Maverick Estate Winery
We are Mavericks. We believe in discovery. We know there is always something new to be found if you look (and aren’t afraid to break a few rules). Which is why we are constantly experimenting. It’s not always perfect, but it’s sometimes transcendent. And when it is, we share it with our customers.
Our Philosophy, Our Story
We believe in the ‘slow wine’ movement: creating an unrushed, artisanal product that reflects the place it came from. We farm our vineyards sustainably, using organic and biodynamic principals. We make our wine with minimum intervention to craft wines that express the flavour and complexity produced in our vineyards. Our patient approach builds wines of beauty and detail: rich, daring reds and flavourful, elegant whites.
Maverick Estate Winery’s emblem is inspired by the blending of ancient pictographs drawn on cave walls found peppered throughout the Okanagan Valley. The Maverick man represents the enthusiastically unconventional free thinker. Whether in ancient times or today, Mavericks are not afraid to forge their own paths and stay true to what they believe in. We are Mavericks: uncompromising in our pursuit and unrestrained in our enjoyment of exceptional wine.
The winery started with the purchase of the acreage that is home to the Maverick Estate Winery in 2009. The first vintage of Maverick Estate wine, produced in 2011, drew high praise from critics and customers alike. Today, Maverick Estate wines are gaining a strong following for their consistency, elegance, complexity and balance.
I’m proud of where I’m from, and I want people to discover and enjoy the Okanagan and its wines. The Okanagan wine industry is still new, so we are empowered by our future and not limited by our past. There is no image to which we must conform, and we are surrounded by enthusiasm and not pretension. And you could not find a more beautiful region to share.
– JAN NELSON, CEO
Jan Nelson
CEO / Proprietor
Jan grew up on a tree fruit farm outside of Oliver, BC, less than 4km north of Maverick. He left the Okanagan Valley in 1992 to begin over two decades of travel that took him to Montreal, Italy to gain his MBA, and over 17 years in Japan working in the wine industry before returning to the Okanagan in 2015.
During trips home to visit family, Jan witnessed the growth of the BC wine industry and the transition of land from tree to vine during the 1990s and 2000s. His decision to join the wine industry was inspired by the changes in the Okanagan and partly because he loved drinking the stuff.
In 2002, Jan started his wine journey importing wines from Washington and Oregon to Japan and has since led export programs for Washington and Napa Valley in Japan, and imported Italian food and wine. Jan has worked with some of the leading brands from the Pacific Northwest, Napa Valley, France and Italy.
Andrew Windsor
COO / Winemaker / Proprietor
Andrew brings a unique blend of passion and scientific knowledge to his winemaking. Born in Ontario, Andrew’s first taste of wine was a friend’s parents’ attempt at homemade wine. It might not have been great, but it didn’t put him off – he went on to take a course in wine while studying at the University of Guelph. Andrew earned a Masters of Oenology at the University of Adelaide in Australia in 2008 and then took on an Assistant Winemaking role at Mollydooker Wines in McLaren Vale, where he lived on the beach and cycled to work through vineyards filled with kangaroos.
Andrew is responsible for the winemaking process from vines to bottle. He brings with him a wealth of experience having worked in wineries in the Okanagan, New Zealand and the Northern Rhone before returning to Canada to work in Niagara and then on to Tinhorn Creek in the Okanagan.
Our Vineyards
Maverick Estate Winery’s Estate Vineyard on the Golden Mile Slopes is located on hot and sunny, east-facing slopes in the southernmost part of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. The area boasts an extremely dry climate, geologically young soil, and more consistent hours of summer sunlight than anywhere else in Canada. Summer temperatures that exceed 30°C (86°F) almost every day through July and August combine with cool nighttime lows around harvest to support the concentration of sugars and complex berry flavours. These prime grape-growing conditions are made possible because the area is Canada’s only desert.
Our mountain vineyard, Crux Vineyard, is 1km south of the winery on the western ridge of the Okanagan Valley. This spectacular 77-acre plot features a 16-acre vineyard that is 500 – 600m above sea level and due to its aspect, it receives 1-2 hours more sunlight per day during the growing season than our Estate Vineyard. The combination of aspect, temperature and slope makes it a perfect site to produce vibrant whites and robust reds.
We believe the better the grapes, the better the wine. Balanced wines can only come from balanced soil. For that reason, we leverage both nature and science to nurture the health of our vineyard soil. From improving microbial activity to increasing our soil’s water-holding capacity to moving away from the use of conventional chemicals, we are constantly working to support our soil’s ability to grow great vines.
The majority of Maverick Estate Winery’s vineyard acres consist of well-drained, coarse, gravelly glaciofluvial deposits, complimented by blocks with a higher concentration of fine-textured sediment and silt.
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