Bordertown Vineyards & Estate Winery

Bordertown Vineyards & Estate Winery sits in Osoyoos at the southern tip of the Okanagan Valley, just minutes from the US border in one of Canada's warmest and driest grape-growing areas. The winery opened in May 2015 as the culmination of a lifetime dream for grower Mohan Gill and his family, who farmed orchards and vineyards in the South Okanagan long before putting their own name on a label. That farming foundation shows in the portfolio: Bordertown produces around fourteen different varietals, with all wines estate grown and VQA certified, an unusually broad range made possible by the intense heat and long growing season around Osoyoos. The area's desert-like climate ripens big reds with ease while also supporting aromatic whites, and Bordertown's lineup reflects that diversity. The business has also grown to include cider, operating today as Bordertown Cider and Winery.

For visitors, the winery's modern tasting room has helped make Bordertown a destination for wine, food and travel lovers passing through Osoyoos. Tastings walk guests through the estate-grown range, and the setting offers a true taste of Canada's only semi-arid desert wine country, with sagebrush hills, lake views and some of the country's hottest summer temperatures. Tasting room hours run later into the evening on several days of the week, which suits travellers settling into Osoyoos for a lakeside stay, though the schedule changes seasonally and reservations can be made online. Bordertown pairs naturally with the wineries of the nearby Golden Mile and Black Sage Road benches on a southern Okanagan touring loop. For those interested in family farming stories, it is a compelling stop: a winery built on three generations of Gill family orchard and vineyard experience in the valley, pouring wines grown entirely on its own land at the very edge of the border.