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Ex-Lanson MD Paul Beavis pushes Okanagan Valley in the UK

Published:  14 July, 2020

Headed up by previous House of Lanson MD Paul Beavis, Iconic Wineries of British Columbia is hoping to raise awareness of Canada’s Okanagan Valley by bringing CheckMate Artisanal Winery to the UK.

Iconic Wineries of British Columbia - a collective of six artisanal wineries each offering a unique representation of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, has launched four CheckMate wines in the UK - Fool’s Mate Chardonnay 2014, Attack Chardonnay 2015, Opening Gambit Merlot 2014 and Silent Bishop Merlot 2014 (rrp: £65 per single bottle or triple bottle gift box set £195).

Born out of a bold vision by proprietor Anthony von Mandl, patriarch of one of the region’s pioneering winery families, CheckMate Artisanal Winery prides itself on producing handcrafted wines under the eye of Australian-born winemaker, Philip McGahan.

Its portfolio comprises some of the most highly scored small lot Chardonnay and Merlot wines in Canada, according to Iconic Wineries of British Columbia, which said the extremely small lots of classic Burgundian and Bordeaux varietals were the culmination of more than three decades of sustainable farming and “pushing the boundaries of winemaking in the Okanagan”. 

It was “very rare” to find wines that display such” impeccable character, integrity and quality”, said Beavis, who left The House of Lanson at the end of last year following more than 20 years with the company. 

“With Anthony von Mandl’s vision and Phil McGahan’s mastery, CheckMate wines represent the pinnacle of expression of the Okanagan Valley. Once experienced, the expectations for Chardonnays and Merlots will never be the same. The time has come to take these wines to the rest of the world, starting in the UK,” he said.   

Anthony von Mandl believes that by harnessing the effects of climate change, that it is possible to produce “extremely limited” quantities of elegant, Burgundian-style Chardonnay and Bordeaux-inspired Merlot in a very unexpected place. 

Climate and viticulture expert, Dr. Gregory Jones, PhD, said: “The world’s wine map is changing as a result of changes in climate that have transformed the Okanagan Valley into a magical place to grow and ripen fruit and produce world-class wines.”  

The Okanagan Valley is a tiny region with just 10,500 vineyard acres, a fraction of the terrain typically available to wine producers in the Old and New World. It is claimed to be the only wine region created first by volcanic activity and then shaped by two subsequent glacial ages.  

McGahan came to the Okanagan with the sole purpose of working within this new climatic band for winemaking to craft “New World Chardonnay and Merlot with Old World Elegance” at CheckMate Artisanal Winery. 

Iconic Wineries of British Columbia’s wineries include Mission Hill Family Estate, CedarCreek Estate Winery, Road 13 Vineyards and Martin’s Lane Winery. 

 

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