydney was born in Winnipeg and raised in Kelowna. She has degrees in Chemistry and Teaching from UBC and studied winemaking at Okanagan College in Penticton. Sydney is proud to be the third in the line of the female-only winemaker to take the helm of the Gretzky Okanagan Winemaking team – (Fun fact – the Gretzky Okanagan wines have only had female winemakers to date!). She has been inspired by some of the Okanagan’s leading wine pioneers – including working with Howard Soon for 5 years before his retirement.
“The whole idea with the Wayne Gretzky brand is that you could drink it at a hockey game. I don’t sit and watch hockey, but hockey is in my DNA, being Canadian. Everybody around me is into hockey. It just runs through your blood as a Canadian. It is such a cool brand to be part of.”
Sydney Valentino
The Wayne Gretzky Okanagan Signature Wines
There is an extensive portfolio of Wayne Gretzky Okanagan Wines available for purchase online here. The reserve wine tier is Signature. In style, the wines express varietal fruit and are lightly oaked. Here are the notes for three wines from the signature series.
Wayne Gretzky Okanagan Signature Chardonnay 2015
Aromas of citrus mingled with buttery oak. The palate is rich with flavours of citrus and butterscotch, with a hint of oak.
Wayne Gretzky Okanagan Signature Pinot Noir 2016
Light in colour, well integrated tannins and vanilla aromas with a hint of oak. Red fruit, strawberries, ripe cherries. Long finish
Wayne Gretzky Okanagan Signature Cabernet Merlot 2016
This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, aged 14 months in American and French oak barrels. Aromas of ripe blueberry, black cherry with smoky, slightly leafy notes. On the full-bodied palate, the fruit is leaner with some herbal and smoked meat notes grappling with blueberry and blackberry flavours.
Future Plans – March 2021 Update
Recent plans submitted to the Kelowna planning department seeks to expand the current Sandhill Winery and Calona Wines building to include Gretzky Winery.
Changes would include a redesign of some of the interior and exterior portions of the property at Richter Street and Vaughn Avenue.
“This proposal is to relocate the Sandhill Winery towards the north into a portion of the existing Calona Wines building, while the current location of the Sandhill Winery is to be repurposed to create a new home for the Gretzky Winery,” the application states.
“The Gretzky Winery portion of the building is designed to have a new rooftop outdoor patio seating area, along with a new kitchen and associated washrooms.”
The new design would also update the portion of the building facing Richter Street.
Wayne Gretzky Estates already operates a tap room within the Sandhill and Calona Wines operation.
Note: The winery and winemaker information and photos were supplied by Wayne Gretzky Estates.