Winery honours geological history that formed the land
Wine lovers will soon discover Monte Creek wines with a new look, as the Thompson Valley winery rolls out labels with a modernized aesthetic that reflect the team’s commitment to quality wines and sustainable practices.
“We felt that our brand needed an update to better align with our vision,” says Erik Fisher, general manager at Monte Creek Winery, located at Kamloops. “Over the last eight years, we’ve invested our time and resources into creating a motivated, innovative, and sustainable operation, and the look we had was not reflecting this anymore. We are ready for wine lovers to understand who we are both in the bottle and on the shelf: a premium product that is delicious and sustainable.”
The new look came to life when working with designer Adrienne Van Haeren of Signify Design. The design conveys a sense of straightforward authenticity in describing the nature of the winery, environmental conditions, and processes.
The center of the new logo illustrates an M, symbolic of both Monte Creek and the rows of the vineyards. The C on the bottom incorporates the C from Monte Creek and is also symbolic of the ancient lake that formed the terroir. The negative space within the monogram that forms a V, signifies the Thompson Valley. The monogram resembles a thumb print, to reflect the winery team’s intentional handcrafted process.
To complete the rebrand, Monte Creek’s wines are now divided into Ancient Waters, Living Land, and Pioneer series.
The Ancient Waters series refers to the historical geological events that formed the land and prized soils. The first release under this new label is the 2019 Ancient Waters Chardonnay, which is already receiving early praise, including Platinum at the 2021 WineAlign Awards, Double Gold at the 2021 All Canadian Wine Championships and 90 Points from the 2021 Decanter World Wine Awards. Other wines to look out for in this series are Riesling, Rosé, and Pinot Noir.
The Living Land series is a celebration of the idea that great wines only come from balanced vines and earth that is truly alive and thriving. The 2020 Living Land Rosé was awarded a Double Gold at the 2021 All Canadian Wine Championships and the Sparkling Rosé Gold at the 2021 BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards.
“It speaks to the idea that to grow incredible fruit, you must promote and maintain an environment that is healthy and working with nature, not against it,” says Fisher.
The Pioneer series makes a nod to the history of the area, as it relates to pioneers, frontiersmen, and prospectors—even train robbers like Bill Miner—as they sought their fortunes in the area that is now the home to Monte Creek Winery. Pursuing viticulture in the Thompson Valley embodies the pioneering spirit as well.
“We are at the boundary of cool climate viticulture and it is when wineries push boundaries that exciting, unique, and delicious wines are made,” says winemaker Galen Barnhardt. The Pioneer series includes the popular Hands Up White and Hands Up Red blends.
Sustainability is one of the core values at Monte Creek Winery. The team believes in and practices regenerative agriculture, a practice that includes the rehabilitation and conservation of the ecosystem. The vineyards are farmed organically with permaculture in mind. The team utilizes “chicken tractors” in the vineyard (allowing chickens to graze row by row), and is also a Certified Salmon Safe farm, certified for its practices that protect and enhance salmon health and habitat through transformative land and water management practices.
Monte Creek Winery’s sustainable practices don’t stop in the vineyards. The onsite Terrace restaurant is 100% OceanWise.
The winery invites people to tag them on social media at @montecreekwinery to share their thoughts on the new look.
