Orofino Winery was asked to produce two wines for Hawksworth Restaurant, recently named Vancouver’s top restaurant by Vancouver Magazine.

This is an exceptional honour and it speaks to the talent of co-owner/winemaker John Weber. This is a thrilling coup for both Orofino and the gorgeous Similkameen Valley wine region — which was named last year as one of “The 5 Best Wine Regions You Never Heard Of” by En Route Magazine.

“We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Hawksworth’s wine director and Vancouver’s Sommelier of the Year Terry Threlfall and his whole sommelier team on this project,” said John Weber. “It is an authentic collaboration between our world-class Similkameen fruit, Orofino’s winemaking style and the sophisticated palates of some of the top sommeliers in the country.”

The wines have been named “H’s Blend” and there is one white and one red made exclusively with grapes from Similkameen vineyards.

Hawksworth Restaurant has listed a number of Orofino’s wines on their platinum award-winning wine list. Legendary chef David Hawksworth commented: “We are proud to align with one of B.C.’s most respected wineries, using grapes from Canada’s most distinctive appellation to create our own exclusive wine blends.”

What an amazing achievement for John and his partner/wife Virginia Weber. This well-deserved success couldn’t happen to two nicer people — congratulations John and Virginia.

I encourage all of you who have never visited their gorgeous winery to make a plan to visit soon. It really is made of straw bales. The Webers live on site with their two boys and golden retriever, Cooper, and are such a pleasure to chat with and, of course, the wine is fabulous too.

Don’t miss a taste of their new bubbly, a Moscato Frizzante. Made with a blend of Muscats with just a little bit of Riesling and Pinot Gris all grown in Cawston. The wine exhibits exotic orange blossom notes and tropical flavours with a clean, dry finish. The bottle is absolutely stunning as well. www.orofinovineyards.com.