Sagewood Winery

Sagewood Winery is a small family winery on Meadow Lark Road in Kamloops, part of the emerging Thompson Valley wine region that is steadily proving fine wine can thrive in British Columbia's interior grasslands north of the Okanagan. The winery farms with a light touch, working with nature by encouraging biodiversity in the vineyard, minimizing water use through drip irrigation and prioritizing organic methods wherever possible, an approach well suited to the sagebrush-scented hills that give the winery its name. The portfolio spans sparkling, white, rose and red wines, with offerings that have included Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Ortega among the whites, a distinctive haskap-Riesling blend that nods to the region's hardy fruit, and reds such as Marechal Foch and Merlot Nouveau, with new releases appearing through the season. It is a lineup that reflects both classic varieties and the cold-hardy grapes that perform well in the Thompson Valley's continental climate of hot, dry summers and crisp nights. Visitors will find the tasting room open on weekends from late morning to late afternoon and on weekday afternoons, with reservations available through the winery's website. Leashed dogs are welcome, and the relaxed, rural setting just outside Kamloops makes Sagewood an easy detour for travellers passing through on the Trans-Canada corridor or making a dedicated tour of the area's small but growing cluster of wineries. For those who cannot visit, select Sagewood wines also pour locally at a Kamloops Thai restaurant and a neighbourhood liquor store. As one of the pioneering cellar doors in this young wine region, Sagewood offers a genuinely personal experience: tastings are unhurried, the people pouring are the people who grew the grapes, and the wines tell the story of a landscape still writing its first chapters in British Columbia wine.