About Sunnybrae Winery

Originally a hay farm, the vineyard was planted in 2006 by Barry & Nancy Turner and their family. After a few years selling their grapes, they celebrated the 2011 opening of the winery & tasting room with their 2010 vintage. In the summer of 2021 Tanja and Ian Hamilton, along with their daughters Tasia and Alena, moved from their home in Salmon Arm to the sunny side, taking ownership of the business and continuing the wine journey! When not on-site they’re sure to be out on trails or deep in snow!

Whether its pouring wine in the tasting room or at community events, getting to know our customers on our patio, delivering wine orders or just taking care of the nitty gritty details of business ownership, Tanja will be there! With deep roots in farming and the tourist industry, Tanja strives to make your visit an experience to savour and enjoy!

When not in the cab of a chopper fighting fires or slinging skiers from peak to peak, you’ll find Ian cruising around the property solving problems, hand bombing cases up the stairs, doing what needs to be done and on the rare occassion, sipping a cool glass of Rosé at the bar after a good day’s work.

The DOGS: Loki and Kula are on the job greeting visitors, patrolling the vineyard, and food sample tasting as required.

The winery offers stunning views of Shuswap Lake and Bastion Mountain from the comforts of our outdoor patio. Join us for samples in the tasting room or a casual tasting experience with your company seated outside in the sun. The patio is open daily throughout the summer, serving up wine by the glass, local food and local artisan merchandise. Check out our News & Events page for special event announcements featuring local food trucks and live music!

Our winemaker James Clark is originally from Scotland. James joined the company during  harvest of 2012, working closely with winemaker (Jesse Steinley) and consulting winemaker Mark Wendenburg and more recently, Christine Leroux.

The staff here at the winery are a hoot and are more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the wines. We look to make your visit as welcoming, enoyable and as casual as possible.

Our vineyard is planted to 7.1 acres of grapevine with 3 white varieties of german origin (Siegerrebe, Ortega, Kerner), a French-American Red (Marechal Foch) used for the majority of our red wines and most recently, the infamous Pinot Noir.  As many visitors have commented, some of these varietals are less known than what you might find elsewhere. Why is this? We see a lower amount of “growing degree days” here than further south. The varieties we have planted generally ripen earlier (and can also withstand colder winter temperatures at dormancy), making them a great fit for the Shuswap region.

The site itself is made up of about 8 inches of top soil, gravel soil, clay and a south facing slope of up to 6 degrees. The vines see long summer days and experience cool and gentle breezes flowing down from Bastion Mountain in the evenings. This is a great foundation for both fruit development and retention of natural acidity, which lend very well to the fresh, vibrant character in our finished wines.

Being a relatively small vineyard, our vines are hand tended by our crew from pruning to harvest with every activity throughout the growing season (of which there are many!) carried out with great care and attention to detail. High fruit quality is the absolute cornerstone to a high quality wine!

We are also in the early stages of working with SWBC (Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia) and their sustainability certification program, which focusses on a philosophy of continous improvement to our operations. Our goal is to be responsible stewards of the land we farm and for every decision we make in the farming process to be conscious and considerate. For more information on the progress of this, head to our News & Events page.