Travelsmart
Summerhill Winery hosted its 10th annual Organic Okanagan Festival Sunday to the delight of nearly 800 visitors.
“It was a fantastic turnout. For our tenth anniversary we were really hoping we would have the weather that we did and the turnout has been phenomenal,” says event organizer Wendy Wright.
“I really believe, and I feel in my heart of hearts, that organic is becoming mainstream and this show of support today, of people that are curious and supportive and get it, means a lot for the whole industry in B.C.,” says Wright.
Wright began the festival 10 years ago, early on in the organic movement and continues to organize the event each year with growing success.
About 300 people attended the inaugural event featuring 25 vendors.
On Sunday, more than 800 people converged on Summerhill Winery to taste and smell and enjoy the wares from more than 40 vendors.
“We knew we were on to something and so we said we needed to keep showcasing all the good that is the Okanagan Valley,” says Wright.
The theme of this year’s event is Bee Organic as the festival celebrated bees and honey and role the hard-working insects play in supporting agriculture and keeping ecosystems healthy.
From local designers, organic farmers, ranchers, cheese makers and a meadery to nutritional consulting and a Kombucha stand – it was all there to try, discuss and buy.
While this particular festival has been going on for 10 years, Summerhill Winery has followed the organic way of life for nearly 30 years.
When Stephen Cipes opened the winery in 1986, it was the only organic winery in the Valley.
“Sadly, they are still very few organic vineyards today,” says Cipes. “The population explosion is so big that we have to put a stop to this (non-organic practices) or we will lose our whole valley. It is that serious.”
He saw that problem in 1986 and he hasn’t looked back.
“I started the organic movement in the Okanagan and I am proud of that. I am a leader in it and I stand behind it,” says Cipes. “Now, I can make the bold statement that not only is the organic movement wonderful for the ground and air and environment and for our children and elderly, but it is also financially sustainable. I can say that proudly.”
He says his organic wines have won competitions all over the world, are competitively priced and are popular.
“This is because you cannot improve upon the flavour of pure nature,” says Cipes. “It is a beautiful thing. The flavour comes out when you do not have the chemicals on the land.”
While Cipes says he may have started the organic movement in the Okanagan, it continues to grow and thrive.
“It is amazingly growing worldwide, at exponential rates,” says Cipes. “From 2008 to present day, organics consumption has gone up 72 per cent in the United States. People are realizing they do not want to ingest chemicals.”
Guests at Sundays event were also asked to sign the 2020 Vision and Declaration, a movement to have the entire Okanagan become 100 per cent organic by the year 2020.
It is a movement deep in the hearts of both Wright and Cipes. They truly believe the future of the Okanagan hangs in the balance if residents, orchards, farmers and vineyards don’t change their ways and go organic.
“We are really trying to drive people to sign on,” says Wright. “Within the next five years we do believe we can transition to way more organic viticulture and agriculture.”
Those who signed the declaration were also sent Cipes new passion project, the All in One Era magazine.
“We are doing this because we want to reestablish our tribal routes. We go from our air conditioned cars to our air conditioned houses to our air conditioned offices – we lose touch with nature,” says Cipes. “We need to go back to the fire and sit around and tell stories and play drums and dance and be one with nature again.”
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