Nk'Mip Cellars
Winery · Osoyoos 1 ·
Indigenous-owned winery: award-winning wines, cultural center
Indigenous-owned winery: award-winning wines, cultural center
"North America’s first Indigenous-owned and operated winery is led by an Osoyoos nation member and winemaker who helped pioneer riesling ice wine in the region; the estate has built an award-winning portfolio that emphasizes stewardship and storytelling about the land and its people, reflecting a balance of tradition and innovation over the past two decades." - Carrie Honaker Carrie Honaker Carrie Honaker is a Florida-based writer who has hauled oyster cages off the Forgotten Coast of Florida, made Guavaberry Liqueur with a 7th generation distiller on St. Maarten, and stomped cacao pods in Grenada. She writes about food, drink, travel, and culture for Bon Appetit, Conde Nast Traveler, Wine Enthusiast, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"I sampled Indigenous-owned Nk'Mip Cellars’ crisp Pinot Blanc." - Lisa Kadane
"At Nk’Mip Cellars, we are the dedicated guardians of a proud legacy. As the first Indigenous-owned winery in North America, we are inspired to express our culture in everything we do. Our Winery itself is a bold celebration and a strong reflection of our commitment to authenticity and deep respect for our colourful past. We extend an invitation to discover, not only the international award-winning wines we produce, but also the relentless spirit and remarkable history that inspire them."
"You may be upset to learn that the Okanagan Desert, home of the Osoyoos Indian Band and billed as Canada’s “only desert,” in fact receives too much rainfall to qualify as a desert. The Osoyoos-owned Nk’Mip Cellars is, however, North America’s first Indigenous-owned winery. The Band owns 32,000 acres of rugged, undulating hills dotted with salty-green shrubbery, just north of the Canadian-U.S. border. It’s one of the driest and hottest corners of Canada. Of this lot, some 1,350 acres are dedicated to growing grapes, a tradition that began in 1968. While the Band has maintained vineyards for decades, selling grapes to wineries around lower British Columbia, the opening of Nk’Mip Cellars in 2002 represented the Band taking ownership of the full process. Indigenous winemakers now showcase their skills as enologists and vignerons through a class of Pinot Noirs, Merlots, Chardonnays, and a series of blends. The wines are available in their winery as well as next door at the Spirit Ridge Resort’s restaurant, The Bear, The Fish, The Root, and the Berry, which specializes in Indigenous cuisine and boasts a stunning view of Osoyoos Lake framed by handsome mountains. An Indigenous-owned winery producing award-winning wines from a desert-like landscape, Nk’Mip Cellars upends conceptions of Canadian culture in the best way possible." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
"North America's first Indigenous-owned winery is located within Canada's only desert-like ecosystem."
