Introducing Road 13 Vineyards

INTRODUCING ROAD 13 VINEYARDS
The proprietors, the vineyards, the winery and the winemaker remain:
Just the name has changed

(Oliver, BC) When Pam and Mick Luckhurst purchased their winery in 2003, it came with a vineyard, a winery and a name: Golden Mile Cellars. Since then, the Luckhursts and their winemaking team have realized the worth that the name “Golden Mile” has to the wineries located along Highway 97, between Fairview and Road 18. This, combined with the often-asked question “when are you changing the name of the winery?” from longstanding winery neighbour, Walter Gehringer, led the winery to do just that. The winery team is proud to share the winery’s new name: Road 13 Vineyards.

Road 13 Vineyards is named for the location of the winery with two of its vineyard sites, the Home and the Castle. The Luckhursts’ land was first cultivated in the early 1920s, when BC premier ‘Honest’ John Oliver turned the area into rich farmland by constructing an irrigation canal from Okanagan Falls.

Wine lovers can expect the same outstanding wines that they have come to love from Golden Mile Cellars, but the name change signals the beginning of a new era at the winery: the approach has been focused to spreading the word on the winery’s creation of terroir-driven wines.

The change also provides an opportunity to give the name “Golden Mile” back to the wine industry. Many wineries along Highway 97in Oliver use “Golden Mile” as a geographic location indicator, but with the winery also sharing the same name there was some confusion with visitors to the area. The Road 13 team hopes that by taking this term away from their winery that all wineries in the area can adopt the name regionally and work together to promote the unique farming history and spectacular growing conditions of the area.

“It’s All About The Dirt”
Mick’s favourite saying provides a natural promotional phrase for Road 13’s approach. The new mantra highlights the fact that the wines start in the vineyard where Mick does his best work. It’s about the land, the site, the soil profile, the viticulture practices and the desire to grow the best grapes possible. As winemaker Michael Bartier notes, “These wines are the Okanagan in a glass.”

The Wine Portfolio
The winery presents Road 13 Vineyards’ wines in three distinct tiers: a red blend and a white blend called Honest John’s, a varietal series of red and white wines under the Road 13 classification, and a premium tier of small lots and blends under the designation Jackpot.


Honest John’s Red and White
The winery’s blended red and white wines are a tribute to Honest John Oliver, who was BC’s Premier from 1918–1927. Honest John epitomized British Columbians’ pioneering values: hard work, self-reliance, dependability and neighbourliness. Honest John‘s greatest achievement was the construction of an irrigation canal that transformed the (Golden Mile) South Okanagan and areas into outstanding farmland.


Road 13 Varietal Series
Road 13 wines express the special character of the South Okanagan’s renowned Golden Mile. The motto, “It’s All About The Dirt,” reflects the team’s belief that great wines start in the vineyard.

Jackpot
Southern BC is home to hundreds of old gold mines with names that acknowledge the region’s past exploration. One, called Jackpot, inspired the Luckhursts, as they felt the name evokes the joy of winning a hard-earned prize, and makes a fitting title for their top tier wines – the reward for their hard work in the vineyard and cellar.

Road 13 Vineyards creates south Okanagan Valley wines of quality and integrity. Proud to represent one of the best cool-climate growing regions in the world, Road 13 wines bear the flavour and fingerprint of their very distinct terroir. The team at Road 13 Vineyards strives to make wines of merit and be recognized as the standard of wine style and quality for the south Okanagan Valley.

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ROAD 13 VINEYARDS
13140 316A Ave
Road 13 RR1 S-28A C10
Oliver BC V0H 1T0
P: 250.498.8330 F: 250.498.8331
winery@road13vineyards.com

Media Contact:
Kate Colley
Kate Colley Communications
P: 604.644.7976
E: kate@katecolley.com