Despite founding one of Canada’s most iconic wineries, playing a critical role in creating a reputation for Canada’s wines on the world wine stage, and being on Forbes list of Billionaires, Anthony von Mandl is not a household name. However, the name of his iconic BC winery, Mission Hill Family Estate, is more easily recognized even though we don’t see their wines on LCBO shelves nearly enough.

In 1981, von Mandl believed in the potential of the Okanagan region for producing high quality fine wine, so he purchased a winery on the verge of bankruptcy. For the past forty years he has been crafting wines inspired by classic wines of Europe, and they have been consistently winning awards and garnering praise.

Mission Hill continues to push the BC wine industry into the future through their pioneering efforts in sustainable and organic farming practices. Their vineyards teem with life as they have replaced pesticides and insecticides for birds and bees and chemical fertilizers for cover crops, compost, and earthworms.

The 2019 Meritage plays homage to the classic wines of Bordeaux. It is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot with less than 10% of Petit Verdot and just a spatter of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. It was aged for 15 months in both French and American oak. It is a big wine with dark fruit, smoke, and powerful tannins.