Summerland’s oldest and largest winery has completed extensive renovations to showcase the three brands it produces.
The grand reopening of Sumac Ridge Estate Winery was held earlier this month.
Kristina Neilsen, visitor experience manager at the winery, said the renovation was a 51/2 month process.
Jody Levesque, marketing manager at Sumac Ridge, said winery spent more than $225,000 in renovations and upgrades.
The three brands — Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, Black Sage Vineyard and Steller’s Jay — will each be showcased separately.
“A lot of the uniqueness was hiding within the Sumac Ridge portfolio,” she said.
“We wanted to showcase the special gems we have.”
In 1979, Harry McWatters and Lloyd Schmidt purchased the Sumac Ridge Golf Course to create the winery.
The first Sumac Ridge wines were produced in 1981 and the first Steller’s Jay Brut was released in 1989.
The winery acquired a vineyard and established Black Sage Vineyard in 1992.
Since 2012, the three brands have been set up as standalone brands.
